New Blog!

I just started a blog up with a friend

http://welldressdrawings.blogspot.com/ ch-ch-check it out

Rene Gruau

I can totally see the model Claudia Schiffer in a photo version of this for Chanel..



For my x-mas haul I got two fantastic fashion books. One that dealt specifically about fashion history and the other that was an index of working fashion illustrators. Although the latter was very inspiring there were too many fantastic illustrators in it for one post.

Instead I'll focus on the former which had a small biography of the legend Rene Gruau. Although I've seen some of his work here and there, seeing it an entirely different context was something else.
I wonder if Yoshitaka Amano has see the above picture...I got a sudden reminder of Amano's erotic series when I saw this.
Although he seems to be considered to be very traditional I think overall he is still a very modern artist. The piece above could have been painted in the last decade of the 19th century, it has a great Toulouse-Lautrec vibe to it..

Yet here is a beautifully abstracted woman in a playsuit. I love his boldness and how his considerable drawing abilities allowed him to get away without looking sloppy or accidential

Degas, Lautrec

Was flipping through one of my art books and came across some amazing unprimed oil paintings by Degas and Toulouse Lautrec. I normally love a liquid-y surface for painting but the idea of incorporating the natural texture of the canvas seems brilliant to me.

I am drawn particularly to using carboard as a surface, especially since I have a shit ton of in the garage.
This is the last painting I've done that I think is successful. Next semester I'd like to do a series of portraits on cardboard of friends. I had wanted to do it this semester but never had the discipline to do some. Now looking back at my last successful painting, I am embarrassed at how little I've progresss...

Genius

Motherfucking Genuis

Can't think of any good song quotes..sue me

AHHHH YAY ITS DONE
This is probably my quickest completed piece ever, but not by choice. I meant to start this a week ago but because of my internship I ended up having to wait till the last minute =/

The point of it was to play on her header, which mentions her closet. I tried incorporating some actual garments in there, some more successfully than others...also I included two skirts of mine mwhaaha.
Anddd hopefully if my new painting comes out this well then I will be a very lucky intern. Not to toot my own horn, but I've grown quite fond of this incomplete figure painting. It was the last assignment in our painting class, and probably the most enjoyable.

Tonight Ill try and get the freakin Office episode working again and knit, and prepare for battle of the canvas tomorrow...because I am totally 20 years old and not freakin 80 at all...(goes off to find her walking stick)


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On a side note, it really bums me out that the Long Blondes broke up even though that was awhile ago.

Ewwwwwwwwwww Image Dump!!

Wasnt this post on of the best for Sea of Shoes? I just about died and went to heaven to see such amazing pants..and those sleeves on the sweater...the diy wheels are turning in my head again. At least on the sweater. Who am I kidding on the pants?

This was Rachel's present to Rachel for another good meeting at Creative Loafing. 10 bucks cheaper at Need Supply Co, and they're very versatile looking at the various looks on the website.
I love love love the tight version...but this is king. So sensible and yet with such a great edge. if your gonna do zippers, do them in a forgiving cut.

This is everything I seem to have been avoiding lately...color (I know olive skin looks SO GREAT IN COLOR blahblahblah), long, and with those freakin long armholes that seem to shout "Hae big tittied-girl, dont even THINK you can wear me. I saw you eating those chocolate cover strawberries, SHAME ON YOU!"
Also I get the strings, but still, what the fuck. Oh and pairing shoes with this wouldnt exactely be easy, hmm?
Yet...I feel like I could look awesome in it It's got that fitted look, just not obvious because I suspect the model is a dude...... And then when I never get money to try it on, I will be soundly reminded that no,

I love love love this look. But c'mon this is easy peasy DIY. I think......

A Piece for Me

I've been working on this piece for several weeks now, I guess I can say it's fairly resolved.
I was really inspired by the couple in the Nylon photo I posted several weeks ago, and have been wanting to do a dry media piece for awhile now. During the school year there's very little time for me to do work "just for me" so to speak. Makes me realize I actually do like drawing hahaha.


I think the hands are the what I am least happy with, but overall I do like it. I worry the guy is a bit stiff, but you can't improve if you dont carry on, so lesson learned?

I also included some actual garments I'm a bit crazy over, like these amazing leather cuffs in a picture taken of Jennifer Herrema. Im sorta crazy about her right now.

Now I actually have what'd I'd call "real assignments" again, like my Creative Loafing illustration, and Gala Gonzalez's contest, both due next week.
Gotta get moving again!

Portfolio Work part 2

Summer musing

Im not gonna go into a big ramble post about the resort collections, because it'll just make me sad about how I'll never be able to afford any of it. These three looks are ones that stuck out as possible diy projects this summer, especially the jacket above. I actually have some left over fleece in that exact color and some grey knit fabric. And the black dresses...well I like black and I like dresses so what the hell.

