Custom Bridal Illustration Wedding Gift

Custom bridal fashion illustrations commissioned as wedding gifts are continually in the works in my studio yet I haven't featured any in some time. I drew this beautiful bride weeks ago as a wedding gift from her assistant. Yesterday I was reminded of them, and this illustration which I loved, while waiting for someone in their same office building, the Hearst Tower. After sucessfully searching my camera roll I thought it was time to share the photos and illustration. This was a gorgeous gown to draw, with a soft champagne colored lining subtly peeking out beneath an intricate lace overlay.

This photo was taken just before packing and sending the bride the original sketch. All original custom bridal illustrations are adhered to a matte board to prevent bending, tied in a white tulle bow and placed in a cardboard photo mailer along with a thank you note and business card, both featuring my illustrations.

For more information on my custom bridal illustrations you can check out the gift certificate and custom listings in bridal print shop Brooklit Bride.

Similar posts that may interest you:
-Custom Wedding Gift Bridal Illustrations
-The Go-To Wedding Gift
-Custom Illustration Wedding Gifts 

Brooklit Holiday Sale

Its Cyber Monday over in my 2 Etsy shops and every fashion illustration item is on sale! With promo code "Holiday20" you can 20% off everything in shops. All fashion illustration prints, cell phone covers, notebooks, cards and gift tags. There are even some brand new items like hand painted glass Christmas ornaments and my new 2014 holiday card designs, including the sexy Mrs. Claus here.

So hop on over to my shops, Brooklit and Brooklit Bride, and use code "Holiday20" to start saving.
(Valid till midnight tonight!)

Inspired Weekend, UK Edition

This weekend I set off to London for a long overdue visit with my British bestie Will Taylor-Willis. We took a little trip to Edinburgh, Scotland since I'd never been before, and had a wonderful weekend exploring the city, playing tourist, shopping and indulging in some incredible bites. As if spending quality time with my best friend and his amazing husband wasn't nice enough, my weekend was made all the better by two surprising features of my illustrations.

1. Nigel Barker shared this instagram of me completing a custom sketch of him and his wife Chrissy from a week or two prior. It's honestly one of my favorite custom couple illustrations thats I've drawn and it was such a thrill to see he shared it.

2. Edinburgh charmed my socks off with its cobble stone streets, tiny "Diagon Alley" style shops, castle, gothic architecture and handsome clocks, like this one atop of the beautiful Balmoral hotel.

3. For my travels I had bookmarked Domaine Home especially to check out their feature of A Lust for Life: Inside Olivia Lopez's Fashionable Loft, and was shocked to find my illustration of her in the article! I had drawn this custom sketch of the beautiful fashion blogger nearly two years ago as a commission for Love Gold.

4. No trip abroad would be complete for me without a "visual packing list." Sketching out my outfits is the only way I can pack for a big trip and really see what I have, if it will all flow and be interchangeable and if I'm missing anything. I snapped this pic just before leaving for the airport to be reunited with my crazy bestie.

(Illustrations by Brooke Hagel, mood board photo Christopher Patey for Domaine.)

Similar posts you may have missed:

• Inspired Weekend, Fall Finds
• Inspired Weekend, Fourth of July
• Inspired Weekend 

New York, NY You're Invited! Live-Sketching for Vogue & Clinique

The past three months I've been on an incredible sketching tour across the US for Vogue and Clinique and this Friday is the ninth and final event of the tour right here in New York at Sephora Times Square.

I'm sure it's not the last time I'll be live-sketching for Vogue but it is the last time for this particular collaboration with Clinique celebrating their new Smart Serum where not only do guests get a custom illustration but a coordinating custom smartphone case as well. If you'd like to join:

Sephora Times Square 

1500 Broadway New York, NY 10036

Friday Oct 24th 2014

 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

This particular sketch and case was made a few weeks back at one of the first events in Seattle, Washington. I'm looking forward to seeing what sketch-worthy fall chic looks my fellow New Yorkers will be bring this week. Hope to see, and sketch you, there!

