COCOSKIES | An art blog.

A day in London

2012-02-20T04:22:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone, I've had a super busy week this week! I went to London for a day with some friends which was pretty tiring. The majority of the day was spent frolicking around in the Underground, squeezing onto densely compacted Central line tubes. The City was teeming with business men, women and tourists but I really enjoyed seeing London's diversity in all its entirety. It did of course rain all day, but that didn't dampen our spirits.

It was great to just spend a day wandering freely around an unfamiliar city. Unfortunately I didn't get a glimpse into LFW, but to be honest we never really went searching for it. Maybe another time London. I hope you've all had a good week!

Self portrait in pink

2012-02-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

Highlighter & Biro

2012-02-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

2012-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Biro, pencil and fineliner

It's been snowing for about 4 hours now, somehow I don't think I will be able to get to work tomorrow. I hope you all like this drawing; I'm trying to keep myself busy.

2012-02-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

2012-02-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

Inspired by pictures from Gary Pepper Vintage.

Wish you were here

2012-01-31T03:12:00.000-08:00

Yay for my 100th post! Click the image to listen to my summer playlist. This was drawn in pencil, biro and fineliner on a postcard, then finished off with some vibrant brushes on Photoshop.

Photo washing line

2012-01-30T10:41:00.001-08:00

Here is another little way of decorating your bedroom. I have quite a small bedroom, so I love finding ways to make it more interesting. All I did was pin a thin belt (that I don't use much) to the edge of my shelf; it took about a minute. But you can use anything like string, ribbon, or chains etc. I then began to peg on a few Instax photos and other little pictures that were scattered on my desk.

Good things:
- You can buy 200 mini-pegs on Amazon for about £3/$4.70.
- Good for rooms of all sizes.
- It's really quick and easy to do.
- You can easily change the photos around when you get bored.
- You can display little keep-sake things that you'd usually forget about.

Again, I'm really sorry about not posting. I've realised that I either post about 6 times in one day or not post at all. But now that exams are over I have no excuse!

BALL ATTIRE

2012-01-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my lack of posts recently, I have two exams within close proximity of each other - one this Saturday and one the following Friday. So I've been cramming basically. I've started using twitter more, so follow me if you like @cocoskies. Yesterday night I just felt like sketching dresses; I did three, but this was my favourite.

Struggling to find a font?

2012-01-10T04:06:00.001-08:00

I found this great little site so I thought I'd share it with you all! Have you ever seen a nice font somewhere and no matter how much you've tried you just couldn't find it? Well, this is what this site is for: What the font. You (upload or) paste the URL in of an image with the font on and it will scan the letters and find it! I've used it a few times now, sometimes it doesn't find the exact font but it will find something really similar. So why not give it go?

2012-01-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

Wardrobe staples according to Lauren Conrad

2011-12-31T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try and collect some of these items as one of my many resolutions. Have a great evening, see you next year ;)

2011-12-26T13:09:00.000-08:00

Carola Remer

2011-12-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is another favourite model of mine, I've realised that I like certain features on models, hence the ressemblance between Carola Remer and Lily Donaldson. I used pencil and fineliner for this one (I seem to be using them a lot lately). The fineliner helped make the eyes stand out that little bit more and made the shape of the face a bit bolder. It's ended up being greyer than planned, but that's because the scanner brightness was set too high. Oh well, I think I quite like the final outcome!

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas! I can't believe it's 2012 in 6 days, time really does fly. See you all in the new year!

P.s. There is a link to the motivational/study playlist on the navigation bar - if you're interested. It includes the ten songs I posted a few days amongst others.

Triple threat

2011-12-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

Katiusha continued

2011-12-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

A motivational playlist

2011-12-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

I threw this together for all you people studying for January exams. I really hope you enjoy it, it's definitely a mixture of old and new. Since this is a 'motivational' playlist, I will put together another one for when you're actually studying. I find instrumental/classical songs better to work to, these songs are mostly just to boost your confidence! :) Plus, I needed an excuse to use this beautiful font I found. It's called Otama and is free - as far as I'm aware.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

1. Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla
2. Passion Pit - Swimming in the flood
3. The Verve - Bitter sweet symphony
4. Shapeshifters - Lola's theme
5. Calvin Harris - I'm not alone
6. U2 - Beautiful day
7. Yasmin - Finish line
8. Blur - Song 2
9. Keane - Stop for a minute
10. Chase & Status - Blind faith

Chunky knits

2011-12-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

The ones 2 watch is my new favourite website, there are so many beautiful editorials to draw on there. I picked one called Almost Quiet, the Model is called Katiusha. She's so beautiful! Materials used: Black biro and pencil.

I can't stop drawing eyes

2011-12-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Monday's festivities

2011-12-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

Whenever I read other blogs, I always find picture posts of what they've done in the week really interesting. So, I've decided to do one - for a change. Although, this all happened in one day.

1. A cardigan for my work Secret Santa. 2. I love Paperchase's wrapping paper so much. 3. Christmas decorations 4. My gift for my second Secret Santa (Possibly the best Christmas card I've ever found.) 5. On a shopping trip with friends from Uni. We ended up playing on the Wii in the middle of the shopping centre. 6. Obligatory Nando's photo. I now love Nandos! 7. A cute hat that I bought for the winter weather. 8. An ounce of satire.