This has definately become the summer of work, between drawing, painting, sewing and reading. There will be no awesome party pictures of me being plastered this summer, or many romantic shots of me and my bf, since he has his music to practice on.
I'm gonna look at this as an opportunity to do all the stuff I never had time to during the school year, such as redoing projects that came out poorly, and just overall challenging myself. Im not gonna look at this as oh, just watching another movie on a friday while sewing as something bad, but as something productive (well as long as I'm sewing!)

Feel better puppy!!!!

I havent done any work today other than this morning, and Im gonna post that painting on friday. So here's some sketches I did after school ended for the semester.

Today's been sort of a lazy day, I had class this morning and worked on a painting I'm pretty excited about. Since I somehow am always late for class I usually get last pick of spots. So now I've decided to pull away and not just simply paint a person but an entire inhabited space.

Lately the blogs I used to religiously read I've been pulling away with. I used to be a huge fan of the "sexy secretary" or cute and modest look but not so much any more. I like tough, sexier clothes, but also more challenging clothes. You couldnt have paid me to wear the shoes in the last post this time last year...and what's this? I lovelovelove my skate shoes now. Adore them really. It seems the overall fashion trend has been to go to a darker, tougher aesthetic as well...does this make me simply a follower? Is my new found love Yohji just a phase? I dont think I have to have a certain style, I do believe in experimentation but I do not wish blind experimentation.


In other news the puppy isnt feel in tip top shape, she's usually pretty happy go lucky especially around her buddies but today all she wants is to sleep.

Shoes and Paint

Almost a week...since I last updated. Lately I've been on a bit of a creative spree, mostly painting, sewing, and drawrings. Oh and shopping...much online shopping...
I just bought the ones on top...but now I have moved on ...ALREADY!?!?...these are like the European sister to the ones above, which feel more west-coast..(just go with it..)

Basically they are so insane that I just must. I dont question it. I simply dont.
This is the result of a 6 hour session, in which the first 3 hours I completely and totally fucked up my piece, and my instructor told me to start over. Rightly so. Today I busted my ass and am pretty happy with the results given the time constraints. I do wish I had another session, but a part of me enjoys the freshness.


Since I can't figure out fucking Blogger, Im gonna have to make a separate post for the artists that inspire me at the moment.

1:20 AM

Lately I've been incredibly inspired by this photo. The mixture of textures, his haircut combined with the preppy shirt, her fantastic hair combined with a puffer, and how adorable her feet look reaching out of shiny flats.

I also love them as a couple, the way they both look down and bow lovely the compliment each other. Easily one of my favorite photos. How I miss the old Nylon....
It seems my inspirations as of late are those a bit rougher around the edges, such as Jennifer Herrema. It's a very different aesthetic than my old one, which was ladylike and dare I say stuffy. This fearlessness seems much more relevant to my life than prim, and crisp and nary a hair out of place.

This is just a rough of a piece I would like to be more ambitious with. In terms of the rough, I like her as a figure aside from the hands. The dude needs alot more work but that's what reference photos are for! And yes they're pretty much the same people as the above photo. So much for originality I guess..
This is just a doodle from the other day. I've been thinking about including a doodle everyday, but I am so anal retentive, Id probably never be satisifed with how they look. Oh well, so long as it motivates me to draw everyday.

Art Nerd moment

This past weekend I went to Ringling Museum and found this jewel of a Rembrandt. Unfortunately googling it doesnt come up with any results. So this portrait of Sasakia will have to do. What makes Rembrandt stand out amongst the art at the museum was his use of light, particuarly on the female form. Many paintings of women at this time were painted very pale (the aesthetic of the day). It's not that Rembrandt did not paint his women pale, but he under stood that there was still light, value, and form. So where in his contemporaries the women look like they are one sneeze away from death, Sasakia is brimming with life, and the light appears as though it is coming from within her.

Uuuuugh big time nerd out moment. Forgive me.


So today was my first figure painting class, and shit am I out of practice. Gotta get back into shape guuuurl.

Knitting and Naked People

In two days I'm going to be starting up figure painting classes for the summer, which I
cannot wait for, since it'll give me something to do other than sewing or drooling at this:
My goal for this gorgeous piece is to complete something very similar in time for my friend's graduation in december. I can see this being worn so many ways and so very often in that Siberian wilderness we know as Dallas for x-mas.

Shoes and Cleaning.

Shoessssssssss.
But I need monies unfortunately. On the brightside, my Minnetonka's are freakin wonderful, as are my $8.00 Target boots.
Can't figure out how to work the fucking blog layout. Until Later... Gotta Conquer this fearsome beast.......

Sketch and Inspiration

Today is all about cleaning and sewing! Miss Meg is stopping by today and we'll be doing some screen printing on hoodies I've made.

Also how insanely beautiful is this hoodie? I could easily see myself destroying it within 30 minutes, but goddamn it is pretty.

So I leave you with one of the few quickie sketches I'm pretty happy with. Now if only I could get all my quickies to look like this..

When Meg Met Charlie

This is what I do at 2 am. Post drawings of my friends dressed up as old hollywood.