ILLUSTRATING MEN

Men.. I am one, I know other men, but I have never drawn one until tonight.

As a fashion designer I've always drawn and illustrated women because that's who I designed for, this past year I've been working hard on refining and improving my skill illustrating women. But now I have a new challenge, when I return to University I will be doing menswear so obviously that means I have to illustrate men.

This is my first attempt, I think it's alright for my first go. Obviously men's bodies are very different from women's, they're much blockier and with a lot less curves. So I tried to draw a convincing male body, not too muscular.. didn't want him looking like a body builder! I really need to learn how to draw hands, feet and faces.. those are my big 3 illustration 'let downs'.

I will be practicing a lot more and will just keep drawing until I find a style that I'm happy with! I am trying to experiment with a more sketchy/loose look to my figures and working with messy shading as you cans see above. I used a picture of the Moon's surface for the jacket print which I put in on Photoshop, I will always complete my illustrations digitally, I think it's my signature.

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RETURN OF THE BACKPACK

Another new Topshop purchase guys, yes another one.

I bought this gorgeous leather backpack a few days ago (I know, another leather piece, I'm so kinky!) and I haven't been so exited or happy about a bag.

This backpack originally came out in May, I saw it numerous times in store and was debating whether or not to buy it. Well I decided not to buy it, decided to be 'good' and not buy another bag. I was unsure because I hadn't used a backpack since school and those were horrible Nike/Addias backpacks, totally lacking in style! Well did I regret that decision not to buy it then and there! After seeing a friend with it I was like "I must have it.. NOW", went back to the store and it was completely sold out in-store and online.

I vowed to get my hands on it at some point, scouring eBay and patiently waiting to see if it would ever come back into stock. This week it did and I rushed into Topshop to get one, I'm so happy I did! It's the perfect backpack; black, leather and not too small or not too big.. it's the perfect size.

It will be perfect over the summer, can take it anywhere.. shopping, to the beach, to the park ect. It will be great when I return to University in September too, as any fashion student knows we have to carry a lot on a daily basis, this bag should be sufficient enough whilst looking oh so stylish!

Practicality and style all rolled into one, a rarity these days.

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HELLO SEPTEMBER

OMG, is it seriously September already!?

For me September is always the start of the new year, wholly based on for as long as I can remember September has always herald the start of the new school/college year. A time of re-invention, starting anew and the prospect of new challenges that lay ahead.

This September will be the dawning of not just a new academic year but the dawning of a completely new life for me, I will be moving away from home to live in Cardiff and attend the University of Glamorgan to study Fashion Design. It is the most life changing event that I will have experienced so far and I am a mix of emotions.. from excitement to fear and everything in between. But one of the most prevailing emotions is excitement, it's a whole new adventure and let me tell you.. I love a good adventure!

I'm so exited to make new friends, live independently and to take my work to another level. My social life will (hopefully) be better than it ever has been before, certainly for the first few week/months it will be an endless circle of meeting new people and being thrown into social occasions that are completely new to me. For the first time ever I will be living independently, all my life I have had parents to cook, clean, wash for me.. and now it's all down to myself. It's going to be a challenge, I know it is.. but one which I will learn from and it will set me up for future life. Of course, all this is secondary to the one main reason why all of this is happening.. I will be an official Fashion Design Student. My work and everything that goes with it will be pushed, challenged and taken to heights I have not reached before. I have so many ideas and so many things I want to experiment with, all of which I will have the resources and creative backing to run with and that's going to be amazing.

Of course I'm scared to the bone with all this change, but it's an important part of life and one which leads to onto the path which I want to follow to achieve all of my dreams and ambitions. Yes it's scary, yes it's going to be hard and yes I'm going to be paying a lot to receive this education BUT it's what I need to do to/what I want to do to get where I want to get in life.. to become a globally known, successful and famed Fashion Designer.

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