Orange carton

2011-12-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I found a lovely, beachy picture on Oracle Fox yesterday and decided to sketch it out and experiment with pinks and oranges (generally a good combination and one of my favourites). I airbrushed a bit of colour underneath to make the shapes stand out more. Also, I thought I'd post an Ed Sheeran song, because let's face it, who doesn't love Ed Sheeran at the minute? The song is called Drunk and it's my third favourite on his album "+" after A-team and Lego house of course. P.s. the hands really remind me of Jo Brocklehurst's work.

Dream house dreams

2011-12-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Everbody has imagined their future house at some time in their lives; here is mine. I would happily live in a place like this. I'd love to have an open plan balcony with a cosy living room at the top, a log burning fire, shelves filled with dvds and books,a window to look out of on rainy days and wide comfy sofas with lots of cusions and blankets for when friends stay over. The balcony rails would have fairy lights interweaved in them. It would be like a fort/den kind of place.

I shall keep dreaming.

2011-12-07T07:18:00.000-08:00

I just thought I'd share a cosy picture with you all and a beautiful song to accompany it. For me it seems to match the picture, I don't know how to explain that but it feels more magical? I heard this song last year; for an end of term treat our psychology teacher let us watch A beautiful mind. The song is called A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics. It's a true story about a mathematical genius suffering from Schizophrenia. This song is perfect for listening to if you're revising/studying.

Edit: Disqus comments are now enabled :)

No. 5

2011-12-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

Anything is possible with a cup of tea

2011-12-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

Yes I've been drinking more tea lately! No idea why to be perfectly honest. But that's why I thought do you this little sketch. On Sunday the coffee shop was so busy and we ran out of whipped cream and change! It was such a shame because I think the whipped cream really makes a hot chocolate - it makes them look like ice cream :).

I hope you've all been keeping well. It's tried to snow here but just ended up sleeting instead. I think a winter shopping trip is definitely in order.

2011-12-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

Circa June

2011-12-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

I drew this whilst chilling under a parasol in Greece.

Hivenn

2011-12-02T05:10:00.000-08:00

Here's a drawing I did for Jazzy at Hivenn. Her blog is so unique, it's filled with beautiful photography and she makes her own jewelry! Click here for the blog and click the illustration for the shop. :)

Old school

2011-12-02T04:24:00.000-08:00

This was a drawing I did for my gcse project when I was 16. Time really does fly!

2011-12-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

I love everthing about this video: the scenes, the injection of culture, the story, the music. Everything.
If you like this one there are more, just search 'Live the language'.

H+M x Versace

2011-11-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

The printer/scanner is all wired up so here's one I did about two days ago.

2011-11-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Yayyy, quick update. I've finally ordered a printer/scanner, so in the foreseeable future I won't have to take pictures of my art. And I've just paid a small deposit towards a trip to Paris in March. Happy face.

Sasha Pivovarova inspires me

2011-11-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

It only takes a mere glimpse of Sasha Pivovarova's art work to become instantly inspired.

Brown sketchbook

2011-11-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

I bought a brown paper sketchbook after work on Sunday. I'd been meaning to buy one for a while because I just love how you can highlight features with white pencil crayons. I really want to fill it with more abstract stuff. On these two drawings I've kind of stuck to what I know and used similar shades, but next time I might try and throw some oil pastels into the mix (if I can remember where I left them). Ahhh I love drawing. I was meant to be doing some reading for Uni, but sometimes you need a break, you need to do something you love to rejuvenate yourself.

The two models I used are Gemma Ward and Lily Donaldson. Enjoy your week people!

2011-11-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a little wintery tune for your good selves to enjoy. When you press play I want you to stare at the picture and imagine yourself in the scene. You'll notice that the song really matches. For those of you that like it, the song is called 'Catholic Pagans' and it's by Surfer Blood. I'm really liking this band at the moment.

Picture from weheartit, drawing by me.

Be creative when you study

2011-11-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

My concentration levels aren't always good when it comes to studying, so I found a solution. When you combine something you love with something important, the two merge together seamlessly. When I started my A Levels, I bought a Moleskine (accidently). The purpose of it was to work as a little sketchbook, but I bought the notebook instead of the one with thick drawing paper. But I decided to re-write my notes whilst adding little illustrations. It actually made revision fun. It almost felt as if I was putting a book together and everytime I read it on the bus I felt quite pleased with myself.

It's a great way to revise for a number of reasons:
- You get to draw! (If you're arty this will appeal to you)
- You can test out your typography skills
- You can be creative and really plan and make a page look good
- Once it's finished you can carry it everywhere instead of carrying big heavy text books around.
- By writing/drawing it yourself it's more likely to add semantic value to it - meaning you're more likely to remember it.
- After reading it a lot and looking at the pictures you've drawn you'll be able to visualise the pages in the exam.

I could go on. But seriously guys, it's much more fun than just writing on lined paper or just simply reading your notes. I don't think you take them in as well that way, somehow.

