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Friday 8 June 2012

Outfits on the turnip head

I haven't been down to do any photography since my last post so I thought I'd share some of my journal sketches of my outfits.

I do a sketch every single day, with the very rare exception, as part of my inspiration walk. The sketches are drawn in black ink and coloured in with pencil crayons. I used to airbrush my drawings in Photoshop but now I prefer having the coloured originals in hard copy. Having to concentrate when I'm drawing and the meditative movement of colouring helps me remember the circumstances of a day better than anything else.


Outfit June 1: I did a post of myself in the above outfit here.



Outfit May 22: I'm wearing a thrifted pink-patterned skirt from Banana Republic, which is satiny soft and floaty, with my very bright teal tights and frump shoes. I will post a photo of me in the outfit sometime when it gets warmer again.



Outfit May 25: I wore this outfit when it was warm and sunny and did this sketch sitting on the patio of a favourite coffee shop. That's a cheongsam-style light cotton summer dress with bright flowers on it, worn with my mustard tights and shiny red Dorothy shoes.



Outfit May 28: This was just a little sketch but I like my animal pal - I almost always draw animals in my sketches if you hadn't noticed. I'm wearing my red satin Oriental button-closure top with a stretch black skirt and an assortment of other layers in browns and slate grey. I'm wearing my red beret here too.



Outfit May 29: This is an unusual sketch for me, no colour. I was wearing a bright gold satin boat-neck top with an off-the-shoulder shoulder seam (very cool) over a black T-shirt with a conservative slate-grey skirt, black tights, and my frump heels. I liked the outfit but the vibe in the coffee shop was monochrome. Find the animals in this one.

I just realized today that I think I have about a year's worth of sketches now. Time flies. 

25 comments:

  1. Fantastic Melanie! To create a visual journal all by hand is just amazing - Publish it! Many of the bloggers would love to buy it - both for inspiration but also for your incredible drawings. It's so much fun to see the drawings and then the actual outfits, and both so beautifully done.

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  2. I love your wonderful world of imagination, ahhhhhhhhhhhh
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  3. Love these. The bee and grasshopper are especially charming. More drinks in the sun and dresses as daywear, please!

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  4. Your illustrations are just delightful, Melanie. Quirky, funny, creative, mischievous, stylish - just like their creator, in fact! I would SO buy one. Or many.
    I love the Beauty Secrets of the Animal Kingdom, your crazily cute inflated turnip head in the Beanstalk drawing, and your envy of the evening gown-wearing... what IS that creature?! And is that a cheeky raccoon peeking in the window, or a fox wearing a mask? The creatures are brilliant. YOU are brilliant! xxxx

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  5. I'm thinking the animal in the evening gown is a mongoose, just because I like the idea of a mongoose in an evening gown...I love your sketches and the quirky adventures of your little turnip-headed alter-ego!

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  6. Oh Melanie. You are so awesome. I love the animals floating around your drawings but most of all I love your beautiful little turnip head.
    Connie*

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  7. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your sketches! Just when I think you couldn't possibly do anything more creative than what you've already done, you pop up with something else that just grabs my eyeballs!! Truly adore the animals in your drawings, and your drawings themselves are so full of charm. You are just too talented. You're going to have to be locked up!!

    Much love from Rosemary
    www.foreveronthecatwalkoflife.com

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  8. Love your sketches. Never considered drawing my outfits each day. Think I will try it.

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  9. I love the whimsy, the humor and the sense of YOU in these sketches. I would love to gradually see the entire collection.

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  10. You ALMOST have me wondering what's better: seeing the outfits or seeing your interpretation. I think these sketches would make a wonderful book, for children and grownups. Not sure of the through line, but I know you could figure that out!! Hmmm...I like the idea of Miss M. getting dressed each day for her walk, the way she carefully selects her outfits, and the experiences she has (animals and all!). Maybe the clothes "walk" her! Maybe when she comes home she has a favorite robe she puts on to get comfy until the next day when she has another adventure. She could time travel or go to other countries...and on and on!!

    What fun!! Love you.

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  11. Oh I do hope that the secret masked Mr Foxy is waiting for his take away coffee!!! Tee hee
    Miss Melanie these are just a delight and I am all giggles at each of them, you are so very clever!!! I feel you privileged to peek as theses works and see into your wonderful world.
    Love v

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  12. A year of these illustrations is quite an accomplishment! I tried doing this for a while inspired by your drawings but I had a hard time sticking with it.
    That first one really grabbed my attention. I love that scribble storm!

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  13. Very creative way to meditate every day. I like Jean's idea of a book! I think it would be a bestseller.

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  14. Well, I'd buy the book if you do decide to go for it. Just noticed that I missed your last post. A hat that is warm and purrs? Well, whatta winner!!

    Much love from England,
    Rosemary www.foreveronthecatwalkoflife.com

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  15. Wow you are such an amazing artist!!! I cannot imagine having such creativity flowing from me, astounding!!!

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  16. I adore your artwork! It makes me smile - and sometimes think a little. I too want to look as fab as a fox in an evening gown!

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  17. I would certainly buy a book of your fashionable adventures too!
    My husband and I have many books with lovely pictures that are meaningful to us. A couple of my favorites that you may be familiar with are The Secrets of Pistoulet and it's sequel The Legend of The Villa della Luna. These have a cute story with little pockets on the pages with pull out recipes that go along with the story. And my very sentimental favorite (because John read it to me on a magical little getaway when we spent our first days together after a whirlwind online courtship)...Love on the Left Bank by Ed Van Der Elsken.
    Your drawings, fashion, little animal creatures, and storytelling would be very appealing to many. There are so many details I love about each one of these...I could make this even longer by naming them all...but instead I'll just thank you for sharing them with us. Merci. :)

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  18. jajajaja I looooveeee your ilustration, my favorite is the first, whit the storm of colors and lines in your head... and the pretty wolf so funny... happy new week Melanie

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  19. I love the illustrations, they're cool, fun, quirky & different! you're very talented and creative...

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  20. I just adore your illustrations and the words that accompany them. You are a genius. The first one reminds me of myself at the weekend, standing in the grey murk of an English summer and visualising my delicious technicolour ensemble hidden beneath my fake fur coat! x

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  21. I love these, so much fun :)

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  22. It's no surprise that you sketch every day as you are such an extraordinary artist and I love these interpretations of your various outfits. There's a line of poetry running through my head: "...to paint is to breathe..." I'm not even sure I'm remembering it right and I have no idea who the poet is (possibly Elisabeth Jennings?) However, you appear to breathe both art and visual humour. So inspiring.

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  23. fabulous, thanks for sharing your daily meditations. lovely to see and do.

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  24. I love your sketches, I really should do more then I wouldn't feel so out of practice. I love that you include animals. The last monochrome sketch is fantastic

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  25. Aaah! You know that I just love these sketches. :-)

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