Thursday 27 August 2015

Cry Baby ❤️

Hello dearhearts, I've gone a bit AWOL again recently haven't I?! A lot has been happening and I just haven't found the time to write a blog about it.

And i'm still not going to!

so instead, here's my latest new illustration, it's a new addition to the Candy Doll Club (obviously!) and it's an illustration of one of my favourite singers... Melanie Martinez


for those of you unfamiliar with her work, Melanie is an American singer/songwriter/artist with this gorgeous voice and a candy coloured electropop feel to her music! The look is all sugar and light with sweet feminine pastels and lacy frills, but the sound is often deliciously sinister in contrast. 


 I love her music and performance style because it's a reminder that just because something looks sweet and innocent, doesn't mean it is. It says don't judge by appearances; evil can be pleasant and pretty on the outside. Just like poisoned candy.


it isn't hard to see why I like her so much! If you know my work at all then you'll known that Melanie is basically like a real life 'Candy Doll' complete with pastel hair, sweet tattoos and the 'don't mess with me' attitude that every Candy Doll embodies.


Her debut album has just been released and it's called 'Cry Baby' and I absolutely LOVE it! Melanie's songs are like a Mark Ryden pop surrealist painting come to life, with fairytale/nursery rhyme themes laced with darker messages and a much more sinister vibe lurking under the sugary sweet surface.

here's the title song from the album (there's some swearing in this one! so don't say I didn't warn you)



I particularly like the song because it's kind of empowering!

When I was younger I was quite an emotional girl, clumsy and quick to cry whenever I got a bruise or a scrape (which was often!), because of this the other students used to tease me and call me 'cry baby'. By the time I was fourteen most of my yeargroup + the ones above and below would shout 'cry baby' or 'cry me a river' at me whenever they saw me whether it was in class or not they'd yell it repeatedly at me until I walked out or inevitably burst into tears. So of all the things I COULD have been bullied for, this is what they picked.


Obviously looking back now it seems utterly ridiculous and laughable, but at the time it felt upsetting and interminable. I didn't want to go to school, I couldn't concentrate in class, even my so called 'best friends' used to join in with the rest of the bullies in an attempt to avoid being picked on themselves. It might seem petty and unimportant but it ultimately led to depression, anxiety and a life-long inability to exhibit emotions properly unless they become overpowering. I didn't cry for years, it wasn't until I started treatment for depression in February 2014 that I began to realise that it was OKAY to cry sometimes. That there was in fact nothing wrong with it!

So to hear a song like this with the lyrics 'You're one of a kind, And no one understands, But those cry baby tears, Keep coming back again' is kind of inspiring. I wish this song had been around ten years ago when I was being bullied. My favourite part of the song is the chorus,

'They call you cry baby, Cry baby... But you don't fucking care' 


anyway, inspired by the lovely Miss Martinez's new album and general AMAZINGNESS, I decided it was about time I had a go at drawing her!

she's always updating her look so although her hair doesn't look like this at the moment, it's one of my fave hairstyles that she's had and I don't think i've EVER drawn a Candy Doll with a bob before! 

The Cry Baby pennant flag was just a little addition to include the album title and one of Melanie's tattoos.


she has quite a few lovely candy hued tattoos including this pretty pastel Carousel horse.



as well as ice creams and other cute characters and designs.


the dress is inspired by Japanese Lolita culture but with some of my own designs to fill out the detail on the full skirt.

It was lots of fun to draw this one. I rarely draw the Candy Dolls based on real people so it was cool to recreate Melanie's actual existing tattoo designs and stuff.

right well I can't think of anything else to talk about so i'll leave it there I think. Thanks for reading, I hope you like the new illustration! I should have some more to show you again soon.


BIG THANKS to Melanie Martinez for being so fabulous and inspiring! you can check out her official website with links to buy her album HERE

and if you like what you see, then here's another of her songs with a twisted candy coloured music video!



bye for now!

Thursday 13 August 2015

Marvellous Merch ❤️

hello dearhearts! It's been a fortnight since I got back from my holidays in Ireland and I have been SUPER busy since I got home.

I'm having a stall at the local Vintage Fashion Fair this weekend and have been working hard every day to get new products ready + sorting out existing goodies to take to the fair!

so I thought I might give you all a sneak peek at some of the tasty new treats i'll be selling at my stall!

if you follow me on Instagram (and by now, you really should if you don't already!) then you'll probably have seen snaps of my new products but for those of you that haven't, here are some of the candy cute items i'll have of offer on Saturday...


first up we have some luuurrrvely new Candy Doll Club postcards! it's been a good while since I last got any new postcards printed so I thought it was about time I got some of my more recent illustrations made up. There are six new Candy Doll designs to choose from.


As well as three cute fanart designs as well. I picked three of my fave ladies from Japanese Pop Culture and created some fun illustrations inspired by them.


next up we have one of my favourite new products, glitter heart brooches!
All of these funky brooches are handmade (by yours truly) using top quality glitter fabric (that doesn't shed glitter!), laser cut wooden hearts, nickel-free brooch backs and a collection of cute hand-painted resin charms! There are lost of different designs to choose from and i'll have some of each with me on Saturday, so stop by the stall and treat yourself to a sparkly treat!


 if glitter isn't really your thing, I also have some lovely wooden Kokeshi Doll brooches. Each one has been carefully hand decorated using satin ribbon and teeny tiny gems and pearls, a very sweet addition to any outfit i'm sure you will agree!



I will also have BRAND NEW dapper fox brooches + rainbow elephants and a whole host of other random and one-of-a-kind designs!


onto my brilliant new Girl Gang sticker sheets! each sheet contains 12 different stickers in vibrant candy colours, a must have for any wannabe Candy Doll or aspiring Girl Gang leader!


as well as all of this lovely stuff, i'll also be be bringing some Special Offer items including MEGA Mystery Goodie Boxes and Candy Doll Club Membership Packs, sticker packs, greetings cards, prints, zines, cushions, tote bags and even a few original paintings!

so you know what to do, if you're a local then get yourself to Braddan Church Hall on Saturday and snap up some sweet treats!


and don't worry if you can't make it or if you live far away, most of the goodies are available to purchase in my Etsy Shop!

that's all I have for now! i'm working on a new Candy Doll illustration so y'all can expect to see that over the next week or so.

so until next time, thanks for stopping by! hope to see you here again soon...