Studio Kazaz Illustration Blog

in my secret life

2012-02-10T12:04:00.027-05:00

-fairy dreams ©r.cazazian2011
unpublished

most of my art is 100% vector.
i wish i were a fairy in a forest.

I'm living a highly inorganic life, je suis l'esclave de mon outil.

isn't it ironic that Steve Jobs- the man who told us to think outside the box is the same one responsible for the fact that we now live in front of and thru boxes?
we can no longer live without our machines.

my mac my master... i am forever ur slave.

Fatima Khamsa

2011-10-14T16:28:00.006-04:00

Khamsa voulant dire 5 en arabe, aussi appelé la main de Fatima,
est un symbole de protection répandu à travers le moyen-orient.

illustration vectorielle, ©r.cazazian2011

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Khamsa meaning five, also known as the hand of Fatima,
is a symbol of protection widely used throughout the middle east.

vector illustration, ©r.cazazian2011

Aubergine; Les nouveaux albums sont là!

2011-09-25T10:43:00.009-04:00

Les tomes 5 & 6 de la série Aubergine sont maintenant en librairie à travers le Québec et l'Europe.
Disponible en ligne chez Archambault, Renaud-Bray et Amazon.ca

Books 5 & 6 of Aubergine Series.
Now in bookstores across Québec and Europe.
Available online at Archambault, Renaud-Bray et Amazon.ca

Pour les filles qui aiment le low tech

2011-09-22T12:47:00.014-04:00

Pour celles qui préfèrent le papier au pixels....
Une série de 4 cahiers de poupées à découper, comme dans le bon vieux temps.

Requiert:
-Sciseaux
-Patience
-Amour

*attention* ce produit ne continent aucun autocollant!

2 autres cahiers à découper prévus pour 2013
Crées par Roselyne Cazazian/Studio Kazaz
Publiés par Modus Vivendi/Presses Aventure.

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For low-tech girls who like paper better than pixels....
A series of paper doll cutouts with fashion created by Roselyne Cazazian/Studio Kazaz
Published by Modus Vivendi/Presses Aventure.

Requires:
-Scissors
-Patience
-Love

*attention* sticker-free product!

Mettez un peu de girly dans votre vie!

2011-09-22T12:22:00.012-04:00

Maintenant disponible en librairie à travers le Québec et l'Europe, l'Agenda des Filles 2012.
Aussi disponible en ligne chez Archambault, Renaud-Bray et Amazon.ca
Publications Presses Aventure/ Modus Vivendi
Illustrations: Roselyne Cazazian/ Studio Kazaz

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Put a little girly in your life! 2012 Agenda for girls, available throughout Quebec and Europe
as well as online via Archambault, Renaud-Bray and Amazon.ca
Published by Presses Aventure/ Modus Vivendi
Illustrations: Roselyne Cazazian/ Studio Kazaz

Montréal printemps /spring 2011 part IV

2011-05-20T11:05:00.003-04:00

Printemps 2011 @ Montreal Spring: 3 easy steps

2011-05-19T13:37:00.006-04:00

Super moon dies -Part II

2011-03-24T12:26:00.016-04:00

Sun Goddess Moon Goddess ©R.Cazazian 2006

Liz ©R.Cazazian 2011

For the last 4 nights, the supermoon wouldn't let me sleep.
It shines so bright thru the bedroom window…

when Yves was alive, It would shine right through the curtains at
exactly 2 a.m. and hit us right in the eyes until one of us would
finally get a blanket to hang in front of the window.
It was a feeble attempt at blocking out the power of the moon.
You can dim it's light but you can't stop it's pull.

Since Yves died, I just let the moon torment me 4 nights a month.
I let it shine in my face and tell me where I've been and where I might go.
The full moon shines on me so insistently, forcing me to reflect on all the ills of the world and the lostness of my soul.

I reflect on our cracking trembling earth, howling winds and flooding rivers.
I reflect on the blood that flows to the sound of bomber jets.
I reflect on fighter jets over a st. patrick day parade. wtf??

I reflect on bills unpaid and coming taxes
I reflect on falling fences and fallen angels.
I reflect on my inner jihad.
I reflect on aubergines left unfried.
I reflect on love lost, once held but now gone.
I reflect on love found, to be held but not possessed.

After 4 nights of reflection, I could finally sleep.
On the 4th night of decline of the super moon, Liz Taylor died.
The super star moon goddess died with the super moon.

