Illustration & photos

Hello! I hope you enjoyed my post on Lionheart Magazine. I have another post about someone (and something) very inspiring to come in the next few days! Hopefully you'll enjoy that too!

To start with, here is a working stage of one of the illustrations in Lionheart. (Fashion illustration showing a dress by Prophetik) I'm so happy with how this one turned out and love it in this stage too!

Christmas has really began in the chocolate shop this week. The mad rush is a little overwhelming (it makes working in a cafe last year seem a doddle!) but it's also becomming an even prettier, exciting and tasty place to work than usual!

Lionheart Magazine

Hels Martin often features in my blog posts - she is a fascinating, enthusiastic writer whose words are so romantic and exciting. I love it when she asks me to illustrate alongside them. (Keep your eyes peeled in the future, we have discussed working together on a little project that will be magical, I'm sure).

Earlier this year, when visiting Fritha in Bristol, we went along to a focus group with Hels, discussing our likes and dislikes in the magazines available to us right now. She had research, notebooks, pictures and magazines with her, all ready to get her very own magazine underway. We talked about magazines we loved, subjects we didn't want and what we really desired from a magazine; creativity, stunning illustrations, beautiful photography, inspiring interviews, stories, lifestyle, traveling, real people, craft and style. We knew what we wanted and we knew Hels was the one to produce this perfect magazine. She talked so passionately about it, this magazine was clearly her dream and now, just months on, she has done it! She has finished the first issue and it will be launched next month! (It is now officially with the printers!)

I knew she was determined but I never dreamed she would get there so quickly. She is so dedicated, strong and inspiring. So so inspiring. Watching her achieve this at all, let alone so quickly, has made me more sure than ever that I will follow my dreams, I will illustrate for a career. And I will love doing it! I'm really excited about the future too, so much is possible! Thank you Hels for showing me this, thank you for how supportive of me you are and thank you for the faith you have always shown in me. I am honoured to have a few illustrations in her magazine and I'm sure we will continue to work together for many years!

I have only met Hels once but through twitter, emails and all those features we've worked on together, I feel like I know her. And I'm proud! Very proud of her! Some of her own words about the magazine:

"This is my dream. This here is a blog, dedicated to this dream.

At a time when print is out, the media is going through a transition and we’re all assessing 

our bank balances, it’s on, the dream. It’s on. I may never have a mortgage, but I’m darn well making this magazine."

Helen is having a launch party for the magazine in a few weeks (I really hope I can make it!). She will have homemade pizza, crafts, prints to buy (including some of mine!), demonstrations and much more. Perfect! If you know Helen, I'm sure you'll be just as proud, if not, find her at the following places:

Twitter

Hels Writes

Lionheart Magazine

 Lionheart Twitter

Facebook

Buy the Magazine! 

 I will share updates/photos/sneak peeks as they come! I'm looking forward to sharing the illustrations I have done for the magazine once it is launched! I'm happy with the work I've produced and cannot wait to see them in print!

Bath in Fashion

Recently the lovely Hels Martin asked me to illustrate the header for the Bath in Fashion Blog which she will be blogging for. The blog will include all news, interviews and reviews from Bath in Fashion, written beautifully by Helen. I'm looking forward to seeing more. Her writing always inspires me and I'm glad to be able to work with her again.

Wonderful pattern designer, Georgia Coote designed the background which is truly beautiful. I'm happy to be in such a creative team of ladies. I hope you like my design!

Bits and pieces

Hi everybody, it's been a while since I posted but I've been very busy busy! I just wanted to drop by and let you know what I'm up to.

I have recently finished an illustration I was producing for the V & A, it is one of my favourite places and I was ecstatic when they contacted me! It is now in there hands and they will be preparing the screen ready for the Yohji Yamamoto at Play Friday Late Event. My illustration will be produced onto bags, I am very excited! I hope to be at the event and will come back with plenty of photographs!  

Over the weekend me and my boyfriend went to stay with fellow Tea and Crayon member Fritha Strickland and her boy, Tom. We had a wonderful weekend, and our time spend at their house, their city and with their cats got me very excited about the future! :) We went shopping, had tea, watched some Eurovision and visited a gallery, perfect! I also got to meet up with Hels Martin, Avril Kelly and Emily Burt. A really lovely weekend. And I had to take some pics of Fritha's amazing cats! They're so cute! I love how grumpy Rockie looks :)

And now back home, I have my final degree show head on, finishing off pieces, printing my work and trying to make my area look good! I'm borrowing a stunning dress from Sophie, the owner and designer at a local boutique,  Bella Flo. I am illustrating and displaying the piece next to my work. I think it will look really visually interesting and enable people to see how I take a design and create an illustration from it!    