A few related posts you may have missed:

• Sketching for Vogue & Clinique
• Co Hosting Macys Fall Fashion Preview in San Francisco
• Sketching for Vogue & Clinique {Seattle and NYC}

Fabulous Doodles Inspiration No.3, Audrey Schilt

Today for Ralph Lauren's birthday I'd like to spotlight one of my favorite illustrators and designers, Audrey Schilt. For 22 years Audrey worked [and sketched] alongside Ralph Lauren eventually becoming Creative Director of Collection. I've been a longtime admirer of her work and after featuring her here on Fabulous Doodles a few times I'm happy to say that we've become online pals. Her gorgeous sketches continually inspire me to loosen up, play with figure positions, draping, light and shadows. If you're not familiar with her work I strongly suggest you click over to her site and check out this post from my archives of Audrey's Fashion Institute of Technology retrospective nearly 5 years ago!

(Illustration by Audrey Schilt for Ralph Lauren Collection)

Plus, few related posts you may have missed:

• Fabulous Doodles Inspiration No. 1: Renaldo Barnette 
• Fabulous Doodles Inspiration No. 2: Gladys Perint Palmer 
• Illustrating Fashion Concept to Creation

Join Me in San Francisco

Next week I'm heading to the west coast again to co host and live-sketch custom illustrations at Macy's San Francisco and you're invited. We'll be celebrating the Fall Fashion Fest at Macy's Union Square store and I will be there sketching along with designers from San Francisco's Fashion Incubator, Sunglasses Hut and style bloggers Tienlyn Jacobson and Natalie Goel.

Macy's Union Square, Level 3

San Francisco, CA

Thursday, October 9th, 6-8PM

I hope to see you all there and in your most sketch-worthy fall fashion!

Some related posts you may have missed:

• Invitation: Illustrating for Vogue & B. Brian Atwood 
• Live Sketching at NYFW with Samsung
• Sketching at the Old Navy Spring Preview 

Golden Gallery

This week I've been having fun styling some of my favorite bridal sketches onto this amazing gallery picture frame wallpaper from Graham and Brown. This year they're celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their iconic frame paper and in celebration have released the print in new color ways including this sophisticated metallic gold. This wallpaper creates an instant gallery wall in any space and is fantastic for a working art studio. To compliment the white and gold pattern I chose to adorn it with my bridal sketches, prints and businesscards from my Brooklit Bride shop.

To see the other limited edition color combinations now available as well as the paper used in a variety of different room set ups click on over to Graham and Brown.

(Bridal Illustrations: Brooke Hagel, Wallpaper ℅ Graham and Brown.)

Inspired Weekend, Fall Finds

A new season always inspires me to do a little shopping and today I'm sharing some favorite new fall purchases. For a week now the new gold iPhone 6 Plus has been mine and I'm absolutely loving it! Since my illustrations are like my babies I chose one of my current favorites to use as my mobile wallpaper. I have to say she's been quite the conversation starter while traveling this weekend to live sketch a Vogue event in Chicago and back at a private VIP party in downtown Manhattan.

1. Today's instagram of all my new goodies including my new beautiful handmade tan leather tassel clutch by Market Colors and gold iPhone 6 Plus. (Use code: BROOKLIT for 20% off the Canyon Tassel Clutch until Friday Oct. 3rd, 2014)

2. My favorite Fashion illustration print from my Brooklit Etsy shop inspired by Karolina Kurkova in Marchesa at the Met Ball.

3. New beauty obsessions: Nirvana White rollerball by Elizabeth and James, Asos gold metal hair clip and Marc Jacobs liquid eyeliner. I pretty much love the entire MJ Beauty line and can't seem to stop adding to my collection but this felt brush tipped eyeliner pen is beyond perfection! One reason I may like it to much is that its a very similar tip to the Copic Markers I illustrate with.

(Clutch ℅ Market Colors, photo and illustration by Brooke Hagel)

Check out a few related posts:

• Inspired Weekend: Fourth of July
• Inspired Weekend
• Inspired Weekend: April

Chicago You're Invited! Sketching for Vogue & Clinique

This week my sketching tour with Vogue continues as I head to Chicago and you're invited! I'll be live-sketching custom fashion illustrations for Vogue and Clinique at Macy's on North Michigan Avenue. Guests who purchase Clinique's new Smart Serum will not only receive a custom fashion illustration of themselves but can also have it printed onto a custom smart phone cover.

Macy's Water Tower

835 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611

Friday, September 26, 2014

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

RSVP: 312.335.7655

Hope to see you there and don't forget to rsvp to reserve your spot!

