Custom Bridal Fashion Illustrations

(Melinda in Amsale) 

Its Bridal Fashion Week here in New York, so what better time to share some of my recent custom bridal fashion illustrations. This summers wedding season brought me so many beautiful bridal clients its hard to choose which to feature. This first custom bridal illustration (shown above) however is one of my favorites to come along in quite a while. This brides gown by Amsale is so simple but absolutely beautiful. I'm not normally a fan of a one-shoulder neckline, especially for bridal but something about this minimal dress is just so sophisticated and pretty. This illustration was a gift and I worked with the gift giver throughout the custom illustration process, shipped her the final artwork, and she then framed it and presented it to her friend, the bride, as her wedding gift.

(Nicole in Rivini)

The next illustration is another stunning gown that was wonderful to interpret into a fashion illustration. This custom bridal illustration was a bridal shower gift from Nicole's soon-to-be new family. At the shower they gave her a custom illustration gift certificate from my Brooklit Bride etsy shop and after the wedding Nicole reached out, emailed me wedding photos of her in her beautiful Rivini gown, and we worked together on her custom illustration, making sure it was the pose and look she wanted to display in her home. I love the fullness of the layered underskirt and the pretty accent of color with her orchid/lavender bow. 

(Dana in Rivini)

Most of the custom bridal sketches this summer were wedding gifts but Dana (shown above) was actually the winner of my one and only custom illustration giveaway I hosted here on Fabulous Doodles a while back. Dana's wedding dress, also by Rivini, features a dropped waist and dramatic skirt made up of layers of organza which created a large rosette. This beautiful gown made for quite a unique bridal illustration with its unique bottom. The actual original illustration I sent to Dana had a lot more depth and shadows in the organza rose skirt, but my not-so-fabulous scanner didn't pick up on the shading and shadows. (Sadly bridal illustrations, being white on white tend to be the most challenging to scan accurately.)

If you'd like your own custom bridal illustration or would like to give one as a unique gift to bride in your life you can check out the custom listings in my bridal Etsy shop Brooklit Bride. I've also featured the whole custom bridal illustration process is this older Fabulous Doodles blog post. 

New Brooklit Bride Fashion Illustration Print

Over the weekend I added this lovely new bridal print to Brooklit Bride, my bridal fashion illustration print shop. I sketched her about a month ago, while procrastinating by sketching (and instagraming) instead of getting ready for a wedding I had to head to over in Brooklyn. Since drawing her she's been front and center on my shelves and I simply adore her. I've named this print "Martha" since she's inspired by a photo I pinned from Martha Stewart Weddings and the name just seemed to fit her personality as well we the charming vintage vibe of her J.Crew wedding gown.

To purchase a print of Martha or for information on my custom bridal fashion illustrations, click on over to Brooklit Bride.

New Print: Lauren & Ari {For A Good Time Call...}

I'm happy to share this fun illustration inspired by Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor in the movie For A Good Time Call.... I drew this sketch of Lauren and Ari months ago, shortly after their film premiered but it wasnt until just a few weeks ago while visiting Lauren (who also happens to be my cousin) in LA that I finally framed it and gave it to her as a birthday present. Here it is sitting in her home along with the actual prop phone from the film and a copy of the dvd. This fabulous independent film is a must see for every girls-girl who's ever had a best friend, and experienced the roller coaster of emotion that is a female friendship.  (Its also now on demand so you should check it out!)

I simply love this movie. Not that I'm bias or anything but my talented cousin not only stars in For A Good Time Call... but she also co-wrote the script, my other cousin Dan produced it, and last but not least I happen to make my big screen debut! Well, my coral J.Crew scarf did really, as I was an extra in one tiny scene but unless I'm sitting beside you to elbow you for the split second my coral scarf appears in the distance, sadly theres no chance of you spotting me.

If you'd like your own fashion illustration of print of the fabulous girls of For A Good Time Call... you can click on over to my Etsy shop because I've just added Lauren and Ari as a 8"x10" print. (The aqua and gold frame in the top photo, since people always tend to ask, is from Z Gallerie.)

(Fashion illustration: by Brooke Hagel.)

New Print: AnnSophia in Louis Vuitton

This week I've added a new fashion illustration print to the shop; AnnaSophia. This sketch is inspired by an editorial from Teen Vogue of actress AnnaSophia Robb in a Louis Vuitton cropped top and mini skirt from Marc Jacobs' impeccable 1960's mod Spring 2013 ready-to-wear collection. I absolutely loved this graphic collection and have been thrilled to see it pop up on red carpets and in editorials like this one of the cute Carrie Diaries star.

