Fabulous Doodles-Brooke Hagel-Fashion Illustration Blog

My Blog Goes to College

2012-01-31T22:54:00.007-05:00

A little while ago I was contacted by representatives from the Style Design College. They are fans of Fabulous Doodles and asked if I would give approval for some of my posts to be used in within their curriculum. I'm so honored that select illustrations of mine, tutorials, and photo's will be used to help teach aspiring designers and illustrators. Style Design College has campuses in Milan, Italy and South Africa. For more about them, click here.

(Images above from my blog archive; Sequin Tutorial, Secret Weapons (tools), E-Drop Off (commission), Face It.)

Costume Design by Vera Wang {Bride Wars}

2012-01-30T13:58:00.001-05:00

As you probably know, I love finding costume design sketches. Combine that with a wedding and I'm in heaven. I recently found this Vera Wang bridal sketch for Kate Hudson in the romantic comedy Bride Wars. I've always loved this dress and actually have it in a file for future "sketch-spiration" for BrooklitBride. Doesn't Kate's "bridal beauty" in this film just scream draw me. (Maybe one day I will and we'll see how my version compares with Ms. Wangs.)

Best Dressed {SAG Awards}

2012-01-30T11:00:00.001-05:00

Last nights Screen Actors Guild Awards did not disappoint in the red carpet department. Viola Davis was greek goddess perfection in her white and gold Marchesa gown and Jayma Mays had her best red carpet look yet in this Reem Acra sequin stunner.

Octavia Spencer looked flawless. Her Tadashi Shoji ensemble highlighted her curves and her up-do, makeup, and accessories were simply beautiful. A perfect look to accept her award in! (Yay to Octavia and the cast of The Help!) Sofia Vergara who although a little predictable in her red carpet looks, did rock her fuschia Marchesa gown and sleek high ponytail. And last but certainly not least was the lovely Rose Byrne who went for something out of the box with a Ellie Saab sequined jumpsuit. With her blunt-bob hair style she was channeling 70's glamour. She's such "a sketch" in this look, I may just draw her.

Spotted: VIPs with Brooklit Cards

2012-01-21T11:11:00.003-05:00

Today I'm excited to share new photos of VIPs I've had the pleasure of meeting recently who all paused for a pic with their favorite Brooke Hagel illustration.

First up, actress Vanessa Britting who chose my Eva sketch. Vanessa has such a charming and sophisticated sense of style, that Eva fit her perfectly. I spent a weekend at a destination wedding with Vanessa and was stuck by her look each day. I actually told her that I thought she was "sooo pretty and polished and always looked like she just stepped out of a Kate Spade ad."

To my surprise just 4 days after writing about Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman and putting her on my Golden Globe best dressed list, I had the pleasure of meeting her at a Project Runway All Stars event. I actually wound up in an elevator with her right at the beginning of the night but was so caught off guard that I totally choked didn't share that with her! Later in the evening I did decide to say hello and introduce myself, and Georgina chose my Mystie illustration to strike a pose with. Angela Lindvall, model and Project Runway All Stars host chose two of my cards, Vogue and Billowing Bride. Angela loved the cards and said she wanted one of herself drawn, which I was thrilled about and told her anytime, just pick your favorite look and I'm on it.

Normally people do choose the card that resembles them, meaning similar hair color or style. In the case of adorable actress Ashleigh Falls she took that to a whole other level! Its as though this card was drawn specifically of Ashleigh. (Which it was not. Remember this post? This is where this drawing originated.) The resemblance was so uncanny that Ashleigh even asked if she could use my illustration as a head-shot!

Last but not least is Project Runway All Star Mondo Guerra, who chose Allie as his favorite and legendary comic book artist Neal Adams who chose Vogue. Neal actually told me about getting his start in fashion illustration before moving onto comics! If you're not a comic person you may not be familiar with Neal but he has drawn most of the comic icons we know and love such as Batman, Superman and the X-Men.

(Previous VIP post here.)

New Print: Man Repeller

2012-01-18T03:03:00.005-05:00

Last week after checking out the latest posts from the always stylish Leandra Medine, aka. the Man Repeller, I was inspired to pick up my markers and draw her in her sequined-pant fabulousness. (You know I love a sequin!) I like the sketch so much that I'm adding a print of her to my etsy shop, Brooklit. To purchase a print of Leandra, the Man Repeller, click here.

Leandra is one of the bloggers I like to check it with, who are your favorite fashion bloggers?

Best Dressed {Golden Globes 2012}

2012-01-16T07:00:00.003-05:00

Awards season is in full swing and with that comes many inspiring and jaw dropping red carpet looks. In my effort to post more I thought I'd share my picks for best dressed from last nights Golden Globe Awards.

Charlize Theron absolutely stole the show in this stunning blush pink Dior Couture gown and diamond headband. Granted I'm sure that with her body she could wear a burlap sack and still knock em dead, this look from head-to-toe was perfection.

I love the art-deco vibe of Salma Hayek's black and gold beaded Gucci gown and adore Heidi Klum's sleek and sexy nude Calvin Klein backless dress paired with a turquoise statement necklace. The color combo with her tan skin and blond locks is so California-girl chic.

Georgina Chapman is always a favorite of mine in her beautifully intricate designs for Marchesa and this gown was no different. The wide gold lace neckline is exquisite and really stands out against the ethereal white draping. And last but not least, Claire Danes in this unique J. Mendel black and white open backed dress is a hit that certainly lands her a spot on my list.

Honorable mention's go to Shailene Woodley also in Marchesa, Elle Macpherson in Zac Pozen, Sarah Hyland in vintage Dolce and Gabbana and Nicole Richie in Julien MacDonald, all of whom chose beautiful gowns. Click here for all the Golden Globe red carpet looks.

New Year, New Brides

2012-01-08T23:58:00.004-05:00

Happy 2012 everyone! Since its the start of the new year I decided it was time to add some new brides to my bridal fashion illustration shop, Brooklit Bride. Meet my pretty new prints: Julie, Spencer and Jasmine.

Julie's gown is a little avant garde with a delicate black lace overlay on a silk charmeuse mermaid silhouette. The look is accessorized with a black ribbon belt and orchids at the waist and hair.

Jasmine is my "new years diva" bride. She's illustrated in a slinky full length gown of white sequins and beads. Spencer's gown is more of a softened drama, with a large bow at the bust and classic a-line skirt.

Like my new bridal prints? Which illustration is your favorite?

(I'm sorry its been so long since my last post. One of my new year resolutions is to post more!)

Costume Designs {The Hunger Games}

2011-12-16T07:20:00.003-05:00

Hello Katniss Everdeen! InStyle contacted designers to come up looks for Katniss' show stopping fire costume for the opening ceremony scene. One of my closest friends, designer Renaldo Barnette, has been freelancing for Nicole Miller and got to take a stab at this costume design project. (Being a bit of a Hunger Games fanatic, I think I may have been more excited about it than he was!)

(Nicole Miller)

Although I may be bias, I think Renaldo really hit the nail on the head with this one! He truly captured her fierce transformation into a strong and beautiful woman while maintaining her essence (with her signature braid) and the drama of the moment with the cape and headpiece.

(Rachel Roy)

Rachel Roy's interpretation is also a stunning illustration, however it may be a little too avant garde. (If anything could be avant garde in "the Capital.")

(Charolette Ronson)

The Hunger Games is currently filming and I can't wait to see it and soak up more of Peeta, Gale, and Katniss. If you'd like to see more of the designer costume designs, check out InStyle.

(Tibi and BCBG)

This trilogy is one of my recent faves and I'm thrilled its being brought to the silver screen. Hopefully there will more more costume design illustrations leaking out as well.

Fabulous Doodles 2011 Gift Guide

2011-12-11T23:57:00.031-05:00

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your fashion-design-major little sis, your artistic 4 year old niece, or your impossible to shop for yet fabulous bff? Well look no further, because I've assembled the perfect gift guide for the fashion loving artist in your life.

(1. Button Box $16.99, 2. Aphrodite USB hub $29.99, 3. 101 Things I learned in Fashion School $6, 4. Sketchbook $12.95, 5. Portable Sewing Machine $24.99)

The first gift of the guide, for The Fashion Student is the (1) jumbo button box. It's ideal for art supplies (or jewelry) and is on my personal wish list. The (2) Aphrodite USB hub adds the right amount of kitch to any workspace. (3) 101 Things I learned in Fashion School is an incredibly informative little book for any design freshman. These (4) sketch books are the ones that I use for all my illustration work. They come in 2 different sizes, have thick bright white paper, and perforated edges that make a clean tear. The (5) mini pink sewing machine would be great for that last minute hem adjustment. (Or for a person with a tiny apartment who's too lazy to get out their big sewing machine from storage. . .like me :)

(1. Fashion Illustration Mini Print $6, 2. Snapshot Frames, set of 5 $10, Button Magnets $25 3. Gold iPhone Receiver $78, 4. Kate Spade iPhone Case $40, 5. Valentino Book $47.25)

For The Hard to Shop for Fashion Friend: My (1) fashion illustration mini-prints would be great for any fashion minded girl. Maybe your bff with a new office or apartment to decorate? The button or snapshot frame magnets would be adorable to adorn a cubicle or fridge. The Kate Spade gold dot iphone case is my new favorite thing! I have it, and get comments on it daily. (And the limited edition gold retro hand held phone is just begging to be paired with it.) Buying a book about your friends favorite designer is brilliant. I received this beautiful Valentino book as a gift. It not only contains a plethora of stunning photos and sketches from the legendary designer but also looks amazing on a coffee table.

(1. Chanel Print $9.99, 2. Color Pencil Studs $5, 3. Doodle Pocket Mirror $8, 4. Sterling Scissor Necklace $16, 5. Pencil Case $9, 6. Fashion Illustration Flat Note Cards $10)

Little Etsy Extras: Looking for that extra little gift thats the perfect unique handmade addition to your gift, Etsy is the website for you. Can't afford Chanel, you can pick up this beautiful (1) signed pencil drawing print. The (2) colored pencil stud earring make for a fun and quirky gift. A (3) pocket mirror from my shop would be a great little addition to a cosmetic or handbag purchase. The (4) sterling silver scissors are a great charm necklace for any designer, crafter or artist. The chevron striped pouch makes for a very chic pencil case and a pack of (6) fashion illustration flat note cards from my shop would be lovely to get in the mail thanking you for the fabulous gifts.

(1. Jumbo Clipboard $167, 2. Crayon Maker $44.98, 3. Face Plate $10.99, 4. Aquadoodle $43.88)

For The Little Artist: In my doctors office I fell in love with possibly the coolest looking (1) wall easel/clip board with a roll of paper to continuously draw and paint. The (2) Crayola crayon maker would have been life changing as a child! With these (3) face plates its now okay to play with your food. And last but not least, (4) Aquadoodle, the toddler toy that allows them to make art with just water. I've played with this at my friends house and I love it! (I've actually fought with a 3 year old over the water pen!)

Syms & Filene's Basement Project

2011-12-02T03:09:00.003-05:00

About two months ago I was approached by a branding group to sketch fashion illustrations for a new re-branding proposal for discount chain stores Syms and Filene's Basement. They commissioned me to draw some simple line illustrations to be used in ad mock-ups for their proposal presentation.

Normally I'd feel uncomfortable sharing conceptual artwork that never made it to print but since the retail giant announced that they were filling Chapter-11 and would be closing all their stores I thought I would share a few examples from the project with you.

I grew up making frequent trips to Filene's Basement with my mom and I'm sad to see them close, although it was a thrill to work on this little project for them before they bid adieu.

Holiday {Fashion} Cards

2011-11-30T21:08:00.006-05:00

New fashion illustration cards were added to my Brooklit Etsy shop just in time for the holidays. These cards are ideal for the fashion lover in your life. They feature brand new holiday themed illustrations including my interpretation of Mrs. Claus, a girl channeling a Christmas tree all dressed in green and wrapped in lights, and a fancy girl I've dubbed Chanukah Harriet who is showing off her eloquently wrapped gifts.

These cards were printed for me by the wonderful MOO crew. They are made of heavy weight card stock with a silky matte laminate finish. Each card is paired with a metallic silver envelope and has my logo and shop info on the back and are blank inside. I've made cards for Christmas, Chanukah, and some that simply say "Happy Holidays."

For the first time I've also created a New Years card. She's decked out in a sequin gown and tons jewels. I decided to try something a little different by throwing some monochromatic double-bubble balloons in there as well.

You can check out the whole card collection currently available in my Brooklit Etsy shop.

Bat-Mitzvah Girl

2011-11-23T03:26:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my close family friend Kyra here had her bat-mitzvah. We toyed with different idea's of how to incorporate the custom fashion illustration I had done of her into her big day. We thought about printing custom stamps, placing it on invitations, or onto party favors like t-shirts or cds. In the end we used it for a truly custom sign-in board for her bat-mitzvah party.

Kyra's unique sign-in board set the right tone at the party entrance, it was instantly identifiable as being the bat-mitzvah girl and was a big hit among all the guests! A custom bat-mitzvah illustration could also make a great gift, if your not in the market for a sign-in board.

