MAD about Etsy labs!

I can't believe I hadn't been to this museum before now. (well I have been in the gift shop, but I don't think that counts) I live pretty close, on the upper west side, and for years I passed through Columbus Circle on my way to and from work, watching the complete transformation of this building remodel.

Last week I was invited to join two friends in Columbus Circle to visit The Museum of Art and Design, MAD. A wine and h'orderve cocktail party on the 7th floor, an "Etsy lab" night on the 6th floor, and thursdays are pay what you wish night! Doesn't get much better than than right.

We had such a great time. It's an amazing building with fantastic exhibitions of ceramics, glass and jewelry. We took a little tour, watched a video, browsed the collection and attended the Etsy class. Etsy had a series of classes at MAD all summer long called DIY Thursday's. (I wish I knew sooner, cause it really was a fun night. But this was the last one.)

We were taught how to use paper quilting techniques to make vinyl coasters. The coaster I made is shown in the middle picture. It kind of looks like I was inspired by the museum's architecture. ;) We were taught by artist Aaron Mcintosh, who comes from a quilting background, earned his BFA in fibers and is currently finishing his MFA. (I don't think he was liking us too much though, he referred to us as "the rowdy table"! Some things never change I guess.)

Wedding Gift Ideas

I just found out that my Rebecca print is featured in Etsy's "Wedding Gift Ideas" gift guide! I've been a proud seller on Etsy for 2 years and 5 months and have finally made it to the Gift Guide. And as if it couldn't get any better, I'm the first listing in the group, so when the "wedding gift ideas" guide pops up on the Etsy home page, my illustration is there! I'd like to send a BIG thank you to the Etsy staffers for this one. :)

Step 3: Ta da!

Well as you may have guessed by the title of this post, step 3 in the custom order process is completing the final artwork. Once the line drawing is perfected and approved by the client, (Adam, who's name I can now share with you because he gave it to his wife Heather this past weekend for their first anniversary so it's no longer her surprise 1 year anniversary paper gift) I then get to work on the coloring and fabric rendering.

I love this step. This is where the illustration comes to life, the make it or break it moment (well, hours really). Some bridal illustrations take only one to two hours to render in color, like Heather here. But some take much longer, when the dress is head to toe lace or a ornate vintage gown. So here she is, I hope you liked seeing and reading about my process and getting a peak at my messy desk here.

I got an email from Adam last night telling the gift went over really well: "Heather loved it! It literally brought tears to her eyes!" I couldn't ask for anything more, I looooove a happy client! It was also such a pleasure to work with Adam, so thank you for that Adam, and thank you for letting me share it all here on my blog. Happy 1st Anniversary!

Step 2: Polished line drawing

This is the second step in my custom illustration process. After the client, which in this case is a groom who has purchased this as a surprise 1st anniversary gift for his bride (how perfect right, commissioning me to do an illustration (on paper) of his bride because your supposed to give a "paper" gift for the 1st year! Sorry, I digress, but what a great concept, it never occured to me before.) After the client choses the "rough" he likes best (step 1) I then proceed with the final line drawing. This is the point where I perfect the sketch and make sure everything is perfect before beginning the final color rendering. It's also the clients last chance to make any change requests. Want to add the veil? Feel she looks too thin or too curvy? Now is the time to tell me and have me make any needed changes.

In this case the client, said groom, did not want any changes. I proceeded to the coloring step right away and was able to finish it up and send it out. He's giving it to his wife this weekend, on their anniversary, so finger's crossed she likes it! Monday I'll share the final illustration and her inspiration photo.

Obsessed with: Valentino

I laughed, I cried, and I didn't want it to end! I'm talking about the incredible documentary about Italian couturier Valentino (and his partner Giancarlo) called Valentino: The Last Emperor. I saw this film when it opened last May with a sold out crowd of fabulous fashion folk. By the look of the line outside the theater you would have thought we were waiting to get into the tents for the hottest show of fashion week. At the time the only theater nationwide that it was showing in was the Angelica, a small indie theater in downtown NYC.

It was simply fantastic, exceeded all expectations! I saw my good friend Renaldo Barnette, waiting in line to come in as I was coming out and I was practically in tears telling him how great it was (Ren went to the showing that was introduced by Andre Leon Tally, but that one sold out quick, so Jen and I had to go to the previous showing.) Since then I've had this postcard, shown above, on my fridge and have been waiting patiently for the dvd release. This movie is incredible, so great in fact that I can't seem to come up with the right words for it without sounding like a gushing fool. I loved it, and I really think you will too. It's rare for a movie about fashion to really get it right. (Remember the train wreck that was Pret-a-Porter?!?!)

Valentino: The Last Emperor truly takes you into that world, the world of the fashion elite. Another reviewer said it perfectly: " This film exemplifies everything I love about the fashion industry- the hype and glamour of the shows, the weekly flitting from one city to another and the daily encounters with fascinating people." You get to go inside the genius' behind the 45 year old label. You learn how a real couture house operates, and about the man behind the man, because it's also an incredible love story.

It turns out it's still playing at theaters and festivals around the world. You can click here for theater info, or to watch clips from the film click here, or finally to pre-order your dvd click here (available to ship Sept 8th)...I just ordered mine. :)

One of the many great quotes from the documentary is Karl Lagerfeld saying to Valentino "compared to us, the rest are making rags." I love it!

Image above are two working sketches by Valentino from the Ara Pacis Museum exhibit. Fabulous, aren't they!

Step 1: Roughing it

Last week I got an order from another husband. I just love those husbands who order custom wedding illustrations as gift's for their wife's. It's so sweet! I decided this would be a nice opportunity to write about my process of creating a custom illustration.

After the client places the order with me, either through my etsy shop or by contacting me via email, he or she then emails me photo's from the wedding. Sometimes I receive entire online albums, sometimes a link to their photographers website, and sometimes its just a hand full of photo's. (I've also had situations where the wedding was a long time ago, so no online pictures exist, and in that case they sent me actual photo's through the mail and I returned them with the completed order.)

I also send the the client a questionnaire asking if they have a favorite part of the dress, prefer a specific angle (like a back shot), etc. Once I study the photo's and the questionnaire, I then get to work on what I call the "roughs". I sketch out different poses and different looks tyring to see what looks best and create a nice composition. Once I have a bunch I chose my favorite 3 or 4 roughs and email them to the client to see which one they would like to go with for the final bridal illustration. Which one would you chose? Stay tuned for step 2, which I'll post friday, and you'll see which one the client chose.