I first saw this image in Teen Vogue a few months ago. I remember loving it and snapping a picture on my phone to later revisit but it somehow it got lost in the shuffle of too many pictures. A few weeks ago I stumbled on it yet again on Pinterest and was inspired to put some markers to paper to capture the look. (Which I actually did on my fabulous and new at the time Vogue paper.) I'm thrilled with how this fashion illustration came out and have had the sketch on display on my book shelves ever since. Last week while whipping up a new iphone cover design I decided it need a bold graphic for contrast and finally scanned AnnaSophia and added her to the mix.

To purchase a print of AnnaSophia or see more of my fashion illustrations click on over to Brooklit my etsy shop.

(Illustration: Brooke Hagel, photo: Teen Vogue)

Child Fashion Illustrations {Sadie Yanks}

How insanely adorable are these little girl fashion illustrations inspired by the lovely Sadie, daughter of Editor in Chief of Hamptons Magazine and Editor at Large of Gotham Magazine Samantha Yanks!? I met Samantha about a year and a half ago at New York Fashion Week. We had great chat about her love of fashion illustration, discussed possible custom sketches, and soon after started following one another on Instagram.

Aside from the recent book I illustrated (which I just posted about this weekend) and the occasional bat-mitzvah girl, I haven't actually drawn many children. Well, cut to this summer and Samantha posting all these amazing photo's of Sadie and her adorable Hampton's-chic looks that I continually "like" on Instagram, and the conversation of custom sketching her fabulous little daughter started up again. 

I chose my three favorite looks from Sadie, which turned out to be Samantha's favorites as well! I tried to capture not only her style but also attitude and personality, which certainly shine through in her photos. I have to admit, I'm sort of obsessed with how these sketches came out! Samantha loves them too and we're making them into large prints to frame and hang in Sadie's room. I can't wait to see how they look blown up and in her space. 

To commission a custom illustration of the little one in your life simply click over to my Etsy shop where you can see more examples of my custom work, read about the process and purchase a custom listing of your own. Also be sure and follow Samantha through her site, twitter and instagram for all her chic and "#spyLUXE" finds.

(Instagram photos by Samantha Yanks and illustrations by Brooke Hagel) 

Bride Notepads {New to Brooklit Bride}

Since wedding season is kicking off I decided to add something new this year to Brooklit Bride, my bridal fashion illustration print shop. I've printed up a few different notepads featuring some of my favorite and most popular brides. They're a cute little gift for any bride-to-be. So far these two options are listed but a few more will be added soon.

You can check out the whole bridal illustration collection here in my bridal print shop, Brooklit Bride.

Brooklit Fashion Illustration iPhone Covers {New}

Exciting new product news today, I've just launched in my Brooklit Etsy shop fashion illustration iPhone covers! The iPhone covers feature a collection of my most popular sketches (and a new favorite posted on Fabulous Doodles a few ago.) The covers are all white plastic, hard cases which easily snap onto any iPhone 4/4s with the illustrations clearly printed on the back. Shown above is "Lively Leopard," a sketch I drew for a Fabulous Doodles tutorial post about illustrating leopard. I have her on some of my business cards, she's a constant favorite, and was must have in this collection.

The next print in the iPhone cover collection is Miriam (shown above,) one of my personal favorites as well as a best seller in the shop. In all white with a big floppy black sun hat, she's uber minimal and effortlessly chic.

The next cover features the new illustration I shared a few weeks ago and am a little obsessed with! (Inspired by this photo of Olivia Palermo from my She's A Sketch Pin board.) The original drawing was illustrated on brown craft paper so it has a great tan linen-looking background. Her shinny hair, bold striped top and rosy cheeks really pop and compliment the background color.

And last but not least is Brooklyn Ballerina, a constant best seller in the shop and another personal favorite. I've had this one on my phone ever since receiving the first samples about two weeks ago. She's been a huge hit in person, on Instagram, and even caused a little stir at the Vogue Magazine offices when I stopped by last week!

All four new iPhone cover designs are available in limited quantities in my Brooklit Etsy shop.

Holiday Sale!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving yesterday and are all fueled up to get your shopping on. To kick of the holiday season I'm offering 15% off in both my fashion illustration Etsy shops starting today, Black Friday into Small Business Saturday and right through Cyber Monday. Simply use coupon code "Holiday15" for 15% off in either my fashion illustration shop Brooklit, or my bridal illustration shop Brooklit Bride.

(Illustration by Brooke Hagel)

New Holiday Cards

I'm excited to share my new fashion illustration holiday card collection with you. I really enjoyed sketching the girls in this collection. To keep the illustrations playful I tried to add festive elements like Santa hats, chicly wrapped presents, and of corse inspiring fashion like my favorite look from NY Fashion Week the Oscar de la Renta black and white striped gown or the bow backed Christian Louboutins (shown below left.)

