Illustration- Evolution of Practice and Technique

When you find something you love to do, you work at it day in and day out and it never gets old, you want to always do your best and evolve at your skill, and with time things definitely change and your skills fastly grow. When I was fresh out of school I was really into watercolor, it was time consuming, yet rewarding and calming. As soon as I started working in the Industry I partnered with a Designer to illustrate all his ideas & it was definitely fast paced and things went from watercolor to tech pens and paper, for quick sketches and jotting down ideas. When I started working in Tech Design, I was thrown into a heavily computer based job where I worked in Illustrator and Photoshop, so that influenced me to start sketching with a Wacom tablet and pen tool (I hated it at first...ha!), but because it was unfamiliar I started off by tracing in black and white, adding gradients and as I got comfortable, then moved up to color and patterns once I felt more confident. It took years and years of practice and different techniques to see my skills progress, its still definitely a skill that continues to evolve every day, and I definitely still enjoy!

WATERCOLOR

TECH PENS

 ILLUSTRATOR- B&W

ILLUSTRATOR- COLOR

   

Barbie Style Shadow box!

**image from: http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-look/fashion-week/staticslideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=17839600&imageindex=27

Barbie has always been a great expression of fashion and style, and as a little girl you start to emulate what you see around you, and for me barbie was a major inspiration. Since I was a child I would receive a barbie doll from my mom just about every Christmas, and to her surprise as a kid I learned how to pinch the sides of the gifts to see which one was a pink box and had my name on it, which meant barbie!... I looked forward to it every year. As the years when by and I got older, that pretty much stopped, my mom said I was too old for Barbie's, and that I needed to grow up (sadness). To my surprise a few years later I received a couple of these Barbie shadow boxes as a gift from my mom and they were absolutely adorable, each one a different barbie outfit in its own shadow box!. And because I'm in the Industry it goes great in my place and decor. I still have them up and adore them!.

Above pictured is the famous Barbie Bathing suit from the 1950's, and in keeping with that theme and me wanting to do a lil re-decorating, I decided to take on the task of making my own!. Of course this worked out because I have a closet full of things that I have made and are very special to me...so to Michael's I went.

I found these super cool 16" x 20" shadow boxes that were the perfect size, color and matched my Barbie shadow boxes. And at Michael's you can always look out for a great sale, these I got at a steal for buy one, get one free, I love that!.

They are very simple to assemble, you just open the back frame and it comes out with a cardboard covered in foam and felt, easy to pin down fabric and pictures, when finished you just secure and they are ready to hang up!... so easy!.

These are the finished product, very simple and easy, and they look great.... hmm, now where will they go?...

Too Expensive?....Do it yourself! - Bedding

 

So it's been a while now and I've been really tired of looking at my blank bedroom, especially because I love to decorate and create my own space. I love love love feminine, and girly things... but I don't like to spend too much $$$... so when it came down to it, I knew what I wanted, but I realized if it was gonna happen, I would have to do it myself. I had seen this super ruffly and cute bedding at urban outfitters, but very much like the rest of their items, it was up there in price, I would have to shell out $250 for a duvet cover and pillow shams. Ummm..... no!. So I headed to my nearest bedding store and bought 1 comforter and 1 Flat sheet and got to work.....

After cutting several panels, I hemmed them on all sides and shirred the tops, pinned them, and got to sewing!...  (I felt like I was going to be consumed by all the fabric that was around me, ha!)

 

Because my wall was blank I decided I finally found a cool place to put this portrait I've had for some time...Its not like any other Marilyn portrait Ive ever seen, and the whole canvas is curved, very cool!

 ... And here is the end result!!!... I JUST LOVE IT... it's only the beginning but you get the idea. Now I still have the rest of the room to play with, and by only spending $50 I still have more Ideas I can make happen, I'm so proud that I have this bedspread that I put together myself! .....now onto more fun projects!...

I LOVE my sewing machine!



The Ultimate Accessory - Red Lips

**Rosie Huntington-Whiteley by Tom Munro

Red Lips are the Ultimate Accessory for a bold statement, especially for those day's you want to feel ultra feminine and bring out that inner pin up in you. Many women stay away from red, either because they are afraid of this color or might even believe they can't pull it off. There is an amazingly large range of reds that exist in the colorful world of M.A.C., but with a little time and patience you can easily find that perfect shade that might even make into your everyday lip color. Below I listed my 3 favorite hues of red, which I personally own. It was a long time before I even had the courage to go and try this out for myself... I started off by picking a color that was close to red and had a hint of dark purple called New York Apple, to this day this is my absolute favorite for everyday wear, it is bold yet not overbearing and it looks great with either a red tone or purple tone lip liner. After that I just went for it...I wanted  that  pin up color that wasn't too orang-y, but sexy so I went for these both;  Ruby Woo (Gwen Stafani's color) and Russian Red, again these are similar in color but with different finishes, one is glossy and one is a matte finish. Most definitely depending on my mood, I bring out one of my fun red colors to wear, because its seriously the ultimate feel good feminine accessory!

mmmuah!



