Asperkid's Charitable Fashion Coloring Book

A few months ago I was asked to contribute fashion history illustrations for a wonderful new charitable coloring book that has just been released; The Asperkid's Not-Your-Average-Coloring-Book written by Jennifer Cook O'Toole. This unique coloring book covers topics that appeal to kids on the autism spectrum by encouraging them to try new things and showing spectrum kids the potential career value of their natural talents through artwork based on science, nature, history, math and myths.

It was great to work on these historical fashion sketches and solely focus on the designs through line drawing. I have to mention that while the 1960's mod look (at the top) is probably my favorite of the group due to the strong pose and bold accessories, the 1970's illustration was inspired by one of my favorite photo's from the 1970's of my grandma (which I also featured here on Fabulous Doodles a while back.) As for the other two line drawings,  they gave me a great excuse to whip out my art and fashion history books and seek out some primary resources for inspiration. 

I'm honored to be a part of this coloring book and encourage you to show your support for Asperkids and order a copy for the little artist in your life, whether or not they are on the spectrum. A portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting art programs for children on the autism spectrum. Although I'm only one of the contributing illustrators featured in the book, I've added The Asperkids's Not-Your-Average-Coloring-Book to my Amazon shop under titles I've illustrated, to make it easy to find and order. Happy coloring!  

My Third Illustrated Book, The DREAM BIG Academy

I'm so excited to share that the third book I've illustrated is now available! The DREAM BIG Academy Rosie Wants to be a Fireman is written by Marissa Klein and illustrated by yours truly, Brooke Hagel. This was such a fun project to work on and quite different from my previous two books, which are drawing tutorials as opposed to a story-based children's book about a single character.   

The DREAM BIG Academy Rosie Wants to be a Fireman is a wonderful little book in what will hopefully become a full children's book series about a little girl named Rosie who goes to bed at night and dreams big dreams of the places she could go and what she could become when she grows up. I think Rosie will truly touch both little girls as well as their moms. I'm not yet a mom but I can tell you she resonated with me, my inner girl, and the big dreams I had and still have for myself. (Rosie even has a stuffed elephant named Ellie, which was the name of my favorite childhood stuffed animal! Mine was light gray and about ten times the size of Rosie's but it's a fun coincidence nonetheless.)  

This book is in the process of being self published by the author Marissa Klein, through a fundraising site called Indiegogo. By clicking on over to The DREAM BIG Academy page on Indiegogo you can help Marissa reach her goal of self publishing this book while getting yourself a signed copy of the limited first-run! If you chip in a little more you can also get a signed print of Rosie to frame and hang in your home. I have my fingers crossed that Marissa raises all the seed money she needs to publish this wonderful little book and I can soon hold a printed copy in my hands. 

Giveaway! {Fashion Illustration Books}

I have two exciting Fabulous Doodles giveaways! Enter to win one of the fashion illustration books I recently worked on: Girly Girl Style and Harajuku Style, both illustrated by moi, Brooke Hagel. I posted about both books a few weeks ago when they were first released, sharing peeks inside as well as little descriptions and insights, which you can check out here.

Two winners will be chosen, one for each book. To enter simply click on the link below and follow the instructions. Easy peasy! You can enter multiple ways to earn more entries, so make sure to enter your email, tweet and give a Facebook like. The winners will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fashion Illustration Books {Brooke Hagel}

I'd like to share the first two fashion illustration books I've illustrated! They are part of a new instructional series by Capstone Publishing called "Fun Fashions You Can Sketch" and as of February 1st they're out and available on Amazon for purchase.

Harajuku Style: Fun Fashions You Can Sketch, showcases Tokyo's Harajuku culture and style. Sketching and learning about Harajuku girls and their style was something completely new for me. Harajuku girls are all about themeing out an outfit and piling on layers and accessories to complete a look from head to toe. They made for some really fun illustrations including Mixed Traditions (shown above) my favorite illustration of them all, Take it to the Street, and Tokyo Punk, amoung others.

The second book, Girly Girl Style: Fun Fashions You Can Sketch, showcases ultra girly and feminine designs. Similar to the Harajuku book, I was given precise outfit design direction for each look, such as On the Runway, Crocheted Cutie, Style at Sea and Radiant Romper (all shown above) and drew detailed illustrations building a sketch from a loose gesture drawing to polished final illustration.