(In my current Study-Moleskine you can see I've had fun making the titles fancy and colouring in. Neuroscience is one of the topics covered on my course, so I was labelling the brain and the functions, hence the eye and mouth. I hope you've learnt something.)

One of my favourite bloggers

2011-11-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

You guessed it, it's Rumi of Fashiontoast! I love the effect of drawing on brown card, it makes the drawing seem more interesting and almost vintagey. I buy a lot of things from Amazon, and I've been a bit of a magpie in saving the packaging. But now I can use them to build my own sketchbook; I'd love to do more drawings in this style and eventually tie all the images together and make a front cover. Try it out yourself!

2011-10-31T04:42:00.000-07:00

My fringe was becoming all sweepy so I've cut it! I feel so bad for pretty much abandoning this blog, I love posting but I've just had to prioritise University work recently. I have a reading week coming up soon which means no essays will be set, so I will try and make up for the lack of posting.

How is everybody doing?

DIY shorts

2011-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone I thought I'd do a little tutorial on how to cut your own diy shorts! I felt inspired when I saw Angelica's shorts. (@Mode Junkie). They are very simple to make.

First, prepare your work space! Maybe use your laptop to find a pair of shorts that you'd like to get yours like.

Make sure you have a chopping/craft board, a razor/pen knife and a pair of good scissors. Oh and a pair of jeans of course! I bought a pair of Levis Strauss jeans for a reasonable price from a vintage store.

After I'd cut the legs off the jeans I used them to practice on. Remember to compare them to another pair of shorts - you don't want to cut off too much! The best technique I've found is to score with your razor/pen knife diagnolly then horizontally (This should make more sense when you're actually doing it).

When you've been gently scoring your jeans you should eventually get them to look like this! I used tweezers to pull out the random blue bits of thread.

Now for the edges of the shorts. To stop them looking freshly cut and smooth at the bottom, run the blade of the scissors along the bottom. Now this can be quite difficult, but I've found that if you line the edges up with the edge of a chopping board it's easier to run the blades up and down.

When you're happy with how you've cut them, wash them! And if you want a more frayed look put them in the tumble dryer.

The end result! I thought I'd try a smart/casual look with them. If you like this look please hype it on Lookbook. Feel free to drop a comment with your end results! You could also try experimenting with studs and different coloured stitching.

New scent

2011-09-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

My 19th birthday is fast-approaching, so I got bought this and I'm in love. It's such a lovely fragrance, not too over-powering - just fresh! Also, how strange is this, for my birthday I want some new pencil crayons and a new sketchbook, I'm sure I'm meant to be 6 years old.

Vodianova

2011-09-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

MK & Ashley

2011-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

MK & Ashley in watercolour and 8B pencil. Yep, still need a scanner.

Package from Singapore!

2011-08-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

Receiving parcels is still one of the rare things I get genuinely excited for. Today the postman brought this package from Anamei who lives in Singapore. She sent me all these snacks (how cute is the packaging?!) What I've tried so far has been yummy, can't wait to try the rest. Opening all this has just made me want to travel around Asia even more and stock up on cute stationary and snacks!

In other news, if you've been following my twitter you'll know that I got my place at my first choice University!! Asdfghjkl. As of September I'll be studying Psychology. I actually can't wait but at the same time feel so unprepared. I'm being bombarded with all these welcome letters from University so I'm going to have to sort through them and get myself organised. I also need to complete my application for a scholarship, which I've almost finished, I just need to write a personal statement. I'm so excited to meet new friends and start this new stage of my life.

Lime light

2011-08-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

Meet one of my favourite fashion bloggers: Fashion Toast/Rumi Neely. Her pictures are always so beautiful, I will probably end up drawing even more of them.

French snaps

2011-08-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, I didn't take as many photos as I thought I would in France, but from the ones I did these were my favourites. I used this site: http://www.polaroin.com/ to make the photos look like polaroids. It's brilliant. The originals are on my flickr.

Hello my lovelies

2011-08-14T07:56:00.001-07:00

I have returned! I had a wonderful time and I'm in an even better mood knowing I've picked up a few followers whilst I've been away. I hope everybody has been keeping well. This illustration was painted by done with conformity. When I saw that she was doing a blogger project I couldn't resist requesting a picture. She has a lovely style, just look at the header on her blog... wow is all I can say.

Departing for France tomorrow

2011-07-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just before I went I wanted to make at least one blog post seen as though I've been neglecting it a bit. This was just a drawing from a photo on weheartit. Weheartit and tumblr are very inspiring places!

I've also changed the layout (again). I was going for an old sketchbook look, the writing is a bit more blurred than expected but other than that I'm happy with it.

I hope everyone's having a wonderful summer.

Hand-made

2011-07-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

I did this drawing for one of my lovely followers! She makes her own rings out of natural stone and other small, beautiful pieces. Natural stone rings are really popular right now so I'd definitely check her out! You'll get something unique for sure. Also check out her blog, she has some lovely, vintage-looking photos on there.

