RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL

High on a ladder in a Grand Château, amongst a sparkling crystal chandelier and the cascading wisteria and ivy that weaves its way through the large wooden doors, stands Rapunzel.
Although traditionally famous for her golden locks, in my imagination she is a raven-haired beauty, resplendent in a cascading confection of ruffled pink Giambattista Valli tulle.

As a child I had a curious fascination with the story of Rapunzel. While, to a young girl, that mane of glorious hair is the epitome of fairy tale fantasy, the original story is quite sinister - especially the end that sees the Prince blinded by the jealous witch. There was definitely always something a little bit frightening about it, but it captured me none-the-less.
My interpretation focuses on the fashionably-glamorous side of the woman at the heart of the tale rather than the twisted roots of the original.

Fun fact - I started this illustration almost 6 months ago...which is CRAZY. I had almost started to lose track of how long it had been taking me to complete it.
I don't know if it was the minute details, or the constant stopping-and-starting between client projects. As most creatives would understand, you can sometimes lose the enthusiasm for something when it starts to becomes a bit stagnant. But, little by little, I pressed on and finally - I finished! My Mount Everest. I have to say that I'm so glad I kept going as I love how she turned out, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment with this piece. (Although I may not do anything quite so detailed for a while...)
She is the latest in my storybook series, and available in my store now HERE.
I hope you love her as much as I do!

View more Rapunzel-style inspiration below via some of my favourites:

Lily Cole by Tim Walker, VOGUE UK, 2005

Kate Moss by Alasdair McLellan, Another Magazine, 2016

Magdalena Jasek by Maurizio Bavutti, Harper's Bazaar China, 2015

CRUELLA DE VIL

My next storybook femme is a villainous vixen that we all love to hate, the dastardly devious, Cruella De Vil,
from Dodie Smith's '101 Dalmatians.'
While her taste in coats might be questionable, there's no denying that she is fashionably fierce.
As long as the fur remains faux, and no puppies are harmed in the making of her sartorial choices, she's okay by me.

'Cruella' is available as a limited edition print now, in my store here.

I've also been (slowly) working on my version of Rapunzel on and off over the last couple of months, all the while cursing my decision to draw the maiden with the ridiculously long hair in such detail. She has been beyond time-consuming, but hopefully she'll be worth the wait. Stay tuned...

WELL, COLOUR ME HAPPY!

If you don't understand this post's title reference, then you'd better go watch Pretty Woman the very second you close this window!

I channeled my inner Julia Roberts when I finally laid eyes on my illustrated cover for NEXT magazine's February issue which celebrates the current wave of popularity toward colouring books for adults.
I LOVED this concept when it was described to me by the Art Director of the magazine, and jumped at the chance to have my little lady stripped bare for all.

This whole colouring craze FASCINATES ME. Where did it originate? Why did it become such a THING? As a friend recently put it to me, is this what grown-ups have been waiting for their entire adult-lives? A socially-acceptable creative outlet?
I guess to someone like myself, who basically does the aforementioned for a living, (and is also enrolled at the Peter Pan school of adult-ing) it's easy to forget what it's like to have a job that doesn't allow you to express yourself creatively in any way.
I mean, once you leave school you're essentially sent out into the dark abyss that is adulthood, with its myriad of challenges and general life problems that we're immune to as children. And, while it's not ALL doom and gloom - most of the time it's pretty damn cool -  it's definitely not as much fun as being a kid can be. I mean when else do you get to spend 6 hours a day pasting glitter on to cardboard?
I kind of love the idea that this whole craze has become a metaphor for adding a little colour and fun to our daily lives - as well as to a black and white sheet of paper.
After all, why should kids have all the fun?

If you're reading this from New Zealand, and you happen to pick up a packet of pencils to colour this baby, I'd LOVE to see your pics of what you end up with!
Funnily enough colouring my illustrations is always the part that takes me the LONGEST time, as I agonise over how much to use, where to place it, when to pare it back or make it bolder. So I'm very intrigued to see how everyone else uses it here...
If you post your pics, add the hashtag #birdycolour so I can find you on Instagram!
HAVE FUN! x

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION...

