Customer Service Rep Fashion Illustration

A few months ago I was hired for a unique illustration project, and not by my typical fashion and beauty clientele, CapWest Mortgage asked me to illustrate "the face" of their customer service department. Anytime someone uses any of their customer service tools, reads their blog, or contacts them via social media, they will be greeted by the smiling face of my illustrated "Cathy West." She's a blond haired blue eyed woman reflecting the company colors of yellow and blue, has a big friendly smile, professional glasses and is sporting a monogramed polo. I hope CapWest Mortgage clients and potential clients enjoy my little customer service rep fashion illustration.

(Illustration by Brooke Hagel for CapWest Mortgage)

Blow Bar Hair Sketches

Today I have some fun new hair illustrations to share. These beauty sketches were commissioned by a wonderful client, who opened a new blowout bar called Blow In Blow Out. The head shots shown here, along with a few full fashion figures, are used as a visual style menu in their New Jersey salon as well as on their website. The illustrated blowout styles include: Glam Girl with smoothed out tresses, Bay Head, featuring of soft be achy waves, and My Little Pony (all shown above.) Below is the voluminous and curly Jersey Girl, and the super sleek and shiny Straight Edge style.

These sketches for Blow In Blow Out are just one project of many from the past few months that I completed but didn't get the chance to post about until now. Over the next few weeks I'm going to try and play catch up and share more of the projects I've been working on and events I've been live-sketching for.

A Fashion Illustration Hello to 2014!

I want to extend a fabulous and fancy hello to 2014 and wish everyone a beautiful and inspired new year! Thank you 2013 for the lessons because now I'm ready to take on 2014!

This gorgeous fashion illustration is not one of my own, its by illustrator David Downton and adorns the cover of 100 Years of Fashion Illustration which I just so happen to receive as a gift from a dear friend two days ago and I'm obsessed! The book is full of stunning inspiration from iconic fashion illustrators including Downton, René Gruau, Mats Gustafson, Ruben Toledo and even my former professors Steven Stipelman and Gladys Perint Palmer! I've only perused the book so far but this weekend I plan to dive in and soak it all up because this one's a treasure. (Thank you Jamie!!!) Its so important to stay inspired both in life and work and I hope this year I can inspire some of you here on Fabulous Doodles.

(©DavidDownton 100 Years print, and 100 Years of Fashion Illustration book by Cally Beakman)

Pantone Inspired Designer Fashion Illustrations for Spring

Pantone released their annual Spring Color Fashion Report the highlight of which for me is always seeing the designers fashion illustrations that are paired with the chosen Pantone color collection. "For spring 2014 designers are pairing soft pastels with vivid brights to create a colorful equilibrium." I've chosen a few of my favorites to spotlight here but you can check out and even download the whole Pantone Report here.

First up is Saunder by Emily Saunders and Rachel Roy. I adore a dramatic fro so needless to say this Saunders sketch (shown above) was a must share. Rachel Roy is another. Her sketches are regular features here on Fabulous Doodles because they're such strong characters, with unique poses and always the ideal balance of being fully rendered readable sketches while maintaining a stylized and sketchy-artistic quality. Perfection.

Next  up is not one but two sketches both by Tracey Reese (shown above.)  These are a little different, more flat and the skin tone almost appears to be computer generated but they have an overall nice feel and movement. Its also different to see designers sketches in a pose like this, walking and talking, as opposed to a basic front view. 

Both Lela Rose and BCBGMaxAzria have kept their sketches simplistic and minimal however lovely and understandable. The garments designs are clear and well rendered while they both only allude to a face and barely render the skin tones. Although slightly different styles, they are both successful fashion illustrations. 

I always like when designers and illustrators mix techniques within their illustrations and this Sachin + Babi sketch is one of them. The vibrant skirt appears to be rendered with pastels and/or watercolors. The color is strong and saturated and its has deep shadows and highlights. Then the top, face and skin are delicately drawn in soft pencil or charcoal. Its a wonderful combination and makes for a beautiful sketch. 

Last up are two playful sketches by Cynthia Steffe and Christian Siriano. Both sketches are soft partially rendered illustrations with clear clothing details and little emphasis to the face or figure. They're light, simple and lovely sketches that successfully represent the designers spring 2014 collections. 

If you'd like to see more designer sketches from the Pantone for spring 2014 you can check out the Color Report in its entirety here. And for more designer illustrations from spring 2014 my NYFW Spring 2014 posts here and here.

Hugo Boss Holiday Party Sketches

Last week I live-sketched at my first holiday party of the season for fashion and lifestyle brand Hugo Boss. It was their annual employee holiday party and was held downtown at VIP Room in New York's Meatpacking District. The Hugo Boss employees made fabulous models to sketch for the night and were all so enthusiastic about receiving a custom illustration even Hugo Boss CEO Mark Brasher (shown above, left) sat with me for a custom sketch of his own.

It was quite a large party and a line quickly formed for custom fashion illustrations that lasted the whole night but it was wonderful to meet and sketch all the chic Hugo Boss employees and I was so happy to be a part of their company celebration.

For more information about my event-sketching or rates to sketch fashion illustrations at your corporate event or private party you can email me at FabulousDoodles@gmail.com.

Custom Fashion Illustration Gifts for Love Gold

(Sheryl Luke of Walk in Wonderland, Olivia Lopez of Lust for Life) 

Today I'm excited to share a recent project of custom fashion illustrations I was commissioned to sketch by Love Gold of sixteen top fashion bloggers. They had me sketch each blogger and gifted the illustrations to them at an intimate LA dinner party kicking off the holidays and the Love Gold #hintingseason campaign. Each guest received their custom sketch upon arriving at the dinner table where their sketches were essentially used as large place card settings. It was so great to get tweets and instagrams from the bloggers excitedly arriving at their seats to find my sketches!

(Samantha Hutchison of Could I Have That, Jenny Ong of Neon Blush, Aimee Song of Song of Style and Julie Sarinana of Sincerely Jules) 

For this project Love Gold sent me the guest list with links to the fashion blogs they represent and I was given cart blanche to choose posts from their blogs that I thought would make the best sketches. I also needed to incorporate some gold jewelry into each illustration, as the event was showcasing Love Gold. I picked photos with poses and outfits that I was excited to sketch and added in gold bangles, necklaces and/or earrings to compliment each sketch.

You can see more of the fashion blogger sketches I drew for Love Gold in this little video I shared on Instagram. And for rates on group custom illustrations to give at your next party or event you can email me at FabulousDoodles@gmail.com.