so it's looking like summer is pretty much over right? Although that didn't stop me from drinking Pimm's in the Southwark Cathedral courtyard on Saturday, all be it in tights and jacket. (not just tights and jacket)

My first few weeks as part time teacher, part time all the other stuff have been hectic busy land, but today I have a little breathing space. 

Me and June were up all hours writing a proposal for the StoryHands Collective, (you know, I blogged about it here) which may have caused me to be a slightly less than awesome teacher after 4 hours sleep, and is not something I want to do every week. But you know, it felt really good to be exhausted from doing work on something that I really care about. Not that I don't care about the kids. *backpeddles*

But you know what I mean. busy = good. And June is very good at the graphic design stuff.

In facebook project news I have completed the Gs. Gee, what a G-Star I am. 

Greg

Glenn

I also got all up in the London Fashion Week that is S/S 2013, well, in that I did some writing and drawing.

The writing you can read here if you feel so inclined, it is mostly me being intoxicated by colour and amused by pretentious fashion silliness. 

like these comedy fashionistas I sketched in the Somerset House Courtyard

here are some S/S 13 actual fashion illos I did for Amelia's Magazine (who else?) 

Holly Fulton (what's better than blue roses?)

Jean Pierre Braganza

 Dans La Vie

And finally for your viewing pleasure, here are some huskies in party hats I drew. I entered them in the

 Ohh Deer cushion competition, but I'm pretty sure I did not win.

Horay!

I'm starting my new teaching job tomorrow (excited and scared) and have loads of prep work to do.

So obviously I decided to spend half the day doing a (not really) random fashion illustration based on the Baroque A/W2012 trend. Here it is. It is here.

It's not really random because it's for a fashion fringe competition, in association with the fantabulous Zarina Liew, who we (me and my teddy bears) at my words fly know and love.

Wish me luck intimidating my new classes.

blog blog blog blog blog

obviously I am a bad person and have not blogged recently. I could post-date and fake it now and be all like, oh you have not read my blog? well it was here, full of stuff. But because I have respect for you, and myself, and because such a rouse (sp?) would require some planning to hang together, I'm not going to do that. However. stuff has happened. so prepare for epic stuff. And probably I will forget something so will have to post again anyway.

firstlymost here is a recent TheyDrawAndCook.com design I did, I am particularly proud of the fig leaves, although why I decided to include the rhino I honestly couldn't tell you. It must have been due to some tacit knowledge (that's a pedagogical theory joke, well, not really).

In February I went to visit my darling sister Hazel in Lisbon where we were blessed with optimal tourism weather. I recommend it. Here are some drawings I did of some Fado we went to see in a restaurant in the old part of the city, where these sorts of things traditionally take place. It is a cultural thing where everyone is very depressed and grumpy and moved to sing about it.

Before this, I had some London Fashion Week fun, which I wrote up in some more depth on Amelia's Magazine here. I drew pretty things and met fashiony people. Below are some of my favourite illustrations and sketches from my A/W 2011 haul. For the non-fashionistatastic among you, that means clothes what they invented last year for next year that you can't buy yet but should be the only thing you are thinking about apparently. All for Amelia's Magazine.

Bora Aksu also featured the above illustration on their facebook page

I got to see the Jasper Conran show where I sketched at lightening speed - see my write up and sketches here, my favourite works in the show were def. these sturdy jumpsuit sort of things.

I'm pleased with the atmosphere in this Clements Ribeiro piece

Live sketches of Edward Finney and Nicole Murray with their dresses.

This is Eun Jeong, elegant innit?

In Facebook Project news, I did this manga style portrait of Danni, because she just looks like an Oh My Goddess character, and everyone is all over it. Which is nice. But, not to sound whingy, I am not a manga artist. This is not my thing. Do not expect more. Unless specifically requested. They warned me about this at illustrator school. Why it's not good to be flexible. Which really begs the question why I am posting about it if I don't want people to notice. Um. well I've written it now.

A while ago I promised to draw a free commission for my 750th twitter follower. probably a little prematurely tbh, as the flurry wasn't really going to happen till I was pretty close. Although I plan to do something similar for my 1000th follower, watch the space of hereness. The lucky winner was Acronia Lyubov (not her real name, apparently) - I lucked out here as she is stunning! (see below) and wanted me to draw her in my favourite style, so this was a joyful undertaking.

In other news, my illustration will be included in the amazing memories project, an art book about the experiences of poetic cancer survivors (when I got the story to draw from through I proper cried, this will definitely be a worthwhile purchase when it comes out - chock full of beautiful art and heart rending true stories) to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres.

Poppy Cleopatra has featured my live portrait of her in her blog banner, looking lovely.

Also, I have been dieting. Which I have a lot of complex feelings about so I might write a blog post about that when I have finished. I'm not sure how I'll know when I've finished. I might not last past Easter. Or maybe I will just stop when i am a size zero. ha.

At this time of year I would usually be pimping my awesome handmade Alternative Valentines cards but I've got too much of that life stuff going on to make any this year (boooooooo)

If you are sensible though, you will get this mini zine I made of the best bits. You can use it as a valentines gift, or to cheer yourself up cos your a loser loner.

What did I learn at the Amelia's Compendium of Fasion Illustration launch?

if people with actual good cameras and photography nous/talent take photos of you, you come out looking much more hot. see below.


painty painty sketchy sketchy, the second photo is taken by Joana Faria (also a super awesome illustrator who I shared a table with in our sketchings) and i think the first one might be too but I'm not sure.

also, chunky knits in nuetral colours are still quite in. Sadly my paper white complection probably couldn't pull them off, even with a posh camera flash effect of not bleaching me whiter than white. I rock a slate pallete tho. obviously.