Blog: http://www.hivenn.com/
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hivenj

Kos, Greece

2011-07-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

My last blog entry feels like it was a very long time ago! I've been to Greece for a week and I absolutely loved it. I went with my best friend and her sister for a relaxing/chilled out sort of holiday and now I'm going through the 'holiday blues' phase. It feels quite hard to settle back into things; the impact of a week away is incredible. Since coming back I've been working full time everyday, that's why I haven't really had the chance to post any photos or anything.

To summarise, Kos is really a beautiful place and I would love to go back for longer. I was so happy to finally get the chance to use my dslr too.

If only...

2011-06-27T10:18:00.001-07:00

I found this hiding beneath my notes today.

Greek sun

2011-06-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

Tan gladiator sandals,Karen Walker sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs slouch bag, Michael Kors tortoiseshell watch (still), Yves Saint Laurent arty ring, Coral Mac lipstick, Jil Sander couture dress.

Just finished my last exam

2011-06-24T05:13:00.001-07:00

I am no longer a caged bird.

I have so many DIY project ideas! In fact, I might post one later today, so stay tuned.

One down

2011-06-21T05:24:00.001-07:00

So I've just finished my Psychology exam and I'm trawling through a massive discussion thread on The student room trying to reassure myself. On the whole I think I've done ok, loads of people have missed out on 17 marks because one question ended half way down a page and peope didn't know to turn over. So I'm so glad that I did - the page was deceiving and I almost missed it. People are also saying that the grade boundaries might be lowered because of this. I'm really hoping so!

I have an english exam on friday and then I'm done for the summer!

New edition

2011-06-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yay I love waiting for the postman. The other day I ordered this ring and it came 3 days later, it made me very happy. And what made me happier was the fact it was only £15 from Ebay. It is quite a lot for just a ring, but it's a lot less to pay £120. One day it shall be replaced with the real thing, but until then this will do nicely.

I decided to buy black because as you saw from my last post, all my rings are turquoise. And I didn't like the look of the thick, black, cracked lines. Also, it will match with pretty much anything.

I found only two sellers on ebay that sold these types of ring, one sold them for £25 and this one (that was more difficult to find) sold them for £15. So I'll leave a link for you lot.

From: here :)

Board revamp & ring pots

2011-06-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

So after a year of waking up to the same old notice board I finally got round to changing it. If there's one thing I've learnt this year it's that I can't do work without the room being tidy, so doing this counted as cleaning. Sort of. In the process of doing so I came up with a little idea... ring pots! Before I show you what I did, these are the jewellery piece I bought the other day. I'm so glad that high street stores are finally embracing the whole 'turquoise-jewellery' look.

This was from Primark for £2.50. I'm pretty sure I've seen it all over the internet, so the price isn't that bad!

Another beautiful little piece from H&M, they never disappoint when it comes to jewellery. A few weeks ago I saw them doing rings like this in brown but it seems they've expanded their range to brighter colours now - which is great.

So I found some clear plastic lids and I pierced a notice-board pin through them, then pinned them onto my noticeboard. I thought it was a good idea because I only have a few rings and I tend to lose them easily. If I put them in these little lids I know exactly where they are and they look pretty displayed. If you want to do this there's nothing to it, you could put tissue paper in the bottom of the lid, a nice wrapping paper behind the ring or even try different sizes. For mine I just went to the bathroom and got the lids of this colgate toothpaste we have. Try it!

Off topic, but I'm really loving these at the moment!

Quick illustration

2011-06-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Whenever I'm revising I always see out of the corner of my eye an old ASOS magazine. And it distracts me because it makes me want to leave my revision and sketch some illustrations. So yesterday I decided to treat myself after a long day and have a look through the lovely pages. My last exam is on the 24th and I'm already counting down the days. Is anyone else anticipating the end of their exams?

YSL rings

2011-05-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

A quick sketch of YSL's arty rings, they are becoming an obsession.

Graze

2011-05-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

After anticipating its arrival for a week, my Graze box finally came today! Graze specialise in healthy snacks There are about 100 different punnets, I'd recommend that you look through the list and pick what you'd like to try so they know what to send you. I was sort of surprised about how small it was, I was expecting each punnet to be the size of a chinese take-away box but they were more matchbox size. In a way, I don't blame the company, after all it was free. So moving on to the mini review of what I got, I received: 'apple and cinnamon flapjack', 'fruit and nut', 'the beach' and 'cheddar gorge'. The apple and cinnamon flapjack was so yummy I'd rate it 10/10! 'The beach' was made up of dried mangoes, pineapple and banana, I'd give it a 7/10. The fruit and nut was chocolate drops, hazelnuts and raisins which was nice but a bit plain so I'd give that a 6/10. The 'cheddar' gorge was probably my least favourite because there were cashew nuts in there and I'm just not very keen on nuts. So I'd rate it a 4/10.

If you want to try some of their healthy snacks I'd say go for it since it's free, but for me I don't think I'm going to continue ordering anymore. They're good if you're trying to lose weight and need an alternative snack to biscuits. After the free box the next is half price and then they're just over £3 each. I don't really think it's worth it considering the size, but it's up to you to decide. I've got a free code to give to people to get their first box free, R9TQLXD. I'm not really sure why they offer a code because everyone gets a free box when they sign up, but I thought I'd offer it you guys anyway. (Unfortunately you can only order them if you're a UK resident, but if I find any alternatives I'll edit this post.)

