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 new new!

I am back in Edinburgh after my annual trip to Poland.

This year I have failed to buy ANYTHING at the sales though I usually find Polish brands to be very exciting and well priced (hello Simple, hello Solar). Even though my shopping was nonexistant, my stay in Warsaw was pleasant and as usual I have sent out some promos to several Polish magazines - busy bee.

Some editors have already got back to me so we will see how our cooperation is going to be like in 2011! I am extremely excited and about to send out some nice promos to the British mags as well.

Here is a sneak peak of what went into the orange envelopes:

Welcome in 2011!

There are big changes coming up during this first week of January 2011 - The Illustrious Illustrator has a new website! Finally, a proper, grown up version of my online portfolio showing my work to it's best. Let's hope that art directors and picture editors will notice...

And after a long while my old header had to be exchanged for a new goggie, but let's not forget the old one which I am posting here -it (kind of) has a sentimental value:

New Portfolio

My new portfolio book courtesy of Pina Zingaro and my husband + a completely new design of the website coming in December/January = watch this space!

The only thing is I definitely have to get more sheets!

The April girl in print

How it looks in print

I need some advice about storage of all the multiple copies of magazines that are publishing my illustrations. I guess the easiest way would be to scan all the pages and have them all as pdfs or tiffs. I will also have to invest in a new portfolio case as the old A3 one is way to bulky to store them and not to mention that it is very awkward to carry - I remember too well struggling with it in depths of a Polish winter and at the height of London summer. And apart from all that I definitely need a haircut!
Note that the illustration was used twice - once to illustrate the article, the second time to open the chapter. It makes me wonder should I have been paid twice?

A wise redirecting

My biggest follower aka my mum sent me this week a January copy of Zwierciadlo Magazine (I made a short post about it before , in November 2009) with my illustration to an article about strong female leaders who manage to redirect their talents into new directions, especially under a current economic climate.

This time I tried to use a different than usual technique of drawing and worked with ink, pen and watercolour. As usual, please click on the illustration to see it bigger!

I will post soon about how (nicely) the illustration was used in the layout of the magazine. Meanwhile enjoy the one which was chosen to illustrate the inteview with a psychoterapist Tanna Jakubowicz-Mount:

February girl

Winter is still holding strong so here is a girl for February - in a sherling jacket. Sleeveless though - we are in Scotland after all. Girls here are not affraid to get a wee bit cold to show off an outfit!

Ah well...

Some of the commissions are ment not to happen. I still like the drawing though! Please click on it to see the reaction of pigeons:

Insides of the star

A detail of the back of the cover:

Under a bright, happy star

The cover in flesh (but without flash...). More info in the publisher's website HERE.

A new cover

The production started in August so that after several versions a cover for a selection of Christmas short stories by top Polish writers was published in two versions - silver and gold. When I rushed to get it while in Kraków, in two bookshops I was told that it was sold out! A silver version was on display in Znak's own bookshop but the place was closed for Christmas so I had to get it somewhere elese ( I got a gold version and I promise to show it to you soon).

The ribbon is actually a photograph! The stars were designed in Illustrator and are based on folk christmas tree decorations.

December girl

All year in Zwierciadlo magazine

I got a very nice offer from Zwierciadlo magazine (a Polish glossy magazine directed at readers interested in psychology) to prepare a series of illustrations for one of their ongoing series of interviews. This particular series is going to be featured in next 12 issues so my illustrations are going to be present in the magazine throughout all of next year! The first one for which I have prepared a drawing deals with the subject of female leaders, women who leave their past lifes to start a new career for example.

Here is one of the proposals , another one got chosen by the editors so I will post it when I get a copy of a magazine.

Rest of my beauty illustrations

Here are some of the illustrations which were not used in the publication.

Beauty in the internet

I am myself an avid reader of beauty products reviews in the internet so it was a real fun to be commissioned to illustrate an article about this subject. My copy of the magazine has just arrived in the post, managed to squeeze past the postal strike.

Dea with poppies

My friend Dea, a supertalented violinist from Berlin, who very patiently posed for my portrait project and now has been turned into one more attempt of mine of combining my photograph and drawing. My previous attempt is here.

Next week I am again completely piled with work. Yay!

Posessions

Last one from the series - it depicts a story about marrying a wealthy, older man. Something that I sort of did, especially if you skip on the 'wealthy' bit!

Love and business

Yes, I do work in the same business as my husband. It is great to cooperate with someone who does not need... words to communicate! I have learnt a lot throughout all those years of working together.

Real wifey

Actually I hate when my husband calls me that but I love cooking for him. He is away on his photographic assignment in Russia for next couple of weeks so I will have to do the dishes myself. Again - I simply had to put a dog in the drawing somewhere!