As I was only hired to illustrate these books and not write or consult as to how to actually build a illustration, I do have a difference of opinion regarding how to render some fabrics and build an illustration. In actuality I don't really draw this way, with this many steps and layers, however these books are for beginners, focused primarily towards tweens, so the illustrations are broken down and made clear. They are fun little books and would make a great gift for any fashion loving tween. The books are being marketed to school libraries, however they're also available on Amazon.

It has been a interesting experience illustrating my first two books. Like many projects it was really a learning process, with ups and downs along the way. Deciding how I wanted my name to appear in the Library of Congress was pretty cool and debating some of the design direction was a challenge, but I'm excited they're out there now. I hope kids enjoy them and hopefully they're the first of many more books throughout my career. Check back next week for a giveaway and your chance to win one!

Fabulous Doodles 2012 Gift Guide

I am so excited to share the Fabulous Doodles 2012 gift guide. This year I focused on 5 unique categories; gifts for the entrepreneur/artist with a home office, fashion books with style, gifts for your "label lover" best friend, movies featuring fashion on film, and one of my favorites from last year, gifts for the little artist.

As an illustrator who works from home I can tell you the importance of having a studio/office space that is both functional and chic. An efficient work space has to be both functional and well designed, especially when working from home where its so easily to be distracted. My studio is a constant rotation of beautiful pieces that I've collected over the years.

(1. Brooklit Fashion Illustration Mini Print $6 2. Rock Our Work Agate Bookends $39 3. Brooklit Fashion Illustration Notepad $7 4. Nate Berkus for Target Round Tray $29.99 5. Kate Spade Business Card Case $58 6. West Elm Owl Mug $8 7. Freshly Picked Leather Mouse Pad $35)

Gifting art is a creative and often affordable option, especially with Etsy. My "mini print" fashion illustrations come individually or you could choose a set of three that echo the personality and style of the person you're giving it to and their space. The raw naturally beauty of agate bookends compliment any home office. I bought mine at Home Goods, but found these similar ones online. Other elements that could glam up a work space include trays like this Nate Berkus for Target beauty, which could hold cute little notepads like my "Zoey" fashion illustration pad, bowls of supplies, or a great mug of pens and pencils like the West Elm metallic owl. The geometric printed leather mouse pads are a splurge but well worth it for an everyday essential. And when networking and exchanging cards it's so important to present yourself polished and professional which is why a quality leather business card holder like this gold Kate Spade one is a wonderful gift for any entrepreneur, artist, or designer.

(1. Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington $19 2. Masters of Fashion Illustration by David Downton $19 3. Vogue Covers $91 4. Harper's Bazaar: Greatest Hits by Glenda Bailey $40 5. Survival Kit: Fashion $109 6. 100 Dresses: The Costume Institute/The Met $16.95 7. Brooklit Bookmarks $3.50)

Beautiful books make for a spectacular gift that can be appreciated for years and years. There are so many stunning fashion books available that its hard to choose which to feature. Vogue recently released this great book of vintage covers with an equally great black on black silhouetted cover. Last year I fell in love with a similar book of cover from Harper's Bazaar. For any admirer of fashion illustration David Downton's Masters of Fashion Illustration is must have. Assouline books are gorgeous and this collection of four making up their Fashion Survival Kit would be quite the killer gift. Lastly is Grace, the anticipated memoir of Vogue's Creative Director Grace Coddington. I cannot wait to read this! I'm traveling to Paris for the holidays and thinking is the ideal read for my trip. Need an accessory to the book you're giving? A fashion illustration bookmark would be a great little addition to any of these books.

(1. Chanel Lip Balm $32.50 2. Tom Ford by Tom Ford $85 3. Brooklit Notecard $5 4. Rachel Zoe Ornament $40 5. Alexander Wang Purse $79 (on sale!) 6. Marc by Marc Jacobs iPad Case $98 7. Spun Sugar Paperie Chanel Watercolor Print $19 8. Brian Atwood for Target Leather Gloves $49.99)

Tom Ford, the designer who epitomizes luxury and style also happens to have beautiful bold book that I spot constantly on the shelves of fashion elite in editorial shoots and television. For the designer label lover we all know and love I've also found some affordable giftables. Who knew Chanel made lip balm!? I sure didn't. What a jaw dropping alternative to boring old chapstick. Sending a fashion illustration card featuring a designer label, like the Lazarro gown drawn on my "lucky lady" card is another great little gift, as is Rachel Zoe's chic ornament from the Child Mind Institute's Celebrity Ornament Collection. Designer accessories are always a hit and who wouldn't be thrilled to see a little Alexander Wang, Marc by Marc Jacobs or Brian Atwood under their tree. And last but not least, a wonderful gift that would look great in every girls boudoir, is this lovely print I found on Etsy of a watercolor painting of a classic Chanel perfume.

