2011 was full of memorable twists and turns and as it pirouettes to an end, I would like to recap some highlights, reflect on changes and give shout-outs to those who made it extra special.

I would like to start by thanking gifted fashion illustrator Danielle Meder (originally from Toronto and currently based in London, UK) for sending me the first of many uplifting emails about a year ago. I was working at a 9-to-5 job at the time that didn’t allow me to flex my illustrative muscle as much as I liked. Luckily, that’s when I discovered and became an avid reader of Danielle’s blog Final Fashion. Reading her well-catalogued anecdotes and cautionary tales about her career and life was not only entertaining but educational and encouraging. I felt my confidence growing and decided to try my hand in building a fashion-focused portfolio as it’s a passion I haven’t been able to ignore.

So I emailed Danielle about my conundrum of feeling pressured from the day job and not knowing how to foray into fashion illustration. That’s when she said: “Rather than illustrating someone else’s story, it’s possible that you could be the story.” Surely enough, a week later I felt a mental light bulb switch on as an idea struck me: I can illustrate a month’s worth of Part 1: my favourite outfits followed by Part 2: high-fashion reinterpretations of each outfit, thus showing both my personal and designer style! This passion project has since spanned most of 2011 and is titled Fashion Journal.

The one that started it all: Day 1 of Fashion Journal.

As I worked on the series, I began reaching out to fashion bloggers, art directors – anyone who I felt would appreciate the series. One contact referred me to Toronto fashion blogger Marcus Kan and he has since been a fervent supporter of my work. He’s featured each Day of the series with a new tidbit on his blog plus two interviews with me in June and December. Additionally, he’s been a brilliant hub for ideas and connecting like-minded fashion types (like this special feature). Marcus also encouraged me to stand in line for the next opening of H&M + high-end designer collaboration as it’s an “experience worth living once!”

As mid-2011 rolled around, I felt ready to fully dedicate myself to Fashion Journal so I quit my job to do just that. I went from finishing two or three “Days” a month to two a week! Even Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha added Day 7 of the series (with her as the model in the revamp) to her Facebook album, which just sent me over the moon.

Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha featured Day 7 (she’s the model in the revamp) in her Facebook album!

In September, The Bay invited me back as an on-site portrait illustrator as part of a shopping event. I was happy to reprise this role as I did this for them before in September 2010 and April 2011. I sent out invites to my fashion contacts and to my delight, Chantel Bedward of Pink Mafia came to see me. She was a bubble of jovial energy and was curious about my artwork. So we started chatting and she ended up inviting me to draw portraits at the official gifting lounge of the Toronto International Film Festival! I couldn’t have asked for a better gig and that weekend was a blast.

Meeting and drawing actor Brian Cox at TIFF 2011.

Thanks to TIFF, I started booking more portrait drawing gigs such as LOULOU magazine’s Shop Til You Drop and Rethink Breast Cancer’s fund-raising gala Boobyball. Needless to say it’s been an amazing way to bring my art to the forefront of events as well as networking. Here are the events I’ve drawn at so far.

In October, two exciting things happened. First, the Great Big Book of Fashion Illustration by Martin Dawber was finally published and I was ecstatic to be included in the book. I even share a page with Danielle! Second, I completed Fashion Journal and was proud have my first extensive body of work in my fashion illustration portfolio.

I share a page with Danielle Meder in this book!

Then as if by fate, I booked another portrait gig which I later learned was referred by Danielle herself! It meant so much that someone I admired had recommended me for a job even though we had never met. I promptly sent her a thank you email and to my extended surprise, she told me she was back in Toronto briefly and invited me to a social with friends. I happily went and guess what? A handful of my fashion contacts were there and I met them in person!

Although most of the year was smooth-sailing, there were inevitable slow stretches. The workload of a freelancer can vary from feast to famine regularly. That’s when my friends and family were most supportive, which I’m forever grateful for. I’d like to thank Charlene Chua, my friend and one of the hardest working illustrators around for being a constant source of wisdom in sharing advice on everything from contracts to clients. And of course, my lovely boyfriend Jack Shepherd for lending his design wizardry to my website, blog, and e-newsletter. I’m sure there are a ton of others to thank but unfortunately that would extend this blog post to infinite lengths. Rest assured, you lot are always on my mind :)

As things move forward, I’ll continue looking for freelance as well as full-time work as I probably won’t be living solely off freelance for awhile. (After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!) It’s refreshing to know that I got to meet new people and be part of new opportunities by keeping a positive outlook, staying patient and doing a bit (ok, a lot) of research. It’s reassuring to experience first-handedly that being nice and hard-working can and DOES lead to some fantastic results. With that in mind, I look fondly toward what 2012 will bring about. Here we go to the next year!