What does It mean to me that Elizabeth Taylor died?
What does it mean to the Lybians, Iraquis, Haitians, Japanese, and other victims of the apocalypse installment plan, who may not have had the time to check google news before being suddenly swallowed up by the earth or burnt by a bomb?

We all suffer, but somehow we must go on.
The brightest moon has shone, leaving us to ponder what its rising inspired us to accomplish….
It seems all we've accomplished is darkness and catastrophe.

Liz survived loss and and illness.
Her youth, beauty and grace inspired us as young girls.
Her passionate love affairs inspired us as young women.
Her loss of love touched us as widows or widows to be.

The supermoon was 30% bigger and brighter than previous moons and moons to come.
So was Liz.

As for moons to come, they too will shine and make us ponder the meaning of life, the passage of time....
When one lives in the moment, each moment is eternal.
All we have is love, and when we love, time is ceases to exist.

Aubergine tomes 3 et 4

2010-06-01T15:43:00.010-04:00

En libraire cet automne; les tomes 3 et 4 de la série Aubergine.
Pour lecteurs agés de 2 à 5....publié par Hurtubise HMH
________________________

In bookstores this fall, books 3 and 4 of Aubergine series. For readers aged 2-5.
Published in french only by Hurtubise HMH

Publishers interested in acquiring foreign language rights, or for any other inquiries, please contact me (Roselyne Cazazian) at studiokazaz@sympatico.ca

Nouveaux Agendas des Filles, bientôt en magasin....

2010-06-01T13:56:00.017-04:00

Aussi publié par Presse Aventure, L'Agenda des filles, éditions scolaire et annuel.
Disponible en librairie plus tard cette été.
___________________________

Also from Presse Aventure, Girls' Agenda, in School Year and Annual editions.
Availabe in bookstores later this summer.

Maintenant en librairie!

2010-06-01T13:01:00.013-04:00

La collection Zodiaque des Filles, publié par Presses Aventures.
Textes de Karine Blanchard, Illustrations Roselyne Cazazian.

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Now in bookstores! The Zodiaque for Girls collection.
Available only in french for the moment. Published in Quebec by Presses Aventures.

Aubergine

2009-06-17T12:00:00.015-04:00

Meet my new baby, Aubergine!
Published in french by Les Éditions Hurtubise HMH, the first two books will be available in book stores throughout Québec this fall.
Aubergine is a series featuring a spunky yet introspective 4 year old mullatto girl who has a lot of questions about life.
Aubergine has been translated into english and is currently looking for an english publisher.

by KIDS!

2009-05-22T14:16:00.038-04:00

A new initiative by StudioKazaz
After scanning some art by my little cousin Valerie and my friend Renée's son Rakan, their amusing doodles inspired the following collaborations.
The originals were done by the children in pencil and pen. I scanned them in photoshop, then placed and colored them in illustrator.
I find the end result pretty inspired!

Original art by Valerie Shama, 10 years old. Created May 12, 2009

Collaborative effort: Valerie Shama and Roselyne Cazazian, created May 13, 2009

Original art by Rakan Khalil van Riel Barrett , 10 years old. Created August 2004 when he was almost 4 years old.

Collaborative effort: Rakan Khalil van Riel Barrett and Roselyne Cazazian, created May 20, 2009

Another set of originals by Rakan combined to create one peice shown below.

Collaborative effort: Rakan Khalil van Riel Barrett and Roselyne Cazazian, created May 20, 2009

Original art by Joyce Romano Brook, 23 years old. Created circa 1998.
Collaborative effort: Joyce Romano Brook and Roselyne Cazazian, created May 20, 2009

The children's art was not modified in any way. I did not remove or change any elements whatsoever, but did create some additional elements respecting the spirit of the child's own work. In the case of the second art by Rakan, I combined two of his original drawings into one peice.
All these artworks can be ordered and purchased on various different products through CaféPress.com

Isaac Alkallay

2008-10-02T18:00:00.006-04:00

My cousin Rachel's dad, Isaac Alkallay died this past January. His unveiling service will be held this sunday.
I wanted to post this illustration that I did of him about 4 years ago.
I never had a chance to give it to him or even show it to Rachel.
Isaac was my mother's cousin. Isaac was very handsome and a dashing dresser, as you can see in this picture from 1949, probably taken at the port of Cairo, departing for France.
My mother, her mother and sisters and her cousin Isaac and his sister all grew up together in Alexandria, Egypt. Though they had been in Egypt for several generations, they were never granted egyptian citizenship and were considered "sans patrie" - without homeland. They along with several thousand other "foreigners" of various ethnic origin, were all forced into exile in 1956 by Nasser during the Suez Canal crisis.