Spotted: VIP Brooklit Fans

2011-11-11T05:06:00.009-05:00

Being out and about in the city and at different events I often encounter some pretty notable people whom I like to chat it up with such as Bobbi Thomas and Louise Roe (shown below.) Since I'm a artist, I feel that there's no better way to network then by sharing a visual reference of what it is I do. My business cards, printed by Moo, feature different illustrations from my portfolio, so its as though I have a mini portfolio on me at all times. After showing all my cards, I then let people pick their favorite.

Pictured here are some of the aforementioned VIPs: Today Show's style editor Bobbi Thomas, whom I met at Lincoln Center for NY Fashion Week. Bobbi chose my Vogue illustration card and fashion journalist and tv host Louise Roe, whom I had the pleasure of meeting with at the Empire, opted for both Vogue and Mystie.

The Style Network's Jeannie Mai chose to take a bite out of my Vogue illustration at a Style breakfast! And Paper Magazine's fabulous Editorial Director, Mickey Boardman whom I also met at NY Fashion Week went with the bold Billowing Bride.

Jaslene Gonzales, America's Next Top Model winner whom I met at the 50/50 movie premiere after party chose Eva because she loved the dramatic lace sleeves. And last but certainly not least is Design Sponge author Grace Bonney who also favored the Billowing Bride.

For you non-facebookers I'm sharing these photo's here on Fabulous Doodles, but if you'd like to check out some more of them, I recently created a album on my Facebook fan page that I plan to continually add to.

Watercolor Fashion

2011-10-22T02:36:00.005-04:00

Happy weekend everyone! A few days ago I stumbled upon these lovely watercolor fashion illustration ads and knew I had to share them with you. They're timeless, whimsical and just scream "Fabulous Doodles".

After a little research I learned that the watercolor paintings are all by the artist Holly Houk. She was commissioned by Kwiat to create a vintage-style backdrop for their latest advertising campaign of blue-tinted watercolor "models" for the jewels to lay over.

I think these ads are divine. I commend Kwiat on thinking outside the box and wish more brands would take advantage of all the talented painters, illustrators and artists out there.

Bridal Costume Illustration {Pam Am}

2011-10-17T23:51:00.001-04:00

What do you get when you take a 60's period wardrobe paired with the hottest new show on television, then add in a beautiful wedding gown worn throughout the first two episodes? My favorite new show, ABC's Pan Am. (I realize I'm about a month late here, but thanks to my dvr, I watched all four episodes last night. Better late than never right!)

Within the first five minutes of the pilot episode of Pan Am one of the leading ladies wore the most lovely wedding gown, and I instantly fell in love. Laura played by Margot Robbie, donned this elegant duchess satin gown with a fitted bodice, voluminous gathered skirt, and tiny bow detailing at the shoulders and waistband.

I quickly grabbed my sketchbook to capture the look and since I really like the outcome I've added it to BrooklitBride so you can purchase your own print of my "Laura" bridal costume illustration. I can't wait to see what the costume designers come up with next. I'm hoping there are many more elegant affairs ahead.

(Image of ABC's Pan Am taken from my tv.)

Kate Middleton Bridal Illustration

2011-09-21T18:43:00.002-04:00

Meet my newest bridal fashion illustration, Kate Middleton Dutchess of Cambridge. I have to admit I was a little obsessed and was one of those people who was up at 4AM tuning into the historic royal wedding.

Weeks before the royal wedding I was contacted by The Nate Berkus Show to collaborate with stylist Louise Roe on a illustration predicting Kate's gown design. Kate's dress was so top secret leading up to the big day, it was kept in a vault and even the designer was kept a mystery. Louise and I had a long conversation about the dress, even referenced a post I wrote with designer predictions, and we were on the same page as to what we thought her dress would look like. I sketched away and two days later I was sitting in the audience watching Nate and Louise discuss my sketches!

Needless to say I had put a lot of time and thought into her dress so I was thrilled when the wedding day came and I saw her step out and into that car. I couldn't believe how dead-on we were! There were some slight differences though to my design and the one Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen did, so I sketched out a new illustration here based the wedding pictures. Here's the listing of the Kate print and if you'd like a sketch of yourself or to give as a gift, here is a link with my custom work.

(I'm also obsessed with this wallpaper shown above; Graham & Brown's "Crowns and Coronets")

Sketches from Fashion Week Spring 2012 {Part 2}

2011-09-15T23:55:00.001-04:00

(Rachel Roy)

Sadly its the last day of Fashion Week here in New York. And although we'll have to wait until spring for the collections to pop up in stores (and till Feb. for the next NYFW to roll around) we can enjoy the fabulous designer sketches here and now starting with these creamy neutral designs.

(Pamella Roland)

I absolutely adore the illustration style of the designs from Rachel Roy and Pamella Roland. Both show such fluid movement and have an easy sketchy quality to them while still conveying clear garment designs and details.

(St. John and Cynthia Steffe)

These sketches, by St. John and Cynthia Steffe, are both pretty heavy handed and appear to be drawn with a thick marker, like a Sharpie. This could be a little tough to pull off since the tip is so thick and can easily bleed and become a blurring mess. However these turned out great, and I'm sure were completed fairy quickly. It could be a fun drawing exercise to try out this style and see if works for you. The trick is to work fast and keep that marker moving.

(Pamella Roland)

For more fashion illustrations from the spring 2012 collections you can check out Essence and Pantone Style Guide.

Custom Bridal Illustrations

2011-09-14T23:59:00.001-04:00

Over the past few weeks, with summer coming to an end, I've been busy sending out new custom bridal fashion illustrations. I thought now, mid New York Fashion Week, would be a great time to share a few of these brides with you.

(Bride, Amy)

This first bride was a fun client to work with, not only did I love her gown, but her spunky personality as well. She told me she was "very sassy" and wanted her personality to shine through in the illustration.

(Bride Catherine, gift from her sister Christina)

This second bridal fashion illustration is unique for me. The reason being, although I've been doing these for years now she is my very first custom illustration commission for an Asian bride! I was so excited to work on her and absolutely love the chic simplicity of her minimal and modern look.

(Bride Lyndsey, gift from sis Drew)

Last but not least is this lovely southern belle wearing a classic sweetheart neckline, adorned with lace applique and a figure flattering waist-cinching bow on a-line gown. I happen to be a total girly girl, so this bride is certainly another favorite!

If you would like a custom illustration for yourself or to give as a gift you can check out the custom illustration listings in my Etsy bridal shop, Brooklit Bride. You can also read this older post detailing my custom process.

Sketches from Fashion Week Spring 2012 {Part 1}

2011-09-12T23:20:00.001-04:00

(ADAM by Adam Lippes and Peter Som)

Its that time of year again, fashion week is in full swing and Manhattan is all a buzz with shows, parties and promotional fashion events. My favorite aspect of fashion week is the abundance of designer sketches from the new collections of corse.

(Lela Rose and Nanette Lepore)

This season I've grouped the designer sketches by color, and today I'm featuring the springy pinks, reds, and oranges with the occasional hint of navy.

(Elie Tahari and VPL by Victoria Bartlett)

When reviewing a wide array of designer sketches grouped together like this its interesting to take note of the different ways that you could approach your own fashion illustrations. There's a simple, stylized and slightly edgy technique used by ADAM (which happens to be my favorite of this post), or the bold and cartoon-esque look of Nanette Lepore and Elie Tahari.

(DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger)

Another interesting technique you could play around with is a mix of a pencil drawn figure with a marker colored-in, garment as seen in both the Lela Rose and VPL by Victoria Bartlett illustrations.

(Milly by Michelle Smith)

Last but not least is the quick looking more gesture-drawing style sketching as seen in the Peter Som, DKNY, and Milly sketches. What's your favorite illustration style?

(Designer sketches from Pantone)

Anthropologie Welcomes Decor8 Holly Becker

2011-09-02T06:06:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting Decor8 blogger and best selling author of Decorate, Holly Becker. New York was the very last stop of her US book tour and although mother nature almost interfered by giving us a earthquake and then a hurricane, Holly made it to NYC safe and sound.

I've been reading Holly's blog for years, long before I started Fabulous Doodles. I've also taken Holly's class Blogging Your Way, not once but twice! So needless to say it was a thrill to finally meet the lovely lady herself. Anthropologie hosted the event in their Soho store, which started off with a presentation by Holly on assembling a successful mood board.

A funny thing happened, during the presentation Holly talked about the importance of including key fabrics for color, texture and pattern to set the tone. She used a gold and pink swatch as an example of a fabric she loved and treasured. What's so crazy is that I had sent her that fabric about 5 years ago! At the time Holly had asked her readers to send any extra fabrics and trims they had to put together swatch packets as a giveaway. I was working as a designer and stylist and had an entire studio space filled with fabrics and notions so I sent her a nice big box and that swatch was one of them! I had bought it from Mood and used it on design boards for Seventeen and CosmoGirl. I remember it so well because I, like Holly, loved it too and had a big piece up on my office inspiration board.

After the mood board demo drinks, hor derves and cookies were passed around while everyone mingled and the book signing began. Holly mentioned a group was going for drinks after so I hung around waiting for the singing to finsih while having a great time getting to know Rashan Carraway, aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting and Mayne Richardson.

We had fun and did a little impromtu photo shoot around the store before heading over to the Soho Grand for cocktails with Holly and friends. (Including Paul and Marcia Zia Priven, Cristina Batch-Lee of Etsy, Abby Jacobs of West Elm, fellow fashion illustrator Samantha Hahn, stylist Raina Kattelson, and Brett Bara.) It was so nice chatting it up and getting to know such a creative group of people.

If you haven't already, you should go go pick up Holly's book Decorate. Its a fantastic visual guide to decorating and making your space uniquely yours. The book also has stunning images and tips from designers such as Jonathan Adler, Nate Berkus, and Vincent Wolf.

Vera Wang Designs for Kim K.

2011-08-24T23:59:00.004-04:00

I was thrilled when I saw Vera Wang's tweet this morning directing me to her sketches of Kim Kardashian's three (yes, you read that right, she wore three) wedding gown designs. Needless to say, I love a designer sketch. Take a designer sketch and add in a celebrity or pop culture reference and I've got a guaranteed Fabulous Doodles feature. (You can check out similar previous posts with designs for 'Bella Swan' and Kate Middleton.)

This first dress, a classic princess ballgown design is the dress Kim wore to walk down the aisle for the actual wedding ceremony. As I love almost anything ballerina inspired, I adore the impressively large gathered tulle skirt and simplicity and elegance of the strapless lace bodice.

The second design, my personal favorite for Kim, is a dramatic lace ruffled mermaid silhouette that she donned for their first dance.

And last but not least, Kim's third dress is a v-neck bias cut satin gown with a flared skirt bottom. This one is the most simple and very old Hollywood and was worn to party the night away.

I'm so glad that Vera and the Wang gang decided to share these sketches. I wish more designers would follow suit. I'm also thankful thats its gotten me out my blogging rut! I can't believe its been a month since my last post. I'm sorry, its unlike me to let so much time lapse between posts but its been a nutty summer. (I have been posting on facebook and checking in on twitter though, so make sure you're a follower.)

Illustrations by Vera Wang

Custom Bridal Illustration: Emily

2011-07-25T10:06:00.000-04:00

Another summer weekend has come and gone and with it another custom bridal illustration is mailed out to a bride. This one is Emily who happens to be a previous client actually. (No, its not her second wedding!) I previously worked with Emily years ago on seven custom Marie Antoinette inspired illustrations for her website, Material Girls.

Emily sent over a entire online album (from her photographer Taylor Lord Photography) of her bridal session photo shoot. It was the ideal way for me to work on a custom bridal illustration. It also didn't hurt that Emily is gorgeous and her stunning Lazaro dress wasn't too shabby either. Its often a bit of challenge to illustrate from the photos clients send over. They can be too small, poorly lit, and rarely have close up shots of the bride and the dress details. This was not the case here though as you can see from these lovely photos.

It was a joy to work with Emily again and I hope she likes her bridal illustration as much as I do! For your own custom bridal illustration or to give one as a gift, you can check out the custom listings in my Etsy bridal shop, Brooklit Bride.

The image above is from Wisteria, I simply photoshopped my illustration of Emily on in there. Emily does plan on custom framing the artwork though and I can't wait to see a photo of it and add it to my client photo album.

Back to Basics

2011-07-24T23:58:00.003-04:00

Lately I've felt I needed a little jolt in the creativity department and these drawings may be it. I dusted off my sketchbook and am really excited to share my latest sketches. These are not the usual fashion illustrations I share here on Fabulous Doodles but they're a well needed breath of fresh air for me and my Etsy shop, Brooklit. I haven't drawn like this years and its such a nice thing to revisit.

It started about a few weeks ago when I decided to dig out my watercolors and paint some little mermaids for my bathroom (shown below). Then continuing my obsession with Pinterest, I found some fantastic photos, like this beautiful ballerina (above,) that inspired me to start drawing again. I used to be so opposed to drawing from a picture, that it wasn't really drawing if you were working off a 2D image. (I guess I've gotten over that one since building my custom bridal illustration business!)

Drawing, shading, and texturizing my subject with only pencil and using brushes and paints again has been like visiting an old friend I haven't seen in a decade. (I feel like I sound crazy, I realize this, but its true!)