Before I could even post about them here on Fabulous Doodles they've been selling out faster than Missoni for Target. Friends, family and colleagues have been snapping them up before I could even add them to the shop!

I switched it up with this year's collection by pairing the cards with beautiful metallic gold envelopes. I'm having quite a gold loving moment right now, plus the gold really compliments the colors in the illustrations. If I do say so myself! ;)

To purchase a card or see the rest of my holiday collection check out my Etsy shop Brooklit. I'll be adding a few more cards over the next week or two and am currently accepting orders for large quantities.

Custom Bridal Illustrations

Summer is wrapping up and for me that means many custom bridal fashion illustration orders are being shipped out. This wedding season has brought on lots of new custom bridal sketches and over the next few weeks I plan to share a bunch of them. To start here are two of my recent favorites.

First up was commission by a personal friend, Lou (the groom.) Lou was excited to surprise his beautiful bride Adele with a custom bridal illustration on their one year anniversary.  What Lou didn't even realize, was just how appropriate that was because the traditional gift for the one year anniversary is "paper!"

This next bridal illustration was a gift as well but this one was a wedding gift for the newlyweds from the brides sister Jillian. To commission a custom illustration of your own or to learn more about my custom process you can check out this post from last year as well as the custom listings in Brooklit Bride.

Custom Bridal Fashion Illustration {Wedding Gift}

Today on the first day of summer, or wedding season as I've come to know it, I'd like to share examples of my go-to wedding gift, an original custom bridal fashion illustration. The commonality that these brides share is that their custom sketches were all given as a wedding gift, plus I happen to know them each personally.

(Photo: Gulnara Studio. Gabrielle Bridal Illustration: Brooke Hagel)

The first blond bombshell here was given her custom bridal illustration as a surprise present from our mutual friend. The lace bustier and satin mermaid skirt is actually the first custom bride I've been commissioned to draw wearing separates and I think its such a striking look!

(Photo & Sari Bridal Illustration: Brooke Hagel)

The next bride is my beautiful bohemian cousin in a head-to-hem opened back lace gown. After attending her wedding last summer I couldn't wait to get work drawing her. The wow factor for me was her beautiful hair, which was worn in such a editorial/high-fashion style with a beaded headpiece and loose tendrils. She also carried a voluminous wild flower bouquet that I loved incorporating into the illustration, which normally I avoid, but this one just enhanced her whole boho bridal look.

(Ariel Bride Illustration: Brooke Hagel)

Last but not least is another friend that gifted the illustration as a wedding present. She however opted to give a gift certificate the day of the wedding (for a custom illustration) so I could then work directly with the bride throughout the design process. Her slinky silk gown with delicate floral embellishments was ideal for her long lean figure and the beach destination wedding.

To get started on a custom bridal illustration, read more about my process or to give one as a gift to a special bride in your life, check out the custom listings in Brooklit Bride or click here if you'd like to give a gift certificate for a custom illustration.

Brooklyn Ballerina Tote Bag

My Brooklit Shop now has its first tote bag featuring one of my favorite fashion illustrations, Brooklyn Ballerina alongside the quote "Dream until your dreams come true." I made the first one months ago for myself and pretty much use it daily. Many of my friends have requested one, and I've even been stopped on the street, in elevators and on the subway by people commenting on how cute it is and asking where they can get one! The Brooklyn Ballerina bag is now available in my shop and would make the perfect gift for any fashion loving graduate, friend making a big move or birthday gift for the hard to shop for green-girl.  (It also looks pretty cute just hanging around, as shown here on my vintage 1944 dress form!) Click here to purchase your own 100% cotton canvas Brooklit tote.

Copic Marker Guest & New Print

As you probably know from reading Fabulous Doodles I love my Copic Markers, so needless to say I was thrilled when they contacted me and asked me to write a guest post of a bridal illustration tutorial for their blog. Instead of featuring one of my custom bridal illustration client projects I decided to create a new, and more stylized, bridal print. If you'd like to read about my process from start to finish you can check out the guest post I wrote on the Copic Marker site.

I like this new sketch so much that I decided to add her to Brooklit Bride, my Etsy bride shop. I rarely alter my sketches once they're completed but I did tweak this print in photoshop so its slightly different than the one Copic featured. I elongating the black sash to just beyond the gown's train. Proportionally it just seems to work better. Hope you like the newest Brooklit Bride print, sultry, sophisticated and sexy Victoria.

New Print: Meet Mae

Meet Mae, the latest print added to my Brooklit Etsy shop. This look was inspired by a uniquely draped Zac Posen dress I spotted on Shopbop. The detail I found most enticing about the dress is gathered rounded godets along a dropped waistline that form a full skirt. Rounding out the godet tops is something I've never seen before and was inspired to incorporate it into one of "my girls."