I liked the pictures in the box so I made some room for them on my noticeboard. I like to save little things like this.

Art journal update 28/05/11

2011-05-28T09:17:00.001-07:00

Seriously people, ink and bleach is the future! For the lettering on the first photo I had a spare bit of paper that I'd used ink and bleach on and it's created this cloudy-night-sky effect - and I don't think that it even took long to do. So if you need to label up your pages for an art project I suggest this technique as it's quick.

The first page is of a mock up of my final piece, but it technically isn't a mock up since I did the final piece before it. But oh well, you have to please the examiners. This final piece wasn't even my idea, it was my art teacher's. I did another one originally but he basically said I needed to do his idea. You'd think in A2 art you'd be free to explore your own ideas. I'll be glad to get this project over with. I want to draw/paint fashion, not fish.

Last two photos: watercolour, ink and then bleach. Engraved oil pastel.

Recently I've had an influx of followers, so thank you very much for that! Right now I have a problem on my dashboard, whenever I click followers it doesn't show me who's actually following, so if you like, drop me a comment and I'll be sure to check your blog out.

Summer is imminent

2011-05-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

Sheer blouse - Primark £10, Leggings - H&M £7.99, Bag - Primark £6.

I think this is definitely the summer I've anticipated the most. For one, I can't wait for A-levels to finally be over, in the first year they're exciting but in the second year I feel as if I'm lost interest. Being in education for the majority of my life has certainly taken its toll. Sometimes I wonder why I'm even applying for university, because I know that it will be hard work but it just seems so much better than college. Another thing I want to do it draw more, I've been meaning to buy a brown paper sketchbook from Paperchase but I just haven't had the time. Little things like going to the cinema just aren't happening right now because of revision, but in the summer I'll be able to spend more time with friends.

All in all, I'm really excited for summer!

Love will tear us apart

2011-05-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sheer blouse - £10 Primark, Skinny Jeans - £8 Primark, Belt - £2 Primark, Bag - Primark £8, Sunglasses - £4.99 H&M, Leather plait bracelet - H&M.

My watercolour Moleskine came in the post today

2011-05-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Yay!! I did a little test with the water brushes I bought and the work okay. I just need to work on the paper somewhere bright, so the water can reflect the light - then maybe I can see it. Apart from that, I really like the effect and can't wait to experiment with different colours/images.

Stina Persson

2011-05-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Portfolio

Design Inspiration: Forest Wallpaper

2011-05-11T07:50:00.001-07:00

Alexey Kurbatov

2011-05-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

I found this illustrator whilst doing my contextual studies and I am in still in love with his artwork and the various styles. If you look on his portfolio site you will see that Kurbatov is extremely versatile with a wide range of mediums. I think that sometimes (when studying art at school/college) it's nice to mention a new name to the examiner. They'll be so used to seeing Van Gogh, Monet, Dali and Magritte - who are great but a modern day artist is a nice change and really exhibits your interest for the subject.

This artist and this video combined inspired me to purchase some water brushes. They allow you to do these sort of detailed watercolour/gouache paintings. Luckily they came today! I'm really looking forward to summer just because I'll have freedom/time to draw/paint whatever I want in my Moleskine.

2011-05-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

wow

2011-05-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Admittedly at first I didn't think it look like it was going to turn into anything amazing, but as you watch it it really does start to turn into something spectacular. Just watch. Also, apologies for the lack of posts I've been trying to meet deadlines and revise.

Art journal update 24/04/11

2011-04-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'm finally catching up on my art work - at the expense of revision for other subjects. But it really needs doing and I'd hate to get a bad grade for art. I'm pleased with the first painting, but when I look at the other two they look a bit creepy on my laptop screen.

So it's 5 days until the big wedding! Today I watched this movie about how Kate and Will met, it was kind of cute - I have to admit. I didn't see what the big deal was about, but this movie has made me a bit more interested. Luckily I get the day off college for this. And Monday. And Wednesday. Is there really any point in going this week?

Good friday

2011-04-22T08:43:00.001-07:00

Gyotaku prints

2011-04-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was searching for artists online for my contextual studies, and I came across a Japanese method of printing called 'Gyotaku'. Traditionally, you would paint the side of a fish with sumi ink and then use rice paper to lift/collect the textures made. It's really simple but so beautiful at the same time. My dad's is going through a fishing phase at the moment, so he let me use one of his catches.

I also bought a few things after work, I've not actually been shopping in ages! i love anything with a hibiscus print.
(Ring: Primark, Bracelet: H&M, Dress: Primark)

Ink and bleach

2011-04-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of my favourite combinations when it comes to drawing. All you need is ink and bleach to get this lovely contrasting effect. And when you brush it on lightly it seems to add a slight glow to whatever your subject is. I find that this technique is particularly good when creating textures and tessellating patterns.

