The drawing board beckons…

Maybe it’s the 14 year itch but something has made me want to revisit my love of drawing – something I have neglected since going to university.

I have been wading through my 1995 portfolio from my Art and Design Foundation course and aside from wondering where I could be now had I have chosen to pursue fashion design (obviously I’d be hotter than Stella McCartney!) – I thought I’d dig out a few bits and post up here.

Now, when I specialised in Fashion Design, I used good old pen/paper/paint/wax – I understand times have changed and many a fashion drawing is now completed in Illustrator – so my efforts may look some what dated!

I chose Fashion because I was good at life drawing and was one of those organic/scribbley types, so fashion sketching was ideal for me and I had always been into designing clothes – I used to make clothes for my Barbie and Cindy dolls out of coloured tights I’ll have you know, all very fancy indeed.

Here is my favourite life drawing from 1995:

I did this in 1995

Now, I picked up my pencils again in about 2006 and drew my little wooden man – just a quick sketch but was good to see that I could still create something on paper!

I did this in 2006

As for the fashion sketches from 1995, here is selection of what was going on in my head back then. If I had to pin a theme on the kind of stuff I was imagineering back then, I’d say it’s kind of futurism couture meets puff ball chic with a touch of costume drama thrown in…(!)

Set one

Set two

So, I have been looking for an evening course in London, that starts around 7/7.30 and encompasses life drawing and fashion drawing – or even two separate courses, but it’s proving tricky finding anything that starts at that time!

If anyone has any ideas or knows of any courses, please let me know as I’d love to do some more fashion design/drawing this year and see how my mind has changed and what kind ideas I would have as a ‘grown up’ who chose American Studies over Fashion Design…

No regrets, just a junction of my life I’d like to revisit in my free time.

Next, I plan to dig out the actual clothes I made and I might even digitise the VHS of my final collection…

Books for 2009 so far…

So far, I have managed to stack up a number of books I intend to devour this year.

Currently, I have a thirst for history, America, biography and humour and its looking a bit like this so far:

I have also joined Good Reads – thanks to a recommendation from a friend who is probably the most well-read person on the planet. She also consumes books at a very speedy pace indeed and unlike me, has managed to write reviews for all 7 millions books she has posted on this site.

Siobhanny’s to-read book montage

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Go O!

I wonder how Obama is feeling today?

Do you think he managed to get any sleep last night?

I know we all have work pressures and get nervous before presentations/pitches/important meetings etc but really, how on earth must Obama be feeling as the final countdown kicks in? Do you think he has managed to eat breakfast? Is his stomach OK?

What if he has a migraine!

With so much resting on HIM today, I hope he got the full 8 hours and feels chipper.

Do you think he has coping strategies - sport perhaps or maybe his family? How does he stop his golden feathers from ruffling or falling out even?

There are undoubtedly a huge number of cogs that propel the glittering Obama wheel so at least he isn’t a one-man-band, trundling along; according to the Guardian for example, Obama has not solely crafted his Inauguration Speech (hmm):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/19/obama-inauguration-jon-favreau-speech

Whether he has let a 27 year old ‘dude’ craft the most seminal speech in American history remains questionable – personally, I think Obama would be foolish to rely on ‘yoofy aides’ so early in his career. In fact, I imagine this story is complete tosh – surely?

Say it ain’t so O!

Do you think that deep down (when he isn’t thinking about other things and has a rare frivolous moment) Obama is excited about being the hottest guy on the political world stage? That is of course, until he decides to take on the genocide in Darfur and is joined by George Clooney, who’s 2006 speech to the UN Security Council Members went a little bit like this:

“Make no mistake it is the first genocide of the 21st century. This genocide will be on your watch. How you deal with it will be your legacy, your Rwanda, your Cambodia, your Auschwitz,”

Serious stuff and I hope Obama does intervene but back to my fluffier point…

Obama scrubs up really well, he is a man of clean lines, effortless grace and at just over 6 foot, he simply glides, evoking a consistent, ‘man at work meets Tommy Hilfiger photoshoot’ chic.

Annie Leibovitz’s study of Obama for Men’s Vogue being my favourite example of this – even his kids look picture perfect and in no way like they are about to hammer their sticky-jam fingers on the Presidential keyboard:

http://www.mensvogue.com/images/business/2006/08/21/busl03_obama.jpg

It is indeed a welcome break from the kind of iconography that Bush has left for the history books:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44589000/jpg/_44589767_bush_olddance512.jpg

And I for one, cannot wait til 4pm today. Bring it on O.