Songs for Summer Sketching

I was recently tagged by the lovely Laurel over at It's Her Factory, but rather than songs that are 'shaping my summer' I have decided to present a list of songs that I find inspirational and love working to - sitting in the sun with nothing but my headphones, a sketchpad and my imagination.

Rules:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

Without spending hours rummaging through the hundreds and hundreds on songs on my computer, I have come up with a list below which strike me immediately. It's in no particular order...just whatever popped out of my head first.

1. I Melt With You - Nouvelle Vague - This will always be a favourite of mine with it's witty and playful elegance.

2. Demolition - Patrick Wolf - A musical genius. This hauntingly simple song sets my imagination on fire, not intruding upon but gently stroking my imagination!

3. Verita - Josh Groban - Listened to in solitude, this song pulls at every heart string and sends shivers down my spine, even though I don't understand Italian.

4. Bad Education - Tilly and the Wall - With a tap dancer for a drummer and vocalists who wail like heartbroken children yet still manage to sound beautifully enchanting, this song is a must. It's a heavily layered folksy song, with twangy guitars, amazing percussion makes me want to climb trees and frolic in the sun.

5. Money Note - Camille - As much a performance artist as a singer/songwriter, Camille is an exciting new talent. She sings mostly in her native tongue - French - however this song is made up of groans, whoops, screeches and other aural agitations. Wonderfully imaginative.

6. You Belong - Hercules and Love Affair - This is a bit techno-gay/pop, but I love it none-the-less. It reminds one of my housemates of an ex, and is sung on a weekly basis in our flat! Imagine yourself sat on our balcony, sun blazing, beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other with this blasting from the living room. Pure bliss.

7. Purple - Skin - This is one of those rock anthems I can listen to over, and over, and over again. I never tire of Skin's voice, and her painfully passionate delivery.

Almost everyone I was going to tag has already been tagged, someone's beaten me to it, so I'm going to miss out that part. Rebel rebel!

Who's a lucky boy then?

The weekend just gone was my 24th birthday, and I've been kept busy ever since! Many fun days and nights meant I was well and truly spoilt, and I want to share with you some of the best presents I got from family and friends. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but do you ever feel quite let down on your birthday? Whether I build the day up more than I should, I don't know...but I'm always left slightly disappointed (mainly on the friend stake...considering they are supposed to know you the best), but NOT this year. Decorations, cake, mini-party, nicely wrapped presents (brown paper is an amazing way to wrap presents, truly concealing whatever is inside the neatly bowed package) laid out for me and alcohol galore...could a boy ask for more?

The first joyous present is an amazing quill pin broach, in moulded sterling silver and oozing subtly beauty. My friend and I have no idea where it originates from, but I would love to get my hands on some more of this jewellers' work. I have been trying to play with feathers as accessories for a while now, but never quite getting it right - looking OK for an extravagant night out, but not the place to wear to the studio. However, this elegantly masculine quill fits the bill perfectly.

(click to enlarge)

The second is this amazing vintage Preen jumper. It's an incredibly soft angora wool knit, with really unusual ribbing falling down the front and round the neck. It creates the illusion of many plunging neck lines, and would match perfectly with the above pin on one of the fake lapels. This little gem is going to have to wait until the warm weather leaves us for winter, but I'm not sure I can wait.

(click to enlarge)

I had a small party on the Friday night which ended in drunken dressing up, with me and my friends dusting off faithful memories and swapping our most hideous garments (gender was no issue!). As I'm sure you can imagine, this resulted in fits of laughter and was much fun...but something which will forever remain in the walls of my flat. I don't dare (or even vaguely wish) to put these online for the world to see, however it has got me thinking about what party getup I have worn in the past. More recently I have been going to parties and nights where you are required to dress a little more exuberantly, and I do try (although not quite like walking round with a table for a skirt...yes I have seen this!) my conscience usually gets the better of me.

(If anyone I know is reading this, I apologise in advance - you may be in a picture below - but we all know you look beautiful.)

What a bunch of posers.

Starling darling...

A few months back I entered a design competition by fashion156, and somehow managed to find myself in the final 8. I recently got the images back they took for the photoshoot and thought I'd share them with you all (you can see more detailed pictures here).

I wasn't happy with the length when I entered the dress which is also the reason I didn't win, so... I'm thinking of shortening the skirt (mid-calf length perhaps). I'm going to do some sketches and post them accordingly.

Anya Hindmarch

I am not usually one for bags, especially clutch bags (an item that, being male, I find rather bizarre and imagine it awkward to use), but my housemate is selling the most beautiful Anya Hindmarch - famous for the 'I'm Not A Plastic Bag' canvas shopper - pleated clutch on eBay (here), which had me cooing as if a newborn baby had entered the room. Looking like scaly metal, this silver clutch feels remarkably reptilian in it's silky, leathery beauty. The large, organic, twisted bow pleats excite me more than I can describe, which are hard to the touch and show true craftsmanship. I may be speaking with some naivety as I have never held an Anya Hindmarch before, however if like me you don't have the budget for one I would advise you to hunt through your local charity shops (or eBay) for one!

Net a porter stock her current range, although none are quite as amazing as the above!

