Sale! Sale! Sale!

I was working on this small, editorial feature about sales shopping while wearing my own sales find: a warm and cosy jumper from Acne AW12 that I've scored at the Harvey Nichols sale. Yupee!

I have unfortunately missed the very first day of sales in Edinburgh as we were away for Christmas so on my first day back I made a bee line for my favourite shop to see what was left. Luckily for my bank account there were not many interesting things available any more, especially that this year I have promised myself that I will be reasonable and stick to THE SALES RULES:

1. Always ask yourself if you would buy it if was full price. Even if it is 75% off it will be wasted money if you do not wear it at all. If necessary try it on several times.

2. Go for items that you were eyeing but that you've dismissed due to a high price tag - well, now it is not so high anymore so...

3. ...so make sure that it fits perfectly or if it does not but you are desperate to buy it, make sure that your tailor will be able to fix it

4. Go for classic pieces that you will be able to wear for many seasons to come or...

5. ...break all the rules and buy what you fancy, something absolutely crazy, something with a bold pattern for example or EXTREMELY high heels!

...so it is (almost) here!

from Sylwia :) Eat, drink and be merry! See you in 2013! X

Aaaaa, Christmas is approaching FAST!

As usual, December surprised me yet again...

Frankly, I was so busy that if not for all the Christmas decorations out in the city street and the usual Christmas fair setting up by the Princess Street, I might have not even realised that it is THIS time of the year!

I did a fair share of traveling over last couple of weeks (a visit to Warsaw was in the books for a long time), some private commissions  (it is Christmas approaching after all, clients need their gifts) and some very hush-hush ones for a new client in New York (luckily not Christmas connected because that would drive me absolutely christmas bobble) so over all a very productive and busy couple of weeks. Isn't it what we like the most?

What we do not like is the cold and even though I got a lovely new and pretty cosy coat from Simple Creative Products while I was in Poland (it is a great Polish brand, check them out while you are visiting my homeland) I was not able to step out in it too often as I was and unfortunately I still am seriously bedbound with a runny nose and a serious cough.

It might be a good idea for a new illustration though meanwhile here is a sneak peak into my christmassy images from last couple of days: George Hotel's amazing Christmas tree (one of many), a beautiful Christmas wrath that I came across while visiting North Berwick last week, a lovely gift that my friend brought from me from Helsinki and my husband assuming a role of a Christmas tree (these battery operated christmas lights are great!).

I hope I will blog again before Christmas but just in case my cold and workload will not allow me to write another such a lengthy post, I would like to wish you all the most fabulous Christmas and a very happy, prosperous and full of opportunities, exciting New Year! X

Lip injection

One of the most scary beauty procedures - lip injection, ouch!

Peplum - the whole set

I was given a task to depict an evolution of a fashionable detail of peplum thoughout decades. It was another fashion feature in an October issue of Twoj Styl magazine. Here it is in full (as my Instagram image posted in a previous post just depicted a detail).

Peplum

I have not decided to get one for myself yet but I have featured it in my latest published illustration - here it is (image via my Instagram):

Are you planning to get some peplum element into your wardrobe?

Polish Red Cross summer first help leaflet

I was honoured to do some illustrations for a first help leaflet for the Polish Red Cross as a part of a summer help series of the Twoj Styl magazine. Here is a small sample - what to do when you burn yourself (pop your burn hand immediately under a cold stream of water!) and how to position a head of an unconscious victim so that they do not suffocate :

I can see a theme here...

Long time no see dear friends but I start to emerge again, armed in my brand new computer and a bit of free time so let's see what was happening during the last several months!

I have travelled a bit again and I took part in two exhibitions - a first one in Edinburgh was a group one and another one, couple of weeks later was a solo one in Krakow. I've had lots of cakes and therefore had to do a bit of running (and I cannot run very intensively unfortunately) to burn it all off.

Anyway, I try not to post images of food on my Instagram as there are many more exciting things to photograph! Like dogs in the windows or beautiful illustrations by one of my favourite Scottish illustrators Bob Devar on the ceiling of the Scottish Whisky Society in Leith. Though I think that the images of tasty things dominated the scene:

No hosepipe ban here...

The Scottish summer usually means drowning not is deep sea waters but rather in rain and...juicy strawberries which seem to thrive in the permanent humidity!  Here is another drawing from my series of summer accidents to avoid this year: drowning.

Coup de soleil...

...nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!

Today on the blog another illustration from my series about dangers of summer holidays for July issue of Twoj STYL magazine, this time a sunburn.

In the blazing sunshine

Wow! I would have never thought I would be writing these words while in Scotland but my, oh my, it is really hot here this week! We are living with our windows wide open and enjoying laying on the grass in the park and working in a blazing sunshine! The red, juicy strawberries and barbacues are all over the place and one has to slather a lot of sunscreen so that to survive whitout lobster's limbs.

Therefore my latest commission was spot on with the timing, with lots of swimming suit cladded gals, sunshine and hot summer dresses in the brief. It is not all about the sea and the Sun though, there are some serious issues in the article that the drawings are illustrating but it is better to be safe than sorry. So do not stay in the sun too much, reapply your sunscreen, hydrate and enjoy your summer while it lasts! I am off to a barbacue now!

I am in the new issue of Twoj Styl Magazine

I know, I know, I am a bit late again with that but the latest issue of Twoj Styl magazine has just reached me from Poland! And my illustration is in it:

New work for a beauty department of Twoj Styl magazine

It was a tricky subject to pull off in style, this one!

The picture editor emailed me about a new commission, stating that this one is not especially attractive as it concernes a foot peel, one that is really thorough so that it leaves your soles baby smooth and delicate for Spring but...it involves some unapetising elements that need to feature in the illustration for the article about a foot therapy called 'callus peel'.