Plus, a few related posts you may have missed:

• Live Sketching at NYFW with Samsung
• Hugo Boss Holiday Party
• Party Sketching for Vogue and Brian Atwood

Chloe by Design Giveaway

The contract is signed, sealed and delivered, I'm officially signed on to illustrate four more Chloe by Design books for Capstone Publishing! To celebrate today I have a giveaway for the first four books of the series which came out about a month ago. To learn more about this series you can check out the book's video trailer and my last post about them from a few weeks ago when they were first released.

There will two winners chosen, one will receive four hardcover copies of each book in the Chloe by Design series (as shown in the top image) including Design Diva, The First Cut, Unraveling, and Design Destiny. And the other winner will receive Chloe by Design: Making the Cut, which is a single book consisting of all four books combined in one thicker bound hardcover copy. 

Good luck everyone and remember there are multiple ways to enter so "tweet," "follow" and "like" for multiple chances to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Can only ship to US addresses. Winners will be chosen by random.org and contacted within one day of the contest ending.

**Giveaway has ended and winners have been contacted. Congratulations to Ashley P. and Beth B!

Bright Bazaar Menswear Sketches of Ted Baker AW14

Today I have menswear illustrations I sketched for Will Taylor, aka. Mr. Bright Bazaar, who just so happens to be my best friend! Will collaborated with Ted Baker and chose his top A/W 2014 picks for a bright London photoshoot feature which I then interpreted into an illustration. In addition to working with my stylish bestie, I rarely collaborate with menswear brands so this was a fun project. We went with one full illustration and then individually highlighted some in flats. Flats are silhouettes of the garments which designers frequently use in house for pattern making, draping and line sheets. The flats I chose to draw are considered stylized flats because they're fully rendered in color and show the fabrics and textures. Back in college I always preferred stylized flats, as I'm not a technical person and liked a more organic look over a basic black and white line drawing. This eclectic collection translated well since it consists of quilting, luxe leathers, jersey and denim.

(Illustrations by Brooke Hagel, Photo by Will Taylor)

Plus, a few related posts you may like:

• Male Fashion Illustrations {Milan Spring 14'}
• Olympic Team USA Sketches by Ralph Lauren
• Hugo Boss Holiday Party Sketches

NYC You're Invited! Custom Sketching for Vogue

The tour continues, next week I'll again be live-sketching custom fashion illustrations for Vogue and Clinique at Bloomingdales flagship in New York City. 

Bloomingdales

1000 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022

September 18, 2014 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

RSVP at 212.705.2879

Make sure you RSVP to secure your spot and I look forward to seeing you there in your most sketch-worthy outfits! 

NYFW Designer Sketches Spring 2015 (Part 2)

Ready to start your week off with more New York Fashion Week designer sketches? Today I've chosen a batch of classic black, white and neutral illustrations starting with Ella Moss and Jeffrey Dodd. Ella's sketch has a lovely light feel with a lot of texture and depth. I love how the pant pattern was rendered and the use of shading throughout the illustration. Jeffrey Dodd's illustration is much more stylized with a simplified and eccentric headless fashion figure but still clearly conveying the gown design. 

The theme of Milly's 2015 spring collection is "organic opulence," which I think this sketch illustrates perfectly. It appears to have been drawn primarily in pen with touches of marker. The illustration has a quick and casual feel but dramatic showing a sheer full skirt and patterned vest. 

Rachel Zoe's illustration is a different style than she's shown in recent past seasons (here for example.) This sketch is simplified mod black and white with a playful element in the kicked up foot and shaggy hair, showing the 1960's inspiration even in the figure illustration. 

Last but not least is a graphic statement by Lela Rose of watercolored polka dots and florals inspired by a Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama. Again its a bit of a simplified croqui (fashion figure,) but well rendered garments and unique in that the illustration took the polka dot pattern and successfully extended it into a washed out background. 

It should be noted that none of these illustrations have faces. I know a lot of aspiring illustrators struggle with facial features and these are a few great examples of successful illustrations without any. The illustrations are all cohesive and none look unbalanced or unfinished. 

For more from NYFW Spring 2015, see Part 1 here. 