Art journal update 30/03/11

2011-03-30T12:10:00.001-07:00

Above: collages for my first project on journeys. The drawings over to top are supposed to be coconut tree leaves, but on some you can't tell. I guess I just posted this because I liked how the page was layed out.

My friend opened her birthday present from me which was a Diana camera and she loved it, I was so happy :). In other news, my other friend has just passed her driving test so she's been driving us everywhere. I got off the bus 8 stops early just so we could go for a cruising session. I want to try Taco Bell, on "Sixteen and pregnant" they're eating these cheesey nacho things - which look delicious. Come on UK, we need new places to eat!

Thursday

2011-03-24T07:01:00.001-07:00

Stunning

2011-03-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Solidarités International et BDDP Unlimited veulent faire couler de l'encre

Progress

2011-03-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Wooo my sketchbook is finally coming along, today I finished the pencil drawing I posted the other day. Which is rare, because I usually get bored after I've drawn the eyes and leave it. I find that once you finish one thing, everything else falls into place. I thought I'd also post some images of my friend Imogen! I took them on friday and liked how they turned out. (Oh yeah, the cigarette. We were trying to make the pictures look a bit vintage to fit in with my punk theme.)

Punks

2011-03-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

After alternating between various ideas for my art project I've finally come to a decision. I'm going to look at the representations of punks from the 70s. I can tell that this project is going to be very interesting because the styles are so unique and subversive. I love that the colours are luminous/neon-ish. Everything above is what I did today and yesterday, I'm liking how it's developing so far :)

Also, I think you guys should join Sharked MB. It's a message board and the members are so friendly, we've all know each other for ages and discuss everything. You'll fit right in, we need more lovely members. Just check it out if you're ever bored and say Philippa told you about it. See you on the other side :D

First drawing I've done in ages

2011-03-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Recently my art work has been a little neglected so I decided to do some to make up for wasted time. I'm making an attempt at drawing a girl's face in fragmented, glass pieces. It's hard but it's not looking too bad. I'm doing this because the theme of my new project is called "Exploration and Discovery", the examiners will be expecting drawings of ships sailing abroad and stuff but I don't want to do that. I like drawing people so I'm going to link it in by saying I'm exploring and discovering identity. Good idea? Hehe. I think we have about 4 weeks left for this project and I've not even started it, I have 2 pages of sketchbook work so far. Oh dear. I'll catch up :)

Also, the other day I was messing about (like you do) and I made these two ink pictures. I really like theme and they didn't even take that long! They remind me of the ocean or some kind of cove.

A little thank you

2011-03-12T04:07:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been getting quite a few new followers, so I'd just like to say thank you! It makes me happy to see new comments :)

So! I'm thinking of doing a little contest when I hit 100 hundred followers. All you have to do is follow and comment (when I reach that amount). I will make another post that it more in-depth. The prize will probably be a little watercolour portrait of the winner and some other goodies! I'll have a think about it.

LOOKBOOK

2011-03-08T10:31:00.001-08:00

With the sun shining once again, it felt appropriate to post a Summery look. I mentioned on my last post that I bought a few things from a vintage store. This was my favourite buy from COW by far. I'm obsessed with floral playsuits, they're just so bold and they're like dresses but more practical. All the different blotches of colour scream Summer. I don't know what has happened to the original quality of the photo, I guess it's just gone like that from all the re-sizing.

Beauty starts here

2011-03-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

After today's pointlessness of having only one lesson, I came home at one feeling a little bit creative. To take advantage of this productive impulse I got out my watercolours and a few pens and did a fashion illustration. The person I've used is one of my favourite bloggers - who I only found recently. The other day she posted a lovely outfit and the photo of her was stunning. I had to use it for something! I've not posted it right now because I'm planning to do some more of the people I'm following. I think they'll look nicer together, as a set.

I also really want to post more pictures of my outfits on here, I bought a lovely, bold playsuit the other day from a vintage store called COW, if you've never heard of them they are definitely worth checking out. I bought some old Levis Strauss jeans there for £3! They had a small hole in them, but I'm going to turn them into shorts so that doesn't really matter.

College is sort of lagging at the moment, I've just finished my 2500 word draft for english so I'm really glad that's out of the way. It was such a burden. Also I seriously need to crack on with some more art-work. I think I will get some done, because making this blog has given me a reason to do some illustrations. It feels like I'm doing them for fun. Then this thursday I get my Psychology grade back from my January Exam, it counts for 25% of my final mark so I'm really hoping it's an A.
Fingers crossed!

Coffee bean

2011-03-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

You know like when you're becoming a pilot you earn your 'wings'? Well I've just earnt my coffee bean badge at work - which I see as the equivalent haha. (Some of you might already know that I work part time a coffee shop). Recieving this means I am no longer in training and I can now make all the drinks yay! I love that word. I seriously use it too much. I'm really happy though, because I've had an "in training" ribbon stuck under my name badge since summer. I'd completed by training booklet since then, but with a new boss joining the team I guess it kind of just got forgotten about.

Oh my, I think I have the cold again. Actually, I know for sure. It really is awful, I keep sniffling and my friends keep thinking I'm upset because I look like I'm crying.

