Style profiles - the 28th and 29th of March.

Hey guys, yesterday I celebrated my birthday with my friends and we took a lot of pictures. I'm going to take this opportunity to showcase what we wore. I had loads of fun and I thank all my best friends for coming. 

The birthday girl ^ 

My makeup was done by the talented Avineet Kaur. She is so good, pfft there's no way I could of done it this good by myself. I know one day she'll do it as a business because she's so good. 

Names from left to right; Avineet, Faduma, Lauren, Katlyn, Meryem, Austeja and Narin. 

Recent purchase: Uni pin fine line 0.1 and Stadler fineliner 0.3 x5

This post is a bit late but Happy April, Happy Birthday to all those in a April. So for my birthday I got a lot of money and I'm crazy about art materials so the first thing on my mind was to go art shopping. I went to Rymans to have a look around and in there I picked up some fine liners and a sketchbook for £4.99, a bargain right!? 

So today I'm going to be doing a product review on them. 

The Uni pin fine liner is incredibly thin and I've never actually worked with a fine liner that thin before so this is all new to me. A pro is that water and fade proof so it's okay to use with watercolour and markers and it doesn't smudge. I bought the Uni pin fine liner for £1.65 at Rymans I think it's cheap and also quite worth it because it's a great pen. When I first drew with it I made a lot of mistakes and jogged myself because it was my first time using a fine liner of that size. I would reccomend this fine liner it's really good and doesn't smudge. 

Secondly I bought the Staedeler 0.3 fine liner. I found this a lot easier to draw with because it was a bit thicker but it still gives your work a nice outline. This fine liner is sadly not waterproof and I had a terrible experience with watercolour using this fineliner. That's not bad it just means that it's not meant for water colour. 

I hope that gave you some sort of insight on what fine liners to buy. A good option if you can afford it is the Pigma Micron pens however I refuse to pay almost £20 for 4 pens. 

Lauren x

Happy Birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!

Hey guys it's my birthday whoop whoop. So there will be a post later on. 

Lauren x

How to set up a blog on blogger.

A lot of you ask me this question millions of times and I'm really surprised because it's so easy. 

Firstly just to let you know blogger is a product of google meaning that you need a google account to have a blog on blogger. So if you already have that ten your ready to go.. If not then make one.

The next post is obviously head to www.blogger.com. If your not already signed in it'll promt you to sign in. 

You'll see a page called your blogger dashboard and that says you have no blog so you need to create one. So click on new blog. 

You then have to choose a name for your blog. Before you do this think very hard because your name is what people remember you by. 

After that it'll bring you to the templates page and that'll be your layout. This is actually one of the things I don't like about blogger - the themes and templates are sooooo boring, dull and plain. However just pick one. 

To create post you click on new post. That's it really, your all ready to blog. 

Lauren xo

A beginners guide to fashion illustration.

So I've been away for a bit and you need a post to get you back in the mood! So get comfortable because this post is going to be long. By the way guys it's my Birthday on Monday! 

Disclaimer: 

Before we start can I just say I'm not judging anyone. I've been doing fashion illustration for about 4-5 years meaning that I'm educated on it and I know quite a lot about it however my drawings are not the best yet and I'm still developing them but I wouldn't count myself as a beginner. I don't want you to take this like I'm looking down on beginners and blah blah blah because I'm not, I'm trying to help because we've all been there. (:  

Let's get started. 

1. Make a few decisions. 

Do you want to start fashion illustration? It it something you are interested in? There is no point picking something you don't like because you'll never put 100% into it because you don't like it. 

3. Educate yourself. 

To draw fashion, you must know fashion. All the drawing makes you a wonderful artist however it helps to have knowledge too. Read blogs and a lot of information and learn new things. With these things collect them and make mood boards or mind maps. If you know how to make moodboards already skip the next step.. If you don't listen up. 

3. Create moodboards. 

(I'm going to whizz through this really quickly because I need to get onto the next step an don't want to make this post too long. 

• Firstly you need to collect inspiration about what you like and what you think is inspiring. The first thing some people do is head to google images. When I can't be bothered that's exactly what I do... Head to google images. However to make a good moodboard it's important that you look beyond that and look in the outside world. For example a certain leaf might inspire you to create something or a quote from a book? Gather all of this info. A good idea is also to take pictures outside so that If you see something you like your not struggling to remember it. 

• Then get a large piece of paper or in my circumstance stick a lot of A4 printer paper together lol. Arrange all your pictures with a little space around them just so you can jot down anymore ideas or things about the images you've stuck down. 