Floral Beauties

On a sunny spring day like today, Andrew and I decided to head down to Columbia Road flower market. I've lived in London for 8 months now, and regularly wonder around Brick Lane and Spitalfields of a Sunday afternoon, however I'd never ventured that little further to Columbia Road. The streets were heaving with people of all ages, hauling Ikea sized bags of bedding plants and floral arrangements around, yet once I overcame the claustrophobia I was in awe of the bold and intense colours of the various floral blooms. My 3rd floor flat doesn't much allow for a garden, so I headed to the flower bunches and pretty things! With it all being so cheap I bought 2 bunches of flowers - a beautiful mixed bouquet and some unopened white Lillies, which are now sitting nicely in my bedroom. Floral prints are back again this Spring/Summer, from illustrated and painterly blooms from Dolce & Gabbana to the delicate tea dresses of Luella. It is Dries Van Noten that has caught my eye on this trend with his modern take on the floral, mixing the delicate ditsy with big and bold prints. The colour combinations are brave and pure genius, which makes me want to experiment with the photographs I took on Columbia Road to create my own prints (if I could find a fabric printers who would print small runs of fabric - anyone know any? - or someone willing to help with screen printing!).

Images from style.com.

Kevin Francis Gray

I think I have fallen in love, again. This artist/sculptor baffles me on so many levels but I shall let the work speak for itself, for now...

This is by far my favourite, and it is easy to see how you can take both fashion and art inspiration from Gray's work. Obviously the people in the sculptures are wearing clothes, but it is the detail and fluidity of the draped fabric which really inspires me. The beautiful forms, lines and realistic impressions the metal/marble creates astounds me - I have an unhealthy desire to run my fingers down the groves and crevices of the cold bronze.

Ghost boy, 2007, fibreglass resin and glass beads.

Ghost Girl, 2007, marble and glass beads.

People often say that art is what you see in it, and I can't decide what I believe is behind these works. Gray takes his inspiration from the street and sub-cultures of today's youth, which is apparent in the dress style and poses. Even though this is the case, I consider the pieces to have a sense of lost identity, not only apparent in the name 'ghost girl/boy' but in the almost shy poses, and the covering of their faces. Is Gray trying to suggest that by subconsciously becoming part of this 'inner city folklore', you lose your individual identity and become a clone of that particular subculture?

WOUND magazine, issue 3, refers to historical sculpture when discussing Kevin Francis Gray, suggesting not that he is trying to preserve these trends in street culture in history, but '...open[ing] up the discussion.'

'In his works, which often echo the composition and style of various traditional sculpture languages, he places the grubby and unwashed from our own times into the positions in which we normally expect to see goddesses, heroes or the saintly. We might find it amusing or visually witty conceit. But, if we reflect on it more closely, we might also be prompted to ask questions about the nature of the object sculpture itself, not only about its aesthetic and formal qualities, but more specifically how these have - for centuries - lent themselves well to acting as a kind of visual propaganda, to taking the stuff of daily life and transforming it into serving particular values and ideologies.'

His works have recently been shown in both Berlin and New York, courtesy of Goff & Rosenthal.

Robert Jaso

After modelling for over 10 years and becoming one of the highest paid french male models, the Slovakia-born Parisian decided he needed a career change and jumped behind the camera. After spending a few years honing and perfecting his glossy style, Robert Jaso is now seen in magazines and advertising campaigns around the globe. These days he works mostly with Italian Vogue.

His strikingly beautiful images tread carefully between the commercial and the artistic, appealing to a wide range of clients. I have not photographed any of my creations in this perfected style before (usually going with a more macabre, haunted feel), but after seeing Jaso's work I would relish the opportunity to see how he could transform and portray my pieces.

I have a real obsession with hair (something you will realise over time) and have posted about it before, but I especially love big hair. The bigger the better. When I draw my models they always have immaculately back combed locks and long wind swept cocoons, I just wish in real life women could carry out their daily lives with weaves as impressive as these.

Trompe L'oeil

Temptu is a professional make-up agency based in New York, who specialise in innovative techniques and airbrushing. Below are some amazing images created by two of their artists, John Maurad and Jenal Chin. Truely amazing...

Read the original article here.

Bird's Eye View

I'm back from my holiday! (I have not yet decided whether or not to post about my travels, hmmm?!?) Admittedly it does feel good to be back, but I would love to be sunning myself on the beach in La Manga rather than fighting the crowds of sweaty commuters on the tube. Alas, back to work.

Whilst lounging on the balcony of our apartment one evening, I was flicking through the images on my mobile phone and found these little gems, taken in and around London. I have a tendency to get a bit snap happy when I have a camera (or phone) on me and the following images are a result of this. I love capturing the world around me, and I'm a strong believer that you can find inspiration in almost anything - the images below have either inspired me directly from a fashion perspective, or creatively in general.

I love the way this black silk organza is made purely from strips of fabric, moulded and shaped around the body to create a multi-panelled blouse. This is a vintage Giorgio Armani piece from a The Dress Box, a treasure trove in Knightsbridge (and Liberty).

Some street art around the Brick Lane area.

A couple of pictures from the gorgeous interior of The Commercial Tavern on Commercial Road in London. Wonderfully unique and tasteful decor. I wish my flat was decorated like this.

These are two samples I made (me!! with my very own hands!) when I was doing an internship a while back with a new designer called Amir, based in Holloway. Not my designs, but I sewed them up and even patterned the ruffled organza skirt - now that was a challenge. The bow-front jacket is seriously beautiful, and so on trend at the moment. The bow is one panel which comes up from the hem and not detachable.

This was taken at an exhibition at the Strychnin Gallery I attended on the 9th May. I went to see the work of Dan Hillier, an amazing artist who's work I first discovered on a stall at the Sunday (Up)Market on Brick Lane. His etchings of hauntingly eerie Victorian figures, juxtaposed onto octopus legs/deer heads and such like is a style of work which I find totally intriguing. Period costume, imagery and general paraphernalia is an amazing source of inspiration for me. He has recently had his work featured on a series of moleskin journals and sketchbooks, by the American company Modofly...absolutely perfect for any budding artist, or creative note-taker.

'Mother' by Dan Hillier - it's my birthday soon, maybe my wonderful boyfriend shall indulge me with a print like this? (hint, hint)