So for the summer I've decided to keep this sketching momentum going by adding these sketches, starting with Brooklyn Ballerina to my etsy shop available as $6 mini prints. I think this will be a nice little summer project to reinvigorate me and the shop. Are you trying anything new for summer?

Brooklit Bride: New Bride Prints

2011-07-23T23:53:00.005-04:00

Meet the three lovely brides that have just been added to my Etsy bridal illustration shop, Brooklit Bride. These brides are not all new, but its the first time I've made them available for purchase.

First up is the polished and poised Michaela. She's in a strapless gown with a pleated bodice, large back bow, and tulip pleated long skirt. I drew Michaela a while back and included her in my assorted business cards. She continues to be a favorite amongst people I share my cards with, so I thought it was about time I added her to Brooklit Bride. I think something about her simplicity channels Audrey Hepburn. The dress is inspired by a Rosa Clara gown.

The next bridal illustration named Sophia, is fresh off my sketchbook. (Just drew her last night actually.) I designed her dress with a pretty scallop trim to accent the simple princess ball-gown dress silhouette.

The last bride here is not new to you, my Fabulous Doodles readers, but she's new to the shop. I created her in a bit of hurry for a feature on Harper's Bazaar's site by combining two existing brides. Because it was such a thrill to be involved with Haper's Bazaar and she was the illustration chosen by them to represent my work, I've named her Harper. Her gown has a lace overlay and is embellished with dozens of delicate tiny rosettes.

(Brides; Brooke Hagel, Frames; Wisteria and Martha Stewart, Wallpaper; Graham & Brown)

McQUEEN

2011-07-16T17:56:00.006-04:00

Its not often that an exhibition blows my mind and takes me on an emotional rollercoaster, but thats what happened last week when my friend Sarah and I finally stuck out the long line and made our way into The Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.

"You've got to know the rules to break them. That's what I'm here for, to demolish the rules but keep the tradition." -Alexander McQueen

This very month fifteen years ago (when I was 15) I enrolled in a summer program at a art university. It was then that I was introduced to the work of McQueen by my fashion professor who besides never having taught a class before, happened to be a close friend of McQueens since childhood. He described helping Lee (Alexander was his middle name) build his first collection in a bare bones flat where they had to take the doors down and turn them into tables to have sufficient work surfaces. His stories stayed with me and I'd often think of them when fashion week rolled around and I'd check out McQueen's latest collection.

McQueen was brilliant and his collections were always dramatic and pushed the envelope. One of the joys of this exhibit was walking through with Sarah (one of my bffs and fellow FIT fashion design alum) and pointing out to one another the pieces we remember from past collections and getting closer looks at all the intricacy and attention to detail within each piece.

Highlights of the exhibition for me include:

-The glass casket in the Romantic Gothic room featuring McQueen's Angels and Demons. This gold gilded, feathered, and engineered printed collection showed his passion for art history.

-Also in the Romantic Gothic room, the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious silk parachute coat inspired by Tim Burton with a small fan hidden in the floor blowing it open.

-The Cabinet of Curiosities room, with cubbies containing incredible accessories from his collections such as the Chinese Garden cork head piece by Phillip Treacy Feith, beautiful bodices of wood or molded leather and the splatter paint dress (shown atop this post) where above the dress you could watch video footage from the 1999 show where Shalom Harlow came out in a white dress and she stood on a rotating platform as robots aggressively spray painted her.

-The Romantic Exoticism room with its mirrored walls and rotating mannequins that I later learned was designed to simulate a jewelry box.

-The disturbing yet beautiful wallpaper made from McQueen drawings that was blown up and repeated as you walked into the Romantic Naturalism room.

-The hologram. This little hologram that you have to bend down to watch literally took my breath away. It starts as a little blue/white smokey light and becomes Kate Moss in and "Oyster" dress of hundreds of layers of raw edged silk organza, spinning and moving as the music from Schindler's List plays. There are no words to describe how beautiful this was. Then once the hologram show is finished you can admire the actual dress (shown below) as you walk into the next room.

This exhibit has been extended (for the second time) to August 7th. If you're in NYC or have plans of visiting, make the trip on over to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The line is long and the exhibit will most likely be packed, but its hands down one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen. The rooms are transformed floor to ceiling and your taken on a journey of the genius that was Lee Alexander McQueen.

All images from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Gwen: New Bride Print

2011-06-28T03:13:00.012-04:00

Meet Gwen, the newest addition to Brooklit Bride, my shop of bridal fashion illustrations. A few short weeks ago I was introduced to Pinterest and have since dove right into finding inspiration for DYIs, my dream house, fashion looks I love and future sketch ideas. This one, is the first of what I hope will be many. I've named her Gwen.

I've never drawn a back view without showing at least a profile or turned face, but something about this photo inspired me to give it a try. I found this beautiful photo yesterday, "pinned it," then kept going back to it until I decided I had to try to draw her. I love the oversized knot, the luxurious big skirt, and her soft blond hair pulled off to the side.

After some backtracking and investigating I learned that the image is from London's leading couture bridal designer Phillipa Lepley. I wasn't familiar with her so its been a pleasure to poke around and read up on her and her breathtaking work. (Besides Lepleys site, you can read an interview with the designer here.)

Click here to purchase this print of my Gwen illustration, or here to follow me and my pins on my new favorite obsession, Pinterest. (Picture frame by Pottery Barn and wallpaper by Graham & Brown.)

Custom Illustrations: Sister Wedding Gift

2011-06-17T02:49:00.013-04:00

Wedding season has arrived and for me that means the custom bridal illustration orders are rolling in.

(Bride Regan, gift from her sister Sam)

The bridal sketches I'm sharing today have a unique commonality, they were all commissioned to be wedding gifts from the brides sisters. (Well three sisters and one sister-in-law, but that counts right?)

(Bride Tracy, gift from her sister Christine)

In the past when not working directly with the bride, the most common person I was commissioned by was the groom. Since the first year anniversary gift is "paper," my custom bridal illustrations make an ideal gift for a new wife. But this year sisters seem to be ones showing their love with my custom bridal sketches.

(Bride Jessie, gift from her sister Rachel)

If your sister is getting married, or you would like a custom bridal illustration for yourself, you can check out the custom listings in my Etsy bridal shop, Brooklit Bride.

(Bride Danielle, gift from her sister-in-law Raegan)

And for a more detailed description of my whole custom bridal illustration process you can read this post from my blog archive.

(After posting this I noticed another commonality among these brides. Although they all have uniquely beautiful and different gowns, these sisters are all sporting a similar dress silhouette, the mermaid/trumpet! How funny.)

Designer Desktop

2011-06-15T23:59:00.000-04:00

Can't afford to splurge on Manolos? Well I've found the next best thing. Stylist Magazine contacted top shoe designers to sketch some of their favorite designs for summer, then turned them into free downloadable desktop wallpapers!

You can personalize your computer with illustrations by designers including Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, or Sergio Rossi.

To dress up your computer simply click on over to the Stylist blog and you can download your favorite. I think I'm going with the wedge by Georgina Goodman for my Macbook. How about you?

She's a Sketch {Louise}

2011-05-31T01:28:00.014-04:00

Living in Manhattan its hard to miss all the beautiful girls abound. Within the group, there are a select few that can only be described, at least to this fashion illustrator, as "A Sketch." Its girls who have that je ne sais quoi. A combination of the modelesque physique paired with a flawlessly chic fashion sense. Louise here, who I spotted on the roof-deck of the Met, is surely one of them!

Louise was kind enough to take a picture of my friend Sarah and I. As she was taking our photo I couldn't help but notice how adorable she was and asked if I could take a pic of her for my "she's a sketch" series here on Fabulous Doodles.

It was a brutally hot city day yet she looked so calm, cool and collected in her linen shorts, wrap tank, and ballet flats. I came home inspired by Louise (who told us she was from Holland!) and all the amazing pencil drawings I saw at the Metropolitan Museum that day that I decided to pick up my sketchbook and draw.

Click here for my previous She's a Sketch post.

New to the shop: Bride Note Cards

2011-05-19T07:20:00.005-04:00

My bridal fashion illustrations are now a new set of note cards for Brooklit Bride. I picked five of my favorite bridal illustrations to create a lovely little variety pack of cards. The inside of the cards are blank so they can work for any wedding or bridal card need; engagements, showers, wedding, or thank you notes.

The brides are printed on thick card stock with a smooth satin coating on the front and back and an uncoated inside so its easy to write your message. I chose to pair the cards with light metallic silver envelopes to compliment the white gowns. For more details about these bridal cards, or to order your own set, check them out in my Brooklit Bride etsy shop here.

New to my Shop: Magnet

2011-05-10T21:47:00.008-04:00

A new magnet has been added to my etsy shop. This new Brooklit Magnet features a small sampling of six of the most popular prints from my two etsy shops Brooklit and BrooklitBride. You can make your fridge a little more fashionable, and for only $2. (Click here to purchase.)

Costume Design: Water for Elephants

2011-05-08T21:30:00.005-04:00

As you may already know, I have a serious weakness for costume design, so stumbling upon actual "working sketches" is always a treat. Pair that with sketches from a good period piece and I'm in heaven.

I found these sketches by costume designer Jacqueline West for Water for Elephants in People and knew I had to share them here, and go see the movie already. Reese Witherspoon's wardrobe was sensational and worth the ticket price alone. I couldn't get enough of those 1930s bias-cut silk charmeuse gowns, feathered and beaded "show numbers," finger waved hair styles and art-deco jewels.

(And 2 hours of Rob Pattinson on the big screen isn't so bad either!)

Television Debut

2011-05-05T23:22:00.008-04:00

Last week, just two days before the royal wedding and the unveiling of "the dress" my illustrations made their television debut on the Nate Berkus Show. I was asked by Nate's producers to collaborate with fashion journalist Louise Roe to illustrate our prediction for Kate Middleton's wedding gown. (My goodness were we close! I couldn't believe it when I saw Kate step out of the car.)

A little insider info here, things in tv-land move very quickly. It all happened one afternoon about a month ago when Nate's producers called me about the "Royal Wedding" episode they were working on and said they'd love include me in the dress segment of the show with Louise. Needless to say I was thrilled and instantly signed on. A few hours later Louise called me to chat about ideas for the sketches. I then had only till morning to draw my heart out and send the illustrations on over to the show. Although the episode was not scheduled to tape until the following week, the producers needed my sketches well in advance so that the computer techs could work their magic and transform my illustrations into a animated 3-d composite.

From the moment Louise and I first spoke we were on the same page about what we speculated for Kate's wedding gown. We reviewed designs I previously featured here, talked about our visions and I even texted her a picture of some rough sketches in the middle of the night, just so she could see how it was coming along since there was certainly not much time for changes.

Kate has a clear style of classic-traditional. Louise and I agreed that the overall silhouette of her gown would be a simple A-line but large enough to not get swallowed by the cathedral setting. She'd have long lace sleeves and her shoulders and chest would be covered as well. The design would be "modest," and not revealing or inappropriate. It would include couture detailing such as a perfectly contoured and fitted bodice with hand embroidery and/or lace appliqué along the bottom of the skirt and along the train. We also included a delicate and simple tiara, beaded waistband, and a polished and modern bouquet of white flowers and greenery. We knew her dress, train and veil would be beautiful, but certainly nowhere near as opulent as Diana’s.

It was such a thrill to collaborate with Louise, I've been such a admirer of hers and have actually turned many of my "fashion friends"on to her by sending her vogue.com video and her website. I have also been a avid Nate follower ever since he first stepped onto Oprah’s stage 9 years ago. (A little while back I gushed about him here.)

I know I'll never forget the feeling I had sitting in the audience beside my friend Renaldo and my mom (who actually happened to be visiting from California that same week,) and at the risk of sounding cheesy, it really was a "Secret" moment. I honestly feel like I put it out there, and look what happened. Seeing my fashion illustrations on television was incredible and I just know its the first of many. (But how lucky am I that Nate was my first. ;) When the show aired last week my mom sent me a text saying she was crying with pride. I picked up the phone and called her, but she promptly hung up on me because "the show was on!"

For a closer look at all the sketches you can click on over to the Nate Berkus Show website. I'm working on a new illustration based off Kate's real look from the wedding, which I'll share and add to my etsy shop soon. (Sorry if I rambled on, I normally try to keep posts short!)

Nate n' Kate

2011-04-25T03:23:00.017-04:00

I'm so excited to share with you that Brooke Hagel Illustrations will be discussed on national television on the Nate Berkus Show's "Live Like Royalty" episode!

I was asked by the lovely producers to collaborate with uber-fabulous fashion journalist and stylist extraordinaire Louise Roe to illustrate her predictions for Kate Middleton's wedding gown. I was thrilled to be asked to work on a segment for Nate to begin with, but when I found out all the details and that I'd be working with Louise, and on a bridal illustration of the soon-to-be princess, it was just to good to be true.

("Crowns & Coronets" wallpaper by Graham & Brown, designed in honor of Kate and William's upcoming nuptials.)

So set those dvr's, tune in to the Nate Berkus show, and let me know what you think of my sketches! The show airs wednesday, April 27th on NBC. (Party planner to the stars Colin Cowie will be on as well! I'm also hiding in the audience with my mom, who happened to be in town the week the show taped, and my friend Renaldo.)

