A Journey Round his Skull (50 Watts)

I have felt like a hoarder of secrets for a long time. I think it is natural for an artist to guard their inspirations and resources that make them feel special. Guarding your process speaks more to insecurity than mastery of a craft. But art and design are about communication of ideas. So with that being said let me introduce you to one of my longtime sources of inspiration.

50 Watts has been going strong for 10+ years now and all under the sole supervision of Will Schofield who has been consistently scouring the depths to find some of the most obscure ephemera around. For a free blog that has delivered quality content time after time over the years that is impressive. Mr. Scofield is definitely a master librarian of oddities. The subject matter mostly lies in vintage design and illustration. Old German children's books and literary magazines, Russian matchbooks, Japanese design; these just skim the surface of what this amazing website has to offer. Patti Smith likes it, so it must be good.

Cover by Kishida Ryūsei for Shirakaba, 1919 found via 50 Watts