Sumer summer summer time!

To quote the lyrics from the hit film Greese...

"Summer loving, happy at last!!" 

I have been absolutly LOVING the heatwave that has been blessing good old England for the past couple of weeks! Although today is unfortnunatly dull and cloudy...

So to cheer myself up I'm making a quick post of a few of my favourite things about summer... 

My garden looks pretty.

My parents are out of the house more...!!!

I eat healthier - mmmmm yummy chicken and pepper salad.

My coffee fix dosnt have to stop just coz I'm too hot - just add ice!!

I can finally get out of my jeans and jumpers YAY!!!!

 

We're Jammin

Well, painting actually. 

After a friend of mine told me about a printed 'portrait' he had bought of Bob Marley which looked "Dead behind the eyes... no happiness or life" I decided to challenge myself by having a go at painting my own version of the legend.

As I often paint self-portraits as way of keeping on top of my technique, I felt the need to take on a different face - and skin tone as my milky white complexion gets a bit boring after the 50th attempt!

So here is the painting as it goes from initial pencil to finished product, via a slightly Bin Laden-esq look which I found rather amusing!!

After a wash of base colour I started at the eyes - the most important part of the face!

The 'Bin Laden' phase...... due to the negative space around the head looking like robes oops!

I made sure I put the colour of the hat in asap to stop Bob from looking like the terrorist :/

This is generally the moment where I start seeing all the flaws and hating the whole thing.

After the initial loathing of my creation, I applied more paint, sorted out the bits I hated and blocked in the back ground.

 

 

The finished piece.

Of course, as an artist I am never truely happy with any finished peice of art work but my firend is happy with it so that's enough for me!

New art crush!

Iain MacArthur. Is. Awesome.

He's 26 and from Swindon, England.

His art is amazing.  That's all I have to say about him.

Here's some of his stuff that I totally love.

The cakes and sweeties in her hair are too cute!

Part of me seriously wants to colour this in... Then have it tattooed  on me.

This owl is so intricate.

Like to see that he can do some traditional sketching as well as the cool illustrations.

I want this tattooed on my back.

Great colour work too.

Then I found this t-shirt with his illustrations on. Dropping hints to the boyfriend as of tomorrow!!!

The 'Scouse Brow'

Okay I officially do not understand this current trend taking over many a woman's face...

The so called 'Scouse brow' is something I hadn't heard much about until the beginning of the year - probably due to TV shows such as 'Desperate Scouse Wives' and 'The Only Way is Essex' where glamour is the most important thing in their lives.

Now I know that this heavy painted eye brow was a favourite of glamour models especially here in Blighty, but for it to hit the mainstream beauty trends is a whole other story - one that should, in my opinion, never have been allowed to manifest itself at all!

I understand the fashions and trends that come along with being a beauty junkie; the full on bushy brow of Madonna in the 80's had women growing out those stray hairs while the 90's had them all over plucking a la Pamela Anderson!  The trends for those funny bits of hair on out faces have always been extreme.  This trend however is one of monstrous proportions.  Literally!!

I do not understand why any woman would draw or tattoo their eyebrows on in this manner.  Eyebrows are surely meant to frame your eyes, complimenting their shape and even changing the look of your face if done correctly.  These things are just plain WRONG!  Remember the mono brow?  Well these may as well join in the middle due to the shape and length of some!

So along with the extreme length and thickness is the colour and the shape of the things... what's with the square shape?  You look like you have fuzzy felt cut-outs stuck to your forehead.  I'm all for crazy hair colours, but brows should not look too fake.  Black or very dark brown brows do not work with blond hair.  Do not do it!!

All in all, the trend for fake just seems to be growing.  Much like these girls eyebrows....!  So what next?  We have the false eye lashes, nails, tan, hair extensions, breast implants or bra inserts, plumped up collagen filled lips and of course the new and not improved eyebrow.  What's next and how false are we going to end up?

And don't forget - it takes a lot of money to look that cheap!!!

'Grunge' as fashion...?

So while the fashion world is having yet another love-in with the 'grunge' look, I am giggling over the articles in glossy magazines aimed at twentysomethings telling you the 'how tos' of getting that glam grunge look. 

Sorry New Look, I love ya but pleeeease don't push this crap!

Magazine 'fashion' shoot for Grunge styling.
I like it but is it a fashion fad??

Um... yeah.  Not something I thought the high fash mags would be pushing as the style du jour  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Now I'm not going to harp on that I've always been a 'Grunger' and these luvvies don't know what they're doing. But, I am going to say that these kids who are doing it for the foreseeable fashion season future are pissing me off. Already.  

Google the term 'Grunge' and image upon image pop up of photo's from fashion blogs telling you how to style your Dr. Martens and which high street shop is best for band t-shirts.  

Which reminds me:

UNLESS YOU KNOW THE BAND - DON'T WEAR THE SHIRT YOU IDIOTS!!!!! (Pet hate)

Yes you Miley - I'm real sure you know who Iron Maiden are....

Many of us born in the 80's kids, who grew up listening to Nirvana and Guns n Roses, who wore dungarees as pre-teens, turned our tie-dye caps back to front and had a collection of printed oversize cartoon tee's and leggings, still continue to have a slight penchant for the style we know well.  Many of my mates were skater boys, us girls did disco classes in sequins and spandex and we all hung out in ghastly clothes any cool kid in Brick Lane would now get wet over.

Clarissa was 'explaining it all' in the sort of outfits I wore as a kid and she is still a bit of a fashion icon for me!!

I always laughed when my mum would say things like "Oh I remember that look the first time round!"... Now I know how she feels.  There's nothing worse than watching a young 'it' girl walking around in a pair of Dr. Martens knowing full well that she ain't gonna love them come the next fashion fad.  And you know how much I love my Doc's... it causes me real pain to know those best of British stompers are a teenagers new favourite toy.  Grrr grrr grr grrrrrr!!!

Anyway, rant over.


To round up - grunge is not cool.  It's just a look, like any other.  Give it 3 more months and those fashion girls will be back in their stiletto's wondering what the hell they were thinking!


I will be continuing the love I have for denim, Doc's and shaving my head regardless >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Girl crush!

I have a total girl crush on Alice Dellal - model, hipster, grunge lover and all round cool girl! She breaks the mold of the stereotypical catwalk model with her shaved head and tattoos.  She looks like the kind of gal who will pick you up after knocking you down in a mosh pit and bum a smoke off you in the queue for a club.  So here are just a few images of the Brazilian babe in all her crazy kohl-smudged glory...