MONKEY BIZ-NESS

NOW WHO ELSE COULD PULL OFF A TRANNY-FAY-WRAY-CAPTURED-BY-KING-KING HALLOWEEN COSTUME LIKE THE LADY MIZ PHILLIPE BLOND??? WHEN I SAW THIS COSTUME I THOUGHT IT WAS THE MOST WITTY AND INGENIOUS THING I HAD SEEN IN 4-EVER! THE OVER SIZED MONKEY HAND GRABBING HER AROUND THE WAIST REALLY SEALS THE DEAL ON THIS ONE FOR ME! SO YOU KNOW I SAVED THE PICTURES OF HIM WEARING IT AND EVENTUALLY GOT AROUND TO COMMITTING HIS ALL-HALLOWS-EVE MONKEY SHINES TO PAPER. I EXPERIMENTED MORE THEN I USUALLY DO WITH USING DIFFERENT SHADING TECHNIQUES IN PHOTOSHOP WITH THIS ONE AND I THINK THE GAMBLE REALLY PAYED OFF. THE COLORING AND SHADING ON THIS PIECE ARE PROBABLY MY FAVORITE THAT I'VE EVER DONE!!!

WHO YAH GONNA CALL???

LET'S FACE IT, THERE JUST AREN'T THAT MANY GREAT FASHION DESIGNERS WHO HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR AND ARE ABLE TO USE IT. THE ITALIAN DESIGNER ELSA SCHIAPARELLI TOOK UP THE CAUSE OF TOUNGE-IN-CHEEK COMEDY IN CLOTHING, BUT FEW HAVE CARRIED ON THE TORCH. IN AMERICA WE HAVE JEREMY SCOTT AND BETSEY JOHNSON. IN EUROPE THERE IS MOSCHINO AND, OF COURSE, JC de CASTELBAJAC. Mr. JC CAN THROW AROUND A POP CULTURE REFERENCE LIKE NO BODY'S BUSINESS! HE SEEMS TO ESPECIALLY LIKE PLAYING AROUND WITH THE POPULAR CARTOON AND COMIC BOOK ICONS. WHO CAN FORGET HIS OVER SIZED CARTOON CHARACTER SWEATERS FROM THE 80's? OR HIS CHEEKY KERMIT THE FROG JACKET WORN BY LADY GAGA. AND LET'S NOT FORGET HIS STUFFED TEDDY BEAR PANTS WORN BY THE FLEA OF THE RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS.

THE SEQUINED 'SUPERGIRL' MINI DRESS SHOWN HERE WAS FROM HIS S/S '09 COLLECTION. THE DRESS HAD MATCHING GLOVES AND SHOES AND GLASSES, BUT, SADLY, THE MATCHING GIANT ROTARY PHONE WAS NOT MADE AVAILABLE. TSK TSK

SHAPE UP!!!

I DID THIS PIECE FOR MY GOOD FRIEND, LONDON BASED FASHION DESIGNER JASPER GARVIDA. THE GREEN PANELED DRESS SHOWN HERE WAS MAY FAVORITE LOOK FROM HIS S/S 2010 COLLECTION. JASPER AND I WENT TO FASHION COLLEGE TOGETHER AND HE, NOT THE TEACHERS, TAUGHT ME THE FOUNDATIONS OF FASHION, DESIGN, TECHNIQUES, EVERYTHING! HE NOW HAS A SUCCESSFUL LIL' CLOTHING EMPIRE GOING AFTER WINNING THE 'PROJECT CATWALK' REALITY TV SHOW COMPETITION. KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS POINTED TO THE FASHION PRESS BECAUSE I'M SURE YOU'LL BE HEARING MUCH MORE FROM HIM IN THE FASHIONABLE FUTURE!!!

YOU CAN CHECK OUT JASPER'S WEBSITE HERE: http://www.jaspergarvida.com/

MINNIE-MOUSE-TRAP!!!

WHILE I WAS STALKING PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK (SHUT UP! YOU DO IT TOO!) I RAN ACROSS A PICTURE OF MY FRIEND SASKIA DRESSED UP AS A FUNKY COS-PLAY VERSION OF MICKEY MOUSE. THE PICTURE WAS SO FUN THAT I SAVED IT WITH PLANS TO USE IT FOR INSPIRATION IN THE FUTURE. I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO IT AND I THINK THE PIECE TURNED OUT REALLY GREAT!!!(if i do say so myself)

I ALSO DECIDED TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO FOR A WHILE, WHICH IS SLAP TOGETHER A LIL' HOW-TO OF MY CREATIVE PROCESS FOR MAKING A DRAWING. THAT WAY ALL YOU KIDS CAN GET A PEEK INSIDE MY TWISTED BRAIN . . .