  

Here are my frames and work coming together! I can't wait to get the show up and bring you some pictures!!   

Also, buy a copy of Digital Artist from this Thursday as Tea&Crayons will be in there! I hope your weekends have been just as lovely! :) 

 

The Oscars

With the 83rd Oscars Ceremony taking place tomorrow, Amelia's Magazine has produced this wonderful round up of the 13 films nominated. Helen Martin has written another great piece and the accompanying illustrations are fantastic, I'm stunned by the quality of this post!

I produced an illustration of Natalie Portman, up for the best actress award for her role in Black Swan. She is absolutely stunning, with her eyes, lips, cheeks and even her eyebrows standing out beautifully! This has been one of my favourite illustrations to produce recently. I hope you like it too! :)

London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Presentation Review: MariaFrancescaPepe

Take a look at this stunning review of MariaFrancescaPepe by Hels Martin on Amelia's Magazine. It sounds like quite the experience and I was pleased to produce an illustration for it.

 I hope you like it, I enjoyed the perspective of this piece.

I have just been given the most stunning fashion designs to illustrate by Matt Bramford, so once this dissertation is done with (due in on Monday!!) I can get on with those :)

London Fashion Week A/W 2011, Catwalk Review: Carlotta Actis Barone

I have another London Fashion Week illustration to share with my lovely followers! This time the designer is Carlotta Actis Barone. I was asked to illustrate the finale dress, a full length, luxurious, crimson red design. I was delighted to do so. The line detail, colour and textures were extremely fun to illustrate! Check out the full article by Hels Martin in Amelia's Magazine here. There are lots of beautifl illustrations too, so enjoy!

I wanted the gorgeous red dress to be the focus and stand out, so placed it with neutral tones. I hope this works! :)

London Fashion Week A/W 2011, Catwalk Review: Corrie Nielsen

My next London Fashion Week piece is fro an Amelia's Magazine review of the Corrie Nielson show. Witer Helen Martin writes, "Big shoulders, high necklines, victoriana, huge circle skirts, sashes over shoulders, trouser suits with extra long legs and short jackets, balooning at the middle slightly, and beautiful midi length skirt suits with puffed shoulders." Sounds amazing doesn't it? Read the full review here. 

With so little time to get this piece together, I concentrated primarily on the clothes, as this is, of course, the most important part! 

I liked the contrast between the really light clothing and the darker background. I enjoy these super quick (and I mean quick) illustrations as they really loosens you up!

London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Prophetik

My latest illustration is for a London Fashion Week review by Hels Martin. The piece in Amelia's Magazine also features illustrations from the wonderful Gemma Milly. Do go and take a look at the review, the clothes are beautiful!

Before my love for fashion illustration, I doubt I'd be so excited about London Fashion Week, but now I love everything about it. Maybe some day I'll get to go myself, but for now illustrating it will certainly keep me happy!

Amelia Gregory

So, Hels Martin asked me to illustrate Amelia for her round-up of the Amelias's Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch on Amelia's Magazine. I was delighted to do so, especially since I absolutely loved her outfit! (Beautiful Soul cape, Nina Dolcetti shoes and Joanna Cave earrings). You can read her lovely review here.

Here is my image, hope you like!

Features!

Today I was very lucky to have two features about my work! Firstly the lovely Kim Jenkins wrote this lovely piece on me.

She wrote some really wonderful things about me and I feel very honoured! One such line reads "It’s the texture and highlighting of the fabrics that make the clothes stand out, and realistic, and Abby has I think mastered this which is a brilliant achievement before even finishing studying illustration as a student." Kim herself is a beautiful artist so please do follow her blog! 

The second feature is from Hel Martin, a very lovely writer who I've had the pleasure of working with on many Amelia's Magazine posts. I was  commissioned by her (and her boyfriend) to produce some illustrations to give as Christmas presents. One was of her and her boyfriend and the other of her brother and his wife. It was a pleasure to do this for them and really pleased they liked them! :) read her blog post here.

Johnny Flynn

I looked up Johnny Flynn after Helen Martin tweeted about doing an interview with him last week. I love his music - he has an amazing voice - and he's a very handsome fellow, I knew he'd be great to draw! Helen gave me the go ahead to do an illustration and now it is up on the Suit Yourself Magazine website :)

Here it is:

I'm really happy with the result!