(1. Coco Before Chanel 2. Valentino: The Last Emperor 3. The September Issue 4. The Thomas Crown Affair 5. Audrey Hepburn Triple Feature 6. The Devil Wears Prada)

Movies make great little gifts for your closest friends to your office secret Santa. Here is a handful of my favorite fashion films great for gifting: Coco Before Chanel is the wonderful story of how Coco Chanel began her career. Valentino The Last Emperor is a the must watch documentary that I've gushed about here before. The September Issue documents the making of Vogue's biggest issue of the year and features Creative Director Grace Coddington who steels the show. You can't help but be in awe of her heartfelt passion, creativity and integrity. The 1999 Thomas Crown Affair remake showcases a flawless wardrobe worn by Renee Russo, which was primarily designed by Michael Kors for Celine and Halston. The triple feature dvd of Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy and Edith Head, well really, enough said. And lastly the Devil Wears Prada which I actually once gave to a fashion industry boss as a holiday gift! (He loved it.)

(1. The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu $9 2. Jonathan Adler Whale Eraser $9.95 3. Fashion Origami $9 4. Met Kids Sketchpad $7.99 5. Play-Doh $8 6. Fingerprint Art Set $10)

For the little artist in your life how about giving this chic fashion coloring book? And if they're concerned with staying in the lines then the giant Jonathan Adler whale eraser will do the trick. Fashion origami!? So much better than the fortune tellers and stars we used to make. The MetKids Chunky Sketchpad is a great gift for any little artist to get their sketch on and a classic set of Play-Doh is heaven for those who like to work with their hands and create. And last but not least a wonderful little craft set that helps you turn your fingerprints into fancy little fairies.

Hope you enjoyed this years gift picks. Will you be picking up any as gifts? Happy shopping and hope you all have a fabulous holiday!

Fabulous Doodles 2011 Gift Guide

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your fashion-design-major little sis, your artistic 4 year old niece, or your impossible to shop for yet fabulous bff? Well look no further, because I've assembled the perfect gift guide for the fashion loving artist in your life.

(1. Button Box $16.99, 2. Aphrodite USB hub $29.99, 3. 101 Things I learned in Fashion School $6, 4. Sketchbook $12.95, 5. Portable Sewing Machine $24.99)

The first gift of the guide, for The Fashion Student is the (1) jumbo button box. It's ideal for art supplies (or jewelry) and is on my personal wish list. The (2) Aphrodite USB hub adds the right amount of kitch to any workspace. (3) 101 Things I learned in Fashion School is an incredibly informative little book for any design freshman. These (4) sketch books are the ones that I use for all my illustration work. They come in 2 different sizes, have thick bright white paper, and perforated edges that make a clean tear. The (5) mini pink sewing machine would be great for that last minute hem adjustment. (Or for a person with a tiny apartment who's too lazy to get out their big sewing machine from storage. . .like me :)

(1. Fashion Illustration Mini Print $6, 2. Snapshot Frames, set of 5 $10, Button Magnets $25 3. Gold iPhone Receiver $78, 4. Kate Spade iPhone Case $40, 5. Valentino Book $47.25)

For The Hard to Shop for Fashion Friend: My (1) fashion illustration mini-prints would be great for any fashion minded girl. Maybe your bff with a new office or apartment to decorate? The button or snapshot frame magnets would be adorable to adorn a cubicle or fridge. The Kate Spade gold dot iphone case is my new favorite thing! I have it, and get comments on it daily. (And the limited edition gold retro hand held phone is just begging to be paired with it.) Buying a book about your friends favorite designer is brilliant. I received this beautiful Valentino book as a gift. It not only contains a plethora of stunning photos and sketches from the legendary designer but also looks amazing on a coffee table.

(1. Chanel Print $9.99, 2. Color Pencil Studs $5, 3. Doodle Pocket Mirror $8, 4. Sterling Scissor Necklace $16, 5. Pencil Case $9, 6. Fashion Illustration Flat Note Cards $10)

Little Etsy Extras: Looking for that extra little gift thats the perfect unique handmade addition to your gift, Etsy is the website for you. Can't afford Chanel, you can pick up this beautiful (1) signed pencil drawing print. The (2) colored pencil stud earring make for a fun and quirky gift. A (3) pocket mirror from my shop would be a great little addition to a cosmetic or handbag purchase. The (4) sterling silver scissors are a great charm necklace for any designer, crafter or artist. The chevron striped pouch makes for a very chic pencil case and a pack of (6) fashion illustration flat note cards from my shop would be lovely to get in the mail thanking you for the fabulous gifts.