Bridal Collage Print: Bouquet of Brides

2011-04-23T17:56:00.004-04:00

A while back I put together a collage of a select sampling of my bridal fashion illustrations. I've finally framed it to show the print in its best light. The print, which I'm calling "Bouquet of Brides" is available for purchase in my shop Brooklit Bride.

(Picture frame Pottery Barn, and wallpaper Graham & Brown)

W Happenings

2011-04-14T01:36:00.002-04:00

Like most New Yorkers, I typically steer clear of Times Square but last week I headed there for a breakfast with fellow fashion and style bloggers (which I'll tell you more about in a future post.) While mingling and handing out my business cards someone told me about a fashion illustration exhibit just across the street in the Living Room of the W Hotel.

"W Happenings Presents Drawing Inspiration: Ladies of the Night" is fabulous series of fashion illustration paintings featuring faculty and students of the Fashion Institute of Technology. (Which just so happens to be my alma mater.)

The first piece I spotted I immeadiately identified as the work of Steven Stipelman, who I've featured here a few times. (Here and here) Stipelman works in a distinctive painterly style and his fashion illustrations ooze elegant sophistication.

In addition to Stipelman, there were many other fashion illustrators exhibited. I absolutely fell in love with the drippy technique and style of the first two pieces shown at the top of this post by Meagan Morrison.

Drawing Inspiration: Ladies of the Night will remain on display through May 3, 2011. I highly suggest stopping by, maybe even grab a drink at the bar and soak up the fashion illustration fabulousness.

New Fashion Illustration Prints

2011-04-06T01:08:00.013-04:00

I am thrilled to announce new prints have been added to Brooklit, my Etsy shop of original fashion illustrations. Meet Kate, Eva and Maggie.

Over the past few months I've been so busy with client projects, freelancing and setting up my bridal illustration shop, Brooklit Bride, that I can't even remember the last time I added a new girl to the Brooklit mix. Well now I have not one, but three new beauties for sale.

A few weeks back I was asked to submit work to Harper's Bazaar. I was so excited that I decided to take the time to sit down and create some new fresh sketches especially for Bazaar. In the end they decided to go with one of my bride illustrations (featured here). Even though these three girls were not chosen by Bazaar I think they came out pretty well and am pleased to add them to the shop.

To take a closer look you can click on: Kate, Eva or Maggie. I think Kate is my current favorite, what about you?

(Wallpaper by Graham & Brown)

Custom Fashion Illustration Giveaway

2011-03-18T00:01:00.002-04:00

Today I'm announcing a huge giveaway, to win a Brooke Hagel custom illustration valued at $350! Since wedding season is approaching and my second Etsy shop, Brooklit Bride, is still fairly new, I thought this would be a great way to get people to check the shop while thanking you, my readers, for all your support.

The winner gets a custom illustration based on their own photos. Don't worry, it's not limited to brides. I can illustrate you in your favorite gown, your grandmother on her wedding day back in the 40's, or your niece or daughter in her bat-mitzvah or sweet sixteen dress. You can also gift the prize to your closest girlfriend, to commemorate her special day.

To enter simply:

-Make sure that your a Fabulous Doodles follower (by clicking the "Follow" link on the sidebar.)

-Check out my new Etsy bridal shop BrooklitBride then come on back here and leave a comment with which bride is your favorite.

-If you'd like to enter twice give this giveaway a shout out on your blog then comment here with the link.

-To enter a third time tweet a link to this post with the hashtag #giveaway then comment here again saying "tweeted" with your twitter handle.

-This giveaway is open until midnight Thursday, March 31st. The winner will be chosen through random.org, will be contacted via email and announced here on April 2nd. Good luck!

Side note: Hello to my fellow BYWers! This giveaway post happens to be my "Week 3" homework assignment for my Blogging Your Way e-class with the amazing Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring. Can't wait to see what awaits for week 4! :)

Custom Bridal Illustration: My Process

2011-03-09T03:03:00.006-05:00

Here on Fabulous Doodles I've shared many "photo to sketch" examples. However its been quite a while since detailing my whole custom bridal illustration process. I figured it was time to share the steps again, and what better bride to feature than my friend Jackie, whose wedding I was in this past summer. (Remember my hunt for a yellow bridesmaid dress? And details from her wedding, here.) This custom bridal illustration was my wedding gift to Jackie, but I worked with her the same way, and took the same steps, I do with clients.

(Brian Tropiano Photography, Dress; Amsale)

Once the custom illustration order has been placed (and the deposit has been made) through my etsy shop, Brooklit Bride, the first step is to email me wedding photos. Ideally a whole online album works best, if possible from the wedding photographer. Seeing an array of photos helps me capture the design and all the details of the dress in motion, from different angles, and in different lighting. The photos also give me a sense of the brides personality, like Jackie here who you can clearly see through her pictures is a casual and playful girl, as opposed to say, the fancy and more traditional bride.

After studying the wedding photos, for step 2, I come up with 3-6 very rough pencil sketches. From these roughs the client picks which pose he or she likes best and conveys any important details that they want to make sure I feature. They can also add or remove elements, by saying something like "I love the profile pose but nix the bouquet."

After the pose and details are clear I get to work on step 3, the polished line drawing. This will be the under-drawing for the final artwork. I again share it with the client and make sure every detail is there and the client is happy with the final design before color is added and it becomes extremely difficult to modify. This is the time for any final tweaks and balance payment is due.

Step 4 is the final color rendering, primarily done with markers and pencils but occasionally if the design calls for it I use a fine tip pen or one of my secret weapons. And after another hour (sometimes two or three!) the custom fashion illustration is complete. I then ship and pack the original artwork and its off to its new home.

Jackie was trilled with her illustration and has already framed and hung it in her living room! Again, if you're interested in a custom sketch of your own or would like to buy one as a gift, you can check out my custom illustration listings in BrooklitBride or email me with any questions.

Fashion Week: Designer Sketches {Part 2}

2011-02-28T03:03:00.000-05:00

(Adrienne Vittadini and Pamela Roland)

As promised, I have more designer sketches to share from the New York Fashion Week Fall 2011 Collections. These are some of my favorite illustrations taken from the Pantone Fall Color Guide.

(Ella Moss and Pamela Roland)

I mentioned this last season, but it still reins true now, Ella Moss (above) does such a fantastic job of accurately rendering her prints and accessories. Her sketches always look so detailed and understandable, but not overworked. They just seem so effortless and easy breezy. The Pamela Roland sketch (also above) has a similar quality and I absolutely love the strong three quarter pose.

(Lela Rose and Tommy Hilfiger)

I don't know why but I'm a huge fan of sketches with sunglasses, so this Tommy illustration sporting sunglasses and a chunky gray cable knit turtleneck is one of my faves. Its such a fantastic layered look. Which one's do you like best?

To take a look at more designer sketches you can download the Pantone Fall Color Guide pdf here.

Fashion Week: Designer Sketches

2011-02-25T02:03:00.006-05:00

New York Fashion Week came and went all to quickly this season but the Fall 2011 collections did not disappoint and more importantly left us with some fabulous new designer sketches to ogle over. Here are a few of my favorites!

(Jason Wu and Catherine Malandrino)

I absolutely love the loose and stylistic approach of these Jason Wu and Catherine Malandrino sketches. They are both so energetic and sophisticated.

(Adam and Rachael Roy)

This Adam sketch is great example of how you can achieve a polished and professional illustration without rendering the face and hair, which many find intimidating. Especially when starting out drawing and designing. Keep it clean and simple.

(Badgley Mischka and Ruffian)

Next week I'll post more NYFW sketches as well as a couple of my pictures from Lincoln Center. (It's so weird to not say "the tents" or "Bryant Park" anymore!) In the mean time, if you'd like to see more illustrations and read about the inspiration behind these collections you can check out InStyle.

(Peter Som and Michael Kors)

Hair Illustrations; Blo Me Dry

2011-02-10T02:03:00.005-05:00

My second big surprise of the week came via my FedEx man, who delivered this fabulous fuchsia book to me. A little while back I was commissioned by Blo Me Dry to illustrate their new hair menu. It was a fun project to work on since I was working from descriptions such as "Monroe at her heartbreaking best. A must-do for cocktails or an expresso-induced shopping spree."

The project was rushed, I only had one day before they went to print, but they were really happy with how the sketches came out. I asked for a copy of the final menu and was expecting a pamphlet or two so when this hard covered book arrived I was a little shocked! You can see all seven of the illustrations on the hair menu page of the Blo Me Dry site.

The salons looks uber-chic, you know I already love the hair menu and they offer services like "blo on the go" where a stylish blow-out comes to your doorstep. At the moment the chain of blow dry bars are only located in Canada and Cali but I'm assured that once Blo Me Dry hits NYC I'll get the hair hook-up!

Harper's Bazaar Love

2011-02-09T23:59:00.005-05:00

Exciting surprises this week, the biggest one being this bridal illustration feature by my very favorite fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar! They asked me to send over a sampling of illustrations and the very next day this bride was included in the "Bazaar Report" on HarpersBazaar.com. It was the only bride in the mix so it surprised me they used it and focused only on my bridal shop, but its a fabulous surprise none the less. Fingers crossed its the first of many, because it would be a dream come true to see my illustrations in the magazine! (I'm just putting it out there.) Thank you Harper's Bazaar staffers!

Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation

2011-01-27T03:00:00.003-05:00

Steven Stipelman has done it again with the latest edition of his book Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation (3rd Edition). Stipelman's book is an excellent resource for anyone, from the aspiring student to the experienced and working fashion illustrator. The book includes step-by-step tutorials on how to draw everything from the basic fashion figure, hands, feet, and faces to clothing details like fur cuffs, tweed, lace and tulle.

In one of my very first posts on Fabulous Doodles I shared the first edition (here), as its been a staple on my bookshelves since college. In this latest edition Stipelman has updated it by redrawing more than 1,000 full color illustrations and referencing designer garments and time periods for accurate historical references.

Illustrating Fashion Concept to Creation (3rd Edition) is very easy to navigate through and use as a reference. Its divided into five main sections:

Getting Started: Supplies, lines, etc.
The Fashion Figure: Hands, feet, shaping the body, gesture and balance line.
The Fashion Details: Silhouettes, necklines, drapery and bias, tailored clothing and accessories.
Rendering: Stripes, plaids, knits and other intricate rendering techniques.
Extras: Walking figures, menswear, children, flats.

Stipelman is an incredible teacher and seasoned fashion illustrator, so to sit in a classroom and watch him sketch was a privelage. (I was lucky enough to have Stipleman as my professor for four consecutive semesters!) Now you can observe and learn form him as well, because with this book comes a dvd of demonstrations by Stipelman! Watching my professor and friend drawing made me feel like I was 19 again, gathered around his desk with other FIT students mezmorized by his illustrating.

This book is used as a textbook for all of FIT's fashion design students and is a splurge worthy necessity for any fashion illustrator. You can check it out, along with a few of my other book recommendations here, in my Amazon shop.

Brooklit Bride Grand Opening!

2011-01-18T00:03:00.002-05:00

Today I'm excited to announce the launch of my new Etsy shop, Brooklit Bride! Almost three years ago I launched Brooklit, an Etsy shop of my fashion illustration prints and products. The most popular listing and custom request has been bridal illustrations, where I create custom fashion illustrations inspired by brides actual photos (as shown below.)

So I've decided to expand on this idea, and open a "spin-off" shop that offers my custom designs as well as new original bride fashion illustration prints.

Brooklit Bride currently includes prints, cards, bookmarks, gift tags, and custom bridal sketches. I hope you like the new shop and make sure to check out the custom listings. (They all have different photo-to-sketch examples!)

I have more products I'm excited about in the works, so check back with Brooklit Bride soon. And after you take a peek at the new shop, I'd love to hear your feedback, so comments are welcome!

Custom Bridal Illustrations: Ball Gowns

2011-01-13T01:03:00.001-05:00

The ball gown silhouette has always been a favorite of mine, and its certainly a favorite of my bridal clients. The past few months I've been steadily busy sketching custom bridal illustrations. Its been a while since I shared any brides here so I figured I'd start sharing again with some of my recent "ball gown brides."

The beautiful ruffle gown (shown above) is by Oscar de la Renta. Its such a extraordinary and fun gown, truly like nothing I've had to illustrate before. I'm really happy with how the illustration turned out. (Hopefully the bride likes it too!?! The illustration is a surprise gift from her friend, so I didn't actually work with the bride on this one.)

This next gown had a lovely lace pattern throughout the bodice and skirt, but its the intricately detailed scalloped hem that really makes the illustration unique to me.

Last but certainly not least is this opulent and full ball gown. There were a lot of intricate details I had to pay attention to here: a beaded underskirt, lace applique and embroidery with crystal beading, diamond jewelry and orchids not only in the bouquet, but in her hair as well!

Costume Design: Black Swan

2011-01-03T00:46:00.002-05:00

It's always a thrill to find great costume illustrations, and these sketches from fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte for Black Swan do not disappoint! They have a soft and whimsical stylized look, which is synonymous with the look of their illustrations for Rodarte, while still serving as readable working sketches.

The designing sisters were challenged with making clothes that were dramatic and character appropriate while also being ballet-friendly and completely wearable.