It's my Inspiration... undergarments?



What's more amazing than the feeling of sudden Inspiration?.. as a student deciding the fate of her Senior Collection, I had no Idea what direction to take until I saw the music video for "It's my Life- covered by No Doubt". While other Peers were designing dresses, separates and even elaborate costume ideas, I could only think of one thing...Lingerie. I mean could I really create a whole collection based on undergarments and a cool music video?, I remember Peers poking fun at me saying I had chosen just about the easiest type of collection I could think of and wanted to take the easy route. As a designer I had to follow my gut feeling and what would seem to be the easiest thing in the whole class room, became the most elaborate of all.

 Ive always believed that a woman does not need a man around to wear something that makes her feel feminine and sexual. So I decided to concentrate on the "bathtub scene- where she tries to kill her guy" and create an all "blush tone" collection. I decided since the theme was a 20's vibe I would Tea dye all my fabrics to show off a vintage look... it took days and days to get certain fabrics just right... from the stove top to the dryer to the ironing it was an extensive routine. Every detail had a hand touch, the embellishments and beading were all hand sewn, the garters were handmade and every stitch was french seamed (french seam- when two fabrics are held together by seaming, when sewing was done by hand) like clothes used to be made...there is no over lock whats so ever in any part (over lock- is a machine stitch that factories use to hem a seam). Needless to say my Instructor told me I was insane to even try to pull this off... and most definitely did I ever.

 

When I finished I had a feminine and fun collection I was super proud of, and a very cool show to look forward to... and as a treat the Fashion Show producer found a cool Remix of the "Bathwater" song also done by No Doubt that my models would walk out to. Its pretty amazing how one video, song, or even picture will impact you, to go from a blank slate to an amazingly crazy rollercoaster. I still have those moments to this day, and I hope they never go away!

**video from http://www.gifsoup.com/view/1773369/no-doubt-its-my-life.html

The Little Mermaid

I've been asked before what my fascination with Disney is and most importantly "The Little Mermaid".

It's kind of complicated for me to answer, but in a nutshell here it is: I was an only child for 7 years and I was not exactly the outdoorsy type, I liked being alone in my room and would spend days & nights either watching Disney movies or drawing (some people didn't even know my mom had a daughter..lol). When I first saw The Little Mermaid, I very much believed I was just like her, where I just wanted explore the ideas in my head and on paper, and of course I also loved reenacting the whole splash out of the water scene in my bathtub... and about a few times after my mom caught on to me I was in major trouble, so that really had to stop. Whats pretty amazing is that my mom really encouraged my creativeness, she would let me walk door to door to sell my Ariel posters for a quarter each (I cant believe I did that), I really think some adults either fell sorry for me or just purchased some to be supportive, but needless to say I knew this could be my future. Both Illustrating and Disney have a huge history with me and I enjoy both dearly!...to this day I still doodle some images of her like the one above, just to remind myself of my childhood and why I do what I do. I may be an adult now but I'll always be a kid at heart too!

I found this dress on Pinterest, and I'm making it a mission to make it happen ha!

Is it Summer yet?

I know its only march, but summer is already on my mind!... that and I have a cruise coming up soon, so it's time to think about the dreaded thought of "swimwear". There are many out there that dread this time of year only because it brings up some insecurities, well I'm definitely not perfect... being as that I am a size 12 and curvy!..there are definitely stylish ways to feel great during the summer and look fabulous!

First of all there are several styles to work with, bikini's, tankini's, monokini's and one-piece's. It might take a while to warm up to the idea of searching for bathing suits, so I suggest to go with you're hair done and maybe a lil tan, (it's like shopping for clothing, the better prepped up you are, the more you see how it will look like all pulled together). Bring a friend for some real advice, and also don't be afraid to try new styles, colors, and even prints... to show off your personal style. When it comes to one pieces I always look for some fun details like cut outs, rouching, or even ruffles, because this keeps away from the dreaded  and boring one-piece. When I buy separates I make sure I purchase a mix of solids, brights or prints, because mixing and matching prints is more cost effective...creating new looks with only a few pieces.