(Illustrations by each designer or design house noted, from WWD and Pantone) 

NYFW Designer Sketches Spring 2015 (Part 1)

New York Fashion Week kicked off two days ago and with it a slew of designer sketches were released as a teaser of what we can expect to see on in the collections. As usual I've combed through them and chosen some of my favorites to feature starting with Rebecca Minkoff (above.) Her sketches are consistently flawless and always at the top of my list with beautifully rendered fabrics, faces and hair, and overall the ideal fashion illustration proportions.

DNKY is much more whimsical and stylized but still clearly conveys the garment design. I love the fun touches of pink for the hair and that the illustrator chose a unique profile walking pose. The figure is exaggerated and long with the focus of the sketch is on the geometric dress pattern.

Next up are two different designers with similar illustrative styles, Ellessy and J.Crew. They both have a loose organic feel with minimal facial rendering and outlined in pen. You can clearly read the texture and fabrics but they both seem casually drawn with a light touch. I love the shadow on the Hellessy illustration, its something I've always admired in Audrey Schilt's Ralph Lauren illustrations.

Cynthia Steffe's illustration is another more stylized and fun one, similar to DKNY. It also reminds me of the Daily Candy sketches by Sujean Rim. (Maybe they commissioned her?) To me it appears the illustration is painted in light washes of watercolor without much line work. The sketch has a very young feel with minimal details but again, understandable garment rendering. 

I've broken my picks up by color which today for part 1 here are dusty pinks, muted raspberries and slate blues. Check back tomorrow for another colorway and to see more New York Fashion Week Spring 2015 designer sketches.

(Illustrations by each designer labeled, from WWD and Pantone) 

Versace Bridal Sketch for Angelia Jolie

Details of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's wedding last month have been released including this beautiful bridal sketch by Atelier Versace. Angelina's couture gown was not your typical Donatella Versace gown, it was a traditional design of ivory silk-satin with a gathered bust and full flared skirt. The real showstopper was in the adornment. In the sketch it simply looks like lace, but in actuality illustrations by their six children were embroidered over the elongated train and silk veil. It was like a sprinkling of colorful doodles all along her back. (Photo here, on my Famous Brides Pinterest board) I'm not so sure its something I would choose, however you can't argue that it isn't a unique and personal touch. I'd certainly be honored if someone adorned her wedding gown with my illustrations!

This particular bridal sketch is by Versace but if you'd like one of yourself or as a bridal gift, you can check out my custom bridal illustrations in my Brooklit Bride Etsy shop.

(Illustration: Atelier Versace)

Plus, a couple of related posts you may have missed:

• New Bride Fashion Illustration Prints 
• Red Carpet Fashion Illustrations
• Carolina Herrera Wedding Gown Design for Jessica Simpson 

My New Illustrated Books are Now Available

I am so excited to share with you the new book series I illustrated, Chloe by Design, is now available! The books come either as one bound hardcover copy Chloe by Design: Making the Cut or as four individual parts (as shown above) Design Diva, The First Cut, Unraveling and Design Destiny. They tell the story of a 16-year-old fashion loving girl Chloe, who auditions for the teen version of her favorite fashion design reality competition show. My illustrations, thumbnail sketches, handwritten notes and photos throughout the books act as her sketchbook and designs throughout the rigorous competition.

To kick off the book release Capstone is offering Fabulous Doodles readers 30% off Chloe by Design: Making the Cut, with promo code HAGEL30. For a little more about what awaits inside Chloe by Design watch amazing book trailer! (I'm still loving this and it came out over 6 months ago!)

Working with the team from Capstone Publishing again was wonderful, especially the designer of the books, Alison Thiele and of course author Margaret Gurevich. I'm really proud of how these books turned out, and confident they would've been right up my alley back in Jr. High. I'm also thrilled to announce that I'm about to start sketching more Chloe designs because the series has been extended and we now have 4 more books in the works!

For more on these books as well as the other books I've illustrated and/or contributed to check out my Amazon shop.

Inspired by Gray Gardens

Today I'm sharing another fun floral fashion illustration on craft paper. This one was inspired by gray gardens, not the movie of course or the eccentric Beales but by the beautiful monochromatic floral patterns that are popping up throughout both fashion and home in various shades of gray, as shown in the examples above:

1. Gray floral printed dress by Styul.

2. Printed floral tote with leather handles by Gap.

3. Lauren Ralph Lauren Cocktail Dress dinnerware. (Side note; a few years ago I had the pleasure of the visiting the Ralph Lauren Home design studio and offices and was blown away by their extensive trend boards and how meticulous they are about translating fashion to home decor. Which this intricate "Cocktail Dress" dinnerware pattern is a perfect example of.)

