Travel Sketching

This week we've been in Vancouver for some meetings and other things. We tried to get out and explore as much as we could but it's been non-stop, heavy rain the whole time, so we've mostly stuck to indoor activities. In fact, the first few days were so grey I started the Instagram hashtag #NotBlackAndWhiteJustVancouver ;)

Of course the sun came out and it was completely gorgeous, 20 minutes before we had to leave for the airport. Here are a couple of pics if you're interested...

While we were there we visited the Juxtapoz x Superflat exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which was really cool, and took a sea-plane flight around the area. And we also had a lot of lazy mornings in our hotel, eating breakfast in the lounge and sketching. 

Here are a few of my favorites from the Juxtapoz show. I wrote down who each of the pieces was by, and now I've managed to misplace that note. Sorry! Click on any of the images to see them a little bigger.

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Oh Big Bird, you saucy fellow!

So, my question to you is what art supplies do you take with you when you travel — or what is in your handbag every day? I always take WAY more than I'm going to be able to use, but I was almost glad for the rainy weather, which meant I got some creative time in this trip!

In my carry-on I had two sketchbooks, a handful of Tombow markers, a bag of Prismacolor brush markers, stash of Micron Fineliners, Liquetex Paint Markers, some brushes, pencils, and my home-made travel watercolor tin! 

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Shop Shop Shop

I don't know about you, but I scored some great deals on Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday! I particularly love buying from other artists and makers, locally and online, because I know I'm getting something special and helping support an individual to make a living doing something they love. I did some Etsy shopping, went to the local holiday craft fair, and paid a visit to online stores run by some of my creative friends. 

And of course I couldn't resist creating an illustration for my weekend (that's supposed to be me, minus the big pregnant belly). ;)

What about you, get anything really cool this weekend?

On a side note, I have something special coming just for you, so make sure you're signed up to my email newsletter (if you're not, you can sign up below). I won't be giving this little surprise out publicly, but I've been working on it for a while and it's a little freebie for my lovely subscribers. 

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Download Your Illustrated 2017 Calendar!

This year I'm making my 2017 calendar downloadable so you can print it yourself right away. These work great for pin-boards at your desk, sticking to the fridge, framing, or using in your planner. 

AND, to say thank you here's a 10% off code to use with it — just enter 'handmade10' in checkout.

Each of the images in the calendar was originally part of a series I created for Inktober (a month of ink drawings). I then digitized them on my iPad (here are my favorite iPad apps for artists) and added some watercolor elements. If you're a regular BrownPaperBunny reader you know how much I love fashion illustration and bright colors, so I couldn't resist giving these ladies 'rainbow hair'. :)

Here is one of the original drawings being created. As you can see I like to watch TV and drink tea while I paint. ;)

Tonight's inktober fashion illustration was inspired by The Glamourai, painted in ink. Check out my blog if you'd like to see more: http://blog.brownpaperbunny.com

Thanksgiving Sale

Thanksgiving is such a great time for reflection and I've been spending time thinking about the people who matter most to me, and trying to send them more snail mail to let them know I love them and they're in my thoughts (even if there are oceans between us geographically).

I am also so thankful to be able to do what I love, and to have met so many of you lovely people through the blog and social media — so I wanted to give you a little discount on all my prints and stationery right through until the end of the month. Just enter 'handmade10' in the checkout. 

If you're anything like me, you're already trying to get all of your holiday shopping out of the way so you can just enjoy time with family. I bet there is something in my store that would be perfect for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list. ;)

If you're interested in a custom portrait, let me know. I'm happy to apply the 10% discount to those too. 

xx

DFW Fall 2016

I scored a front row seat for the first night of Denver Fashion Week(end), and again for the final night of Fall 2016 show this week. It was pretty fantastic, with some great local designers and talent. I've started illustrating a few of my favorites and you can watch each of the actual shows and flick through the photo slideshow below. 

Timelapse Fashion Illustration from the Femme Fatale Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end)

Illustrating some more of my favorites from DFW: Ansley Hair Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

Artemis Birch Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

There's some incredible fashion talent here in Colorado, check out some of the runway shows from Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

Femme Fatale Intimates Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

Mona Lucero Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end)

Steve Sells Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

Maggie Burns Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016 I liked Maggie's designs, but the show itself was very long and awkward and reminded me of a debutant ball full of awkward teens doing awkward dances.

Anthony H Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

Tyne Hall Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016

Rachel Marie Hurst Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) Fall 2016 Really loved all of her fabrics!

