Digital experiments

Just a random post to announce to the WWW my overwhelming excitement for Santa's gift: a graphic tablet (Wacom Intuos Art, to be precise).

I have been coveting it for like 7 years (don't ask me why I never bought one, it's like that scanner thing, sometimes my brain goes short-circuit) but I very soon discovered it's much less easy to use than I thought.

I suddenly felt again like a 10 year-old kid trying to use Microsoft Paint with a mouse in Windows 3. 

So in full all-or-nothing Al style I stayed up until 2:30 AM last night to finish this drawing (note: I started it at like 10 PM).

But hey, I made it!

OK it's not perfect and honestly it looks like a lot of other fashion illustrations you can find around Pinterest and Instagram but I'm kinda happy of the result of my first attempt.

So I'll be exercising a bit more from now on and will show here the results, which hopefully will show a little improvement with time.

Oh by the way, I drew glasses because I just got struck by one of my monomanias! 

I bought new spectacles (they don't look like the ones in this drawing though) and I'm so addicted to them that I draw them, dream of them, stare at them and EVEN wear them (seriously, have been wearing contacts non-stop for like 10 years, I used to wear my old and ruined glasses only to get up in the morning and go to bed in the evening).

And the monomania is even bigger because because my lovely boyfriend was forced to buy me bought me the sunglasses from the same brand for Christmas.

Totally have to draw these two in one of my next post.

OK, I'm off to draw a little bit (with my hands, on paper).

I'm at my parents in Italy and drawing in the kitchen while my mom makes lunch, foggy cold weather outside and Christmas lights on is the BEST.THING.EVER.

Hope you're having wonderful holidays!

xxx Al

(It's good to be back in Winter! I missed it!)

The first New Year's resolution

Can you believe I've never ever made New Year's resolutions?

I don't know why.
Probably because I usually spend the first days of the year in a food/hangover coma and in general in a partial lobotomy condition on my couch, surely not thinking about productivity goals.

No but seriously, I would really like to know how many of you use the first days of the year to think about sparkling wishful plans that will bring you to a better bikini body/job/mind peace/etc by Summer holidays time.
Ah! I can see you all in your pajamas on January 2nd, day-3 hair, snacking on calorie-bomb leftovers trying to remember amidst the fog of a 2 day-long hangover (3 days if you're 30+ years old) who the hell was that guy you kissed at the New Year's Eve party.
Those girls who spend the 1st of January making lists of goals and the 2nd of January exercising in the gym and juicing to start the year with a healthy green detox exist only on the pages of glossy magazines. Or at least, if they're real, I've never met them.
If you're one of these mythological creatures please explain me how you manage to do this, because to me you're a big mystery.

(Actually I just realized I don't usually make New Year's resolutions simply because I'm lazy).

So this year I am apparently skipping my No New Year Resolution (NNYR) habit. And as a good Taurus, breaking my routines makes me feel nervous but I kinda feel good about it this time.
(and OK, technically it's not New Year yet, but 2017 is just a couple of weeks away and we're all already thinking what to wear for New Year's Eve anyway).

(in full Al style I just wrote like 300 words without saying anything yet, or better without saying what this resolution is all about. Sometimes I amaze myself with my own logorrhoea, really).

So my resolution is: in 2017 I'm going to BLOG A LOT. And DRAW A LOT.
That's it.

So what is the reason of this SHOCKING revelation, and what makes it so different from the other 2567 times I made such a statement? (I guess you can find at least 3 of these times in the limited amount of posts of this blog if you scroll behind)

Well to begin with, I really really miss writing and drawing.
I've tried meditation, I've tried being more social with strangers, I've tried to stop smoking and cut down carbs and telling myself I'm beautiful in front of the mirror every morning (I think my new therapist - who is amazing BTW - is making me become a bit of a hippie) but I still miss what would really make me happy and healthy.
I miss writing and drawing. A lot.
There is just nothing that makes me as happy as drawing does and there is nothing that gives me more feeling of completeness than rounding a drawing with a post full of random ramblings.