• Annotate the moodboard and add words and quotes and sentences. For example next to a picture you might want to say what it inspired you to create or why you chose it. 

3. Your ready to draw. 

You may want to jump right into it but I recommend you take your time and just follow these steps. Collect some fashion magazines and then trace models. This will give you an idea of how a body is meant to be drawn and where all the Curves and straight lines belong. After that type into google images 'fashion croquis' you'll find loads and just pick a few and practice copying them and drawing them. Remember practice makes perfect and if you get it wrong the first time don't give up just try again because even the top artists started where you are. After add basic clothes. Don't worry about creases and things like that on the clothes because that's actually my next tutorial. You may want to be self taught or you can use YouTube channels like; Zyra Banez, FashionArtventures, Fsketcher and many more. You can also visit www.idrawfashion.com to Learn how to draw clothes and accessories. 

Lauren xo

My top 5 useful things.

No post since Friday, Lauren where you at?! I've been a little busy doing things and run out of time to blog but I'll make it up as usual. 

As some of you know, it's my birthday next week Monday and every year for my birthday I see it as a major style event. I'm out going out with my friends but I still am debating on what to wear because it's a big deal for me lol. I'd like to thank my stylist Avineet Kaur in advance Lol. 

Today's post is going to be about the things I use that are useful to me. As artists we have similarities. So listen out, you may find a great new app or website.

1. Blogger 

Where would I be without blogger! The online blogging platform that I use to deliver my thoughts and ideas with you guys. It's only been 3 months since I started blogging and I love it, however I don't always get the time to do it. If your an expert in a certain field make a blog! You may not know it but someone out there likes the things that you do, and even if it's only one or two people at least you know your blogging on things they like and want to hear/read.

2. Wikihow 

I use wikihow fashion when i'm out of blogging ideas and want to give you guys a little tutorial. It's really useful for finding out how to do things. Any tutorial you want is on there it's so cool I even downloaded the wikihow app for my iphone. 

3. Evernote

You may not know Evernote, it's like an online notebook and you can jot anything down. I use mine to keep all my fashion design case studies in there. I find it really useful.

4. Bloglovin

Who has not heard of bloglovin? It's a place where you can read and collect all your favourite blogs and blog posts and read them whenever you like. It gives you a chance to see new blogs, find new ideas, make new friends and also advertise your own blog.

5. Youtube

Many use youtube for entertainment but i'd say with me youtube is more work related. I learn from my favourite channels:

• FashionArtventures
• Zyra Banez
• Fsketcher

Those are my top 5. I'll have a more updated list up soon with more apps and websites.

Lauren

Interviewing Zyra Banez.

Hey guys, so I finally have what I promised! The interview with my favourite fashion illustrator Zyra Banez!  I'll leave her youtube below for you to check it out. She's very nice and likes talking to her fans.

1. Did you always want to be a fashion illustrator or did you develop the passion?

I would say that I developed a passion. To be honest, I was never that into fashion when I was younger so I definitely didn't imagine being a fashion illustrator around that age.

2. How did you start off with fashion art? 

Well, I was introduced to it when I was watching Big Brother (Philippines version) and this girl made an illustration of a dress she designed. I fell in love with it and tried to copy it. That's kind of what started me with the whole fashion illustration. 

3.  How has your practice and work developed over time?

I would say that I've come a fairly long way in my work. My style has definitely changed over time, although I'm not sure I've truly found my style yet. I guess how it developed was due to my determination to just get better. I'm quite passionate about it which is my main drive. I'm also always surrounded by people better than me, artists that I look up to, and I always try to learn from them.

4. What are your most used art materials?

I use Quill Multiboard A4 white paper, Pilot GTEC 0.3mm black pen, Copic markers and Faber-Castell coloured pencils of course I also use pencils and erasers, by Pentel and Faber-Castell, respectively.

5. How do you get your ideas for illustrations and designs?

I normally get my ideas from things that I like. For example, last year I was completely in love with the Dolce and Gabbana haute couture collection 2013 and from there I was able to generate my own designs. I like following trends and being on Tumblr most of the time, so that's probably my main source of things I like.

6. What do you dislike about your work?

It's not so much the work that I really dislike. I'd say that I dislike the process I have when creating the work which affects the final outcome of my illustrations. I'm quite lazy and just try to "wing it" every time I create a drawing. The final result always ends up not looking the way I wanted it to. That's mostly the case for my artworks and I am still trying to change that (with no luck), but I try to focus more on what I like about my work rather than what I dislike, just because thinking about what I dislike about my work will just stress and irritate me to no end. 