When it comes to swimwear cover ups I always seem to go for options that I can definitely wear again and again, (I don't like purchasing items that can be worn for one purpose). Maxi Dresses are always great to wear with bathing suits especially because they are comfortable and can add either a print or a complimentary color. Sheer tunics are a huge trend right now, I have a fewin my closet in several colors... these are also perfect to use as a cover up since its sheer and will look sexy showing off whats underneath. Last but not least...we all have old jeans that can be cut into shorts, and the more rugged look the better (this is great cause its free!). Sooo whatever you choose to wear this summer, just have fun with and personalize... look and feel confident... most importantly don't forget that sunscreen! ha!.

Mom's Style - Timeless!

Ever go thru old family pictures and wonder what people where thinking back then?, The same can be said about old fashion magazines and fashion trends. It is said that every 20 years trends re-appear with newly updated details,I agree to this especially when I walk into forever 21, it always raining 60's, 70's and 80's in there ha!. Looking thru my mom's old photos I realized that sometimes its not necessary to wait 20 years to recycle a look, for example my mom's photo above, a  strappy simple and sexy summer dress (wearing it to go on a date with dad ), can be updated by simply changing the fabric or maybe even adding a print! (and dont forget accessories). Above I posted a couple of ways this can go: Stripes- because who doesn't love a great simple black and white striped dress, a nautical look always makes a comeback during spring/summer. Printed- because these can show off youre personal style; a floral, polka dot, and leopard prints are always fun and flirty.  Last but not least Sheer- layers of the same tone with a matching colored bodice, can be very beautiful for spring. For some reason I think its time to turn on the sewing machine!

My gorgeous Mom!

Inspirational Designer- William Travilla

Wlilliam Travilla fitting with Marlyn Monroe

When it comes to being a creative individual, there is always an inspiration behind your passion, no matter who you are. One of my inspirations and probably favorite one will have to be William Travilla, he was both an artist and costume designer that came from Catalina Island and made a lasting impact in Hollywood. From the moment I saw his work and sketches completely in watercolor, I realized that that's what I wanted to be, or at least emulate, to be a creative individual that can master both the timely watercolor skill and create a garment from start to finish. If you're a fan of Marlyn Monroe, then you have seen some of the amazing work from Travilla, every garment is perfectly constructed and elegantly executed. Whether you see Travilla as just an Illustrator or a Costume Designer, he proves to be very talented...and when it came time to creating my Personal Portfolio I decided to do what he would have done and did it completely in watercolor. Now that I think about it, it seemed pretty insane for me to even try to accomplish, because I had no social life or saw daylight for about 6 months!. At the end of the day I am very proud to showcase my work because I put a lot of effort and love into it, and I have Travilla to thank a great deal for being so inspiring.

Film: Seven Year Itch



Marlyn's famous Gold lamme dress

Film: Gentlemen Prefer Blonde's

Film: There's no Business like Show Business

*images from http://goldenhollywoodera.com/williamtravilla.php

My Favorite color is Leopard



If things were up to me I would make Leopard a real color in the crayola box, I know some people are intimidated by prints, But I think this is a fun way to add a little character and style to your wardrobe or even room. In my opinion if done right Leopard can go a long way, meaning you don't have to do it from head to toe. It should be done as an accent, maybe some sexy shoes, a cool handbag or if your gonna do a dress keep the accessories solid. Leopard is flirty and fun to me, so naturally I have leopard all over my apartment 'cause I want  it to look as girly as possible, ha!...Leopard can kind of be expensive when it comes to home accessories, but there are some inexpensive ways to decorate, for a few bucks I sew my own pillows, or find an accent rug to create a luxurious look!. There's definitely hundreds of ways to wear or use a print...Its pretty eye catching, Never have I worn my leopard tote and not gotten some sort of compliment.   





Style Icon- James Dean

Style Icon- James Dean

(Motorcycle jacket, cuffed up denim)....try it out!

From School to Fashion Week

After receiving my Bachelor's Degree I had the opportunity to work with a LA based designer and It was an amazing experience. It is very different going from doing school work and working on a portfolio to engaging in the real thing!. When I decided to go to school for Fashion Design I often dreamt that my dream job would be day long adventures of me just illustrating, and here was that opportunity!. He asked me to help him develop ideas for Fashion Week! (what a treat!). It is a long process to making an idea reality, we must have gone thru hundreds of sketches, some I posted bellow as well as actual designs that made the show. When it comes to designing one can come up with elaborate ideas, but the hard part is manipulating those ideas to reality (I found that out the hard way, after spending countless hours trying to figure out the sewing machines at school, what a mess!). At the end of the day, I have some great memories and illustrations that I carry in my portfolio from that experience. I will most likely post many things from my portfolio as things progress here.