Secondly, I'm sooooo boooored.
I spend way too much time at work and the rest of my time doing primary biological functions such as sleeping and eating.
So what is Al's idea to counteract infinite boredom? Do something completely different.
Something that would project me into an imaginary world of colors and beauty.
Something like drawing.
(Fashion drawing, that is)

Three, I am so freaking lonely that it's even difficult to explain how lonely I am.
I'm not talking about general loneliness. I mean. I'm pretty happy with my boyfriend and my cats.
But you know, sometimes I would need to talk about those girly, frivolous little things that I used to share with my girlfriends back in Belgium in front of a bottle or three of Cava.
Since I just moved to a new city/country/continent I have just one friend here (Mari I love you <3) and my boyfriend and my cats couldn't care less (and rightfully so) about stuff like my new favourite mascara or how my diet is doing wonders...
I just need to express that light, maybe a bit shallow side of me, like I would have done in front of those that bottles of Cava.
Even if nobody will read me, I just need to tell.

And to put a very expensive solemn seal on this whole resolution thing, I bought a new Macbook Pro so at least I don't have the excuse of not having a dedicated computer to work with my art and blog and stuff (it might sound weird but I really used this a lot as an excuse lately to justify my artistic laziness to myself).

AND I also bought a scanner (can you believe I didn't have a scanner??) which allows me to scan my drawings in the comfort of my home or even my bed (yay couch potato mode, my favourite). I finally don't have to run through half city to find a decent print shop or use the scanner at my work (which honestly is quite shitty).

AND a private source told me in all secrecy that Santa is bringing me a graphic tablet for Christmas, and I really can't wait to explore digital painting (I have the big expectation of being able to paint kind of anywhere anytime thanks to this, even while I'm couch potato-ing at the end of a long day or on a plane flying somewhere for work, which is kind of hard to do with traditional watercolors, paints, papers and the whole messy shebang).

Alright wrote too much, gotta go find a nice drawing idea for this post, I'm off.

And while I am going to get that bottle of Cava tell me, what are your resolutions?
(Don't tell me go to the gym and eat healthy, because I don't believe you :p).

xxx Al

Ong Shunmugam - The Cheongsam collection 2017

Illustration inspired by the Ong Shunmugam Cheongsam 2017 collection

If you're interested in fashion and you happen to move to a new Country, you're likely to check out the local designers as soon as you land (actually I did already weeks before, while I was still packing my apartment in Belgium... I've always been a good student).

The brand Ong Shunmugam (by wonderwoman Priscilla Shunmugam) is the first I found out in my pre-move Google searches targeted at discovering Singapore fashion.
I was immediately smitten by one very peculiar thing of her collections: the ability of melting traditional Asian elements and fabrics into very modern silhouettes and shapes.
This was already very evident in her previous collections (I was inspired by one of them for this illustration), but with the 2017 collection, named "Cheongsam" after the traditional Chinese womenswear, she really brought this mix of tradition and modernity to another level.
The pastel colors and the fun details such as the flowerpower earrings and the custom-made Vans sneakers added a completely different modern and fresh glow to the collection and the runway presentation.

I was lucky to be able to attend the show and visit the backstage (that's my favorite part! Gotta love backstage sketching and chatting with the models and make-up artists) during Singapore Fashion Week last October and I completely fell in love with the atmosphere Priscilla wanted to convey with this collection.
These clothes have that kind of versatility that allows you to wear them to a Chinese New Year party as well as to a meeting at work, and I would totally splurge on them if I wasn't broke because I really can see them as a staple for a woman who lives in a country like Singapore, always on a very inspiring edge between Asian heritage and Western influences.

Enough said, I leave you with a few more pics from the runway and the backstage, taken by wonderful photographer and long time blog-friend Aggie (check out her website, her photos are so beautiful!)

In the backstage - Photo by Agnes Leong

On the runway - Photo by Agnes Leong

On the runway - Photo by Agnes Leong

Silhouettes from the @ongshunmugam runway show ✏️ quick sketches to bring back home and make proper illustrations of this beautiful collection! #aldraws #SGFW @singaporefashionweek

A photo posted by Alessia Landi (@aldraws_) on Oct 29, 2016 at 5:59am PDT

And very quick impressions from the runway, as seen on my Instagram

Hope you liked this collection as much as I did, stay tuned for more Singaporean fashion discoveries!

xxx Al