7. Who is your favourite artist?

Well I really like Jackson Pollock especially his abstract artworks. I've always liked abstract paintings and how they make absolutely no sense to me, but I love them anyway. His work is particularly my favourite. I also like Katie Rogers as a fashion illustrator. She's definitely what really interested me on learning how to draw fashion illustration, not just drawing it. Looking at her illustrations made me really interested in doing my research and teaching myself in hopes to be like her one day. 

8. How long have you been drawing?

I have been drawing ever since I could remember, and I always say when I was 6. It's only because it's my earliest memory of when was drawing, but I'm pretty sure I started at a really young age. It's always what I've been known for and what people associate me with, so drawing has definitely been a part of my life for a very long time.

9. What's the best thing about being an artist? 

That's a tough question and something I've never really thought of. I guess the best perk to being an artist is having not having to buy expensive paintings to hang on my wall because I always just think that I'll hang my own artworks instead. Of course that makes me seem like a narcissist, but as much as I would like to purchase original artworks from some of my favourite artists, I just don't have the money. So to decorate my room, I hang my artworks instead of buying some.

10. Any advice to the upcoming fashion illustrators starting out?

Definitely work hard and practice. It's such an over used advise, but people always overlook this advice. I like to draw whenever possible, so a simple doodle for me on a regular basis is my kind of practice which just reinforces my creative thinking and my skills. I really believe that this works. Perhaps not to everyone, but majority. Keep practicing and keep motivated.

Thanks so much for talking to us Zyra and giving us that great advice! 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/zyra333

Free ebook

Hey guys so I decided i'm going to make a few ebooks now, At least one every week and they will be on all sorts of things and info about fashion art and drawing. I decided to make them only about fashion illustration because this is a fashion art blog and lately I've been going off topic and onto different fashion subjects which isn't bad but the content is mostly supposed to be on fashion illustration so watch out for those Ebooks! 

So today i'm going to give you a little background on fashion illustration from the to of my head. As you know it's a combination of fashion and art, some also call it ''fashion art''. It's used for magazines and also used for predicting what garments are likely to look like. From what I know fashion illustration has been around for about 450 years and during that time its really evolved. 

It was recognized a lot in Vogue, before they had pictures for their covers: 

Laurey xo

Afriquechique.

Hey guys due to teen star I've been very very busy that's why no posts have come for like 4 days, I'm very sorry about that! 

I'd like to tell you guys about an online boutique that I've fallen in love with called Afriquechique. As most of you know even if I don't see it or hear it or know it everything African is me, I have an addiction Lol. 

I came across this boutique whilst watching a video on YouTube by Lydia's Madness. Check out she's a German Ghanaian obsessed youtuber. I love her, she's amazing. Can you believe she has a kente umbrella? So cool! 

Anyway onto Afriquechique, If you google it it'll appear. It should look like this: 

Even when I hadn't seen any of the clothes and only the homepage I was in love. The dresses are so so so beautiful and made with real kente. I'll definitely be buying one sometime soon! 

If your interested go have a look around because I really do like the clothes there because they're so pretty. The most you'll spend there is £60 - £65 which I think is reasonable for a dress made with real kente. 

Lauren xo

Teen Star 2014

Hey guys today is the beginning of my teen star journey with Centainne, out audition is today... Wish us luck because were super excited and can't wait! 

Laurey xo

Sales - Next and Boohoo

Lol I seem to be posting one after then other like a crazy computer geek... it's to make up the times when I didn't post. So i'm going to talk about sales, who doesn't love a good old clothing sale?

Next clearance sale 
Next are having a clearance sale and wherever there is a clearence sale you need to get in there asap! Next isn't that pricy, meaning that when they do their sale things should be a lot cheaper so get in there! 

Boohoo.com
Boohoo are also having a clearance sale and boohoo has incredibly cheap fashion that looks really good. Jumper dresses are being reduced from 20 to 12 pounds, crop tops and shorts have been reduced to 6 and 8. It's a great sale don't miss out.

Lauren x

Trend Report: Words, Florals and Mono

Welcome to my once in a blue moon trend report! I don't do them a lot because I feel like you shouldn't feel as if you have to follow trends all the time because they're not that important. 

Anyways first up is a sudden trend of words that's hit the catwalk. Lately garments with words and lettering have been trending on catwalks and on the streets. I think it's great, I have a few of these garments in my wardrobe too. It's not so much phrases or full sentences its just words. I think this is a good trend because it enables people to express how their feeling through their clothing and it has this idea of ''wear what your thinking''.

