martha STEWART LIVING
Some little faces and fancy styles for Martha Stewart Living’s October 2021 issue.
schwarzkopf CHRISTMAS
I had the enormous pleasure of working with the wonderful team at Schwarzkopf AUS & NZ earlier in the year on their holiday campaign for 2020.
Taking inspiration from the Schwarzkopf 2020 colour forecast, along with the Australian Summer we all associate with Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere, the botanical tree gown was born - an explosion of vibrant hues and native textures! This tree wouldn’t be complete without billowing blown-out tresses and all manner of styling tools!
The Schwarzkopf Professional gift tins are available online now and in all Schwarzkopf Professional salons across Australia and New Zealand.
peep SHOW
Earlier in the year I collaborated with one of my all-time favourite creative humans, soul-mates, et al, Charli Burrowes of Me Oh My, on some illustration and typography work for her newest collection of tees and lingerie!
Inspired, as ever, by naughty-but-nice Bardot-style girls living in a Wonderland world; creatively speaking we share the same brain.
For the graphic tee we wanted to do something that encapsulated the above while also paying homage to the ultimate fashion artist, illustrator extraordinaire, René Gruau! From the late 40’s and beyond Gruau has been responsible for some of the most iconic images for fashion houses such as Dior, Balmain, Balenciaga, and Schiaparelli, along with US editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Such a favourite of mine, his illustrations for Dior of women bursting forth from bouquets exploding with colour and bloom inspired me to contemplate my own variation on this theme, resulting in the first graphic art tee for one of Charli’s collections.
Dubbed ‘For Me? Yes, You!’ the tall-tee is a further nod to the sultry-but-sweet sentiment employed by the collection; wear it to bed, or as a thigh-skimming dress with knee high socks!
The tee sold OUT of its first run on launch night, but is available for pre-order for the rest of the week - due to ship in early Jan 2021.
The second group of garments, comprising a classic tee and silk knicker, bear the hand-written slogan “Do you suppose she’s a wildflower?” which any Wonderland-enthusiast would recognise from the conversation Alice has in the garden of live flowers.
These, too, are available now for purchase and pre-order here: meohmystore.com
I hope you love them as much as we did creating them.
As she does before every release, Charli poured her entire heart and soul into the most phenomenal short film to launch the collection. All pieces can be seen on the model and muse, Beth, as she bumps and grinds her way through her red-light district flower shop.
It’s a John Waters-meets Sofia Coppola-meets Wes Anderson feast for the eyes!
Please watch the entire thing below and scroll on for more inspiration behind the artwork!
phone CASES
A small collection of illustrated phone cases are available online now via The Dairy!
There are 7 designs to choose from, be it botanicals, beauty, or babes that you fancy. They would also make very lovely stocking stuffers, just sayin’….
Find them here: www.thedairy.com
all WRAPPED UP - CHRISTMAS 2020
Introducing this year’s Christmas card illustration…. ‘All Wrapped Up.’
I wanted to do something quite whimsical and glamorous for these particular holidays. It’s been such a tough year for so many, and some of the frivolity of life has truly gone missing for the most part.
While, for the most part, all of us just want nothing more than to be able to hug and kiss our friends and family members this Christmas, it’s still my favourite time of year, and hopefully something that we can begin to look forward to.
I thought ‘what better way to bring a little bit of fantasy and enchantment than a Valentino-clad shopper, encased in a swirling snow globe!?’
The couture collection that Maison Valentino showed late last year in Beijing was truly spectacular and those metallic gowns with their cascading ribbons and bows were the PERFECT adornment for any gal on Christmas. (I chose the pink and gold gown worn by the phenomenal Adut Akech.)
I do hope that she might bring a bit of sparkle and perhaps a smile to the face of a loved one.
As always she is available in limited quantities, sets of 3 to be precise, in my shop now.
Please do take note of the new shipping timings and costs on the FAQ page;
Post within Australia, and the world, as slowed significantly, so the sooner ordered the better.
If you’re concerned about delivery, please select the express post option.
My elves and I will be working overtime to get everything out to you on time!
Hit the store here.
shopper's BEAUTY
A few little beauty illustrations for Canadian retailer Shoppers Drug Mart, including make up smears, lips and face chart!
See the final product below.
dior NYMPHS
In light of the current pandemic, most fashion houses have been forced or chosen to forgo physical shows this Couture season, opting to present their designs through editorials, live-streams of audience-less shows, or - in Dior’s case - a film!
Directed by Italian film-maker, Matteo Garrone, ‘Le Mythe Dior’ presents Maria Grazia Chiuri’s A/W 20/21 Haute Couture collection as a Pre-Raphaelite fantasy; a fairytale where mermaids, maidens and nymphs frolic, swim, and kiss within a magical forest as two Dior porters roam the woods, carrying an enormous doll house - miniature versions of Dior creations enclosed inside, enticing each character.
I was completely enchanted and just had to draw my own version.
