When I was going through my treatment, I stayed home for over six months, spending all of my time in the most comfortable sweatshirts and pyjamas. In between office work and naps, I thought of the time I would go back to office, which would be a swanky new building, and getting dressed up everyday. I work in fashion and what I love about working where I do, is that you can wear anything you want - shiny heels or knee high boots, torn jeans or mini skirts, spaghetti straps, biker jackets, short shorts or layered kurtas.. anything! In the two years of corporate life before I got sick, a basic safe t-shirt or top with clean jeans and sneakers was my uniform, punctuated with a dress or a skirt and heels on a rare Friday. It is the six months of continuous pyjama wearing and the amount of time I had to think, that I figured out a few things.For a long time I had been (and sometimes now too) conflicted with my interests that clash so much with each other. I want to work on environmental issues, grow trees, reduce plastic, recycle.... and I work in the fashion industry where I make more and more clothes to sell. For the longest time I felt guilty about being interested in fashion, while hating fashion at the same time. It is only recently that I started to acknowledge that for me, dressing up isn't always dependent on buying and hoarding more and more. And besides, what's wrong with wanting to look nice, or wanting to look a certain way?"Life is too short to wear boring clothes" (and youth is even shorter!)So I drew things I would like to wear when I go back to work, with my hair in a short crop and of course a good amount of artistic license. :)I just recently got around to scanning those illustrations, so here they are:
I am always partial to crayons as a medium, for their sheer convenience (and also their smell and creamy texture), but looking at some not-so-bad attempts at watercolour, I am encouraged to take out my paint brushes and watercolours more often. Miles to go, but it seems like a fun path.
Will definitely do more illustrations now that I am back to work, dressed up in my kitten heels and red lipsticks. :)p.s. Click on images to enlarge
Peachy pink fashion girls
Finished an old illustration recently. I'm always intimidated by watercolours, but once in a (rare) while I still try to work with them. Maybe a little more frequent practice will help. :)
Selfiyaan hi selfiyaan
Aren't we?
I think the selfie trend, the ease of taking our own pictures and publishing them for hundreds and thousands of people to view, is partly responsible for our obsession with the way we look, our obsession with fashion and the things we buy and wear. We can't look perfect all the time, but at least our pictures can, at least to others.
Before I lose them in recycling
...last year's drawings
How Fashion Bloggers Dress
Sometimes trying too hard to stand out ends up becoming a cliche! :P
Glitter Shoes
Can you believe I've worn these shoes only twice? It was chipping off and was kept in my shoe rack for 3 years before I decided to take some risks and have fun with it.
Off goes the top layer along with the bow.
Meanwhile...
I took a detour from the stationery shop when I went to buy colour, and bought these too :)
Time for painting, with an overdose of an obnoxious amount of glitter!
Black + pink for the canvas shoes...
... and bright blue for the peep toes.
All done!
I still have to find an occasion to wear the blue peep toes, but these are already worn out!
That is why you should sketch!
After not sketching for months together, I tried getting back to it on a brand new notebook. It took me almost an hour between Nigella's Kitchen and Project Runway and major overuse of the eraser to make a sad little "fashion drawing". More motivation to sketch!!
Published!
Aaah.. the wonder that is Photoshop :)
Watercolours again
Tripping on Photoshop!
More doodles...
... and some Photoshop :)
Random doodles....
Flapper girls :)
Whenever I have a blank sheet of paper and a little time, I end up drawing flapper girls of the 1920's. It is one of my favourite times of fashion, and probably my favourite doodle topic. :)