The wardrobe, the characters and the setting are all so intriguing to me. I also absolutely love illustrating ballerinas so maybe I'll take a stab at rendering the main characters after I see the film.

Embarrassingly enough I have not actually seen Black Swan yet, I usually steer clear of scary movies, but I may have to suck it up just to see these costumes in action.

New Years Eve Dream

2011-01-01T22:10:00.012-05:00

(Bob Mackie and David Downton)

Happy New Year! Last night I enjoyed a casual evening with a small group of friends on the upper east side. It was great and I love my friends to death but for years and years, ever since watching that final scene in When Harry Met Sally, I can't help but wish that just one New Years I could attend a fancy black-tie New Years Eve soirée.

(Versace and Marchesa)

Seeing all the tuxedo's and sequins out on street last night got me wondering what I would wear (or design!) In addition to my Carrie illustration (shown below) which I think could be a great "New Years on the town" look, I pulled a few illustrations here that could fit the imaginary bill.

(Michael Kors and Brooke Hagel)

Beading and sequins, dramatic gowns of black or crisp "new" whites, and certainly yards of sleek and sultry glamour. There you have any and all of the elements for my dream New Years Eve black-tie ensemble.

(Ralph Lauren and Robert Best for Barbie)

Happy 2011 everyone! Cheers to the fabulous events this year holds and the many exciting evenings of fashion.

Holiday Commission

2010-12-24T23:48:00.011-05:00

Tonight on my way home from Chinese and a movie with grandma I passed by a Barney's Co-op store. I noticed their holiday windows resembled the current E-Drop Off windows (shown here) which are entirely comprised of my illustrations! I have yet to share them, so I figured better late than never, right?

The first time I was commissioned to illustrate for them (here) the designs were completely item focused to coincide with the different tabs of their site. For this round of illustrations I was asked to draw two "winter chic" girls, one "holiday party girl" with a banner, a plush holiday garland with designer logo ornaments and a truly unique snowflake comprised of the E-Drop Off logo (or seven of them actually!)

It's so cool to see my illustrations blown up so large, I wish I could see them in person. Unfortunately I don't have plans to hit Chicago anytime soon, so these photo's from the E-Drop crew are going to have to suffice. I hope everyone has a happy and fabulously chic holiday season! To see more of my work for E-Drop Off you can check out their website.

Bridal Illustrations: Kate Middleton

2010-12-18T17:36:00.002-05:00

(Vera Wang and Jason Wu)

Truly iconic wedding dresses rarely come along and when they do they create a tsunami of change in the industry. Kate Middleton's wedding dress has the potential to be the gown of the century, now the question is who will design it?

(Prabal Gurung)

Since first learning of the royal wedding announcement I've been anticipating the dress and the designer illustrations that will appear vying for the chance to be "the one" Kate choses. Thankfully Women's Wear Daily did all the work and asked designers to share what they had in mind for the future Princess. Here are a few of my favorites, both for the dress design and the fashion illustration.

(Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli for Valentino)

Its so interesting to me to see designer illustrations. Some are so detailed and "readable" (like this Valentino) and others are super stylized (like the Badgley Mischka or Chado Ralph Rucci).

(Badgley Mischka and JCrew)

I suppose both have their purpose and it depends on the goal of the sketch for each designer. Is it to sell the dress and make the design completely understandable or is it simply used as a marketing tool to expand the brand, its esthetic, and to give the gist of their vision?

(Chado Ralph Rucci)

My prediction for this royal-wedding dress is it will be a departure from the strapless gowns that have become so common. I imagine Kate will look sophisticated and beautiful while being modestly covered in intricate details like freshwater pearl embroidery (as seen on the Chado gown) or layers of delicate chattily lace. Unlike the over the top opulence of Diana's 1981 gown but not nearly as minimal as Caroline Bisset Kennedy's, which the JCrew design reminds me of. (Although a beautiful interpreted sketch, is a little too minimal for this royal wedding.) I also assume Kate will choose a British designer.

(Nina Ricci and Lela Rose)

Even though you may not be Kate Middleton or marrying Prince William you too can have a custom bridal illustration. (Shameless plug time) You can click here and here to examples of my custom fashion illustrations for brides, as well as reading through some of my past posts labeled bridal. And to to see a slideshow of all the designer sketches WWD released click here.

Costume Illustration: Giorgio Armani

2010-12-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

When someone says "Armani" I think of sophisticated Italian tailored suits and sleek evening wear. Recently though, Giorgio Armani has been branching out into jaw dropping theatrical show stoppers, starting with these designs for Lady Gaga. I remember watching Gaga perform at the Grammy's in this heart-shaped leotard (below) and thinking it would be a great look to illustrate. I never actually did it, so I was exited to stumble upon the Armani illustration.

I love they way the beading is rendered! The entire garment glistens. And in the sketch below there are all these little flecks of color that make the drawing appear iridescent. Its great to see a designer fully render a garment. Although stylized illustrations can be fabulous, I think its nice to see all the details and get a full understanding of the design.

Armani has now moved on to design the tour wardrobe for Alicia Keys' "Element of Freedom" European tour. The looks are not as dramatic or avant garde as the Gaga design's but they do have the glitz and glam that you expect from a pop star performance and a design legend.

This last group (below) actually reminds me of the "art test" part of my application to FIT's fashion design department. I had to create a concert wardrobe for one of my favorite singers. I chose Ms. Whitney Houston. She was touring at the time and was wearing only Dolce and Gabbana. (Maybe I'll share it sometime if I can find it.) Anyone apply to FIT lately? I wonder if this is still part of the application and art test.

I love seeing, and collecting, designer fashion illustrations, and its all the more exciting when they're costume designs! Hopefully Armani will set the set the trend here and more designers will share their sketches.

(Random side note: I was once asked to illustrate Alicia, and the sketch was actually given to her. It was years ago, and one of my first red carpet illustrations. My work has improved a lot since then, but you can check it out here.)

Fashionable Gifts

2010-11-30T11:59:00.001-05:00

Over the past few weeks I've been hard at work illustrating and designing new products. I've been stocking up for the gift fairs I'm participating in, in addition to building up my shop inventory.

New to my collection are sets of flat note cards (shown above Carrie and Vogue). I love flat note cards, and have been using them for years. (Ever since Oprah and Bill Clinton discussed on air how important it is to write a thank you or correspondence note on one-single side of a card, just in case its ever framed. Who knows, maybe one day a note from me will be frame worthy!?!) In addition to the Oprah and Bill seal of approval I do feel its a very chic and sophisticated way to send a note.

I've also made new holiday cards, gift tags in different shapes and themes, as well as new magnets (shown below) featuring five of my most popular fashion illustrations. I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed making them. If you follow my work and are a Fabulous Doodles reader, but a custom illustration is out of your budget why not purchase some of these new little items from my shop, Brooklit.

If you're in the NY/NJ area come visit me at the two gift fairs I'm participating in (info here), both of which are free admission. There are more new items I'll be selling I just haven't had time to photograph them and put them online yet. Cheers!

5th Avenue Holiday Windows

2010-11-21T21:46:00.004-05:00

Late friday night I wrangled two friends and strolled along 5th Avenue. It was the ideal November night to take in the holiday windows before the crazy crowds descend and the air gets bitter cold.

This years windows are so whimsical that I thought I would share a few of my pictures here since they could be an incredible source of inspiration for a illustrations, maybe even a whole collection. Bergdorf Goodman had the most elaborate windows of the night. The theme depicted throughout them is "Wish you Were Here" and features far-off fantasy scenes and creatures, like a knitted flying horse (shown above).

"The Moon" window was spectacular, and my favorite. It was a monochromatic color scheme (which I'm always drawn to) of icy blues and silvers. Each element glistened with layers of intricate detailing highlighted with Swarovski crystals. There were crocodiles, crystals, crowns and even a crane!

Bergdorfs has glamour and glitz, historical references and even some kitschy/campy oversized signs but they aren't the only store making a statement this holiday season.

Bendels (below) has displayed a pastel fairy-tale and the entire Fendi building is wrapped in two of their classic belts made of "dripping" icicle lights.

We did some window shopping, chowed down on street vender roasted nuts, gawked at the girls camped outside H&M waiting to be the first to get their hands on bargain Lavin, and even stumbled upon a Mariah Carey concert in Rockefeller Center. It was really a fun and spontaneous night that just may be the start of a new tradition.

For a visual history of Bergdorf windows you can pick up the new 17 pound Assouline book: Windows of Bergdorf Goodman for a mere $550! (here) The Saks windows are being unveiled tomorrow, should you be in the neighborhood I'm sure they'll be worth a stop. (Bloomingdales however, were terrible so don't bother!) Which stores have your favorite windows this season?

Holiday Gift Sales

2010-11-17T01:46:00.001-05:00

This holiday season I'm participating in two charitable gift sales with my fashion illustrations! What's even more exciting is that both are free and open to the public.

To kick off Chanukah, on thursday Dec 2nd I will be at the Jewish Enrichment Center's holiday gift sale. Its an after work event, right here in Manhattan on West 13th Street. A percent of the proceeds of each item sold will go to the Birthright Israel Alumni Community. I've been working on new products and I plan to offer a wide selection of prints, cards, gift tags, bookmarks and pocket mirrors from my shop. (Just in case you need more incentive to stop by, there will be Chanukah latkes and wine!)

In addition to participating in the sale as a vendor, I was asked to design a few graphics for the website and newsletters. I went with a stack of gifts (shown above) and this couple shopping for the invite and website. (I tend to avoid drawing men but it was necessary here, so it didn't look like a girls night out event.)

The second sale I'm participating in is just across the Hudson. Holiday Expressions: An Evening of Art will be out in Rutherford New Jersey on December 9th. A portion of the proceeds from all the artwork sold will help support the Rutherford Food Bank and the Good Shepherd Church.

For details on the Dec. 2nd sale click here for the Jewish Enrichment Center, and for the Dec. 9th sale click here for the Holiday Expressions facebook page. Hope to see you there!

She's a Sketch

2010-11-10T03:33:00.002-05:00

Living in Manhattan its hard to miss all the beautiful girls abound. Within the group, there are a select few that can only be described, at least to this fashion illustrator, as "A Sketch." Its girls who have that je ne sais quoi. A combination of the modelesque physique paired with a flawlessly chic fashion sense. Charlotte here, who I spotted in the Meatpacking District, is surely one of them!

Frequently I'm asked what inspires me. New York and more importantly, New Yorkers, always come to mind. (Here's a old post with some more.) So I've decided to share some of the girls here on Fabulous Doodles in a new feature called "She's a Sketch." I can't really take the credit for this one though. It was my good friend Renaldo whom I've featured here a few times before whom first coined the phrase. Years ago while strolling down the street with Ren, he elbowed me and pointed to a passerby saying "she's a sketch!" Ever since, we're constantly spotting "sketches." (Now I just need the confidence to approach em and ask to snap a pic!)

Chic Cape Illustrations

2010-10-18T02:40:00.003-04:00

A chill has officially hit the New York air and its given me the itch to find the perfect fall cape. I was hopping around online, searching my go-to online stores for the right one for me. After an hour or so I decided to give it a rest and catch up on some of my favorite blogs. . .So what do I see on the very first blog I click on, Garance Dore, but this uber charming and chic capped sketch! I've gushed over Garance in the past (here), but I felt like I had to share this story with you and repost her capped sketch along with one of mine. I love it when things like this happen!

Nearly two years ago after a trip to Iceland, inspired by all the caped Icelandic girls I spotted, I drew Dylan here. She's been up in my Etsy shop for a while, and is one of my personal favorites. (She was also the illustration I chose for my very first Fabulous Doodles post.)

Childrenswear: Carmen

2010-10-16T16:21:00.013-04:00

Last week I was asked by a client to work on something a little different, a fashion illustration of a chic 8 year old girl. To design her outfit I was given all the inspiration images below, along with a few directions for tweaks, such as add a third buckle to the coat, change the dress to a light floral print, and so on. I think Carmen here came out adorable, and is kind of making me want to draw more kids. (Although to be honest in the past they haven't really sold well in my etsy shop.)

(Clockwise: Coat e.BoutiqueMaje, Dress Zara, Bag Proenza Schouler at Barneys, Boots Jcrew Girls.)

Red Carpet Moment: Lauren Miller

2010-10-15T00:33:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to share my most recent fashion illustration from the red carpet, its of Lauren Miller, who just so happens to be my beautiful cousin. Lauren chose this incredible brown lace and pink chiffon gown designed by J. Mendel to wear to the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Lauren may soon have two Brooke Hagel originals because the same week I completed this illustration and wrapped it to send off to her, Seth popped the question! There's no doubt Lauren will be a stunning bride. I can't wait to see the dress she picks and sketch her a custom bridal illustration.

Mini Portfolio {New Business Cards}

2010-10-04T12:46:00.001-04:00

I absolutely love my new business cards, as does everyone I hand them to. I recently designed my first set of Moo cards and I can say with 100% certainly that once you go Moo there's no going back. The cards are heavy weight, have a smooth satin finish and show off every intricate detail of my fashion illustrations. With Moo your able to upload as many as 100 different images to each card order. This means that whenever I'm describing what I do to someone new I can now show them all my cards, a sort of mini portfolio, and let them chose the fashion illustration they like best to keep, with my shop website, blog, and contact info.

