seeing double

happy friday! i'm excited it's the end of the week, as always.

this week started off pretty sour... monday night i fainted and bumped {slammed} my face into a doorway so i've been recuperating with lots of ice and advil. thankfully i'm feeling much better, but it was really scary, so i'm trying to take it easy now.

this week i've also been working on drawing more realistic faces, which always turns into self portraits. no matter how hard i try i can only draw myself. so here are 2 self portraits from my sketchbook.

i should also note that these were scanned with my brand new all-in-one printer! i'm extremely happy with the scanner part, which is mainly the reason i splurged on such a nice one. so look out for more original works! i think having a scanner is definitely going to encourage me to draw more and rework things i've already done! :)

have a lovely weekend!

gabrielle

garden ladies

i noticed a little trend in the london illustrator world. two of my favorite young artists, emma block and clare owen, have done illustrations of pretty ladies tending to their window box gardens. i love seeing how different artists interpret the same theme.

i thought these were too gorgeous not to share, so here are both illustrations from emma and clare, respectively.

gabrielle

time for schvitzing & noshing

happy friday! let's end the week off right, with some great summery vintage-inspired posters from ma + chr, a parisian design team.

do you have any plans for the weekend?

i am ending my work week with some frosty mojitos and fresh guacamole at our little office party. sometimes office life can be exciting... hah.

on saturday i'm venturing to the city with my brother to meet up with our cousins. we are spending the morning at a russian-turkish bath house and afterwards going out for a fancy ukranian lunch. i'm looking forward to shvitzing, noshing, and spending time with family :)

gabrielle

{inspired by} amy merrick

hello! maybe you've seen this around the blogosphere, but if not, here's an amazing website for the talented brooklyn florist, amy merrick.

amy's flower arrangements and styling are incredibly beautiful and gorgeous. she uses a variety of colors and incorporates a range of flowers, foliage, fruits and branches to decorate her tablescapes.

the website has been beautifully constructed with amazing photography; it makes you want to reach out and grab them off your screen!

take a look at the website here, and check out her wonderful blog as well!

gabrielle

my first estate sale

good morning and happy monday!

i wanted to share with you some little things i found at an estate sale this weekend. it was my first time going to an estate sale so i didn't know what to expect. it was an incredibly old house filled with soooo many books in every room. 

the house was originally a campsite for general washington in the 1700's and then was converted into a train station in the 1880's. i thought the history of the house and the lot it was built on were so incredible. unfortunately i forgot to take pictures!

however i did take pictures of the $7 worth of things i found. the first is vintage italian drawing paper that's in perfect condition. there must be about 30 sheets in there, with 'raffaello' embossed onto each sheet... pretty fancy! i'm super excited to start sketching!

i also found a cute gold hair clip, two little clutches for holding tiny things in my purse, and a vintage copy of james joyce's 'a portrait of the artist as a young man,' a book that i was told by my philosophy-major friend that i would definitely enjoy. last summer i started joyce's 'ulysses' but it's a hard read and i never finished it. maybe reading the first novel will help me get through it!

hope everyone had a great weekend...  here's to an easy monday :)

gabrielle

doodles & a friday mix

happy friday!

i can't wait for this weekend, although i don't really have plans. i'm excited to hang out at home and start sketching for ideas that i have for new drawings.

since i've been home, i've been hanging out in my bed from the time i get home from work to the time i fall asleep. lazy, yes... i love sketching in bed with the company of my cat carli while watching shark week documentaries or listening to music. it's the perfect way to relax after a long and stressful day at work :)

here's a little doodle i did last night of just that!

i also wanted to share an awesome mix by the guys of washed out. i've been trying to get my hands on their new album, but haven't had any luck (wanna help a girl out?)

in the meantime, check out this mix! my favorite song from it is "a horse with no shame" by america.

Washed Out - Rough Trade Mix by Abeano on Mixcloud

anyways, have a great weekend!

gabrielle

{inspired by} this paper ship

i recently came across this fabulous blog by husband and wife duo joel and ashley selby who reside in north carolina. they call themselves this paper ship, where they create beautiful illustrations and colorful designs using traditional drafting methods.

i am so in love with their aesthetic and style. please check out their blog and shop for more lovely works!

they also just joined forces with one of my favorite design teams, aeolidia! i can't wait to see their new work :)

gabrielle

august mixtape volume 7

hey there! can you believe it's already august? where did the summer go?!?

i haven't made one of these mixtapes in a long time! however, i was feeling very inspired by my recent trip to california when choosing what songs i was in the mood for. my friend joe and i listened to a ton of country music in the car while i was there, so i created this mixtape that reminds me of the good ol' summer days, with lots of good guitar riffs, banjos and folksy sounds. not all of it is new music, but they're the good tunes i know i can always rely on...

click image to download

download playlist:

1. iron & wine- peace beneath the city

2. fleet foxes- sim sala bim

3. bon iver- towers

4. thao & mirah- little cup

5. m. ward- never had nobody like you

6. soggy bottom boys- i am a man of constant sorrow

7. she & him- you really gotta hold on

8. the black keys- she's long gone

9. the decemberists- rox in the box

10. the felice brothers- radio song

the album artwork is a film photo that matthew took one day when we were at the beach. it's so washed out but i love how summery it feels.

so check it out and follow the simple instructions! download and play on repeat in the car with the windows down :)

happy summer!

gabrielle