Category Archives: Fashion illustration

Inspirations and Comics up Close

Podcasts are a great accompaniment to drawing – you can enjoy them without having to look away from the page – and sometimes they can even inform your work. This week I listened to a long chat with Wayne Hussey, who as a member of Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and Dead or Alive wasContinue reading “Inspirations and Comics up Close”

Graphic memoir as social history

Last week I had just finished page 70. This week I’ve made a good start on page 73, so I’m making progress but am shortly going to put Satin and Tat aside for a short while as I’ve had a commission elsewhere. (Yay!) I’ve been listening to a really excellent podcast recently, as recommended byContinue reading “Graphic memoir as social history”

Pacing and jumble sales

Last week: I’d just pencilled page 68 of an estimated 170. This week: I’ve just finished page 70. Why an ‘estimated’ 170 pages? Because although I’m working from my own dummy copy of the whole book in thumbnail form, printed out and stuck together, now and again I come across a sequence where I haven’tContinue reading “Pacing and jumble sales”

Satin and Tat: study sketches

Sometimes it seems like the more you learn about how to make comics, the longer it takes. While working on Satin and Tat, I’ve changed my habits a bit, placing much more emphasis on preparation. Now, before I even put the final strokes to paper (or screen, since it’s mainly digital work), I’m working onContinue reading “Satin and Tat: study sketches”

80s comic part 2: what medium?

While thinking about character design, I was also giving lots of thought to what medium I’d use. Here are some experiments with digital colouring. I was impressed to find that the digital drawing app I use, Leonardo, can do a very convincing pencil crayon effect: In the end though, I decided I don’t have enoughContinue reading “80s comic part 2: what medium?”

Florence sketch diary, day 4: deluxe cakes, gardens and posh frocks

Here’s day 4 of our trip. If you want to start from the beginning, page 1 is here. Read the next entry for a big discovery, plus the only cat in Florence.

The greatest form of flattery

Well, this really cheered me up! Apparently, one young reader of my comic book Everything My 10-Year-Old Daughter Wore in November was inspired enough to draw her own version. Maisie St Giles, age 6, you have made my day. I’m impressed by your great wardrobe and the many different ways you’ve styled your hair! IContinue reading “The greatest form of flattery”

Everything My Daughter Wore in November: now for sale as a comic

Drawing all my daughter’s clothes last November is one of my favourite recent projects, so I was keen to get it printed up into a comic for people to buy. They arrived today! These are a lot smaller than the other comics I’ve recently been involved in (Two Birds and Salon of Rejects), because IContinue reading “Everything My Daughter Wore in November: now for sale as a comic”

Pick up my Stockholm sketch diary in any Gudrun Sjoden store, for International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day! I’m truly delighted that my Stockholm sketch diary (detailing the trip I took to be an unlikely fashion model for Gudrun Sjödén) has been printed out and will be available to Gudrun shoppers around the world today. Gudrun Sjödén stores always celebrate International Women’s Day (after all, their founder is aContinue reading “Pick up my Stockholm sketch diary in any Gudrun Sjoden store, for International Women’s Day”

Can I be a mother and a successful artist? Hmm, let’s see

This piece of graffiti is a fairly new addition to an underpass on one of my running routes. I enjoy graffiti and street art well enough, but my goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a piece of it that spoke so directly to my own concerns. I’d like to meet whoever scrawled this andContinue reading “Can I be a mother and a successful artist? Hmm, let’s see”

Clovember part 4: the final week of drawing my daughter’s clothes

Here are the drawings of my daughter’s clothes for the final nine days of November (you can see the other weeks here: part one, part two, part three). Click any of the small pictures below to see them at full size. And here are all 30 pictures, nicely arranged in a Flickr album: I didContinue reading “Clovember part 4: the final week of drawing my daughter’s clothes”

Drawing all my daughter’s clothes for #Clovember (week three)

A tricky week: I was away on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday – and as a result, found myself catching up by drawing and colouring  four of these images this morning. The result is that I’m not very happy with a few of them, but never mind. Part of the #Clovember challenge, I think, like anyContinue reading “Drawing all my daughter’s clothes for #Clovember (week three)”

Drawing my daughter’s clothes for Clovember (week 2)

Here are the pictures of my daughter’s clothes this week (see last week’s here). Next week is going to be more challenging, because I’m away tomorrow and then again for a couple of days, with work. My husband has been charged with taking the photos, and we’ll see when I have the time to doContinue reading “Drawing my daughter’s clothes for Clovember (week 2)”

Clovember 2015 – drawing my daughter’s clothes

Clovember is a project in which you photograph (or draw) the clothes you wear, each day in November. A few years ago, I drew both myself and my daughter’s clothes. But these days, I work from home, and I go for a run almost every weekday. Plus winter’s coming and it’s cold sitting in anContinue reading “Clovember 2015 – drawing my daughter’s clothes”

How I experienced the life of a model, with Gudrun Sjoden

I haven’t exactly been blessed with the looks of a model, so no-one was more surprised than me to receive an offer to be photographed for a fashion catalogue. In fact, my first reaction may have been a snort. But it all makes sense when you find out that the invitation came from Gudrun Sjoden.Continue reading “How I experienced the life of a model, with Gudrun Sjoden”

Painting staff and customers at Gudrun Sjödén

Today is International Women’s Day, and it was very nice to be invited to celebrate the day at the shop of Swedish fashion label Gudrun Sjödén. I took my watercolours and brushes up to Covent Garden in London, and had a really pleasant, if somewhat hectic, afternoon. You might remember my post a couple ofContinue reading “Painting staff and customers at Gudrun Sjödén”

Women of Lewes and Brighton

These pictures are made by snapping women in the street with my phone, then working from the photos to paint a composite image on a A1 sheet of paper. The painting was done over a period of a couple of hours. As I’ve just offered this idea to a potential client (painting their customers), IContinue reading “Women of Lewes and Brighton”

My daughter in blue

I posted a picture of my daughter in a jumble of different coloured clothes back in November, but I didn’t show you a second picture of her that I painted a few days later. That’s because I decided to give one picture to each set of her grandparents for Christmas. This one went to myContinue reading “My daughter in blue”

What happens when your New Year’s resolution is “Draw More”?

My new year’s resolution for 2014 was a fairly complex one, but in essence it boiled down to two words: draw more. …and it has felt like I’ve drawn a lot this year. Not as much as someone who doesn’t have a day-job and a child, of course, but a steady stream of stuff nonetheless.Continue reading “What happens when your New Year’s resolution is “Draw More”?”