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 :

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!

Oh, I could SO use some of that!

I am just back from an extensive trip to Poland and I have already managed to loose my Polish mobile card! What a nuissance, let's update the blog with the latest work (published this month in Twoj Styl magazine) and chant ommmmmmmmmm instead.....

Lady behind the wheel

The blog was very quiet for a while and unfotunately will have to stay that way for another while before I will be able to gradually dig myself out from under a pile of previously arranged work (mostly in photography which was recently published in The Financial Times, yay!). So watch this space and for the time being I am posting my latest illustration that has just been published in Twoj Styl magazine this Autumn.

The illustration is about a growing number of female drivers:

End of procrastinating

And back to work again! It will be quite a full on week with a new comission and 3 photoshoots but at least summer sales have started so it is a good reason to avoid spending all my money when things can get even cheaper in next couple of days!

Here is the full illustration that you have seen in bits so far and I am off to look for an eyepatch and painting foil necessary for my tasks in next couple of days (do not ask...). I will better give the Harvey Nichols a wide berth today...

The diet plan - continuation

I hope you remember my illustration for a 'diet article' in this month issue of Twoj Styl magazine - here is the final version.

Meanwhile, inspired by my own work (ha!) I went for a jog yesterday (I am recovering today and it is raining heavily anyway) and now I am having some supertasty and healthy Spring food aka the green British asparagus with a fresh organic steamed salmon. So the idea of getting some more physical activity + a better diet is working for me so far!

...and a bit about the decision making

Please click on the images to see all the details!

A bit about the stage fright

So far I was doing just pretty illustrations for Twoj Styl for their beauty section but to break this 'vanity spell' the picture editor commissioned a set of illustrations for their new 'self-help' feature. The first set is the version of the illustrations that is published with the text about decision-making skills and the current one is about...the stage fright!

It was a very interesting text to read and a very interesting task to illustrate the fear of public speaking. In both cases the illustrations show two stages - before and after:

Breathing excercises in print

My illustrations were published in the current issue of Twoj Styl magazine - the next issue contains some more of my drawings in their 'self help / psychology' section:

I would love to feel like that...

And this is how you would feel after making a right decision:

Decisions decisions

I am rubbish at decisions making.

For example last week I went to spend some of my hard earned cash on some shoes ( a girl always need shoes, right?), I decided to buy them within 2 minutes of wearing them in the shop. Came back home and then decided that well, I do not like them that much after all. And they do not go with any of my skirts ( a classic case of too slim legs combined with too sturdy shoes, I looked like I have stolen them from an older brother that I do not have!). Well, to my disappointment the shop protects itself from such undecided shoppers like me and it turned out that I am not able to get my cash back when returning the shoes, I will get a store credit.

So now I do not have anything nice to wear this early Spring and all my cash is locked in some stupid shop's store credit!

No wonder that when Twoj Styl comissioned me with illustration an article about decision making I knew too well how to prepare the drawings! These are some of the proposals for this commission. Stage one (I seem to be permanently in that stage with my decisions...):

Slimming down

The latest illustration for Twoj Styl's beauty section comes bang on time - I have to confess that I have gained some weight over Christmass and from size 8-10 now I have to look into size 10-12. I hope to start some much needed (also for some relax purposes) exercising the moment when weather improves (I hate the gym threadmill and I am scared of all the germs that sweaty human beings leave on the gym equipment - weird, I know!) but this illustration depicts a special machine called Zeltiq, that actually freezes the fat off one's butt (and other flabby bits if necessary)! Looks like some monster from a science fiction movie but apparently it works.

Here are some trial versions I did and soon I will publish the version that the editor has chosen:

Breath in, breath out

I was hoping to post my new illustration (for an article about breathing exercises) for Twoj Styl a bit earlier but a sudden bout of flu stopped me in my tracks. So let's breath in deeply and have a look:

Summary

Soon it will be a third year of this blog and I am genuinely surprised what I have managed to achieve throughout all that time!

I have since illustrated a book ( Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's Petits crimes conjugaux), contributed to numerous fashion websites, got commissions for many features in the biggest Polish glossy magazines and a first solo illustration show in UK!

So no wonder I am looking forward to 2011 - I have so many new ideas, new website is coming up in a matter of days and I hope I will be able to find new exciting clients thanks to it!

See you next year then! Meanwhile I am posting my last image from my horoscope series, Saggitarius (featuring an orange Hermes Leica! Nope, sadly the image is not based on my selfportrait.):