{Illustrious Illustrator} René Bouché

If you've been a follower of my blog for a while, you probably know that I have a huuuge passion for fashion illustration. I used to spend hours and hours illustrating in my youth and that's what I wanted to do with my life. Unfortunately it's a dream that I never realized and instead of it becoming a hobby, I shelved the whole idea altogether.

People encourage me to get back to it again but between having so little time and so many other excuses the truth of the matter is that it's a really emotional topic for me. It's kind of overwhelming, it's hard to explain exactly why, but in turn I haven't broken out the easel in years.

But that hasn't squashed my love for it. I really love to look at other people's work and I truly admire those who follow their dreams. I wanted to share some of the people who have inspired me in my life and those who continue to do so to this day. And who knows, maybe one day I'll give it another shot :)

Lately I've been thinking of sprucing up my office or maybe even my bedroom with some vintage prints and I'm just loving these illustrations by french artist René Bouché. Aren't they exquisite?

Illustrations: René Bouché

Isn't She Lovely?

Happy Day! I'm really excited today for two reasons, all thanks to one person. #1 the lovely Helena of A Diary of Lovely gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award and #2 she is featuring me today on her blog as part of the My Stuff Series she has going on. I am so honored to be a part of her series and to receive the award. Thank you so much, Helena! You've made my week! :)

If you haven't yet already, you should definitely stop by and check out her blog. It's chock full of inspiration...fashion, decor, art, cooking, movies...and it's just so pretty! She truly is an amazing blogger and she also happens to be so sweet! Be sure to stop by and say hi.

Ok so onto the Beautiful Blogger Award. The rules are:

• Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
• Copy the award & place it on your blog.
• Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
• Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
• Nominate 7 bloggers.
• Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

Ok so 7 interesting things about me (not sure how interesting they are but it's all I've got:))...

1. It was my dream to be a fashion illustrator but I was persuaded to try the business route of fashion instead. My father didn't want me to live the life of a starving artist. To this day l cry whenever I see a beautiful illustration.

2. My other dream was to be a fashion stylist. Unfortunately this was back in the 80s and it seemed as if nobody knew what a fashion stylist was so I had no idea how to get started. I think it would be a different story today thanks to Rachel Zoe....

3. I am allergic to wool. It took many years and countless rashes along the way until i finally, tearfully admitted this to myself.


4. I have flat feet but that doesn't stop me from wearing these babies...


5. I hate the gym. I waste countless dollars every year on a gym membership and I hardly ever go.

6. I've only even BEEN with one person my entire life...

7. If I had to choose another city to live it, it would be Vancouver. My top 7 reasons: #1 - I love Canada, #2 - I love the water, #3 - I love the mountains, #4 - I love hockey and Canadians get that. #5 - I love the cultural diversity of the city #6 - I feel like I could live a healthier life. I envision J & I riding bikes or going on hikes on a regular basis. #7 - I love Canadians.

I wish I could give this to all of you but unfortunately rules are rules and I can only pass this onto 7 of you. It was a tough choice but I'm gonna go with some of my good ol girls from back in the day (blogspeak: i've known them for over 6 months) :)

Chic 'n Cheap Living
The Professional Bridesmaid
Honey My Heart
Anna and the Ring
The Thirty Something Bride
Pink Argyle
Holy Hanna...Wholly Krista

Be sure to check them all out. Each and every one of them rock in their own special way :)

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Wedding Watercolors!

I am swooning over the work of Anne Watkins, an artist who I discovered via Inspired Goodness. This very talented lady paints on-site watercolors of events. How amazing would it be to have her capture your wedding? A girl can dream, right?

I am SO doing this!

This marries two of my greatest passions - illustrating and weddings! And what a fantastic keepsake!


At Dreamlines, you can have a custom sketch of your wedding gown made for, what I consider, a fairly affordable price. The French artist, Penelope-Anne Altmann, creates an illustration from a photograph of the dress. If you would prefer something even more personal, albeit pricier, you should check out All About the Dress, where Jennifer Angilello will create a custom illustration of the bride in the gown.

Image: mydreamline.com

Illustrious Illustrator - David Downton

Today I wanted to feature my absolute favorite fashion illustrator, David Downton. He's a UK-based artist who works primarily with watercolor & gouache. I absolutely adore the fluidity of his work and his use of lines and color. His work has been featured in top fashion magazines such as Bazaar and he also created Pourquoi Pas?, the only international periodical dedicated entirely to fashion illustration. It's an absolutely amazing publication and I just have to get my hands on a copy the second issue. It's been on my to do list for a few months now and they only produce a limited run so I hope I'm not too late!

Illustrious Illustrators

I have a passion for fashion illustration so from time to time I will feature some of my favorite artists.

I am absolutely in love with Eduard Erlikh's work! He’s a Russian-born New Yorker and his work has appeared in countless fashion magazines including Vogue, Elle and Wallpaper.

I'm really getting inspired to jump back into illustrating.

Images: Eduard Erlikh