Well, hello 2016!

I'm finally back at my desk after a lovely and long Summer holiday - the best part of which (aside from Christmas and New Year) was spent in this beautiful little slice of paradise, with my husband and friends.
Goremans Road is a property in the Byron Hinterland, a lush tropical wilderness full of sunshine, birdsong, and sparkling water. I don't think I've ever had such a relaxing break. It could have been the clear blue skies and rustling palm trees.......or maybe it was the endless supply of Mojitos. I guess we'll never know!

I hope you all had a wonderful break over the holiday period - I'm excited to see what the coming year is going to bring!

DOROTHY WORE DIOR

Paying homage to another of my all-time favourites for this storybook series.
(See previous interpretations here and here.)

Just like 'Alice in Wonderland', 'The Wizard of Oz' was one of the very few films we owned when I was younger, and definitely one of the very first that I remember watching.

'The Wizard of Oz' also started, for me, a life-long fascination with Judy Garland (do you ever watch 'Meet Me in St .Louis' at Christmas time? It's worth it for Judy's rendition of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' alone.)
I dreamed of becoming Dorothy when I grew up; hot-footing it along the yellow brick road in those sparkling ruby slippers, trying to get over that rainbow.

So, when writing out the list of favourite fairytales and stories that I wanted to re-create, 'The Wizard of Oz' sat firmly in first with an emerald on top.
Of course Dotty has had a high fashion makeover, and her pals look like they could pull out the baby oil and a boom box at any given moment, but what girl could resist the idea of Dorothy in Dior?
In fact, one of the main inspirations for the piece was this perfectly appropriate gingham gown from the Christian Dior Spring/Summer '12 Haute Couture collection. SO Dorothy.

Christian Dior Couture Spring/Summer 2012, Image via Vogue UK

Just like 'Alice', 'Dorothy Wore Dior' is available in my store as a print in limited editions of 15 A2 and 40 A3 prints, respectively.

I can't even tell you how many hours (upon hours) of Oz-related films and TV shows I watched while working on this illustration....all in the name of art, of course!
If you, too, want more Oz in your life (and let's face it, who doesn't?!) be sure to check out the following:

The Wizard of Oz (1939) Film
Return to Oz (1985) Film
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986) Animated TV Series
VOGUE's Wizard of Oz (December, 2005) Editorial, Photographed by Annie Leibovitz
Tin Man (2007) TV Series
And, of course, read the original books by L. Frank Baum.

Kiera Knightley by Annie Leibovitz, VOGUE, December 2005

CHRISTMAS LUST-HAVES

I had a lot of fun with last year's lust-have Christmas list, so I decided to do it again.
After all, you never know when Santa might scroll through your blog, right?
Unfortunately I ran out of time to make it illustrated, but the Big Guy won't mind, I'm sure.

Some of these items are totally affordable and some live in the 'I'd better have been REALLY good this year' category - however it is, after all, called a WISH list for a reason.
I've also very humbly and subtly thrown in a few of my own products, because I love them and hope you will, too.

1. The Pink Door, limited edition print. Because I'm sure every girl wishes she could be sauntering through the streets of Paris, passing by an large and ornate pink door.
www.birdyandme.bigcartel.com

2. Everyone needs a Fuji Instax, right? Well, this guy wants a pink one.
www.myer.com.au

3. I don't know about you, but every set of coasters I have ever owned have ended up either crumbling, disintegrating or covered in constant ring marks. I'm ready to try a stone set, and these black marble beauties from Samantha Wills are perfect.
www.samanthawills.com

4. As mentioned previously, I already own about 589 copies of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' but this particular edition has been designed by Vivienne Westwood and is so geometrically delicious I can't stand it.
www.viviennewestwood.com

5. Bal D'Afrique is my favourite Byredo scent. I've also tried La Tulipe and Rose Noir (Rose Noir was going strong in No.1 spot for a while) but now I can't go past the powdery beauty of Bal D'Afrique.
www.byredo.com