IN #1 WE SEE THE PHOTO OF SASKIA IN HER MICKEY MOUSE GEAR. #2 SHOWS THE SKETCH I DID OF HER AND MY IDEA FOR HER FINER BEING STUCK IN A MOUSE TRAP. I USUALLY DO TONS OF DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES BEFORE I SETTLE ON A FINAL, BUT IN THIS CASE I ACTUALLY WENT WITH THE VERY 1st ONE I DID. I DID HAVE TO RESEARCH A MOUSETRAP THOUGH (#3) AND DO A THUMBNAIL OF THE LAYOUT (#4). I GENERALLY ALWAYS KNOW FROM THE BEGINNING OF A DRAWING HOW I'LL WANT THE LAYOUT TO BE SET-UP. THEN IN #5 WE SEE MY FINAL INKED MICKEY-GIRL (I SPOTTED THE BLACKS ON THE EARS IN PHOTOSHOP, NO NEED TO WASTE GOOD INK!). AND FINALLY IN #6, I DID A CIRCLE OF TRADITIONAL MICKEY MOUSE EARS HATS AND PHOTOSHOPPED IT INTO A TESSELLATION. IN THE END I SLAPPED THEM ALL TOGETHER AND VOILA!

IF YOU'VE LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THIS POST, IT'S THAT YOU SHOULDN'T TRY TO GET THE CHEESE OUT OF A MOUSE TRAP! IT'LL SNAP ON YOUR FINGER AND MAKE IT SWELL TO CARTOON PROPORTIONS!!!

PLANET TERROR!!!

I WAS GOING THROUGH AN OLD FILE OF SKETCHES RECENTLY (A LIL' PRE-SPRING CLEANING) AND RAN ACROSS THIS DRAWING I HAD DONE AFTER SEEING THE FILM 'GRINDHOUSE'. IN IT, ROSE McGOWEN PLAYS A STRIPPER WHO IS ATTACKED BY ZOMBIES AND FORCED TO ATTACH A MACHINE GUN TO HER AMPUTATED LEG FOR DEFENSE. IF YOU HAVEN'T GUESSED FROM THAT DESCRIPTION, THE FILM IS CLEARLY CAMPY AND DOESN'T TAKE IT'S SELF TOO SERIOUSLY.
I ACTUALLY PREFERRED THE 2nd HALF OF THE FILM WHICH WAS DIRECTED BY QUENTIN TARANTINO, BUT THE ROSE McGOWEN MACHINE-GUN-LEG IMAGE IS A PRETTY STRONG VISUAL, SO I KEPT DOODLING THAT. I DID THIS PIECE WITH A BIC PEN ON A PIECE OF OLD, USED PRINTER PAPER. A TRUE DOODLE!! WHEN IT WAS UNEARTHED, I PHOTOSHOPPED IT AND KIND'A TRIED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE AN OLD IMAGE LIFTED OFF OF ONE OF THOSE OLD GRINDHOUSE MOVIE POSTERS.

THE BLOND(s) AMBITION

MY FAVORITE NEW YORK FASHION MOMENT OF THE F/W '10 WAS BY FAR NONE OTHER THEN MY FRIENDS THE BLONDS OUTSTANDING SHOWING! THEIR CLOTHING IS SO FUN AND COLORFUL AND SOOOOO WELL MADE! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY MAKE THOSE CORSETS WITH TONS OF GIANT FAUX DIAMONDS AND CHAINS AND SPIKES AND NICK-KNACKS ON THEM.

AFTER I SAW THE SHOW I WAS SO INSPIRED THAT I CAME RIGHT HOME (AFTER A FEW COCKTAILS AT THEIR AFTER-PARTY, OF COURSE) AND STARTED WORK ON THIS PIECE INSPIRED BY PHILLIPE BLOND'S GRAND ENTRANCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW. SHE CAME OUT ON THE RUNWAY IN A HAIRY MONKEY SUIT AND STRIPPED IT OFF TO REVEAL AN AMAZING GOLD CORSET UNDERNEATH ALA MARLENE DIETRICH IN 'BLONDE VENUS'(AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, POISON IVY IN 'BATMAN&ROBIN'). NOT SINCE MY GHURL THIERRY MUGLER WENT INTO CRAZY PEOPLE'S RETIREMENT/SECLUSION HAVE WE SEEN HIGH FASHION THIS HIGH!!! I HAVE EMBEDDED A VIDEO OF THE ENTRANCE AND YOU CAN SEE MORE TRANNY REALNESS AT: http://www.theblondsnewyork.com/
CHECK IT OUT AND GET SOME JUNGLE FEVER!!!

THE CAT'S MEOW!!!

RAN ACROSS THESE SKETCHES I DID OF SOME KITTIES AND DECIDED TO PHOTOSHOP THEM ALL TOGETHER FOR 1 GIANT KITTY JAMBOREE! I KNOW MANY OF YOU, LIKE MYSELF, COULD HAPPILY STARE AT SOME CUTE LIL' KITTENS ALL DAY LONG, BUT TRY NOT TO STARE AT THIS DRAWING FOR TOO LONG OR YOU'LL NEVER GET ANY WORK DONE!!!