(1. Jumbo Clipboard $167, 2. Crayon Maker $44.98, 3. Face Plate $10.99, 4. Aquadoodle $43.88)

For The Little Artist: In my doctors office I fell in love with possibly the coolest looking (1) wall easel/clip board with a roll of paper to continuously draw and paint. The (2) Crayola crayon maker would have been life changing as a child! With these (3) face plates its now okay to play with your food. And last but not least, (4) Aquadoodle, the toddler toy that allows them to make art with just water. I've played with this at my friends house and I love it! (I've actually fought with a 3 year old over the water pen!)

Anthropologie Welcomes Decor8 Holly Becker

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting Decor8 blogger and best selling author of Decorate, Holly Becker. New York was the very last stop of her US book tour and although mother nature almost interfered by giving us a earthquake and then a hurricane, Holly made it to NYC safe and sound.

I've been reading Holly's blog for years, long before I started Fabulous Doodles. I've also taken Holly's class Blogging Your Way, not once but twice! So needless to say it was a thrill to finally meet the lovely lady herself. Anthropologie hosted the event in their Soho store, which started off with a presentation by Holly on assembling a successful mood board.

A funny thing happened, during the presentation Holly talked about the importance of including key fabrics for color, texture and pattern to set the tone. She used a gold and pink swatch as an example of a fabric she loved and treasured. What's so crazy is that I had sent her that fabric about 5 years ago! At the time Holly had asked her readers to send any extra fabrics and trims they had to put together swatch packets as a giveaway. I was working as a designer and stylist and had an entire studio space filled with fabrics and notions so I sent her a nice big box and that swatch was one of them! I had bought it from Mood and used it on design boards for Seventeen and CosmoGirl. I remember it so well because I, like Holly, loved it too and had a big piece up on my office inspiration board.

After the mood board demo drinks, hor derves and cookies were passed around while everyone mingled and the book signing began. Holly mentioned a group was going for drinks after so I hung around waiting for the singing to finsih while having a great time getting to know Rashan Carraway, aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting and Mayne Richardson.

We had fun and did a little impromtu photo shoot around the store before heading over to the Soho Grand for cocktails with Holly and friends. (Including Paul and Marcia Zia Priven, Cristina Batch-Lee of Etsy, Abby Jacobs of West Elm, fellow fashion illustrator Samantha Hahn, stylist Raina Kattelson, and Brett Bara.) It was so nice chatting it up and getting to know such a creative group of people.

If you haven't already, you should go go pick up Holly's book Decorate. Its a fantastic visual guide to decorating and making your space uniquely yours. The book also has stunning images and tips from designers such as Jonathan Adler, Nate Berkus, and Vincent Wolf.

Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation

Steven Stipelman has done it again with the latest edition of his book Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation (3rd Edition). Stipelman's book is an excellent resource for anyone, from the aspiring student to the experienced and working fashion illustrator. The book includes step-by-step tutorials on how to draw everything from the basic fashion figure, hands, feet, and faces to clothing details like fur cuffs, tweed, lace and tulle.

In one of my very first posts on Fabulous Doodles I shared the first edition (here), as its been a staple on my bookshelves since college. In this latest edition Stipelman has updated it by redrawing more than 1,000 full color illustrations and referencing designer garments and time periods for accurate historical references.

Illustrating Fashion Concept to Creation (3rd Edition) is very easy to navigate through and use as a reference. Its divided into five main sections:

• Getting Started: Supplies, lines, etc.
• The Fashion Figure: Hands, feet, shaping the body, gesture and balance line.
• The Fashion Details: Silhouettes, necklines, drapery and bias, tailored clothing and accessories.
• Rendering: Stripes, plaids, knits and other intricate rendering techniques.
• Extras: Walking figures, menswear, children, flats.

Stipelman is an incredible teacher and seasoned fashion illustrator, so to sit in a classroom and watch him sketch was a privelage. (I was lucky enough to have Stipleman as my professor for four consecutive semesters!) Now you can observe and learn form him as well, because with this book comes a dvd of demonstrations by Stipelman! Watching my professor and friend drawing made me feel like I was 19 again, gathered around his desk with other FIT students mezmorized by his illustrating.

This book is used as a textbook for all of FIT's fashion design students and is a splurge worthy necessity for any fashion illustrator. You can check it out, along with a few of my other book recommendations here, in my Amazon shop.