I uploaded 8 of my favorite sketches, but I'm thinking I may just place another soon to throw a few more illustrations into the mix. Perhaps a few more of my brides or red carpet looks. It also may be nice to use Moo to create my next round of gift tags for the holidays, since the cards are printing are such high quality. . .What can I say, I guess I'm addicted to Moo.

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Bride Paper Dolls

2010-09-23T15:09:00.002-04:00

At the risk of sounding full of myself, how adorable are these bridal paper dolls I illustrated?!?! As a child I absolutely loved playing with paper dolls and their different outfits, accessories, and hairstyles.

I was hired to sketch these two brides, as well as two wedding dress options, for Studio Wed's Atlanta Bridal Expo invitation. Not only was it my first time sketching paper dolls, but it was also my first time seeing my work printed by a letterpress printer.

I really love how it turned out, I just wish I had two copies so one could go in my flat portfolio and I could "play" with the other; pop all the pieces out, stand them up, and maybe even walk them down an imaginary isle. . .ahh to be a kid again.

Inside the Sketchbook: Club Monaco

2010-09-18T23:56:00.008-04:00

I happen to live a few blocks away from a Club Monaco store that I pass by multiple times everyday. The window displays and merchandising are always superb but this week they literally stopped me in my tracks. The entire window consists of fashion illustrations that look like they're ripped right from a designers sketchbook! The first time I walked by was evening and the store was closed so I had to settle for taking some pictures and letting my mind wander; are they student work, are they the interns, or are they from the Club Monaco design team?

Well I went back during store hours, spoke with the manager, and after she did a little research she called me with the answer! All the illustrations are by one woman: Caroline Belhumeur, Club Monaco's Vice President of Women's Design Apparel and Accessories.

I adore Caroline's technique and the way she uses simple contouring without loosing any design details. I also love that the croquis are so well-styled and complete with glasses, handbags, and even jewelry. The original illustrations can be seen in the 57th street store and all the other stores display copies. I absolutely love this concept for store displays. You get to see how the designer intended for the clothing to look, get styling ideas, and see the fabulous fashion illustrations that started it all.

These sketches inspire me to pick up my sketchbook and a pencil and let the idea's flow. Lately my sketches are solely for clients and have a distinct direction, such as a "profile of a bride." Its hard sometimes to make time for sketching for the sake of sketching.

Thank you Shannon, for using your investigation skills and helping me out!

Fashion Week Spring 2011

2010-09-12T21:33:00.003-04:00

(Peter Som and Monique Lhuillier)

New York Fashion Week is well underway so what better time to feature designer fashion illustrations from the collections. I love the simplicity of the fine pencil lines of this Peter Som sketch, and the heavy pen line and lack of skin tone in the Monique Lhuillier illustration frames the soft and frilly dress perfectly.

(Nanette Lepore and Tibi)

I haven't used watercolors since college but these illustrations from Nanette Lepore and Tibi make be want to dust off my brushes and play.

(Ella Moss and Peter Som)

Rendering patterns accurately can be a challenge, but Ella Moss makes it look effortless in her illustration of printed separates. And the Adam sketch appears quick and casual yet its completely readable and charming.

I discovered these sketches in the newest Pantone color trend report. Ten colors are highlighted throughout the report that are trending in fashion for the spring/summer 2011 season.

Fashion's Night Out: THE SHOW

2010-09-09T23:59:00.007-04:00

Two nights ago I had the privilege of attending "The Show" hosted by Anna Wintour and Vogue. It's said to have been the largest public fashion show of all time. Over 150 models including Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, and Adriana Lima walked the breathtaking circular runway in Lincoln Center's Plaza. It was an incredible show that still has me on a fashion high two days later. Which ideally was one of the goals of the show, to get people amped to go out and spend for tomorrows 2nd annual Fashion's Night Out extravaganza. (Here's my post from last year's inaugural night.)

The evening was flawless, right down to the seating which was a star-burst formation with the dancing fountain at the center. The runway spiraled outward and I was seated at the end of the aisle and in a section that was a single row. This meant that I had models coming in right behind me, walking in front of me, and leaving along side me. It was crazy.

At exactly 7:30, just after the sun set and the buildings began to glow, Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" began to play while fuschia spot lights whipped all around. Heads were whirling around fiercely trying to see where the models would emerge from when a double decker NYC tour bus pulled up with dancing and screaming models. The Show was absolutely spectacular. Seven trends were showcased: Tartan Twist, Pure at Heart, Fifties Flair, Jazz-Age Cool, Weekend Wrap-Up, Go Global, and Rock Chic.

Photography was prohibited, but once the show started I noticed everyone whipping out their iPhones and camera's so I joined in! I not only took these photo's but caught a few seconds of video as well! (Shh, don't tell.)

The Show was only 15 or 20 spectacular minutes. Right as it ended Pharrell jumped up on the fountain for a little closing performance. Once that was over I immediately headed over to the VIP area near the fountain where I caught glimpses (and some pictures) of Michael Kors, Seth Myers, Roger Federer (who I actually saw win a match in the US Open the previous night!), Harvey Weinstein, Vera Wang, and the queen herself, Ms. Anna Wintour. (Whom one of my very first blog posts was about, click here to read it.) I will soon post all of my pictures on my Facebook fanpage and will add a link to that here once I do.

I've been to a bunch of fashion week shows before, but there's no doubt this one will be at the top of my list for a while! I had my doubts about Fashion Week moving but if this first show is any indicator of whats to come, bring it on. Dying to see more, don't worry, the entire show is due to air on CBS Sept 14th at 10PM, so set your dvr now.

(Lincoln Center overhead image: by Tom and Lorenzo, pink-lit Lincoln Center image: Roxy Victoria, All other images and video: Brooke Hagel)

New to my shop: Olivia

2010-09-08T07:35:00.007-04:00

It's been a while but hopefully its worth the wait. I've just added an elegant new bride to my Etsy shop named Olivia. I drew her a few months ago while working on a wedding poster of multiple brides (which I've yet to finish.) I forgot about Olivia until a client emailed me asking if I had anymore African-American brides which prompted me to go through my files and gather a few options to show her. The client chose Olivia, and since printing the illustration out, she's become one of my favorites. If you'd like a print of Olivia you can purchase her through the listing here.

Yellow Wedding

2010-08-20T00:17:00.008-04:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures from the wedding I was just in this past weekend. I know this isn't exactly a wedding blog, but so much of my custom work is bridal illustrations and wedding websites, so it is semi-related! You may remember my hunt for a yellow bridesmaid dress (which I previously blogged about here), well I finally found one, as did my friends and fellow bridesmaids:

(Andrea, Jamie, Brooke (me), and Keiko)

All of us were close high school friends, so it was nice to get together for a few days and have some "bonding time." The wedding was out in Pennsylvania where the groom grew up. A few of us bridesmaids drove out there from NYC early to help the bride with pre-wedding details. We arranged flowers for the centerpieces, tied tags on the guest gifts, strung place cards, made welcome gifts for hotel guests, painted signs, created a dessert buffet, made sangria, and baked the cake. (<-I kid you not!)

It was a tall order, but in the end the wedding was truly beautiful. My favorite element actually ended up being the all the different yellow dresses! Next up were the driftwood signs I painted (which I'm thinking could be fabulous in my Manhattan kitchen), the programs I designed were detailed with a Martha Stewart eyelet hole punch and came out super cute, and the beautiful table-scapes which consisted of chopped wood bases, mason jars of rustic flowers, pillar candles, damask table runners from Etsy, and napkin rings handmade of vintage fabrics.

(Ines, Brooke (me), Tina, Andrea, and Jamie)

If you're wondering where the bride is, you're just going to have to wait. My wedding gift is a custom fashion illustration, so I'll share photo's of her once I've completed my illustration. I work from actual wedding pictures which is why it wasn't done beforehand. If you like you can click here to see examples of other custom bridal illustrations I've worked on.

Summer Chic

2010-07-31T06:55:00.002-04:00

Since summer is officially half way through and there's only one month left to soak up the sun while sporting your tunics, sandals, and ridiculously huge, yet totally chic, large brim hats, I thought it was a great time to share some more illustrations from the talented Audrey Schilt.

These designs are for the Ralph Lauren Cruise Collection of 2004. Audrey described this collection by writing "I could have fun being creative with ideas that were more about the surf and sand. Beading with a shell inspiration, or coral motif. Swimsuits, coverups, easy soft suiting, sarong inspired dresses for both day and evening!

"The sketches have an airy lightness with lots of movement. Cruise is the time of year people travel to warmer climates...they want cloths that travel easily and are free feeling...not restricting. I always tried to make the sketches reflect the freshness of the season."

The illustrations shown here were all part of her exhibit at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. I previously featured her work on Fabulous Doodles here, here and here.

Fashion Illustration Exposed

2010-07-28T06:33:00.001-04:00

A little while ago, I was contacted by the lovely Julia Stanescu of Fashionarium. She asked me if I would be willing to write two tutorials as a contributing fashion illustrator. Well I jumped at the opportunity and now I'm excited to tell you about the fabulous new book Fashion Illustration Exposed.

This book empowers readers to easily explore practical techniques of fashion illustration while learning about the tools and steps that ten fashion illustrators (including yours truly) employ. Mediums such as watercolor paint, pen, collage, and photoshop are all touched upon. (It has even inspired me to dig out my old watercolors and guaches that I haven't touched since college!)

It's such a thrill for me to be included in this book. I hope you all like it and like myself, learn something new. Fashion Illustration Exposed is available as a printed paperback as well as a downloadable ebook, which ten of my readers can purchase with a discount of 20% off. Its available by clicking here, and the discount code is brooklit. (The discount is only available to the first 10 Fabulous Doodles readers to purchase.)

Bridal Illustration Art Wall

2010-07-20T03:44:00.011-04:00

Hello everyone! I'm sorry about the lack of posts lately here on Fabulous Doodles, its been a very busy summer. I've been juggling freelance product design work, website illustration clients, mile-stone birthdays, family reunions, traveling for showers and wedding events, and new bridal clients. Tis the season, I guess right!

Large 13"x19" poster size prints available in my shop: www.Brooklit.com

I thought it would be nice to share this art wall of some of my favorite framed bridal illustration prints. I created it a while back for a presentation. Wouldn't it be perfect for a wedding planners office, or maybe a bridal dress salon?

Fabulous 4th

2010-07-03T04:00:00.007-04:00

(Renaldo Barnette illustration of Michele Obama for Kai Milla, and sketchbook illustration.)

I hope everyone is enjoying a long weekend of barbecuing, fireworks, and sinking your toes in the sand. But just in case your stuck indoors and happen to be looking for some fashion inspiration on this fine holiday I pulled a few illustrations from some of my favorite designers.

(Bob Mackie costume illustrations for Cher and Pink.)

See, you can be fabulously patriotic sporting red, white and blue and not look like a walking American flag! Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans.

(Audrey Schilt fashion illustrations for Ralph Lauren Collection.)

eDrop-Off Illustrations

2010-06-30T20:38:00.001-04:00

The past few weeks I have been busy working on illustrations for a website relaunch called eDrop-Off. Now that the site is up and running I can share the illustrations with you! eDrop-Off is based out of Chicago and they are the leading designer consignment shop specializing in selling designer and luxury items on eBay. They offer the chicest designer labels, so my illustrations had to be on par with Chanel, Gucci, and Oscar.

They were such great clients to work with, very trusting and easy going. They loosely provided me with descriptions of what they were looking for (like "classic Chanel suit") and sometimes a pose (like "knees together,") and let me render how I saw fit, choosing colors, fabrics, hair, and accessories.

Every time we were about to be done a few more illustration requests were added, so it ended up being a pretty big job consisting of 8 girls, an authenticity seal, a stack of magazines with a designer shoe on top, a customized Tiffany bracelet and a bulletin board with "designer" push pins! I also did a few fun things for their launch party, but I'll share those another time.

The team at eDrop Off was an absolute delight to work with (thank you Nicole!) and I wish them continued success with the new website and in their new location.

Visit eDrop-Off to check out my illustrations in action, see all the fabulous designer items for sale, and maybe even send them some of your own. It's free pick nationwide, although I can't promise your UPS person will look like this one! (below)

New Cards & Bookmarks

2010-06-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

Last weeks "Girls Night Out" sale was a success in that it had a great turn out and raised a substantial amount of money for a great cause, however I personally did not do so well. The positive side of this is that since I made sure to stock up for the sale by printing lots of new items I can now add as new listings in my Etsy shop; Brooklit.

Here are some of my favorite new cards. You may remember the girl in glasses and jeans from my denim "Tuesday Tip" tutorial. I liked her so much that I made her into a birthday card. The other fashion illustration's that adorn the new birthday cards are two of my more popular prints, Carrie and Mystie.

I've also made a fun new bridal card with a combination of some custom bridal illustrations and original ones. The bride card is blank on the inside which makes it suitable for any bridal occasion; engagements, showers, bachlorettes, weddings or even anniversaries.

My bookmarks continue to be popular, so I've expanded the selection. They're a nice, less expensive, alternative to purchasing one of my girls in art print form. And with summer now here, what better time for a fun new bookmark for all your summer reading.

