Patterns and Pinafores ♥

Today has been another busy busy day

I didn't post yesterday simply because... I was SO busy!!!

I literally didn't stop all day!

Anyway today i've had great fun messing around with some photoshop brushes. I'm toying with the idea of drawing/painting some tattooed Pin-up girls but before I sit down and have a go at drawing some of my own tattoo designs (a la Angelique Houtkamp) I used some brushes instead.

Here's a cute photo of the fabulous Bernie Dexter that I... tattooed

yes I also darkened her swim suit as well, I did it to match the flower in her hair. and yes... i know the tattoos don't look real THAT WAS THE POINT!!! thank you photoshop police!

I also finished another test piece today. 

As i've mentioned before (several times) i'm a big fan of the artwork of Angelique Houtkamp (check out her website here – Salon Serpent) and i've been having a go at imitating her style, only i'm using pencil crayons instead of paints. 

so using this sketch... i tried to have a go at her super duper style!

This is one of my main test pieces. There are a few more smaller ones but this one turned out the best. It's tricky getting the crayons to blend, I mean I don't have any of these fancy pants artists pencils that blend like pastels etc blah blah blah

i'm using a box of 36 colouring pencils that cost me a whopping £3.99 (WHSmith's... bargain!) so they're ruddy difficult to blend with!

It took a long time to work into and it's only colour on a photocopy of the big sketch I did last week (hence the non-blue tattoos) but it's stuck in the logbook now... which makes it an official test piece!

So this has inspired me to do a new pin-up Girl of my own! she isn't quite ready yet but I can tell you this much... she is a green eyed beauty, had long black hair and is kind of spooky looking... so will definitely be a Halloween themed illustration!

That's it for now, stay tuned as i'll be posting her as soon as she's finished!

In other news...

the delightful Annie, who is a fellow HNDer at college, brought me in the most fabulous book to look at today! Now she's already a star because last week she brought me in not one but two massive fashion magazines to keep and is always super duper pleasant and lovely. 

She's also the mum of someone I went to High School with but that isn't important! Anyway, she brought this book in and i've pretty much spent the whole afternoon just flicking through it slowly falling in love with the pictures and wishing verrrry hard that I could travel back in time to when it first came out!

Sadly the front cover is missing (and has been for a while apparently) but most of the pages are intact and every one is filled with gorgeous illustrations and patterns. It's a pattern catalogue essentially, Annie told me that she used to sit and flick through it with her Grandma and they would pick out the ones they liked from the pages.

We tried to work out what year it was published but it doesn't say anywhere! However... in the children's section of the book there is a big article all about Snow White with costumes and dress patterns based on the Disney film. 

Now it doesn't say the year but the way it talks about the film suggests it was the latest Disney film out at the time... which puts the date somewhere between 1937-1939. the film itself was released in December 1937. 


However. there is an add on the back of the catalogue for the 'winter collection 1938-39 so i'm guessing that means this catalogue in question was brought out in1938 to be precise... and we all know I like to be precise!

it's the most wonderful book though! The patterns and the prices (averaging 35 cents for a whole set of dress patterns with transfers and stencils etc) are just divine.

This has to be my absolute favourite page from the book. And no... it's NOT because it says 'In a very gay mood' in big letters! It's the aprons and the pinnies! Aren't they fabulous!!!

Pinafore aprons covered in hand embroidered flowers and hearts... I would literally die for an apron like one of these! I can't decided between the pink polka-dot one with the heart shaped pockets or the black and white one with red ribbons and padded cherry applique! Love, love, L-O-V-E!

I am so pleased she brought it in for me! It is just gorgeous, so, soooo lovely!  

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edit: 11:49pm ok i'm back from the theatre now! i should have explained at the start but i didn't... tonight was my cousin's big dance show at the Gaiety Theatre in Douglas, this years show was called 'Celtic Infusion' and it was soooo awesome! 

i'm helping backstage for tomorrows performance but she had enough helpers tonight so i got to watch it from the stalls instead. woooow! so epic and my god-daughter Bonnie was soooo good! i was one proud god-mother i can tell you! if you live in the Isle of Man and are stuck for something to do on Saturday... get yourself down to the Gaiety and watch the show! 

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Edit... again!: 02/10/10 2:48pm ok i'm FINALLY finishing this blog now! all the pictures are scanned and i'm just about to post it before grabbing some lunch

hope you all enjoy the scans from the pattern catalogue, i tried to pick out my faves though to be honest i could have scanned the whole thing! every page is brilliant!

anyway, that's all folks...

♥ ◕‿◕ ★ xX