Monday Sketches - Plus Size Mock Advertisements

Been pretty busy lately, and since school ended for the summer, I've been a bit burnt out from sketching and drawing on a regular basis.  Things have been challenging as of late, especially since I've been working on trying to figure out my upcoming Graduate Midpoint Review and my Thesis. 

My Thesis is probably one of the most daunting projects I will face in the next two years before I graduate, and even working on a simple proposal has proven to be a daunting task. However, I know what the guidelines are and what I'm supposed to do, so that makes it somewhat easier. 

My MFA is in Advertising Illustration specifically, and my thesis in the end will consist of 15 advertisement illustrations of various brands of my choosing. It sounds easy enough to write a proposal for, but I want to make sure that my voice is clear and concise in the subject that I want to focus on. 

And that would be Plus Size women in every day advertisements. 

Bringing a concept into words has always been difficult for me, but I think I might be getting closer. Drawing out a few examples of what I want to do also has helped. I only have two for now, and they're quick digital paintings, really, but I hope you enjoy them!

The first illustration, seen above, is a more direct approach in the plus size figure, featuring a bikini-clad woman showcasing a brightly colored clutch, the subject of the advertisement. 

The second illustration is for a pair of heels, the mock brand specifically called "Holiday Heels". This advertisement is more subtle - the plus size woman isn't fully displayed, but it's clear that the woman isn't stick-thin. 

I still have a long ways to go before this thesis is fully fleshed out, but I'm inching my way closer and closer!

Until next time!

A better day, plus some more paintings!

The last month or so has been pretty rough, needless to say. I resigned from my brief job at a boutique in Uptown Park Houston, and had been pretty down on myself for being unable to really find anything else. Being an artist, of course I want to have a job utilizing my skill! But I'm fine with whatever I can get at this point. Luckily, I had an interview with Torrid at the Houston Galleria, and I'm hopeful that I might be brought on as a sales associate for one of my favorite plus-size stores. 

Not only that, but I've been getting back into painting on a regular basis as well. Forgive the photos below, the camera on my phone isn't the greatest.

The first is a brightly colored printed dress that I drew up. I was getting a bit tired of seeing black and white and frumpy shapes while shopping at Dillard's one day, and decided to create something to cheer me up. I love the line drawing, feel free to save it and color it yourself if you like!

I'm loving the pantone spring colors for this season, and I must say, Strawberry Ice is probably the color I want to wear the most! Hi-lo's are probably getting overused by now, but I couldn't help drawing another one here. 

This was a painting I did today, straight from the Torrid line-up to celebrate my interview today! It's a gold foil printed dress with an asymmetrical hem. You can find it on clearance here, on their website!

It was a really great day today, and I even managed to get some Outfit of the Day pictures of what I was wearing to my interview! Check it out!

I'm also happy to say that I'm an official member of the Houston Fashion Bloggers! I'm hopeful for the future, and what it holds for me... For once, things are starting to finally look up again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I know I've been rather quiet and dull as of late. Things have been pretty hectic in the Duplan house. My husband has been on the job hunt and graduate school has been keeping me busy. 

However, I have some events coming up that I will get to illustrate for! I'm looking forward to them - it will give me a chance to promote myself and work on expanding on my live sketching techniques. 

This holiday week was spent in Houston with my husband's sister - he had some wonderful interviews in Downtown Houston before the Thanksgiving holiday. My sister-in-law has a pair of beautiful little girls - and it was such a joy spending time with them! 

Kat just loves watching shows with her favorite Uncle. 

Monday we had a great day with my friend Meghann - we went to the mall, then went and saw Mockingjay Part 1! It was a great movie - definitely a must-see! Tuesday I spent the day with my family (who also are in Houston) and went Thrift shopping with my mama. It was a great time! Wednesday we went and saw Mockingjay again with my dad after eating lunch at Chuy's with my dad, brother, and sister-in-law and her husband. 

Thanksgiving we spent with my husband's family - it was a wonderful spread with wonderful people! My new extended family are so kind and generous - I love them all so much!

Friday was a relaxing afternoon with Don's parents and sister and her family - and her little one, Sam, got to open her early Birthday presents. Don and I got her a fun Olaf plushie! 

Saturday before we returned to Dallas, my family and I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival! It's a family gathering I always look forward to. This weekend was the last weekend of the season - and it was a great way to start the Christmas season. 

I'm hoping to update a little more regularly - forgive me again for my absence! 

See you again soon!

Sunday Musings

The past month or so have been really interesting. And pretty stressful, too! School's started up and I've been in contact with several people who are interested in what I've been doing. It's pretty much what I've always wanted- doing what I love for a living. Almost. 

Painting at events has been a great way to get some exposure, and slowly but surely my brand and my artwork have been gaining grounds. I'm so appreciative to those who support me and encourage me. It's because of them that I still manage to keep going -despite the risk of burning out.

Even so, Life takes it's toll when you're juggling multiple things at once. I want to make commissions so that I can make money so I can get supplies to make artwork to add to my portfolio, and then get more clients who want commissions. But then I have schoolwork to do to further my technique and talents so that I preform better with my illustrations. 

It seems to be a never ending cycle of learning, outputting, and maybe sometimes I'll get paid for the work I do. And a lot of worry if what you're doing is really making people happy. A lot of worrying. 

So far it's hardly a full-time paying career, but it's still sustaining somewhat of the lifestyle I want to maintain. And eventually it might be enough to start paying off my student debt. Being an artist isn't easy, especially when you're constantly trying to keep yourself up to date, fresh with ideas, and maintaining a level of quality. 

It's easy to procrastinate, easy to forget to be social, easy to lay off on housework when things get difficult. And I'll admit to all of those when I'm under a lot of pressure. But we're only human, right? 

There are so many standards to uphold in doing a creative career. Constantly having to prove yourself, constantly havin to prove that your work is worth peoples time and money. We push on and hope for the next client, the next job, and hope that they like what they recieve. 

But these are just my musings. Worries can be a cancer, so I have to let them go for fear they would overtake me. I have to keep looking forward.