6. One of the most incredible and creative forces in fashion is Vogue's own Grace Coddington. Having personally styled and directed some of the magazine's most beautiful and iconic photo shoots, this couture-mad Queen has collated an impressively stunning portfolio of work that can all be viewed in the book 'Grace Coddington: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue.' A must for any lover of fashion & photography.
www.phaidon.com

7. You can't give a gift without a card, and again I HAVE JUST THE THING.
My Christmas card sets feature a sexy Santa, an enormous candy cane, and just enough cheek and couture to set your lady friends' pulses racing.
www.birdyandme.bigcartel.com

8. Garance Doré, the Parisian-turned-New Yorker, Queen of street style photography and illustration has released her very first book. Finally! Full of insights into her life in both Paris and New York, along with imagery she has captured over the years, "Love, Style, Life" promises to be one beautifully curated selection of Garance's best work and a must for any fashionista's coffee table.
www.lovestylelife.com

9. I just love the oval shape of these ceramic plates from Country Road. The dove grey and blush palette is also right up my alley.
www.countryroad.com.au

10. I've long been bag-obessed, and this lady truly needs no more. HOWEVER, when I saw this pink Marimekko confection appear in my Instagram feed a few weeks ago, I was smitten.
I generally wear a uniform that consists entirely of black. So, when I decide to add a little colour, I like to do so with accessories.
www.marimekko.com

SALE

Guys! Guys! Guys!

Today is the 25th of November, which means that there's exactly ONE MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS!
*No sh*t, math whizz!*
To celebrate this v.exciting nugget of information, this Christmas-nut is pulling on its ugliest holiday jumper AND taking 20% off everything in the shop for one week* only!

Simply head to www.birdyandme.bigcartel.com, make your selection(s) and then enter code word XMAS2015 upon checkout to apply the discount.
As an added bonus, all prints ordered between now and December 14 will come with one FREE Christmas card. Huzzah! Gift sorted.

Happy Shopping x

*Ends Midnight Tuesday, 1st December*

DECK YOUR PHONE

So excited to announce that my 'Kissing Santa Claus' illustration is now available - for a very limited time only - as a phone case via The Dairy to smother your calls in Christmas kisses for the holidays.
Because, on the eleventy day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a giant candy cane and a bunch of mistletoe!
Matching cards are also available.

Purchase cases: www.thedairy.com
Purchase cards: www.birdyandme.bigcartel.com

150 YEARS OF ALICE

My favourite of favourites.
As a child Walt Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' was one of approximately 5 movies we owned on BETA video. Remember BETA? It came before VHS. Remember VHS? It came before DVD. Remember - never mind. You get the picture.

Along with 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Pinocchio', and 'The Wizard of Oz' I watched it over and over and over again. I read the story books, I devoured the mini-series' (fun fact - there's a slightly terrible but kind-of-amazing 1980s adaptation of both 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' that stars Sammy Davis Jr as the Caterpillar!)
I've been Alice-obsessed for most of my life, and I have still yet to meet a print edition that I didn't buy. Friends have even lugged precious copies back from overseas travels. See image above.

So, of course there was no question that I would need to pay homage (again) to the most curious of dreamers, Alice, on this, the 150th anniversary of her very first publication.

A Very, Very Un-Birthday to you Alice, darling, dear.

If you would like your very own Alice, I have added her to my print shop, in two sizes.
Limited editions of 40 A3 prints, and 15 A2 prints only.
Click here to purchase.

TITANIA

While I was in the USA, the 'Les Petit Fours' exhibition opened in Sydney at Friends of Leon Gallery, in conjunction with Beautiful Bizarre magazine.
It looked like such a beautiful show, including pieces by some incredible artists such as Kelly Thompson, Pippa McManus, Ruben Ireland, Kate Zambrano, Emma Leonard and more...
I had only shared snippets until now, so here is my final piece.

Taking inspiration from some of my favourite collections by Giambattista Valli and John Galliano, along with the character of Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, from William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' I created an ethereal beauty, surrounded by the fluttering creatures of the forest and a swarm of gilded couture.

'Titania' can be viewed in the exhibition until November 8.