4. Duvet set by H&M Home.

I hope you enjoy seeing how I take a trend and interpret it into fashion illustration. This illustration was actually drawn/painted with gouache the same day as the one from my last inspiration post, Blue and White. The dramatically draped skirt is based on this photo from my She's a Sketch Pin board and I adorned it with a loose organic gray floral print. For more snapshots of my daily inspirations and things I'm working on you can follow me on Instagram @brooklit.

Sketching for Vogue and Clinique {NYC & Seattle}

I'm excited to share I'll be sketching with Vogue Magazine and Clinique in two more cities in the next week and once again you're invited! Last weeks California and Florida events went so well and garnered such great feedback that it looks like my original plan of sketching in 6 cities is now extend to 9! Coming up this week, New York City and Seattle:

New York

Thursday, August 7th 2014, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Macy's Herald Square 

151 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001

RSVP: 212.494.5266

Thursday, August 21, 2014, 12:00-2:00 PM
Lord & Taylor
424 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10028
RSVP: 212.391.3648

Seattle 

Saturday August 23th 20014, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Nordstrom Bellevue

100 Bellevue Square, Bellevue WA 98004

RSVP: 425.455.5800

Guests who purchase the new Clinique Smart Serum do not only receive a custom fashion illustration of themselves by yours truly but they can also have the custom sketch printed onto a cell phone cover. Shown above are some of the pre-printed covers I designed for the events that are gifts with purchase. Since the first event in San Francisco, I've been switching mine over daily!

Hope to see you (and sketch you!) there but if you can't make it be sure and follow along on instagram to see what I'm sketching up for guests of Vogue and Clinique. And check back soon for even more cities and dates!

Sketching for Vogue & Clinique and You're Invited

I'm so excited to share that this summer throughout the month of August I'll be live-sketching for Vogue Magazine and Clinique in six different cities throughout the US and you're invited! Vogue has teamed up with Clinique to help launch their new Smart Custom-Repair Serum. Those who attend will receive a skin consultation, enjoy a fall trend preview with a Vogue Market Stylist and a custom designed illustrated cell phone cover by yours truly, as a free gift with purchase. The first event kicks off this thursday in San Francisco:

San Francisco  

Thursday July 31st, 2014, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Macy's Union Square
170 O'Farrell St. San Francisco, CA 94102

Please call to RSVP: 415.296.4295

Santa Clara

Friday August 1st, 2014, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Macy's Valley Fair

2801 Stevens Creek Boulevard

Santa Clara, CA 95050

Please call to RSVP: 408.248.3333 ext. 4407

Miami

Saturday August 2nd, 2014, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 

Macy's Dadeland
7303 SW 88th St. Miami, FL 33156

Please call to RSVP: 305.662.3222

Check back, as I expect to have more dates and locations for events in Seattle, Chicago and New York. If you can't make it follow me @Brooklit on twitter and instagram, to see what I sketch up especially for #cliniquesmart. Hope to see you soon!

Karl Lagerfeld Barbie

Yes its true, Mattel has announced a limited-edition Karl Lagerfeld Barbie is being added to the Barbie Collector series this fall. After collaborating with Lagerfeld, head designer and creative director of Chanel, they've designed this incredibly chic Barbie complete with Karl's iconic dark sunglasses, high collar, white hair and classic tailored black jacket. I've been a Barbie-girl forever and have long admired Robert Best's Barbie sketches but until now I've yet to feature any here on Fabulous Doodles, this Lagerfeld Barbie illustration however is too good to pass up!

(Barbie Lagerfeld sketch by Robert Best)

New Etsy Item: Fashion Illustration Pocket Notebooks

A new item has been added to my Etsy shops, fashion illustration pocket notebooks. I chose some of my favorite and most popular sketches and adhered them to the craft paper board covers. For years these notebooks have been floating around my desk, in my bag, and basically one of my daily essentials. I've been meaning to offer them in the shops, but it wasn't until this weekend that I finally put it into action.