While the film itself has been called out for its lack of diversity (and rightly so as there was room to include POC within its cast of characters) I thought it was such an incredibly beautiful take on ethereal mythology.
I figured I could expand upon the cast within my illustration!
So here you have it - two nymph-like beauties, draping themselves over the most heavenly gown, entwined in forest vines.
Please be sure to watch the film below and enjoy it for yourselves!
(I am utterly in awe of the miniatures themselves, the craftsmanship is something to be admired.)
Images via Dior
pig + PEPPER
I started this illustration not long after the birth of my son, back in 2019.
It’s taken me quite a while to finish it - I blame the intricacy of those Jean Paul Gaultier ruffles - but it feels somewhat fitting to be finally sharing it now, in a COVID-19 world.
If anyone exemplifies the position we find ourselves in right now, it’s Alice. As we all sit at home in self-isolation we’re turning to books, films, music, games; anything to stir our curiosity and escape the reality of the outside world and this virus. So, what better time to fall down the rabbit hole?
Pig + Pepper is a somewhat forgotten chapter of Alice’s story as it’s often left out of film and animated adaptations. But the story goes thusly; Alice finds herself walking into a scene of complete chaos at the home of the Duchess. A cook with a predilection for far too much pepper is involved in quite a violent display with the Duchess herself, throwing pots and plates around the room, while a baby screams incessantly from the Duchess’ lap, in protest perhaps of the lullaby she’s singing, shaking it violently at the end of every verse. All the while pepper floats through the air causing everyone to sneeze. Still with me?
Alice then snatches the wailing baby from the Duchess and runs away from the house. The baby’s cries turn to grunts, and suddenly it transforms into a pig before her very eyes! Why? I don’t know…it’s Wonderland. *shrugs*
It’s certainly not my first take on Alice, and probably not my last. But, as soon as I saw this cascading confection on the runway during Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring 2019 couture collection, I knew I just HAD to dress our beloved Alice in it. It’s so her, no? Just add a tiny Prada head band and set.
I also had to include a tiny little nod to the door mouse. Squint and you might see it!
I think the Mad Hatter’s tea party could be calling my name…
Anyway, I hope you like it, and I hope you’re all doing your best to stay healthy, happy, and curious in these crazy times!
BIG LOVE to everyone out there on the front lines, risking their health to save others. THANK YOU x
Illustration by John Tenniel – ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’ published in 1865.
POPPIES
"All across the meadows, many poppies blossomed, and they were so hypnotic and brilliant in colour they nearly dazzled Dorothy's eyes. "Aren't they beautiful?" the girl asked her companions, as she breathed in the spicy scent of the big, bright flowers."
– The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum.
As children we all imagine climbing through the back of our wardrobes into Narnia, falling down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, or getting swept up by a hurricane and landing with a giant thump in Oz.
Dorothy and her companions have long been a source of wonder to me. It wasn’t enough to create one interpretation of this gang, I had to dive in again – this time into a giant field of poppies.
”As she walked on her eyes grew very heavy, and soon she felt she must sit down to rest and to even sleep.”
– The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum.
Like Dorothy, I also found myself stepping out of black and white and into a world of full colour! It was a completely different way of working for me - and I enjoyed it so much.
(I’ve dabbled with client work previously, but never took the leap in my own work until now.)
In a nod to the Dorothy of L. Frank Baum, her shoes are not the shimmering ruby slippers we’ve come to know and love, but heels in the original silver - courtesy Prada, complete with blue bow!
Fun Fact: Dorothy’s shoes were changed to the famous ruby slippers in order to show off the brand new technicolour film for the 1938 release.
I also chose to focus only on the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy as those familiar with the story will know that the Tin Man and Scarecrow weren’t affected by the poisonous poppies - not being 100% human/animal/vegetable/mineral - and carry the two out of the fields before they fall asleep forever.
These sleepy beauties are my first new print of 2019 - just sneaking in before the end of the year.
As mentioned previously, my print shop is changing and from now on print releases will be a little more limited and available in one size/edition only.
So with that I give you the latest offering: “Poppies” is available in an edition of 20 prints only - in a lovely large A2 size - the best way to appreciate all of those tiny poppies in detail!
To purchase a print visit the shop here: www.birdyandme.com/shop
(For a sneaky pre-Christmas 10% discount use code: XMAS19)
Scroll on for more…
a botanical CHRISTMAS
2019 Christmas cards are here! With less than 7 weeks until Christmas, now’s the time to get in early with your holiday greetings to be sure they reach your loved ones in time for the festive season.
This year’s design is a spin on my ‘Botanist’ print - a nod to an Australian Christmas. Sadly there are no Winter Wonderlands to be found, but instead it’s a botanical-filled holiday here in the Southern Hemisphere with the scent of eucalyptus in the warm Summer air.
This year’s cards are available to purchase as a set of three (3) in my store, along with a very limited edition print. As always, every print order comes with a free card to gift to your intended (or keep for yourself!)
Click over to the shop here to order.