Lily Donaldson in watercolour

2011-03-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

A painting I did about a year ago, I would love to do more like this.

New food love: Fajitas

2011-03-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

They're so easy to make too! You can put anything you want in them. In mine: Salsa, sour cream, shredded spicy chicken, salad and grated cheese.

Sugacane

2011-03-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been really busy but I have so many ideas for posts. But seriously, my half term wasn't even a break, I was doing something every day. On one of the days, Saturday I think, I went to a vintage store then the cinemas with two of my friends. We wanted to see "Just go with it" but that was on in the evening and it was lunchtime. So we saw "Big momma" instead hahaha. After we went to a sweet shop! They make me so excited and giddy, one of my dream jobs would actually be to own an old fashioned sweet shop. Ahhhh. Anyway, it was lovely and so colourful. Reminded me of my youth.

Lookbook favourites: February

2011-02-16T06:54:00.001-08:00

I've not been on lookbook.nu in a while, so I went on last night and sketched a few of my favourites. I think I'm going to make this a monthly thing.

1 2 3 4 5 6

check them out.

Illustration inspiration

2011-02-15T08:26:00.001-08:00

2011-02-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

Happy special monday

2011-02-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

So today I recieved a parcel from Sarah (My secret admirer)! She sent me some really cute stuff and a lovely little card. Ahhh it was so sweet of her! It always seems to be raining when parcels like this arrive for me, but oh well, they definitely brighten my day. Here's what she sent me:

The stickers are so cute, I don't want to waste them haha. Hope you've all had a nice MONDAY. I hope the person that I had recieves their parcel in time.

New art project and gladiator wedges

2011-02-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not normally a shoe person, I usually go for the bags. But the other day before work I went to New Look and found these badboys on sale, in my size! I'd been looking for something just like this the previous summer and now I've found them. Tears. Of. Joy.

Shoes: New Look £8

Anyway less about spending now. At college we're starting a new art project with the title "Exploration", they are deliberately vague to enable more ideas to be generated. Which is good, because it means that you can draw anything you wantthen link it all up in writing at the end. So I'm going to do Haute Couture, because I absolutely love drawing people and I feel so inspired when I see fashion illustrations (especially David Downton's). So yeah I'm really excited about this project. Drawing fish is a little tedious now. I'll try and post a few sketches on here when I start them.

Omg River Island has made their debut on ASOS wahooo!

Wishlist 5/2/11

2011-02-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

Little ideas for your bedroom

2011-02-01T07:59:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while now. But I prolonged it hoping to come up with more tips. Right here we go (I hope you find this useful):

Idea one: Earrings! This is such a simple way to display your earrings. All you need is an A4 sheet of paper. It can be any kind, don't worry about having to use card. Earrings are relatively light so they won't break the paper. As you can see from the photos, I've only used an old magazine page and that's managed to stay intact. Be creative and find some of your favourite wrapping paper or decorate it yourself. Once you've decided on the paper grab a hole-punch and... well, puncture holes! You may need to fold the paper over for the middle sections, but that's kind of obvious. Once you're done pin it on to your noticeboard. What I love about this is that you can see ALL your earrings and you don't have to fiddle around in a draw.

Idea two: stationary storage. When I was in the Philippines a couple of years ago I went to a hardware store and I found a cheap plastic box. Now, I'm sure the intended use of it is probably for screws or sewing needles and thread. But I use it to put all my 'cutesy' stationary in. You can slide the different plastic pannels so they are tailored for your items! I like things when they're all together like this, that way, I can use them easily and everything's easier to pack away.

Idea three: make-shift white board. When I was little I bought a picture of a baby seal ar a school fair for about 30p. It was basically an A4 sheet of glass with a magazine picture wedged between the glass and some cork board. After a bit I grew a bit bored of seeing the same picture, so I took it out, placed some white paper underneath and a pressed rose I got given from a friend. I now use it as a mini whiteboard to remind me of events happening in the week. You can decorate your own however you like! Maybe find some nice gift wrap or make a collage - but remember not to make it too complicated because your writing might not look legible over the top. If you haven't got a picture lying around like mine, have a look in a charity shop/thrift store, everytime I go in they ALWAYS have a box of old picture frames.

Idea four: Shelf decor. For my eighteenth birthday one of my friends had wrapped me a present using this nice material. I wanted to use it somehow but didn't know. So, I hung it from the top of the shelf, using heavy books and I've folded it round the bottom edge and pinned it. The two good things about it is; if you're shelf is relatively plain in really brightens it up and two, it keeps all the dust of my lovely perfume bottles. Again if you haven't got any material lying around, go down to a charity shop/thrift store and see if they have any (a scarf could also be used, but don't use it if it's a nice one you can wear ^_^)

Secret admirer

2011-01-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

After signing up for the secret santa exchange on the board I post at (you probably all know which one :)) I loved it so much, I've decided to do the valentines secret admirer one. Ahhh I seriously love snail mail and what makes it better is not knowing who it's from or when it's coming.

Last time I did it, I felt kind of bad because I'd recieved so much but I'd only sent a card with some stickers. So this time I've decided to give a little more and I really hope the person I've got likes the stuff I've bought!