But enough about me, more about my drawings. Or, no, well, lets talk about the party first because I have to say it was super ace, or, amazeballs as I believe is the parlance. Of all the launch parties I have been to, and I have been to several, it was by far the best. Amelia and co really do know what they are doing with this stuff. I was cream crackered after the last week at my first PGCE placement (I had to mark a lot of sketchbooks - bless their little pencils!) but the adrenaline of doing my favouritest thing (well, you know, ONE of them) of drawing live things kept me on point till about midnight when this pumpkin caught the bus back home.

If I'd stayed a bit later I might have managed to meet more illustrators and fashion peeps which would have been even more balls of amazing, but as it was I was still joyous and enchanted to meet such geniuses as June Chanpoomidole (I love her self portrait in the book so much, she is still the network queen - i think she met everyone at the party), Zarina Liew (long legs ink wizard), Jo Cheung (birds and diamonds joy) (I met them already but it was still nice to see them) and Lesley Barnes (she is little and layers transparent things, I think I love her), Abby Wright (charming, I may have been rude to her, I forget), Natsuki Otani (you know she's a genius of colour, I want to be her when I grow up), Antonia Parker (epic hair, epic outfit, sparkleyest smile in tunny wells), Joana Faria (brilliant and beautiful, we are going to get drunk in Lisbon, maybe), Andrea Peterson (too talented to be allowed, and lovely, but i suppose she did fly a long way), Michelle Urvall Nyren (stunning, truly, i kept wanting to draw her instead of the fashionistas, and lovely brushwork), Naomi Law (I think we assembled bags together - awesome work, awesome girl), Gareth A Hopkins (taller than most of the other illustrators, due to being male, and comical), Rachel de Ste. Croix aka Precious Little. (lovely like her drawings), and also Erica Sharp (a total collage genius, sadly I only met her briefly)

I think I also met some of the other illustrators after I had had a few vodka O and ginger beers, but I wouldn't want to sweat in a court of law. Also I met Lu Flux (I was very excited) and lots of awesome fashion and arty people.

this just in, I'm not going to post any drawings now, I am going to wait till they have all been posted by the people I did them for or it's like they didn't get an exclusive. OK I might post a couple.

Danielle Brown of Poppy Cleopatra

Laura Snoad from Design Week

quick sketch of Amelia being interviewed by Alex Cox from Don't Panic (I drew him properly looking less round headed also - watch the space that is here.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

So, Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration (featuring the very best in ethical fashion design).
I has a copy, you should get one too.


It is a very special book, not least because the concept behind it is so exciting and unique - showcasing illustrative talent and also at the the same time showcasing ethical fashion designers.

This is important. We need more people to know that the alternative is out there and sweatshops are not the only answer. As well as the wealth of pictures there's also interviews with all those included which adds a whole other dimension. I can't comment much on these not having yet had time to read them but I've heard good things.

I made these pictures of SOME (note - really, only some, there are loads more) of the best bits.

A lot of the work is stunning, it's a treasure trove of illustrative and design talent.
In places, a part of me (the minimalist junkie part) feels less would have been more, but the overwhelming feel is one of brimming with content - like opening a jewelery box full of beautiful bling, and the effect is gorgeous, more than worth the price tag.

I remember when I was what? 16? when Fashion Illustration Now came out and there was a copy in our local library. between myself and my friend Ellie Cryer (the genius illustrator), we must have had it out in shifts all year. Now there's a lot of fashion illustration books available, there may have been then, I don't know. Small village, 16 year old lack of knowledge. Believe me, I teach them now, don't see the nose on their face ;). But I never find them as exciting as that book was back then, it seemed like a window of possibility, the sheer variety of approaches (and I don't say I liked them all) and freshness of the work was like a revelation to me at the time.

more highlights.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration is like that. It is full of possibility and promise and hope. I love it. But enough of words, I'm sure you want to see some pictures. Trying to choose my favourites is impossible - we'd be here all night as theres so much awesomeness. But here are some of the pictures what are in it.
haha, this one is by me.
This one is by Jennifer Costello

this one is by Lesley Barnes


This one is by Yelena Bryksenkova
This one is by Zarina Liew

OK no I am going to stop now, although I am already feeling about how much stuff I am not including, talking about how much I love Junesees' self portrait in the book - it's so her, and Lisa Stannard's creepy eyes and all Erica Sharp's beautiful collages, and Jo Cheung's printy patterns and Natsuki Otani's colours (always), Bex Glover's amazing natural poses, Katie Harnett's smouldering elegant charecters and Emma Block's super charming painted papercuts. I could go on.

nothing for it kids, you just have to check out the book yourself.

(I am in it too, did I mention that)

lalala tralala trooloo lala

I forgot to post this image when i did it for the Biba preview before Fashion Week Amelia's Magazine


I like it a lot actually, sometimes you know you're not going to be able to do something justice if you try and be too accurate, so creating an impression is the way to go, which is this case paid off.

I wrote an essay at the weekend. go me. And i ate an enormous almond croissant. In the Rain.

It was all about my art education to date, formal and informal, so here are a few blasts from my past to remind you i was allways awesome, not just now.

hi hi hi, busy busy times,
I've been doing some sketches and reviews for London Fashion week tho pretending I'm on Fashion TV, aces, you can see them here and here.backstage sketch from the Truimph International Awards - i got some free pants. i am wearing them now. bit small.

Pierre Garroudi illustration

Pierre Garroudi catwalk sketches