Fashion Illustration Exposed

A little while ago, I was contacted by the lovely Julia Stanescu of Fashionarium. She asked me if I would be willing to write two tutorials as a contributing fashion illustrator. Well I jumped at the opportunity and now I'm excited to tell you about the fabulous new book Fashion Illustration Exposed.

This book empowers readers to easily explore practical techniques of fashion illustration while learning about the tools and steps that ten fashion illustrators (including yours truly) employ. Mediums such as watercolor paint, pen, collage, and photoshop are all touched upon. (It has even inspired me to dig out my old watercolors and guaches that I haven't touched since college!)

It's such a thrill for me to be included in this book. I hope you all like it and like myself, learn something new. Fashion Illustration Exposed is available as a printed paperback as well as a downloadable ebook, which ten of my readers can purchase with a discount of 20% off. Its available by clicking here, and the discount code is brooklit. (The discount is only available to the first 10 Fabulous Doodles readers to purchase.)

Book Time {Part 3}

A few weeks ago while in my local bookshop I decided to stop by the crafting aisle and this book caught my eye; Blogging for Bliss. Being a fairly new Blogger I picked it up and started thumbing through it. I realized I was standing there reading entire chapters and I should just buy it and head home. While waiting in line I flipped the book over to discover a familiar face smiling back at me! The author of the book, Tara Frey, was one of my very first freelance illustration clients! Small world right!Besides the excitement of knowing the author, and reconnecting with her, Blogging for Bliss has been a fantastic resource. It's packed with great tips and how-to's, informational tools, and behind the scenes stories and inspiration from successful design bloggers, including my current teacher Ms. Holly Becker of Decor8!
It's a great book and since many of you, my readers, are bloggers yourselves, I thought I should share this fabulous find. I've added it to my Amazon Book Shop, which you can purchase by clicking here. (By the way I learned how to set up a Amazon "astore" from reading this book!)

Book Time {Part 2}

"Fashion Illustration By Fashion Designers" by Laird Borrelli has been gracing my coffee table since receiving it as a birthday present back in August. I thought it was time to share some of its fun designer sketches with you. This book is a wonderful collection of full color fashion illustrations by sixty of todays top designers. (And as if that wasn't reason enough to love it, the white on white polka dot cover is a lovely compliment to my apartment decor.)

(Bruno Frisoni for Roger Viver "London Event"

Marker pen and colored pencil on paper, April 2006)

"Fashion illustration is a medium in which creative expression can be given free rein and designers can explore ideas before the realities of budgets, fabrics or physics intervene. Designers' sketches reveal inspirations, offering insight into a key, usually invisible, part of the creative process." (Borrelli, cover flap)

(Alexander Terekhov, Ink and watercolor on paper, 2003)

(Gianfranco Ferre, Ink on paper, Haute Couture 1987)

Book Time

Every now and then I receive emails through my etsy shop from aspiring illustrators and students asking for advice on fashion illustration. I've been asked everything from what my favorite marker brand is to what kind of classes I'd suggest taking to what books I'd recommend. Here are some great books from my collection:

The first book here was written by Steven Stipelman, Fashion Design Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I was lucky enough to be taught by this amazing talent for four consecutive semesters. (It took a lot of schedule rearranging!) His book is an invaluable reference. The cover shown here is from the first edition, but more have been published since and each one with additional drawings. (A little birdie told me he's currently working on sketches for the next edition!)

20,000 Years of Fashion The History of Fashion and Personal Adornment is a great overview of the history of fashion from prehistoric costume to modern day fashion. It has hundreds of full color images of primary and secondary sources; photographs, paintings, sculptures and artifacts. It served as a text book for a Costume History course I took in college but I've continued to reference it through the years.

For unique examples of fashion illustrations of men, women and children created using a wide variety of media, The Big Book of Fashion Illustration is great. I bit the bullet and bought this book after sitting on the floor of the book store analyzing it page by page for over an hour!

Fashion Illustration Next is another book featuring really creative and artsy fashion illustrations in a multitude of mediums by 40 international illustrators.

My other books shown in the top photo of this post are:

• Ralph Rucci: The Art of Weightlessness, Seeing this exhibition at the FIT museum was one of two museum experiences I've had were the beauty and genius of the artwork took my breath away. His work is simply breathtaking.
• Luxury Houses Country, 22 beautiful homes that blend modern luxury with country charm. This book is stunning!
• Richard Avedon: Photographs from 1946- 2004, A collection of the famous fashion photographer's life's work.