I like a good challenge and after a quick exchange of ideas in our emails I sent this two illustrations which are now published in the April issue of the magazine.

Luckily the other illustration was concerning a sound massage so it was much more picturesque. Here is one of the sketches for the first idea, as you can see, we decided to feature an esthetician in the final version!

Back from Texas!

My sincere apollogies for such an extended absence on this blog but I've had some travelling to do. Some serious travelling at that, which invloved a 10 hours flight to Houston, Texas.

We had 10 days in there, it was +35 degrees and 90% humidity but it was great, even though very busy (we went with Simon for a portfolio review that is the biggest event of that kind for photographers in the world!) and a bit stressfull.

America has certainly made an impression on me (it was my first visit there and I hope not the last one!) - I liked people, the landscape, the architecture, even the weather (luckily a tornado occured in Dallas not in Houston while we were there) and... walking everywhere (we did not drive, I know, stupid or just plain scary - there were at least 4 lanes of traffic in every street in Downtown!).

The thing that struck me the most was a good design of signs and fonts everywhere, no kidding! and their art collections (we went to see a great Surrealists collection and a Richard Serra exhibition, all at The Menil Collection - both, Serra inside and outside of the building is in these images) fuelled by oil and Texans' passion for good art. Even our hotel had very interesting (in a good way of course!) photographs hanging in its corridors!

Another great experience was visiting a Rothko Chapel, Rothko being one of my favourite artists ever but it seemed that he must have had some bad time in his life while in Houston because all the 'rothkos' there were all very dark, sad and depressing. I would like to read some more abou it as it cannot be a coincidence.

Unlike my stay in Houston! I am sure that having Simon there with me helped a lot but if you followed me on Instagram you knew that I have posted at least a hundred happy photos from that trip!

It was inspiring, full of sunshine (even tough we got some sunburn while doing a 13 km treck through Houston suburbs) and positive energy. Let's hope we will be able to repeat that experience!

Penelope's new book

Waking up to a package from Amazon equals only to waking up to a bacon sarnie (preferably accompanied by a cup of freshly brewed coffee) courtesy of my husband Simon!

This morning it was the Amazon man. I had to get up for a client meeting anyway so it was quite timely but I had to wait with opening the parcel until I was back home again. And then I have devoured it just like a bacon sarnie!

It is a latest comic from my favourite French dessinatrice Penelope Bagieu. I have started following her blog many, many years ago (even before her first book was even published!) and it is still among my favourites. I have all her books in my home library (adventures of Josephine are my favourites) and this one does not dissapoint either!

I was in Brussels last week and this book was in all shop windows displays of the comic book shops there (of course not a sight of it here, despite an old alliance...) but I have managed to restrain myself as I knew that Simon has already ordered it for me! However I have not managed to restrain that well from the huge amount of Belgian waffles (surprise surprise, the REAL Belgian waffles do not have anything in common with a company of either bacon or maple syrup. Actually my fellow Belgians were really appalled by the whole idea - for them it is whipped cream all the way!).

I have not brought the book but I brought a massive cold. I have recovered now but last several days were quite a struggle for me. I am working on another editorial commission and I hope I will be able to post some more about it soon. Meanwhile - bisous!

From the desktop

I have found this image ready to post on the blog on my desktop, somehow I have forgotten all about it! I like the halo that scanning of a wet paper has created.

I am planning to do some illustrations inspired by the Spring collections soon as I am seriously craving Spring by now. I hope it is going to be a bit warmer by the time I will be going to Belgium in the beginning of February. It is just a week work-related trip but I hope it will be fun anyway.
I like the calmness of the home country of Hercules Poirot!

Thoughts (and Images) On Instagram

EDIT (as of February 2014) - I have suspended my posting on Instagram, after the scandal about them being able to sell and use your images without any kind of permission - I am still on the fence if I should come back to posting my images there (I have since joined Facebook but I am very careful with what I am putting in there even though my settings are switched to 'private'. I guess it should be a general rule of thumb when dealing with so called 'social media' - not to jump head in, think before you post. ) so that not to disappoint my followers (and I have some great ones!).

What do you think? Have you left Instagram or you just do not worry about such things?

Here is my original, enthusiastic post on this blog, before s**t hit the Instagrammed (with filters!) fan :)



I have too jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, finally.

It was really inevitable - I might not be on Facebook (which according to a good friend of mine is already replacing good old emails echange with its instant messaging) but not being on Twitter really felt like being cutt off from the world. At least that cool part of the world. Part of the world with MacBook Pros under their arms (in Marc by Marc Jacobs covers...) and with white earphones in their ears.

And then I have red Garance Dore's post (on her blog and I like her blog very much as she is one of the not so numerous illustrators who are also exquisite photographers) about her joining the Instagram community.


So I went to check out what it was, this mysterious sounding Instagram. Several hours later I have emerged from the Instagram world because the battery in my iPhone 4 was down to 5% (it has a big screen after all).

Usually I do not do communities. Communities oblige one to be a part of something and I am quite well on my own, thankyouverymuch. As a photographer I have never been on Flickr but the instantaniety of taking pictures with your crappy iPhone camera (have you seen it's performance in low light? Well, get yourself a SlowShutter app, baby) is very alluring. And then there are the filters. Oh dear, these vintage feel filters that will make a cute work of art out of the most awfull picture you have taken. Bliss.

Some people cheat and take the image with their 'proper' cameras, postproduce it and only then let it out to the outer world on their Instagram feed. I do not understand them. It is like esprit d'escalier! The whole appeal is that you take the images right here, right now and share them instantly. The filters reflect your mood at the time and then with one click of a 'share' button - plop, your feelings are out there in a one visual diary.


I like it very much, so in this year expect more of these on this blog!



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