Bleubird Vintage

 I started following James Kicinski-Mccoy, or as she has become known to the internet world, Bleubird Vintage, after seeing re-tweets on twitter. As soon as I saw her blog, I fell in love. It is full of posts including fashion, photography, craft, home-schooling, family (beautiful family!) and much more. Everything is incredibly inspiring and I would recommend reading it to absolutely everybody. There will be something for you!

I was recently asked by Hels Martin to illustrate a picture of her and her youngest daughter, Gemma Bird to accompany her interview in Lionheart Magazine. Of course, I jumped a the chance. I illustrated two in the end and one can be found in the magazine. I hope she will see and like what I have done! They were beautiful photographs to illustrate.

Both illustrations were created using photographs from Bleubird Vintage and you can find these and many more over on her blog! Do go and look at her posts, you'll feel warm!

Happy New Year

At the beginning of 2010, I was in my second year of university and completely unsure of the direction I wanted to take. The only thing that really struck my interest was editorial illustration, but I also loved print and collage. I felt uneasy about my future as I had no recognisable style and worried I just wasn't strong enough to make it into such a huge industry as illustration.

However, as my summer holidays took underway, I received an email from an online magazine I'd subscribed to. It was all about a wonderful opportunity to be in Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration. The open brief looked fun and exciting, so I decided I'd enter, I thought if nothing else it would keep me illustrating over the summer. I'd never done fashion illustrations before, so thought I had no chance. 

It was at this point that I joined twitter and a little later I set up a blog (Amelia insisted that participants be on twitter - so thankful for that, at the time I didn't think it was important, but it's brought so much to me). Each of these decisions were some of the best things I ever did. After entering, I kept answering calls for illustrators for Amelia's Magazine and worked hard all summer. I was on holiday in Venice when I got an email saying I'd been chosen for the book, and I'd never been so excited or happy! I've produced quite a lot of illustrations for them now, and am so grateful because without this, I'd still be lost. Thank goodness for that email, eh?

I have since contributed to Cellardoor Magazine, Craft Guerrilla, been featured on numerous blogs, been a finalist in a Company Magazine fashion illustration competition and jointly set up Tea & Crayons Collective with five of the loveliest girls I could ask to meet. This year has changed me so much and I am now more confident, happy and excited for my future than ever before! This year, I think, is going to be great! 

:)
 

I just want to share some of my New Years Eve photos before I leave. For years, I have been so disappointed by New Years, so decided to do something completely different - stay in with my lovely boyfriend!

We made mulled wine, lit candles, had nibbles, danced around, drank winter pimms and were just generally very silly - perfect night in! :) Happy New Year everybody! xx