I named her Mae because it just seemed to fit her soft and coy demeanor. Doesn't she look like she's just standing in a corner daydreaming about her future first love? To purchase a print or to see Mae in more detail, click here for the full listing in my shop.

New Brooklit Print: Miriam

Last night I sketched this new fashion illustration for my Etsy shop inspired by a photo I pinned to my "She's A Sketch" board, and I have to say, at the risk of tooting my own horn here, she's one of my favorites. Her monochromatic white ensemble of a long sleeve T and white wide leg pants paired with an oversized black straw sun hat, is my ideal simple casual chic look. Its as though she's sitting peacefully on the beach, looking out at the serene landscape pondering life beneath her fabulous hat.

Because I identify and love this sketch so much, (although my life is no where near as tranquil as the scenario I described,) I named her Miriam, which is a special name to me. Hope you enjoy her as much as I do. For more info on Miriam or to purchase a signed print, click here.

Bridal Illustration Wedding Gifts

My custom bridal illustration orders keep rolling in and I realized its been a while since I shared some of them here on Fabulous Doodles.

(Kristina in Vera Wang gown)

This first bridal sketch was a gift for the bride from her bridesmaids! For her bridal shower they gave her a gift certificate for a custom sketch, then after her wedding I worked with Kristina to pick the pose and style she liked best to come up with this illustration. This goes without saying, but its always great hearing from my brides after they receive the artwork and I got the most lovely email from Kristina here saying "I received your illustration today and I absolutely love it!!!! Thank you for your beautiful work! I cannot wait to show my bridesmaids, who gave me the best shower gift ever! I will truly cherish your illustration always."

(Bridget in Mori Lee gown)

Next up here is bride Bridget. Not to toot my own horn here but I just absolutely love the way her dress came out in this illustration. I love the angle of the satin draping, the heavily beaded bodice and her heart shaped neckline. (And as you can tell from my blog header, I also love a red head sketch!)

(Sari)

Last but certainly not least is my friend Sari! Ironically enough the sketch is not actually a gift from me though. One of our mutual friends commissioned me to sketch Sari as her wedding gift. I love getting to illustrate to occasional modest wedding gown, with sleeves and high necklines. They're few and far between and make for such beautiful fashion illustrations. To me they have that sophisticated Grace Kelly/Dutchess Kate vibe, which I adore.

If you would like to commission a custom bridal illustration to give as gift, or to treat yourself check out the custom listings in my Etsy bridal shop, Brooklit Bride or purchase a gift certificate.

College Sketches: Val & Bridget

I'm excited to share these sketches I drew years ago in a college model drawing class (at FIT) as well as offer them as new prints in my shop. What made me want to revisit some of my college class work was something that someone recently posted on my Facebook fan page. They asked if I was ever going to draw "real women" who were not a size zero. Although I myself am no where near that size, it is my illustrative style to draw very elongated, albeit unrealistic, fashion figures.

These two fashion illustrations however were drawn from plus size models. The models posed for us for the overall stance and attitude of the sketch, then we drew garments on them based off images of our choosing. I went with two Valentino designs from a magazine editorial. The little black dress drawn on "Val" (aptly named after Valentino;) is from a 1997 collection and the elaborate taupe mini dress and feathered bag on "Bridget" are from a 2002 collection. (Luckily I had made notes besides the sketches so I can share the source info with you.) Hope you like these illustrations from my college archives.

New Print: Zoey

I've added a new fashion illustration print to my Brooklit Etsy shop. Meet Zoey. Originally I sketched her just over a year ago for a Harper's Bazaar feature on my illustrations, and even though another illustration was chosen I always liked her and have since used her on many of my custom office supplies. (Such as post-its, business cards, and mailing labels.)

So alas, I have given her a name, created a listing her for her on Etsy and am sharing her with you. Hope you like her! (FYI, I plan to list my custom post-its and notepads in the shop soon as well.)

New Year, New Brides

Happy 2012 everyone! Since its the start of the new year I decided it was time to add some new brides to my bridal fashion illustration shop, Brooklit Bride. Meet my pretty new prints: Julie, Spencer and Jasmine.

Julie's gown is a little avant garde with a delicate black lace overlay on a silk charmeuse mermaid silhouette. The look is accessorized with a black ribbon belt and orchids at the waist and hair.

Jasmine is my "new years diva" bride. She's illustrated in a slinky full length gown of white sequins and beads. Spencer's gown is more of a softened drama, with a large bow at the bust and classic a-line skirt.

Like my new bridal prints? Which illustration is your favorite?

(I'm sorry its been so long since my last post. One of my new year resolutions is to post more!)

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!)