Snakes

 The prompt word for last week's drawing challenge from The Tuesday Collective on Instagram was 'snakes' so I chose to draw this fabulous snake shirt from Fara Boutique. I also added a pair of serpent earrings.

The snake shirt is made from 100% silk and has a hand-drawn snake motif. Its oversized mid length fit means it drapes beautifully. The snake is symbolic of rebirth, death and mortality in Hindu culture.

There are also matching snake trousers which are also made of silk and have a flattering drape to them. They have a drawstring waist as well as handy pockets.

The snake earrings are from Danamara Jewellery. They are made from 18 carat gold coated brass and have a fabulous emerald crystal at the top.

Pleats please!

I love participating in the drawing challenges from The Tuesday collective on Instagram. A few weeks ago, the prompt word was 'pleats'. I generally like to draw something fashion-related for these drawing challenges so I chose to draw this green chiffon pleated dress from H&M. It was a bit of a challenge as the see-through nature of the fabric made it difficult to recreate, but I think I got there in the end!

This H&M calf-length dress is made from a pleated chiffon and has a scoop neckline and long balloon sleeves with elasticated cuffs.

This dress also comes in a powder pink version but I much prefer the green version.

 

Delphinium sweater

This week's challenge from The Tuesday Collective on Instagram is 'Larkspur', which is the common name for two members of the buttercup family, delphinium and consolida ajacis. It can have a wide range of meanings including love, sweetness, strength, purity and youth.

I usually start a drawing challenge with something fashion-related and so googled items of clothing that have delphiniums on them. One of the items that popped up was a sweater from Barbour. I was immediately drawn to the bold design and pleasing colour palette. I chose a model with a cheeky smile and choppy bob, and the pink background finished it off nicely, bringing out the rosiness of the model's cheeks. You can find this drawing on my Instagram here.

The sweater is available to buy here.

 

Purple

The prompt word for last week's drawing challenge from The Tuesday Collective on Instagram was 'purple' so I chose to draw this beautiful silk dress from ME+EM. I gave my model a choppy black bob and a cheeky grin.

This beautiful iris dress is made of silk which gives it a fluid, flattering drape. It's maxi in length and has a shirred waist and voluminous balloon sleeves.

Look up close and you will see it has a fabulous floral print in a deep shade of red. I wouldn't normally put these two colours together but they look great!

 

Pleasing plaid

 I recently joined the weekly drawing challenge from @thetuesdaycollective on Instagram. The prompt word for that week was 'plaid' so I chose to draw this fabulous 'Grand Plaid' wool coat from Kate Spade. I was inspired by the oversize design of the plaid but also to the amazing colours. It almost has a patchwork feel to it, with one side using shades of green and blue and the other side using shades of red, pink and orange. You can find it on my Instagram here.

This is the original Grand Plaid coat, which looks amazingly warm as well as stylish - quite a statement piece. Not surprisingly, all sizes have sold out on the Kate Spade website!

Illustration challenge

I love an illustration challenge. It's a nice way of designing something for myself, away from any designs I do for work and it's very freeing! There are two accounts I follow on Instagram that do regular design challenges. One is @thetuesdaycollective who set weekly challenges and the other is @ellolovey who sets a monthly challenge, with a doodle a day.

The @thetuesdaycollective account often sets challenges based around current fashion trends and last week's challenge was all about neon. After doing a bit of research I decided to draw these fabulous wide leg trousers from Me and Em. I loved the hot pink version but also liked the apple green version so decided to draw both!

Last month's @ellolovey drawing challenge included the word 'tribute' so I decided to draw a tribute t-shirt. Blondie was a big idol of mine growing up (and still is) so I decided to draw a Blondie t-shirt from Backstage Originals. I love the 80s vibe!

 

Drawing for fun

I love to dip into the drawing challenges set by @thetuesdaycollective on Instagram. They set great challenges and it gives me a chance to draw something totally different to what I draw for my work. With each challenge, I try to draw garments that are bright in colour, on models that are interesting and varied. 

The prompt word for the above illustration was 'green' and so I chose to draw a gorgeous green linen top with embroidered detailing from Farm Rio. It has a smocked back, an embroidered front and beautifully big sleeves.

The above dress was drawn for a challenge that had 'sheer' as its prompt word and I drew a magenta dress that has a resemblance to the dress that Jodi Comer wore in Killing Eve.

This sweater was drawn for the 'stripes' challenge and I chose to draw a fluffy pink and red diagonal striped sweater from Boden.

Boho chic

 This week's drawing challenge from @thetuesdaycollective is 'Boho Chic' so I decided to create this beauty! It's inspired by a dress in the Farm Rio collection and is aptly-named Cool Leopard Maxi Dress - the perfect dress for a leopard lover.

Look up close and you'll see this fabulous leopard peering through the brightly-coloured tropical foliage.