Night by Charlie Price - Runway Show at Denver Fashion Week(end) I enjoyed some of his designs, but it looked like the shoes were about to fall off most of the models, so they couldn't walk properly, which was distracting. The poor girls looked terrified!

Denver has so much local talent, I'm thrilled to see it showcased in such a cool way! Leave me a comment and let me know if anything in particular caught your eye.

Denver Fashion Weekend: Fall '16

Denver Fashion Weekend is coming up and I am SO excited! I've been to Sydney Fashion Week in Australia and a host of other fashion shows since I arrived in the USA, but never to Colorado's biggest fashion event!

The organizers (303 Magazine) have been kind enough to give me a discount code for you too — just enter '303Blogger' to get 10% off: http://bit.ly/DFWFall16

I'm going to be doing a little live sketching from some of the shows, and I'll definitely be doing a round-up back here on the blog afterwards! Make sure you're following me on Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter for all the live action!

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Be Yourself

We've been having a lot of discussion lately, about authenticity and being your true self as an artist, in an art journal group I'm a part of.

With the internet comes ready access to other artist's work, and also praise and criticism of our own creations via social media and other online channels. Does this seep into our subconscious and ultimately influence what we create? Leave a comment and let me know what you think? 

This quote by Judy Garland always sums it up well for me — I just have to keep reminding myself.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. —Judy Garland

Inktober Day 31: Halloween

I can't believe we've reached the end of the Inktober Fall Fashion Challenge! A whole month of drawing and painting using only ink. Even though I fell behind at times, I always had a lot of fun catching up, and creating all of these fashion illustrations! 

The very last prompt was 'Halloween' so I drew these four cute costumes I found on Pinterest. Cactus, Popcorn, Cotton Candy and Ice-Cream. And it just occurred to me that they are almost all food-themed — maybe I need to go eat something. ;)

What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year? 

Inktober Day 29 (Fringe) and Day 30 (Accessories)

In a bid to catch up on my Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge prompts I combined Day 29 and Day 30, to create this gold 1920s Flapper dress — with jeweled hair clip and two-toned shoes. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I used to have a black dress (and shoes) just like this. :)

Check out all my other Inktober drawings here. 

Inktober Day 26 (Blazer), Day 27 (Plaid), Day 28 (Skirt)

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

Maybe it's the touch of Scottish heritage in me but I love a good tartan or plaid. So I combined Day 26 of the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge, which was 'blazer' with Day 27 which was 'plaid' and Day 28 'skirt'. 

I used Tombow Brush Markers as watercolors (more on the technique here) and then outlined it in Micron Pens. 

You can see all of my inktober entries here. :)

Inktober Day 25: Cardigan

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

I love a good cardi, and when I saw this cute picture of Atlantic-Pacific's outfit I knew I just had to paint it for the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge. 

I used a combination of Dr Ph Martin's Liquid Ink, Tombow Markers, and Sakura Micron Pens. 

Uploaded by BrownPaperBunny on 2016-10-31.

You can see all of my Inktober entries here. 

Inktober Day 24: Coat

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

For Day 24 of the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge I drew a coat I wish I owned. Soft pink, military cut, but with a feminine bow. If you ever see a coat like this will you let me know? ;)

I used Tombow markers to get a watercolor effect (see the tutorial here) and then outlined it with Sakura Micron pens. 

You can see all of my inktober entries here. 

Inktober Day 22 (Belt) and Day 23 (Poncho)

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

I combined Day 22 and Day 23 of the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration challenge because what's a poncho without a good belt to give it some shape!?

I've been using Tombow Markers by blending the color on a palette and then using water and a paintbrush to paint them onto my picture. There's a little tutorial here if you're interested. 

Check out all of my other inktober entries here. 

Inktober Day 21: Sneakers

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

In my books, brighter is always better — and if your sneakers aren't burning your retinas then they probably aren't bright enough. ;)

I wish the fluorescent pink Liquetex Marker came up as bright in my photo as it is in real life. It really, really pops! For all of the other colors I blended Tombow brush marker ink on a palette and then painted it on. (Click here for a tutorial on marker blending).

How about you, do you go for bright or more muted colors when you buy shoes?

You can see all of my inktober fashion illustrations here. 

Inktober Day 20: Jumpsuit

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

The prompt for Day 20 of the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge was 'jumpsuit'. So I used Tombow markers, blended and painted onto the paper (tutorial here), to create this military-inspired version. 