These little fashion illustration notebooks are ideal for daily shopping lists, jotting down notes and to-dos. The bridal options also make a great little engagement or shower gift for any bride-to-be to keep track of gifts, guests, or vendors. Shown here are just a few, but if you click on over to the shops (Brooklit and Brooklit Bride) you can see the full selection available.

Blue & White Fashion Inspiration

Lately I've been really drawn to classic blue and white patterns and wanted to share a few fashion illustrations I've come up with alongside inspirational images. As a former product designer and stylist who has assembled her fair share of color and trend reports, I can tell you that typically fashion influences trends and theres a trickle down effect starting from the fashion runways to home and product design. This however is one of the rare occasions where the opposite is the case. Classic blue and white china patterns, tiles and traditional toile prints are popping up throughout womenswear and I'm not only loving it but inspired!

1. New bridal fashion illustration I drew with gouache and pencil on brown craft paper. I actually shared this photo on Instagram this past weekend and it quickly became my most "liked" photo to date! She may soon be added to the shop, but I've yet to scan her. As of now I'm enjoying the illustration displayed above my desk.

2. Stunning runway look from Igor Gulyaev's spring 2014 collection.

3. Porcelain plate wallpaper featuring a collection of blue and white Dutch tableware.

4. Classic blue floral toile wallpaper.

5. Two weeks ago while traveling around Spain I instagrammed this photo of a bun sketch on one of my business cards in front of beautiful hand painted blue and white wall tiles of Botin in Madrid, the worlds oldest restaurant (according to the Guiness Book of World Records, dates back to 1725!)

6. The newest fashion illustration print added to my Etsy shop Brooklit. The silhouette of the dress is reminiscent of a Halston Heritage mini dress but for the fabric and print, clearly I ran with my favorite inspiration of the moment and painted a blue and white floral.

Here are some similar post you may have missed:

-Met Gala Inspired Illustrations 
-Custom Fashion Illustration Gifts for Love Gold
-Braid Bar Illustrations for Dream Dry and Teen Vogue

Inspired Weekend, Forth of July

My summer's off to a great start, after an incredible week in Spain celebrating my friend Will Taylor's wedding I came home just in time for July 4th celebrations including barbecues, bookends, bikinis and brushes. Yes, todays Inspired Weekend post is coming at you two days late, but better late than never right?!

1 & 2. This year I enjoyed the Macy's fireworks from a downtown rooftop with friends and family and thought what better hostess gift to bring with me to a July 4th BBQ than a bottle of Sociologie's Blushing Rosé Sangria adorned with my fashion illustration? It was certainly a hit and reminds me that I need to order more of these pretty bottles immediately.

3. Stocked up on my favorite Brooklit appropriate "B" bookends from Ikea on a spontaneous little drive out to Brooklyn to see a friends new apartment.

4. Sketched my friend, fashion and interiors blogger Arianna Trapani in my favorite look of her from our time in the Balearic Islands last week. I love her bikini and oversized beach hat look so much I couldn't resist drawing and have added the print to the shop!

5. When I travel I always try and stop into markets and house ware shops. I picked up these horse hair watercolor brushes in Madrid and was excited to break them in this weekend.

6. For a bright pop of color for the holiday weekend I gave myself a fresh mani using Essie's Capri, then to add a little sparkle for the 4th painted one accent finger with a topcoat of OPI's Only Gold For Me.

Carolina Herrera Wedding Gown Design for Jessica Simpson

Needless to say I love a designer bridal sketch, and Carolina Herrera is one of my favorite designers. So I was thrilled this morning to find that over the holiday weekend People Magazine released this custom sketch, only days after pop star and fashion licensing power house Jessica Simpson tied the knot again in a custom gown and veil by Carolina Herrera. The sketch is a little odd, with the bride holding the bouquet awkwardly and being bald, but the dress design is pretty and I'm eager to see how it compares to the actual gown. As of now only this close up bridal portrait has been released, but from the little we can see it looks gorgeous.