Tuesday Tip: Sequins

2010-06-22T02:47:00.003-04:00

A while back you may remember I wrote about my favorite tools for fashion illustration and I mentioned the whiteout pen. Well to successfully render sequins a whiteout pen is vital. (At least for this fashion illustrator!) It's also best when choosing your marker to pick a very wet and saturated marker, like a Chartpak and a classic black Sharpie marker.

I happen to really enjoy rendering sequins, especially all-over sequins (a-la Diana Ross or Cher.) There are a few specific steps to it, but don't stress, its pretty hard to mess up. And once you complete them the results are stunning.

You begin by coloring the base of your design. Its important to leave white streaks where you want your highlights. Let it dry a little then add a second coat of your color to areas in shadow (see example #1.)
Outline the design, draw any seams, and add any extra shadowing with a dark pencil. I use the Prismacolor cool gray 90% pencil. (#2)
With your black Sharpie stipple dots all over the garment (#3). Load up on dots in areas that are white and are going to be a highlight.
With your whiteout pen place a dot on top of each black one. Get a rhythm going and it will be over before you know it. (#4)
This is not a necessary step, but I like to add a few faint "X's" with my finest tip black pen to create subtle streaks of light. (I use a Micron pen, tip size 005)

The white dots will absorb the color you put down first, especially if you used a very wet marker. The dots will turn into a lighter shade of your color. This is why if you look at my examples, they don't look like white sequins on colored fabrics. It looks as though I've actually painted all these little colored sequins! And the tip of the Sharpie, being almost the same width as the whiteout pen, creates the perfect shadow to make each sequin pop.

Above are illustrations from my Etsy shop of Carrie and Samantha (from the first SATC movie), both sporting fabulous sequin pieces. Carrie is available in a print, magnet or bookmark, and Samantha is on a bookmark.

Grandma Style

2010-06-21T04:03:00.004-04:00

Three weeks ago one of my grandmas passed away at the age of 94. She lived near by, just over the bridge in Brooklyn Heights, in the very same apartment my dad grew up in, but sadly we weren't very close. Since she passed I've been combing through some of her old albums and photos, most of which I've never seen before. I wish she had shared these with me so I could have asked her questions about the faces, places, and times.

I picked a few fashionable favorites here, most of which are from the 1930's and 1940's. I just may have to add a new girl or two to my shop inspired by my grandma's style. (One photo, with the black dress and white pearl necklace, reminds me of my Allie sketch, only she has the wrong hair color.)

Nate Making Over NY

2010-06-14T12:10:00.002-04:00

Eight years ago I, along with the rest of America, developed a serious crush on Nate Berkus. Within five minutes of stepping on Oprah's stage he began wowing us with his impressive makeovers and charm. The talented interior designer creates beautifully functional spaces that truly reflect the needs, lifestyles, and personalities of his clients.

There are many signatures to Nate's sophisticated, masculine, and modern design style, but one in particular especially resonates with me. Nate creates lovely walls of art displaying photo's, collections, mementoes and sometimes even personal "doodles" to be enjoyed by his clients on a daily basis.

These are some of the beautiful rooms from Nate's portfolio featuring his eclectic wall displays. I would love to take inspiration from one of these rooms for my small NYC studio apartment, add some fashion illustrations (of course!) and maybe swap the brass tables and frames with chrome and silver for a polished, fashionable and feminine space.

The room shots shown here are from Nate Berkus Interiors and the snapshots are mine, taken at Nate's first ever book signing, five years ago. My girlfriends and I all snuck out of work a few hours early and headed out to Long Island to be there and sit front row! I actually remember it like it was yesterday, Nate was a fantastic speaker, and we had a blast meeting him. The event was filmed by a camera crew so we were certain we'd have a little cameo on Oprah, but it never happened.

Recently Nate bid farewell to Oprah to star in his own show that will be filming here in New York! The only thing that would make the news any more exciting would be if I was working on it. (Hint, hint, Nate, if you need a design assistant with a talent for illustrating and shopping I'm available!) The show launches September 13th, so set your dvrs!

I wrote this post in honor of Nate Day on Twitter! Nate Day is the brainchild of the Moggit Girls. They've gotten just over 100 bloggers to participate by writing about Nate today and spreading the word about his new show. The shows producers are going to have one show filled with an entire audience of design bloggers so fingers crossed I'll be seeing Nate again soon! You can check out all the Nate Day blog posts here.

Girls Night Out: Shop Brooklit

2010-06-08T04:21:00.005-04:00

I have another invitation to share with you, this time for a girls night out shopping event that I'm participating in. If your in the NYC area come by to say hi, shop, drink and support a great cause. I'll be there (along with other vendors) selling items from my Etsy shop such as prints, magnets, mirrors, and cards. I've also donated framed prints as raffle prizes that you could win!

Proceeds from the $10 admission ticket (which includes 2 raffle tickets) will be donated to the Rebecca School for Autism, a therapeutic day school for children 4 to 18, promoting the education and development of children with neurodevelopmental disorders of relating and communicating, including PDD and autism. To purchase your pre-sale ticket email: pta@rebeccaschool.org

(Invitation shown includes my Rose fashion illustration. Click here to see her in color or to purchase a print.)

Be Bold: Black & White Stripes

2010-06-02T02:46:00.002-04:00

Mr. Graham, my high school art teacher, would always tell us to "BE BOLD." He would remind us as he strolled the room critiquing work, it was often scribbled somewhere on the blackboard and he even wrote it inside the card he gave me graduation day. Being that is was so reinforced, and that I'm a pack rat who saves everything, like his card, its one of those things that has really stuck with me. Well what's bolder than a crisp large scale black and white stripe!?!

(Clockwise from top left: Jessica Stam Vogue UK June 08', Vogue UK Feb 08', Vogue Italia June 94', Vogue Mexico Sept. 07')

When it comes to my fashion illustrations I try to look at each sketch and figure out what I could do to BE BOLD. While drawing Mystie here I started with this somewhat demure pose and my way to make it pop was to add my favorite pattern, large, and on a diagonal.

(Clockwise from top left: Valentino shoes, Christy Turlington Vogue US Apr 88', Neuropeach, Paul Costello for Domino.)

I've pulled a bunch of images here of other ways in which designers, stylists and decorators have used black and white stripes to achieve this striking and bold look. Do you like them? I know it's made me crave a little apartment and wardrobe makeover!

JCrew Bridal Boutique Invite

2010-06-01T13:49:00.005-04:00

If your in the NYC area tomorrow, stop the opening of the very first JCrew Bridal Boutique. As if you needed more incentive, its being hosted by the fabulous Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Wedding's. Isn't the invite adorable? I love that they chose to show only the back of the bride and her dog in matching veils and matching "dots." Too cute.

Lovely List: Favorite Posts

2010-05-28T18:00:00.000-04:00

I'm off to DC soon for the long holiday weekend, but decided to first post these images as a nice visual to kick off to summer. The scalloped shingles are my friends neighbors in Brooklyn, the sunset was in the Hamptons last summer, and the girl is an older illustration I did years ago inspired by a Michael Kors runway look.

Since there's now a year of posts behind me it seems to be a good time to go back and take note of some of my favorites. Here is a list (and links through the dates) to my top posts from the first year of Fabulous Doodles.

I'm an Etsy Guest Blogger - 10/9/09
Blog it Forward: Inspired by... - 3/15/10
Big Love for my Design - 11/24/10
Tuesday Tip: Poses - 2/23/10
Lovely List: Design Ideas - 2/10/10
Secret Weapons - 12/12/10
New and Improved Audrey - 1/5/10
Oscar's Gifting Suite - 3/7/10
Tuesday Tip: Denim - 5/4/10

I also have a separate list for next week of favorites featuring other illustrators! Should you feel like sharing I'd love to hear which post(s) have been your favorites and I hope everyone has a fabulous and relaxing long weekend!

Happy Birthday Fabulous Doodles

2010-05-26T13:52:00.001-04:00

It's my first "Blog Birthday"! I can hardly believe I've been authoring a blog for a year now. I'd like to say a big thank you to you, all my wonderful readers! I'm so grateful for your support, encouragement, questions and comments.

I was extremely intimidated to start writing and putting myself out in the blogsphere for all to see, but its been such a positive experience. When I started Fabulous Doodles I thought I would simply share new products added to my Etsy shop and the occasional fashion illustration from designers. I had no idea people would contact me for advise and that my blog would turn into sharing not only my illustrations and current projects but books, tools and tips for others to use and learn from.

One year has past, 135 posts, numerous freelance projects, features, press, and Fabulous Doodles continues to grow. You can check out my first post, by clicking here, and see how I timidly started. Once again, I thank you and look forward to your comments, tweets, and facebook fan page messages in the next year.

Inside the Sketchbook: Renaldo Barnette

2010-05-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

As promised I have more fabulous fashion illustrations to share with you from the sketchbook of my friend Renaldo Barnette. These illustrations are a small sampling of the inner (and outer, with the cover sketch pictured above) workings of his sketchbook and how he builds on ideas and develops his designs.

I love how he uses dress forms here to illustrate the back of designs. Its different and adds depth to the pages but its also such a genius time saver. I didn't actually discuss this with Ren, so I can only speak for myself here, but each illustration takes time, even if its just a back view. So to not have to illustrate another set arms, legs, head of hair, etc. helps your design rhythm to flow and stay focused on creating.

Another element in Renaldo's sketches that I admire is that he illustrates a variety of ethnicities and bodies. Many illustrators stick to one overall look but that is clearly not the case for Renaldo. You even see evidence of that in the few images in this one post.

These were just a few samples of Renaldo's work that I quickly photographed while we sat on park bench in my neighborhood with an hour to kill. Hopefully he'll let me share some more with you again soon. (And hopefully next time there won't be a sketchy homeless man serenading me!) Because I love a good Renaldo fix, as I'm sure you, my readers, do too!

My Carrie Sketch Hits Sydney

2010-05-19T23:59:00.005-04:00

Occasionally I license out my fashion illustrations for usage by other companies. Recently Sydney's Observatory Hotel contacted me to buy the usage rights for a few invitations they were designing for upcoming events. One event is a private screening of Sex and The City 2. (I'm ridiculously excited for this movie!)

Unfortunately I won't be heading down under anytime soon so I'm just going to have to see it in a regular theater sans champagne, but I do love the final invitation and how my Carrie illustration looks against the black background.

You can check out this post (here) from when I first sketched this look and if you'd like to frame a Carrie print for yourself you can order her from my shop.

Etsy Home Finds

2010-05-15T18:40:00.001-04:00

My old friend Camilla, blog author of High Heeled Foot in the Door, asked me to write a guest post for her today. I'm so honored, I've only been asked to be a guest blogger once before. (A wedding post for the Etsy Storque, which you can check out here.) Her blog is an interior design and home decor focused blog, so I chose to write about fabulous Etsy finds in my favorite "home" color palette; cream, white, and silver. Click here to read my guest post.

This little teaser photo is one of the items I chose to feature; a steel memo board from Ekoh Design with a silhouette print of classic furniture and home accessories on it. (Which I actually purchased just last week.) The fashion illustration magnets are the newest products added to Brooklit, my Etsy shop.

Renaldo Barnette for Maggy London

2010-05-15T01:57:00.010-04:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of catching up with my good friend Renaldo. While chatting about life, love, our mothers and fashion, Renaldo shared the latest designs from his sketchbook with me, and let me photograph them to feature here on Fabulous Doodles.

One of Renaldo's designs for Maggy London was recently featured in a Macy's ad in the New York Times! It's so impressive to see a published design next to the illustration that created it in the middle of a sketchbook.

I just love Renaldo's sketches, and don't these newest girls seem to ooze confidence with their edgy short hair styles.

Next week I'll share some more sketches from Ren's book, but in the mean time you can check out my previous posts I wrote about him last year here and here.

Yellow Bridesmaid Dresses

2010-05-11T03:33:00.007-04:00

Do you ever get completely consumed by searching for something that it starts to become the only thing you see? Every store I go into, every website I'm on, I'm searching for a yellow bridesmaid dress for a wedding I'm in this coming August. Its like my eyes glaze over into the green x-ray "scanner vision" that you see in thriller/spy movies zeroing in on their targets.

I've decided that maybe like in the movie Field of Dreams, "if I build it, it will come." I've drawn a few sketches of yellow dresses that I would love to find for this wedding. Something simple, loose, short, and yellow (being the brides color of choice). It's in August, so it would be great if it was strapless and a light weight material, and something that would look cute with flats or espadrilles, because its outdoors and I'll be walking in grass, so heels are out.

Clearly I have a serious case of "yellow bridesmaid dress" on the brain. But I've drawn it, and now written about it, so fingers crossed this does the trick and my dress "will come!" It's now officially out there in the universe! :)

New to my shop: Magnets

2010-05-11T02:33:00.003-04:00

I've added three new magnets to my shop. Vogue, Carrie, and Catherine are the three illustrations I've chose to brighten up my fridge and my shop. I had them printed on smooth vinyl with a magnetic backing, so they're vibrant and super durable. Click here to see more photo's of them and purchase some for yourself.