You probably don't know this about me, but I've always been drawn to all things mechanical and have a love for technology, and driving. Combined with my background in Marketing, this led me into a job where I used to sell and demonstrate tanks and armored vehicles. I had to be licensed to drive trucks and other heavy equipment, and know more about the vehicles than any of the Army boys - just to hold my own in that industry. 

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I don't think it shaped my career as an artist in any way, but that job certainly made me thicker-skinned which helps from time to time. And I got to travel all around the world (business class of course) from Switzerland to Singapore and everywhere in between!

Anyway, I always like hearing about how people's varied backgrounds shaped who they are, and I love how contradictory people's interests can be so I thought you might get a kick out of knowing that about me. Sure my favorite color is hot pink and I love to paint fashion illustration, but I've also owned more motorcycles than cars, and I used to drive tanks for a living. ;)

Leave me a comment and tell me two seemingly contradictory things about yourself!

Inktober Day 19: Football Jersey

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

Day 19 of the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge was 'Football Jersey'. I'm still trying to work out American Football, the rules etc. and while I find it quite slow compared to Aussie Rules and even Rugby, I'm determined to give it another go this season. I always enjoy games more live, and with the Broncos stadium just down the road, perhaps I just need to go to more actual games rather than watching them on TV. ;)

I've been using Tombow markers to get a watercolor look on my inktober paintings lately, and today's prompt was no exception. 

If you'd like to see how I do it, check out my step-by-step tutorial here or watch the video below and you'll get a pretty good idea. 

Inktober Day 18: Chambray

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

I've never been brave enough to buy a Chambray shirt — having no idea how to style it. But because Day 18 of the Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge for Inktober was Chambray, I went in search of cute outfit ideas. I found this on Pinterest, and loved it paired with the leather fringe clutch. 

Have you ever owned a chambray shirt? And if so, what did you wear it with?

I used Tombow markers as watercolors, mixing them first on a blending palette, watering them down, and using a paintbrush to paint the ink onto my paper. You can check out the technique in more detail here. 

And check out the rest of my InktoberFF entries here. 

Inktober Day 17 Flats

The prompt for Day 17 of #inktoberff was flats. Of course I had to paint these fun rainbow ballet flats I found on Pinterest. 

You may not know, but I did Classical Ballet for 19 years, along with Jazz Ballet, Tap Dancing, Street Funk, Hip-Hop, Bollywood, Ballroom, Swing and Ceroc Dancing. So I'm always drawn to dance shoes of all types! 

Going to the ballet is still one of my all-time favorite things, and I've been lucky enough to see the American Ballet Company, the Russian Ballet, New York Ballet and a whole host of other amazing companies perform. I love to dance, but I've never been all that good at it, so I'm in awe of professional dancers and how effortless they make it look.

Rainbow flats #fashionillustration for #inktoberff — as part of #inktober https://t.co/0FykgHTwpz

— Jessica Mack (@BrownPaperBunny) October 22, 2016

How about you, did you ever do any dancing or take any dance lessons? 

If you'd like to see all of my entries for Inktober so far, click here. 

Inktober Day 15: Sweater

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

Today's Inktober Fall Fashion prompt was 'sweater' so, inspired by Blake Lively, I drew this little number.  

I don't know about you but Fall (or Autumn as we call it in Australia) is my favorite time of year. I'll take sweaters over tank tops any day. And the chance to curl up in front of the fire with a good book while the leaves change outside — yes please! 

Not to mention Fall is ridiculously beautiful here in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The air is fresh, but still warm, the trees turn every shade you can imagine from greens through to purples, and the sky seems to be extra blue. Unlike other parts of the country Fall is super sunny and gorgeous here in Colorado. 

And I didn't even mention the array of delicious hot drinks available at this time of year! ;)

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Inktober Day 16: Long Sleeved Dress

The prompt for Day 16 of the Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration Challenge (and also my birthday) was long-sleeved dress, so I painted this dress from the '40s that I wished I owned. I've always been obsessed with late '30s, '40s, and '50s women's fashion. How about you, do you have a favorite fashion era?

I used Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Ink in Teal, mixed with a little black to give it more depth. For the outlines I used Micron pens. 

If you'd like to see all of my Inktober Fall Fashion Illustration entries so far, visit: http://www.brownpaperbunny.com/blog/inktober-fall-fashion

Inktober Day 14: Boots

I had some fun creating these simple, pink, suede boots for Day 14 of #inktoberff

Watch the short video of it coming together:

You can see all of my entries for Inktober so far here.