Brooke Hagel Artwork Featured on 'The View"

 Friday my artwork was featured on number one daytime talk show 'The View' as one of cohost Sunny Hostin's favorite things! Sunny has been a repeat client turned friend for years and it was trilling to learn she'd chosen my work to be featured on the show! If you missed it, here's a clip: 

I've been overwhelmed by positive responses from the segment airing and of corse the influx of orders in my shop and new newsletter subscribers and followers on social media. 

Similar posts you may have missed:

• Custom Fashion Illustrations (featuring Sunny Hostin!)
• Press! Mini Magazine Holiday Gift Guide
• Television Debut (Nate Berkus Show) 

Giveaway! Custom Illustrated Leather Clutch

Giveaway! Ladies, I have a special custom giveaway for you! I've teamed up with my friend and fellow creative Maayan Hotam of Fontem Handbags to create a stunning, hand-crafted, Italian leather clutch, with a custom illustration of YOU, sketched by me, printed within!!!

To enter simply:
1. LIKE this Instagram post & tag friends in comments. (The more friends tagged = more entires!)
2. FOLLOW my Instagram page (if you're not already!) AND Fontem Handbags Instagram page.
3. SIGN UP here for a chance to win!

The giveaway will run for one week and a random winner will be announced 48 hours after the giveaway closes. Good luck girls!

Previous posts you may have missed:

• NYDJ Curves Launch | Custom Illustrations
• Chanel Custom Fashion Illustrations 
• Bridal Fashion Illustration Gifts

Book Signing | Chloe by Design Balancing Act

For the second consecutive year I'm heading to Book Expo America for a book signing of my latest illustrated book in the Chloe by Design series, Balancing Act. Free advance copies of the book will be given out and I along with author Margaret Gurevich, will be meeting, greeting and signing. Last years signing was a huge success and even landed me a little feature in Publishers Weekly! Hopefully this years will be just as fabulous if not better. Here are all the details, if you're in New York I hope to see you there:  

 Jacob Javits Center 

655 W 34th Street NY, NY 10001

Book Expo America, Capstone booth #2929

Saturday, May 30th, 2015 

2:00pm-3:00pm

Chloe by Design Balancing Act is available for pre-order now on Amazon. Leading up to its release later this summer I'll be sharing sneak peeks of pages my "Chloe" fashion illustrations, so stay tuned! 

Similar posts that may interest you: 

• My New Illustrated Books | Chloe by Design
• Fashion Illustrator Book Signing 
• Book Giveaway! Style Guide Signed by Lawrence Zarian & Brooke Hagel

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!

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!

Book Giveaway! Style Guide Signed by Author Lawrence Zarian and Illustrator Brooke Hagel

I'm happy to announce another book I've illustrated has been released; Lawrence Zarian's 10 Commandments for a Perfect Wardrobe, a step-by-step guide to looking and feeling your best. Lawrence is a renowned fashion/lifestyle expert, TV personality and regular contributor to "Live with Kelly and Michael," "Rachel Ray," and "Entertainment Tonight." I was first introduced to LZ about a year ago at a Vogue and NFL party and we immediately hit it off and started following each other on social media.

LZ reached out to me while working on his book, looking to incorporate fashion illustration visuals into it. In no time I was talking with his publisher and soon after sketching away. Originally I was set to draw the illustrated fashion glossary only but once I started sending in sketches the scope of project quickly grew as everyone really liked the sketches and were eager to add more. First we expanded the illustrated glossary, adding new items then a eyewear chart and eventually chapter header illustrations throughout the book including: "Thou Shall Create Your Own Star Style," and "Thou Shall Dress For Style, Not Size," both shown below.

This book was a nice change from my typical commissions, as all the sketches within it are monotone black and white, with white highlights and gray shadows for depth and dimension. I used only 3 or 4 Copic Sketch markers in shades of cool grays and black for all the shading and a Prismacolor cool gray 90% pencil and Micron pen for outlining and intricate details.

10 Commandments for a Perfect Wardrobe came out great and its something I'm proud to add to my fashion illustration portfolio and studio book shelves. Thank you to Lawrence Zarian and the amazing team at Bird Street Books. It was wonderful collaborating with you.

Giveaway! Enter now for a chance to win Lawrence Zarian's 10 Commandments for a Perfect Wardrobe signed by both the author, Lawrence Zarian and myself. You can enter multiple times over the next five days by following along on social media, liking and even tweeting. Simply follow the Rafflecopter instructions below to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight Monday, March 31st.  The winner will be chosen and contacted on Wednesday, April 2nd. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Good luck to all entrants and remember to enter multiple times for more chances to win!  You can also check out some of the other books I've contributed to and/or illustrated here in my Amazon shop. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***The giveaway has ended and a winner has been chosen through random.org. Congratulations to Lara Bell!!! I'll be emailing you today and sending the book out soon.***

Giveaway! {Fashion Illustration Books}

I have two exciting Fabulous Doodles giveaways! Enter to win one of the fashion illustration books I recently worked on: Girly Girl Style and Harajuku Style, both illustrated by moi, Brooke Hagel. I posted about both books a few weeks ago when they were first released, sharing peeks inside as well as little descriptions and insights, which you can check out here.

Two winners will be chosen, one for each book. To enter simply click on the link below and follow the instructions. Easy peasy! You can enter multiple ways to earn more entries, so make sure to enter your email, tweet and give a Facebook like. The winners will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fashion Illustration Books {Brooke Hagel}

I'd like to share the first two fashion illustration books I've illustrated! They are part of a new instructional series by Capstone Publishing called "Fun Fashions You Can Sketch" and as of February 1st they're out and available on Amazon for purchase.

Harajuku Style: Fun Fashions You Can Sketch, showcases Tokyo's Harajuku culture and style. Sketching and learning about Harajuku girls and their style was something completely new for me. Harajuku girls are all about themeing out an outfit and piling on layers and accessories to complete a look from head to toe. They made for some really fun illustrations including Mixed Traditions (shown above) my favorite illustration of them all, Take it to the Street, and Tokyo Punk, amoung others.

The second book, Girly Girl Style: Fun Fashions You Can Sketch, showcases ultra girly and feminine designs. Similar to the Harajuku book, I was given precise outfit design direction for each look, such as On the Runway, Crocheted Cutie, Style at Sea and Radiant Romper (all shown above) and drew detailed illustrations building a sketch from a loose gesture drawing to polished final illustration.

As I was only hired to illustrate these books and not write or consult as to how to actually build a illustration, I do have a difference of opinion regarding how to render some fabrics and build an illustration. In actuality I don't really draw this way, with this many steps and layers, however these books are for beginners, focused primarily towards tweens, so the illustrations are broken down and made clear. They are fun little books and would make a great gift for any fashion loving tween. The books are being marketed to school libraries, however they're also available on Amazon.

It has been a interesting experience illustrating my first two books. Like many projects it was really a learning process, with ups and downs along the way. Deciding how I wanted my name to appear in the Library of Congress was pretty cool and debating some of the design direction was a challenge, but I'm excited they're out there now. I hope kids enjoy them and hopefully they're the first of many more books throughout my career. Check back next week for a giveaway and your chance to win one!

Custom Fashion Illustration Giveaway

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! :)

Girls Night Out: Shop Brooklit

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.)

Ugg Love {and Discount}

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!

And the winner is...

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.

Retail Therapy: Project 360 Heart Hoodie

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!