Tuesday Tip: Denim

2010-05-04T23:59:00.004-04:00

Back by popular demand, here is a new Tuesday Tip! A few people have asked me about how I render denim and jeans, so I've put together this little tutorial. To start you need to choose your denim color. The two colors that I use most frequently for denim are the Pantone 652-T (which I used in these examples) for lighter denim and the Copic marker in Agate B99 for dark denim.

Take your chosen color and fill in the garment with a solid wash.
With the same color, draw thin diagonal stripes. This can be with the fine tip end of the marker (this Pantone marker has 3 tips) or with a colored pencil in the same color.
Draw diagonal lines with a white pencil. *This is the key step to rendering denim effectively!
Using Cool Gray 90% pencil draw the seam lines. Then you have the option of taking a yellow/orange pencil to draw stitch lines parallel to each seam line. (This is not a must)

Something to keep in mind is that you can also add shadows and highlights within that first step. If you leave some white streaks, they will act as your highlights. And by applying a second layer of the marker to select edges and folds you can create shadows. This is exactly what I did to render the jeans shown in my "doodle" at the top of this post. For older posts with more of my illustrations of denim click here, here, or here.

I know everyone really enjoys the Tuesday Tip posts, therefore I've brought them back, however I can't promise to write one every tuesday. They are extremely time consuming so for now I'm going to shoot for one every 2 or 3 weeks. Enjoy!

New to my shop: Pocket Mirrors

2010-04-28T07:51:00.002-04:00

I'm thrilled to share my new pocket mirrors. I'm always trying to think of products to adorn with "my girls" and expand my shop selections. If my customers are anything like me then you don't leave home without a handful of essentials, one being a mini mirror for lip gloss application, contact lens adjustment or the occasional teeth check. ;)

Each mirror is 2 1/4" and features a cropped "head shot" of my fashion illustrations. I've chosen ten of my favorite girls with varying hair colors, and fashion styles so hopefully there's one for everyone and you can chose the one that resembles you or friends the most. (As they'd make a great little gift!)

Click here to view and purchase all the new pocket mirrors available in my shop.

(All the beautiful papers used as a "backdrop" in these shots are wallpaper samples from Graham & Brown.)

Ugg Love {and Discount}

2010-04-26T04:03:00.006-04:00

A great new website has launched that is all about my favorite boots, Uggs. As my friends can attest to, I love my Uggs! They are without a doubt the warmest and coziest option in a my closet. I have the "classic" in both chestnut and black so I can wear them with any outfit. They're also super light weight which makes them great to travel with. (I couldn't have lived without them during my vacation in Iceland last year.)

I not only outfit myself in Uggs, but "my girls" as well. Here you can see some of my notebook doodles sporting them. (Back in my school days every page of class notes was framed in little doodles like these girls.) I even drew Uggs in my recent holiday card designs here.

(Clockwise from top left: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Moss, Rachel Bilson, Jennifer Aniston, Hayden Pantettier, Avril Lavigne, and Gisele Bundchen.)

Magazines keep claiming "they're out" and they may not be the sexiest shoe choice, but when a chill hits the air girls grab their Uggs. Most of my favorite Hollywood stars regularly sport Australia's best export.

For the next month my readers can receive $30 off Uggs by entering the coupon code "221FAB" on BuyItRightHere. Through the site you can also learn about everything Ugg; care and maintenance, history of the brand, styling suggestions, and buy them of corse! Have I sparked your interest in getting yourself a pair? Happy shopping!

Prom Princess

2010-04-22T02:26:00.015-04:00

This sketch of Rebecca was commissioned by her mom Catherine, as a birthday surprise. You probably know by now, that I am frequently commissioned for custom wedding gown illustrations. Well I also draw beauty pageant queens, sweet sixteens, bat-mitzvah and prom girls like Rebecca here.

Rebecca loves the illustration so much that there's been talk of doing some more; one of her senior prom dress and one of her graduation dress to make a fun triptych.

Since prom and graduation are just around the corner I thought it was a good time to share this illustration with you. Maybe you know a girl who would like a custom illustration from prom as a special graduation gift?

Sassy Silhouettes

2010-04-21T03:53:00.008-04:00

While shopping with my mom yesterday I spotted these funky silhouettes and I had to snap a picture for you. I love a great silhouette. Be it fashionable, countrified or even traditional, I love them all. These silhouette collections were part of the store merchandising display within the Kensie clothing department of Macys.

I've been a fan of silhouette's since long before they were trendy. Anyone who has placed an order from my shop (here) may have noticed that their order comes with a custom stamp on the package of "my girls" in silhouette with the shop web address beneath it. They were based off project I made back in college. (My BYW mood board from a previous post, had some pretty fabulous silos you could check out here too.)

New to my shop: Marie Antoinettes

2010-04-14T02:29:00.003-04:00

I've added new illustrations to my shop inspired by the young and fashionable French queen. Because my "Marie Loves Fashion" print has been popular (you can see her here) and customers have consistently emailed me asking for more costume and period inspired prints, I've decided to turn Marie into a little series. Here you have Marie II and Marie III.

So much of my freelance work is illustrating bridal gowns, which obviously lack pattern and color. Whenever I illustrate something like this with bold patterns in saturated colors, it reminds me of how much I enjoy fabric rendering in the illustration process. (Actually back in college I was hired to tutor other students in fabric rendering.) I hope you like these fancy new additions to my shop.

Audreys Long Lost Twin

2010-04-12T04:42:00.009-04:00

While wandering through Etsy I stumbled upon this dress that reminded me of my Audrey II print. They're not identical but definitely related, wouldn't you say. ;) Although I wasn't inspired by this dress, I'm only now seeing it, I often look through the vintage clothing shops on Etsy to bookmark fun finds that could inspire an illustration. I've not only spotted great outfits this way, but poses, hair and styling too.

To check out the dress click here. And if you'd like to know more about my Audrey II illustration click here for an older post or here to purchase her from my shop.

Brunette Brides

2010-04-06T03:00:00.001-04:00

I haven't shared any of my bridal commissions with you since Sarah, so I've pulled a few to feature today. In order to give the post a bit of theme I chose some beautiful brunette brides. This first up is a childhood friend of mine, Lee (above). Her gorgeous dress was a full length white lace gown with a slight champagne underlay and satin cocoa colored sash, designed by none other than Monique Ihuillier. I remember watching Lee walk down the isle looking so happy and beautiful that I decided to illustrate her in walking pose, which also compliments the dress silhouette.

The next beautiful bride is Jenn (above). She was given a gift certificate for a custom illustration from one of her bridesmaids (ironically also named Jen!) as a wedding gift. After the wedding Jenn sent me her online album and told me that one of her favorite details of her wedding dress was the laced corseted back. So I came up with this fun flirty pose to feature her favorite feature.

Last but not least is Jade, another bridal illustration wedding gift. This one was purchased by her sister and maid of honor, Yana. She preferred to work with me and give the final illustration to her sister as a surprise! Yana said it was important to have the dramatic long bouquet and hip embellishments featured in the illustration, so I accomplished that with a profile pose.

Holiday Girls

2010-03-31T03:01:00.005-04:00

Last summer I was hired to create illustrations for holiday cards (here's my Christmas in July post) and now that spring is just around the corner what better time to make some more, right? (hehe) The same company hired me again to draw a few more holiday themed illustrations to complete the set.

This time I not only created the illustrations but came up with the concepts as well. The idea behind the first one (top of post) was a girl posing with her fashionable snowman, and the second one (above) is a girl tangled in vintage lights. With a big skirt and star on her headband her silhouette is meant to mimic a tree.

The third (above) is a girl excitedly showing off her craft skills while preparing for her guests to arrive. My festive ladies are being presented to a few major department stores but nothing is set yet. I'll be sure and let you know where and when they land.

Laura Linney

2010-03-30T16:00:00.001-04:00

Sunday night I attended another fabulous event at the 92nd Street Y; a Conversation with Laura Linney. (Whom ever since seeing in Love Actually, I love!) Laura has three Oscar noms, a successful career on stage, film and television, and is the kind of girl you just want to spend a day with gabbing over brunch or strolling through the Met.

I've been a to few events at the famous Y but have never before submitted a question for the guest of honor. The theater fits 902 people and only a handful of questions are chosen, so skeptical me never thought my question would make it to the stage. For Laura though, I decided to give it a shot. My two part question was not only chosen, but was the first one asked of only four audience questions picked!

My question was "of the character's you've played, which one was your favorite due to their wardrobe?" After a brief pause of thought Laura answered Abigail Adams, in the John Adams miniseries. (My friends and I were so excited to hear my name and my question that I almost missed her answer! I'm also embraced to admit that I missed the series, but now need to schedule a marathon asap.) I followed with "which outfit from your personal life has been a favorite?" I was thinking she would name a fabulous couture gown she's graced the red carpet in, but I was wrong. Laura said that she doesn't think that one's come along yet. Interesting right.

Inspired by Rosa Clara

2010-03-26T05:19:00.002-04:00

This week I've been working on bridal illustrations for a new multi bride print I'm going to try out in my shop. Sometimes I'm inspired by my friends, or a design detail I saw while shopping, and sometimes I just come up with a design out of my head and "wing it." Yesterday however, I discovered the website of Rosa Clara (here). I don't know how its possible that I've never heard of her before. I mean I've done my time as a bridesmaid, taken the trips to Kleinfelds, read through the magazines and have seen a million episodes of Platinum Weddings!

The art direction and styling of the photo's on this site are gorgeous. It's as if your thumbing through a high end bridal magazine with fabulous editorial. The designs are also pure sophistication so needless to say, I was inspired and decided to sketch some brides based on them. I'm so excited about these little ladies, I just love them and love that I've found a fantastic new site for bridal gown references and fabulous poses.

Photos: Rosa Clara

And the winner is...

2010-03-25T00:03:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my first blog giveaway! With the help of the Random number generator, I have three winners; Jennifer, Kala, and Stephanie. All of whom ironically enough picked the same bracelet, "Love," benefiting children in need.

Congratulations ladies, and thank you again to all those who entered and to my friends at Team Project360 for donating the fabulous prizes.

Wallpaper Discoveries

2010-03-23T23:52:00.005-04:00

Sunday afternoon I met up with a friend and former colleague and we trekked on over to Pier 94 for Architectural Digest Home Design Show. There were a lot of noteworthy exhibitors showing their collections, the most unique of which were the fabulous wallpapers. The colors, patterns, and textures offered were just so fresh and beautiful.

The first one here is a UK based company called Fromental. This paper was absolutely stunning in person, I kept walking away and having to turn back for one more photo. The company's website says they offer "couture for your walls" with their exquisite hand-painted and embroidered papers I couldn't agree more, couture it is.

The watercolor selections from Eskayel were like nothing I had ever seen before. Artist Shanan Campanaro creates each design by extracting segments from her original paintings. As shown here she not only applies these designs to wallpaper, but pillows and ceramics as well. They have a very ethereal feel due to the lovely color palette and watercolor medium she uses. (Shanan let me chose a sample which I plan to frame and add to my art wall! I'll be sure to post a pic for you once I frame it.)

Design Red is a Chicago company that specializes in fine decorative painting. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to browse through their online portfolio (here). It's amazing what this team can do with a few brushes and paints.

Since I live in a little NYC rental apartment and cannot take advantage of these now, they will definitely be added to my style files for the future!

The Brides are Coming

2010-03-19T15:27:00.006-04:00

The weather here in NYC this past week has been absolutely gorgeous. With spring coming and many emails popping up asking about my custom bridal drawings (here) I know wedding season is just around the corner. So I've decided while I have a little free time to illustrate a fresh batch of brides and design a print for the shop with all of them. These three ladies are a little sneak preview.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend and don't forget to enter my giveaway by leaving a comment in the post below for your chance to win one of 3 Project360 bracelets.

Retail Therapy: Project 360 Heart Hoodie

2010-03-18T18:06:00.003-04:00

This happens to be one of the softest and coziest garments I've ever owed and its cute to boot. Although I've been a long time fan of Team Project360 (a close friend of mine is the CEO and I always support my girls!) it wasn't until two weeks ago while out in LA, that I actually bought my first piece from the collection and have barely taken it off since! (In my Oscars post, you can spot me wearing it will prepping my illustrations.)

My limited edition hoodie (originally made for Valentines day) is made of organic cotton and recycled leather. Each item in the earth-friendly collection is made with the goal of generating awareness of global issues. The philosophy behind the company is that "even the smallest act can make the biggest difference to a person in need." So you can have this chic and cozy staple that you won't want to take off while helping to better the planet. Since purchasing my heart hoodie and falling in love with it I've had to place a second order. (My "LOVE" hoodie is on its way.) If you would like one too they are available at upscale retailers Henri Bendel, Fred Segal, and Charlotte Ronsen or online here.

And now, drum roll please. . .I'm pleased to announce that you can enter here to win a Project360 leather bracelet! I mentioned to my friend that I was posting about my fabulous hoodie and she offered up 3 bracelets for my first ever giveaway! You can chose from six different words that benefit six different charities. Simply comment below with your name, email address, and the bracelet you would want; Love, Empower, Truth, Hope, Peace or Dream. You can also follow Team Project 360 on Twitter (here) or become a facebook fan (here) then let me know you did so by commenting again. Meaning you can enter up to three times! Three winners will be chosen. You can enter until midnight March 23rd. Good luck everyone! I wish I could win, these babies are worth $68 each!