Secondly is florals, floral dresses have been appearing as part of 2014's Spring and summer trends. It's not so popular right now but I think by summer it'll definately be a crazy trend.I feel that florals are meant to be worn in the summer for some reason. I'm not so over the moon about this trend lol because i'm not a fan of florals in spring but my mind may change lol. 

  Finally is the trend I love the most Mono (black and white)!!! I seem to be obsessed with this trend because I have masses of black and white in my wardrobe. It's like a fever.. I intend to go out and buy colourful clothes and I end up coming home and buying millions of black and white clothing and I didn't even mean to lol but it suits me so I buy a lot of it. I think this is a spring trend. It was very popular in the sixties and now it has returned however it has come back modernised. This time is with geometrical shapes and there is a lot of pattern play involved as well so its back with a new twist.

Laurey xo

I draw fashion, FashionArtventures and Fsketcher.

Hey guys, I thought today i'd give you a few posts thats because I feel really happy and generous! So firstly next week i'm officially starting my arts award (yipeee) so there will be posts on that as well as guest posts from friends who are also completing there awards. 
  
In this post i'm going to be talking about 2 places on the internet that practically began my Fashion illustration journey.

http://www.idrawfashion.com/ 
I draw fashion is a website/blog about fashion drawing and its nothing but tutorials and croquis! A person called Teya Bozhilova runs it and she's really talented, she uses the same kind of materials as me except she uses copic and I use promarkers. As well as that she also gives fashion illustration classes over skype for a discounted price, you can send her your work and she'll give you feedback for free. So head over there right now!

Click here to be taken to FashionArtventures (Youtube)
FashionArtventures's website is down at the moment so I can't direct you that however they have a youtube channel and you can learn so much from it. I learnt how to draw maternity clothing from their Kate Middleton Dress (when she was pregnant) tutorial. I've also learnt how to use watercolour from them. They also use a range of materials from chalk to inks and markers to paints and the amazing thing is they show you how to use all of them!

Click here to be taken to Fsketcher (Youtube) 
The last one is Fsketcher and a woman called Aliyah Yu runs it. Perfect for people like me. She uses letraset promarkers and she makes everything so easy. Her website is also down lol so i'm going to have to give you her youtube channel. On her youtube channel there is a lot of tutorials how ever she doesn't post as often so you get bored after watching the same videos but do check her out!

Lauren

Zyra Banez - LOVEtHEART Fashion.

I didn't post yesterday because my wifi wasn't working...! Oh no! Anyway in today's post I'm going to be talking about my favourite fashion illustrator. Let's get started! 

Her name is is Zyra Banez! Zyra is 18 and is a fashion illustrator based in Australia. She is one of my favourite illustrators and I learned a lot of things from her. I also wanted to tell you guys that I asked to interview her, just for this blog and she said yes! So watch out for that guys! Her YouTube channel has loads of tutorials and time lapse videos of her creating really beautiful illustrations. Just from watching them I learnt a lot. She uses copic ciao markers and I use letraset promarkers however it was from her that I learnt how to use markers properly. Her style and technique is amazing. She's a regular vlogger. Like you and I she's a human being so she gets busy but she uploads often. Her channel is really good and informative so go and check that out right away! She also has a blog and on that you can find ways to contact her. You can find the blog on the description bar below any of her videos. 

Click here to visit Zyra's youtube channel     Click here to visit Zyra's blog

Laurey xo

Hilly and Hariet

Hey guys so I'm starting a new kind of collection/story about 2 superhero sisters called Hilly and Hariet Hatfield. Although they are superheroes I've made the collection really stylish and the first outfits I've draw were in latex in a bright sort of red. I got the idea from my textiles homework 'design a superhero outfit with smart and modern materials' so I totally crossed out the smart and modern materials and got to work lol. I'm also working on my Disney princess collection but I don't know which princess to draw so if you have any ideas tell me! 

Laurey xo

Scenario #2: How to be a trend setter

I mention time and time again that girls like you and I should become trend setters instead of trend followers and here's how. 

Firstly you need to look at what's in your wardrobe and mix and match. If it's floral season wear stripes! Always be different from the rest. 

Secondly you will need to take risks and stand out. Not every outfit you wear is gonna look good on you but however it gets people talking and raises eyebrows. Don't over accessorise because that's just no. 

Never wear plain jeans and a top. Always jazz it up. Don't tell people where you got your clothes or they'll copy you. You want them to try and copy your style but not to be as amazing as yours. 

Lauren x