Thanks again to Marcus Kan for featuring my Fashion Journal Day 11 – 30 on his blog! Click below for new tidbits on each day. Day 1 – 10 tidbits can be found here.
Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20
Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30
I’ve been featured in the street style section of The Genteel thanks to photographer Mark Sommerfeld! This was part of a photoshoot / video interview with Marcus Kan which comes out next month. I don’t often get the chance to play dress up for a professional photoshoot so this was uber fun!
Above: I drew a quick portrait of Casie Stewart during downtime. I’d say blue’s her colour!
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending The Art of Sales at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre thanks to blogger extraordinaire Casie Stewart. She gave away two extra tickets + lunch in a contest and I was one of the lucky winners! What made this even sweeter is the conference featured TWO of my favourite innovation / career advice authors / speakers: Seth Godin and Sally Hogshead. Both were captivating, spoke brilliantly and I love their books to death.
My gift to Casie for taking me to this amazing event!
More lucky folks who got to see the show! L-R: Sheryl Worth (Casie’s first boss after uni!), Casie, moi (I’m not sulking, merely mid-pose), Teresa Randall and Dan Levy (who took the photo).
Seth Godin‘s in da house! His book “The Dip” helped me put things into perspective after college.
So happy to meet Sally Hogshead! Her book “Fascinate” (one of my faves) talks about unleashing triggers that intrinsically make you fascinating.
Cool inspirational art by Switchvideo, an event sponsor. I got “Be An Artist” and “Make Mistakes” pegged.
Above: This cut-out polka dot dress is perfect for a soiree. And check out that metal heel boot!
The first and only time I’ve been to Topshop was in New York two years ago and it was love at first sight. I’ve since longed for a day when I can visit one Toronto, my home city. Such a dream became reality this past weekend as I finally visited the new Topshop / Topman at Yorkdale Mall! Even the in-store music was taken right from my playlist – back to back Friendly Fires, Strokes and Lykke Li? I’m in heaven.
Needless to say, I fell in love with too many things to name but played it safe (this time) and only got a pair of double seamed stockings and a lilac lipstick named “On the Town“. The visit also inspired me to create sketches of some of my favourite things. Think I’ll be back soon for some holiday shopping!
Boyfriend tried on button-down shirts in plaid and chambray, corduroy pants and woolly cardigans. I for one dig the cardigan layered on shirt look.
Teal’s the deal. Love this dress, these shoes, and this clutch.
Can’t go wrong with a bodycon zippered dress, funky sunglasses, rocking necklace and leopard heels.
The next day, I had a fashion shoot / video interview with Toronto blogger Marcus Kan. He told me to dress and accessorize it up so I went with a Material Girl asymmetrical jersey dress with mesh cutouts, Forever 21 vest, layered Topshop and Jacob stockings, and Aldo shoes. Accessories include a Fashion Whore necklace and Tarina Tarantino ring. Last but not least: behold my new haircut!
Last night, I sketched portraits at the M5V Realty: Streetcar Lofts party. It was an event to promote the swanky loft condos in Toronto’s trendy Queen Street West area. I kicked it up a notch and brought *drum roll* new colours to the mix! Oh yes, it was a blast adding pink, blue, yellow and red to the portraits.
The event itself was fabulous with endless waves of delicious hors d’oeuvres, open bar and funky music thanks to the DJ. Here are highlights from the night:
Yesterday, I visited my high school Don Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto to give a talk on my artwork and life as a freelance illustrator. Back in the day, I was enrolled in CyberArts, a special computer / arts program at the school so it was refreshing to talk with current grade 9 and 12 students! The computer lab in the photos above was the very room where I learned Adobe programs all those years ago (except on old-school popsicle-inspired iMac G3 computers with the very round mouse). Ah the memories…
Aside from showing my portfolio, talking about my work history and college years, a good part of the talk focused on how to establish a freelance career. I shed light on self-promotion, time management, networking, and the importance of business knowledge. Great questions were raised especially the grade 12 students as they’ll be gearing up for college soon. Here’s a summary of the main points:
Be nice and gracious to everyone. Someone will always know someone you know, and you never know who might be able to help you one day and vice versa. Good karma goes a long way.
Do what you love. Always create work that reflect what you love whether it’s graphic design, illustration, architecture, film, etc. If you do this then the right clients will find you. It also keeps you motivated, happy, fulfilled and free from burn-out.
Establish an online presence. Portfolio websites are the norm and most jobs won’t consider you without one. Social media is also an excellent way to reach out so take advantage of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Behance, and other creative community websites. But of course, keep it professional (save the awesomeness of your cat for a personal blog).
Avoid doing work for free or cheap. Student or not, you possess a talented skill which you worked hard to hone and refine so compensation (cash or cheque is standard) is only fair. Illustrator / Designer Jessica Hische has an excellent info-graphic on this topic.
That being said, there are times when trading your time is acceptable. As my Sheridan College business professor Kathryn Adams so eloquently said: “Does the project fulfill at least two of the three F’s – Fame, Fortune and Fun? It’s rare to have all three but if you have two then it’s worth considering.” Also, beware of crowd-sourcing contests asking for submissions with only the POSSIBILITY of winning. Most of the time, this is a ploy for the client to get lots of free work to pick from.
Price your work by its intended usage. Another stellar post about this topic from Jessica Hische. The Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) handbook is also an official and reliable reference.
You can say no. If the job is undeserving of your talents even after reading the fine print in the contract and negotiating with the client, you can politely decline. There is always something better. If more people turned down bad jobs, the integrity of the creative field will be held at a high level.
I was invited by a volunteer I met at Boobyball (which I sketched at last month) to sketch portraits at her baby shower today! It took place at the Richmond Hill Country Club (just north of Toronto) and was a lovely afternoon with joyous relatives and friends of the mom-to-be. Here are photos from the event:
I was invited to sketch portraits at Toronto author Maya Chendke’s launch party for her new book Awake But Dreaming last night. The event took place at the downtown Toronto swanky Shangri-La presentation centre. It was a joyful night with lots of guests, desserts, and a live pianist! Here are some highlights:
Buy print | Featured on à la mode
My original outfit: I always thought army green and pale pink made a cute couple and that’s what this outfit is based on. I’m decked out in a cropped army green jacket, mint tank top, pale pink ruffle skirt, magenta tights layered with large black fishnets, and green letter-camouflage pattern sneakers. I accessorized with a scarf, pink fingerless glove, Headmistress headband and brooch.
Reinterpretation: This look was created with my boyfriend Jack Shepherd in mind! I worked the jacket into a men’s version, the skirt into rolled up jeans, the tank top into a henley, and the scarf pattern into a cardigan. Green loafers and a brown woven belt add the finishing touches. This was my way to add some pink to his wardrobe! Details:
We could be one of those matchy-matchy couples who go jogging together.
Adobe Photoshop
Photos: Sketching at George Brown House
Above: I asked if I could turn his regular glasses into heart-shaped ones and he said yes!
Had a great time yesterday sketching at the historic George Brown House for an engagement party. Everyone was in good spirits, well-dressed and happy to get their portrait on! Here are some highlights.