Agop / Hamlet

2008-07-29T11:13:00.021-04:00

Agop Cazazian (Kazazian) 1907-1982

Mon père avait un atelier de photographe en Alexandrie dans les années 30, 40 & 50.
Ceci est un autoportrait de lui déguisé en Hamlet. Il aimait bien se déguiser et faire le clown.

My dad owned a photo-portrait studio in Alexandria, Egypt from the 30s to 50s.
He had lots of props and costumes and enjoyed disguising himself as various characters.
Here he is as Hamlet.

More poses

It's all in the head (and ears)

2008-05-04T09:44:00.003-04:00

are these people all related? I think the photos speak for themselves....

Bealtaine Festival

2008-03-10T21:56:00.007-04:00

The east coast has been assaulted by an obscene amount of snow all winter, and despite the ensuing mental, physical and emotional fatigue, can't you just smell spring in the air? The changing light and milder weather (ok, maybe it's just in my head...) has inspired this set of "Bealtaine" illustrations. What the heck is Bealtaine, you ask?
why, just an ancient Gaelic holiday- otherwise known as May Day -celebrating my favorite season, SPRING! (forward)!

And the 50 winners are......

2008-03-10T21:28:00.005-04:00

I was lucky enough to be selected along with another 49 Quebec illustrators to participate in the Ooh La La show in Toronto this coming Thursday, March 13th. The show aims to bring together Illustrators from Quebec and the Greater Toronto-area creative types. Illustrators, art directors, editors, agents, publishers and beer...yay!

Steam Whistle Brewery is where it's all happening, so if you happen to be in town that night, do drop by and say hi.

Coming Up For Air

2008-03-10T21:13:00.008-04:00

This fall was really hectic. After a 4 month anouchkathon, illustrating the last two books back to back while simultaneously creating new works for competions, and teaching night courses in Illustrator at Concordia for the first time in my life (phew!... thank god that's all over!) I decided to change gears a bit and do some completely different style of illustration, more experimental and personal. This is some work that I submitted for a competition organized by the illustration association that I belong to here in Montreal- the AIIQ

Anouchka Books available online

2008-03-10T20:36:00.005-04:00

So far, I've Illustrated 7 Anouchka books, the last two will be in stores this fall.
If you'd like to order any or all of books 1 through 6 though, just follow this link

Suchitra, muse for Anouchka

2008-03-10T18:53:00.008-04:00

The fabulously talented and marvelously flexible award-winning gymnast Suchitra, my muse and inspiration for the
character of Anouchka. Here she was kind enough to pose for the cover of "Anouchka en spectacle" book 6 in the series "Le monde merveilleux d'Anouchka" published by Editions Hurtubise, and due out in fall 2008.
This is the cover that Suchitra's funky style generated.

Psycho-doodles

2008-03-10T18:22:00.010-04:00

Ok, so maybe I wasn't exactly a young Picasso (Picasette?) but I think these old drawings I found in the Kazaz archives are interesting. Probably done when I was 7 or 8. I'm not really sure what I was thinking
but it was clearly an early indication of my more deviant side. I don't know who these people are (no, it's not my familly!) nor what's wrong with them, but I'm sure Madame Booble sprouted from the same region of my brain.

It's obvious here that I had a very keen sense of fashion at an early age. And I loved shoes then too. Note the knobby pant knees and muscle sleeve jacket for the man, made to measure, no less! and as you can see, the same things that interested me back then are still at the top of my list, though all competing for 1st place...hmmm let's see...
LOVE, BED, and $$$$. hmmm.....

LOVE, Helmut Style

2008-03-10T18:06:00.002-04:00

Helmut is enthusiastically affectionate, as witnessed one night this fall by friends Cathy and Maria.

Madame Booble

2008-03-10T17:38:00.004-04:00

This strange character made an appearance early in fall, after a day of dogsitting my
good freinds' Liliane and Amanda's fantasticaly hilarious dacshund Helmut (otherwise known as hell-mutt)
I'd been working long hours on the computer that day, (like that's different from other days)
and Helmut was the only one who could actually pull me away from the computer long enough
to remember I'm a living breathing human being, and not just a peripheral accessory to my mac.