I've bought them two lipsmackers (because they were on the counter and looked cute), some Barry M nail polish (because they don't have it there and Barry M is like, England's answer to OPI hahaha), and some cute jewellery from Primark because let's face it, Primark is another innovation of Great Briatin.

I also went to Hollister today. I don't usually buy their clothes, NOT because I don't like the designs but because EVERYONE wears that stuff now. I don't know, I think I'm just instantly put off things that are everywhere. I like unique stuff. The store was seriously crowded though and to make things worse it's all in the dark. I managed to fight my way through the crowd however to buy a t-shirt and a spray for my friend's 18th birthday. My bank account's feeling a kick this month, there's so many people turning 18. The wrapping paper is from Christmas but who cares it's cute.

I bought some collection 2000 concealer today, I wouldn't normally go for that brand but my friend said their foundation was pretty good. So I tested out their concealer and it is actually REALLY good! Another thing I've bought recently is the Urban decay primer potion, there's been so much hype all over the internet so I thought I'd see what the fuss was all about. When I was applying eyeshadow over the top of the primer I didn't think it was anything amazing, but when i got out of the bath I realised why everybody's been talking about it. I'd rubbed my eyes but it was still there! In perfect form, not smudged or anything. In fact, I'm a bit worried I won't be able to get it off for college tomorrow morning. Bought some sunglasses today too, I've always wanted a pair of Ray-ban Aviators but Primark's £1 version will have to do for now.

Oh yeah I almost forgot, here is what the MAC chatterbox lipstick looks like on. Excuse the leather jacket, I was hiding my work uniform haha.

Sorry children for abandoning you! The past two weeks have been hectic, but the exam's over now and all is well, so hopefully more posts to come!

2011-01-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

Mac Chatterbox lipstick

2011-01-14T13:01:00.001-08:00

For Christmas I recieved a giftcard for Debenhams, so I thought I'd invest in my first piece of MAC make-up. What made me buy this shade was a tutorial I saw on youtube, it's just a really simple, everyday colour with a light pink tinge to it. I'll probably post a picture of what it looks like on some other time (when I haven't got a massive spot).

A picture I took in the summer

2011-01-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

A2 project

2011-01-12T06:52:00.001-08:00

Wooo my final piece is coming along... finally! I've still got to finish the bottom corner. As for the sketchbook, I haven't had much time because I've been revising for my exam on the 28th. Arghh it's like two weeks away now.

Today's outfit

2011-01-11T08:40:00.001-08:00

(not the best quality)
Both the top and skirt were from the H&M sale. I posted pictures of them on a previous post.

Right, off to do some psychology revision now.

Moleskines & Vogue

2011-01-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

I love Moleskines at the moment. I've currently got two, one for revision notes and one for art (sadly this one hasnt been used much lately). I just love how they're neatly binded together with a black elastic band. And I just find it easier to browse through my notes when they're all written in my own writing. I also like how you can illustrate the blank pages yourself, I like to draw little pictures so I get a balance of creativity and solid revision.

The other day I added a new addition to my little collection: The Moleskine diary. As you can see from the pictures, it's a lot thicker because there's a page for each day of the year and loads of useful things in the front like a map of the globe, a ruler, international holidays and even a travel planning section. One of my new year's resolution's was to become more organised, and I really think this will help.

I'm wondering whether to subscribe to Vogue again, because I just got out all my magazines and realised how good the photography was. Hmmm.

Pearls and bows

2011-01-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Necklace: £2.50 | Bracelet: £2.50 | Earrings (set of 3): £1

After seeing Chanel's jewellery designs on the runway a couple of years ago, I have to say I've loved the combination of pearls and bows in jewellery ever since. Pearls have remained a timeless, must-have accessory for generations and undoubtedly will do for years to come. Simple pastel coloured bows really do seem to quietly compliment pearl necklaces and give them a classic yet minimalistic look.

Bearing this in mind, before work yesterday I thought I'd kill some time by having a look at Primark's jewellery selection. Normally, I feel they go a little over the top and make everything look tacky, but yesterday they actually had some decent stuff. SO, I bought a few things!

I'm thinking of mailing a bracelet like this to my next secret santa recipient.

Belated Secret Santa

2011-01-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to make a post about this on the day it came but I forgot. About two days ago a mysterious parcel arrived with my name on it sent all the way from Canada! I opened it and realised that it was from my secret santa at a message board I post at. My secret santa, Alyse, had been so generous in what she sent too! I was overjoyed because that was the day it had been raining relentlessly and I'd just got home from college - soaking wet. I'll be honest, it really did brighten my day. I like the sentiment that is delivered with a card/parcel, I like knowing that someone has taken some time out of their day to write something lovely (in their own handwriting) and I like knowing that the parcel itself has travelled so far and had it's own little journey. Now I may sound old fashioned but it still amazes that something like that can travel so far from one address to another.

In the parcel I recieved a card with a friendly paragraph giving me a few cultural facts on Canada and asking how I was There was also a huge Canadian flag in there and cute little moose key ring.