Fashion Illustration Exhibition at BPL

(Illustration copyright Anja Kroencke)

I was recently contacted by The Brooklyn Public Library about an exciting exhibition opening there next week called Fashion Illustration: A Contemporary Look. They will be showing many of todays top fashion illustrators as well as a retrospective of the work of iconic illustrator Antonio Lopez.

(Illustration copyright Anja Kroencke)

In addition to the visual display, the Brooklyn Public Library will have a slew of fashion illustration events including discussion panels, a fashion film series (with a screening of Valentino: The Last Emperor, one of my all time favorite fashion films which I reviewed here on Fabulous Doodles years ago,) and fashion illustration classes and talks lined up throughout the fall.

(Illustration copyright Izak)

Shown here are just a few of the illustrations on display in the exhibit. The opening reception of Fashion Illustration: A Contemporary Look is next week, Sept 6th (also Fashion's Night Out and starting day of New York Fashion Week) and will run until December 1st. I'm looking forward a little trip to Brooklyn to check out this exhibit and thought you would too. Let me know if you go and what the highlights were for you. Click here for a complete schedule of events.

(All artwork copyright the artist shown are on display at the Brooklyn Public Library) 

Custom Bridal Illustrations

Summer is wrapping up and for me that means many custom bridal fashion illustration orders are being shipped out. This wedding season has brought on lots of new custom bridal sketches and over the next few weeks I plan to share a bunch of them. To start here are two of my recent favorites.

First up was commission by a personal friend, Lou (the groom.) Lou was excited to surprise his beautiful bride Adele with a custom bridal illustration on their one year anniversary.  What Lou didn't even realize, was just how appropriate that was because the traditional gift for the one year anniversary is "paper!"

This next bridal illustration was a gift as well but this one was a wedding gift for the newlyweds from the brides sister Jillian. To commission a custom illustration of your own or to learn more about my custom process you can check out this post from last year as well as the custom listings in Brooklit Bride.

Birthday Girl

This fancy little sketch adorning my party invitation is part of a group of line drawings I've been working on here and there inspired by my Pinterest finds. My birthday was this past weekend and I decided to throw a last minute party on the roof of the Empire Hotel for any friends who were in town. (NYC tends to clear out on summer weekends, especially in Aug.) I designed and emailed the invite literally the night before, and quickly chose this little sketch to go on it since she was fun and festive. The next day a friend pointed out that she looked a lot like my current Facebook pic (also shown above) and asked if I drew it especially for the occasion. I honestly didn't even realize it! Although the photo is similar I'm no where near a size zero, like the girl in the sketch. Since I really like how the invite turned out, as well as the fun night with friends that followed, I thought I'd share it with you. (Here is the girl, fashion blogger Blair Eadie that actually inspired the drawing, from my She's a Sketch board.)

Party Guest Fashion Illustrations {Part 2}

I'm excited to share more custom fashion illustrations I sketched a few weeks ago for guests at the Cameo PR party. It was such a successful event, my table (shown above with framed examples of my work and my portfolio) was continuously crowded with ladies eager to be illustrated. It seemed as though every guest was decked out in her best party frock and looking like a sketch already. (Maybe you remember my "She's a Sketch" posts!? Or follow my "She's a Sketch" Pinterest board? These girls would surely fit there, totally chic and sketch worthy.;)

I have to honest, people watching me draw has always made me a little nervous, even back in high school when we'd visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and sit to draw "studies" of the classic works. But this was so relaxed, drawing while chatting with all these lovely ladies as they waited for their custom illustrations. Everyone was so enthusiastic and supportive and overall it was a really enjoyable evening of sketching.

Each party guest happily posed for a quick pic before they took home their original signed sketch drawn in pencil and colored with marker (mostly with Copics, as shown above) in a protective cello sleeve.

You can check out my previous post about this live party sketching event here in Part 1 and you can email me at FabulousDoodles@gmail.com for rates to sketch live at your soiree; corporate events, weddings, sweet 16's, bat-mitzvahs, bridal showers, etc. I'd love to hear about your event and work together.