(Photo: Elizabeth Messina, Illustration: Carolina Herrera)

Forth of July Fashion Illustrations

(Fashion Illustrations by Oscar de la Renta, Bob Mackie, and Brooke Hagel) 

Happy Forth of July everyone! I've been away on vacation but I'm back just in time to celebrate the forth with BBQ, fireworks and festive summer fashion. For the occasion I pulled together some red, white and blue fashion illustrations by Oscar de la Renta, Bob Mackie for Diana Ross and my own bridal sketch from my Brooklit Bride print shop. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend and celebrates in style!

Bat-Mitzvah Fashion Illustrations

Recently I live-sketched at another bat-mitzvah and thought it was about time I shared some of these custom fashion illustration cuties here on Fabulous Doodles. Up until today I've only posted about fashion parties and corporate events where I've live-illustrated but I also, on occasion sketch at private parties such as this Long Island bat-mitzvah for the adorable Julia shown here (above) in her delicate baby's breath floral crown and pink lace dress.

Bat-mitzvahs are always so fun and latley I've come to really enjoy drawing children and young adults more and more. They're all so adorable and "sketch-able" with their fun party dresses, huge smiles and enthusiastic interest in fashion illustration. The little bat-mitzvah guests here all loved their custom illustrations and afterwards I even received tweets and Instagrams showing me the sketches framed and hanging in their bedrooms! 

For more information about my live-sketching or availability to sketch at your next party or event you can email me at FabulousDoodles@gmail.com. 

Custom Wedding Gift {Bridal Illustration}

Since wedding season is here I'm sharing some new custom bridal illustration wedding gifts. The first illustrated bride (shown above) received a custom illustration gift certificate from her sister on her wedding day. Shortly after her wedding the bride emailed me with photos and ready to start on the custom illustration process. We emailed back and forth over rough sketches, her favorite pose and the elements of her beautiful deco detailed gown that she liked best. In the end I loved her final sketch, and even featured it in a "Inspired Weekend" post a few weeks back.

The next bridal illustration was actually a gift from my brother to the beautiful bride of one of his oldest friends. A custom bridal sketch was a great wedding gift for her, being an uber-stylish girl and working in the fashion industry. Her J. Mendel gown featured a sleek and minimal bodice with an appliquéd skirt of modern stylized flowers. Working with my brother on an illustration was different than my typical client collaboration. He sent me photos and gave me free rein to sketch the pose and overall look I thought would be best, skipping all the steps in between. I simply presented him with the final illustration which he then framed and gave to the newlyweds.

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing more custom bridal illustration clients so check back here on Fabulous Doodles soon. For more information on my custom bridal sketches you can check out the custom listings and gift certificates in my bridal print shop Brooklit Bride. 

Fashion Illustrator Book Signing Success

Over the years I've illustrated many books but last week I had my very first book signing for Chloe by Design, Making the Cut and it was fantastic! I was surprised to find upon arriving that there was already a long line. Being BookExpo America, most of the attendees were teachers, librarians, publishers and students but there were also a bunch of Fabulous Doodles readers. It was so nice to chat with people from across the country about their students and family members who were aspiring designers and fashion illustrators whom they were looking forward to sharing the book with.

With all the signing excitement I neglected to make sure I had photos so when I got home I illustrated a little memento of the event, sketching out what I wore, as shown above. I'm always sketching other peoples big life moments (client and friends weddings, graduations, bat-mitzvahs, etc.) so its nice every once in a blue to draw my own.

A few days after the signing a fun surprise came when Chloe by Design publisher, Capstone sent me a link to Publishers Weekly where a photo of me and with adorable "fans" was featured in photographic highlights from the expo. Press is always exciting but friends in publishing have informed me that PW is the holy grail and this is big!

All in all my book signing was wonderful and hopefully the first of many more to come. Chloe by Design: Making the Cut is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Chloe by Design Book Signing

Tomorrow I will be at BookExpo America signing advance copies of the latest book I illustrated Chloe by Design, Making the Cut, and you're invited. Come by to say hello and get a complimentary advance copy of the book signed by me:

When: Sat. May 31st
Time: 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Place: BookExpo America at Jacob Javits Center
             655 W 34th St. New York, NY 10001
Booth: 1469

Chloe by Design, Making the Cut is the first of a four book young adult series. If you're interested in knowing more about it, check out the incredible book trailer that Capstone Publishing put out anticipating its release. And if you can't make it to New York for the signing, the book is currently available on Amazon for pre-order, due to be released August 1st. Hope to see you there!