The Red Dot for Reiss – part I

the red dot fashion illustration ink watercolor alessia landi reiss
Reiss Josh shirt

When you’re floating on a pond of still, sticky art-laziness the only thing that might work to wake you up is someone to ask you “hey could you please do this drawing for me?”.

You’re just so depressed and lazy that inspiration passes by your brain without being noticed and is left there dying, but if someone tells you what to do it might make a bell ring.

the red dot fashion illustration ink alessia landi reiss
Reiss Eugenie leather dress

(By the way I am much better now, let’s say I’m starting to really recover. But still, my legendary depression ups and downs don’t let me work on the blog and my illustrations as much as I’d like to. But I hope it will finally pass soon…)

This is what happened with Reiss a few weeks ago. I like them, they liked me, we got in contact and just like that, almost by chance, four drawings were born.
Today the first two, tomorrow I’ll show you the others.

Do you like them?

Will it take me another two months before taking up ink, nib and watercolors again? I hope not… Wish me luck ;)

Kisses

Al

PS: Thank you all so much for the comments on the heels post!!! I still have to try to go out in them as Belgian snowy and icy weather didn’t allow it but I’ll try soon… And I’ll let you know! ;)

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Al
in Fashion, Illustration, Looks, Me | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

High & Dry

high heels shoes drawing ink the red dot

When I was in my second year of high-school, I failed in technical drawing.
How idiotic, really.

I’ve always been an excellent student, but still I have that spot on my student’s conscience. That happened because I was undisciplined and fought with the teacher I actually really sucked in technical drawing.
I’m an artist and I’m messy, I can’t do things in a precise way. I can’t draw straight lines and perfect circles, I can’t handle rulers and squares.
Everything that requires a minimum talent for architecture drawing and perspective comes out like a big chaotic bunch of lines on my paper.

It took me two hours to draw these shoes. Two hours. When I usually finish a drawing in 30 minutes max.
This should suggest you how much high heels are architectural, proportion-distorting, finely and precisely designed instruments of torture.

I can’t walk on high heels, they’re my nightmare.
Because, like 99,9% of the girls, I love them. I love the way they make look slender and sexy even the most chubby calf. I love how they make elegant even the most worn out pair of jeans.
They’re a style jolly and I can’t wear them.
This makes me suffer, really.

Now, I’ve always used a very good excuse for the fact I didn’t possess even a pair of high heels (because proud as I am I would never ever admit that I don’t wear them because I’m not able to endure the pain): “my boyfriend is shorter than me”.

But now the shorter boyfriend is out of the picture and when I saw that my closet was containing only ballet flats/flat boots/sneakers/oxfords I kinda felt guilty. So I bought a pair of high heels.
I bought them and I can’t walk in them.

They’re “just” 9 cm high (which for me means Tour Eiffel-high) but it’s requiring a huuuuge effort.

That’s where I need your help.
Help me to abandon my life of flat-wearing chubby calved girl.

How do you walk? Does your foot have to go straight on the ground or do you follow more of a heel-tip movement? Or tip-heel?? Or JUST tip to make it easier???
How do you make them more comfortable? You wear them at home in your pj’s to train? Do you go to the club with your flats and then, as soon as you’re in, hide in the toilet to put them on, to keep the torture as short as possible?
Do you ACTUALLY feel comfortable in them, you mythological women able to walk in heels, or are you just better than me in dealing with pain? Do you take three preventive aspirins before going out?

I seriously need you on this.
Consider me a heels-virgin. Explain me like you would explain to a 3-year old who plays the Lady with her mom’s shoes. Make schemes, if necessary.

Consider it a first step to my Taylor Tomasi Hill life.

taylor tomasi hill heels

I’ll keep you posted on this, it’s gonna be my 2013 challenge.

By the way, happy new year to all of you!

Kisses

Al

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Al
in Fashion, Illustration, Me | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

I wish you…

I could say a lot of hyper cheesy Christmas-y things right now.
You know, Christmas is kind of the moment to be grateful. And lovey-dovey. And cheesy.

I could say, for example, how I would love to say my wishes in person and give a kiss to each of you because you were there supporting me in the darkest period of my life.

Write a book on how your mails, comments, messages, tweets in the past few months gave me back the strength to pick up my nib and inks and make a drawing again. Because for me finding back my art means starting the process to find myself (or, even better, a new me? ;) ) again.

Spend seas of words on how all this love I received from you, people that I didn’t even meet but that sometimes showed me more support than actual “friends”, is making me wish I could be with you now, having a huge Christmas dinner and doing stupid happy stuff (like, let’s say, a drunk holiday-songs karaoke. Kinda picturing it in my head right now. Cool.)

But I’ll stop it here and I’ll do something different than just a lot of words.

I’ll post a picture of me, with a big stupid face, to send you all my wishes.
I never post pictures of me. I never show my face around here. It means something to me, to post a stupid pic of me like that…
This is the most sincere, the most open way that the shy me knows to establish a deeper, more personal contact with you today and wish you a very very merry Christmas with all my heart.

Thank you.

(and off to read the 2013 horoscoooooooope!!!!!! ahah!)

Al

PS: I was very cheesy in the end… But it’s Christmas, let’s allow it for one day! :-p

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Al
in Me | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Under the wrong star

taurus horoscope fashion illustration alessia landi toro oroscopo

My Taurus is wearing Givenchy FW 2012-13. The airdo is taken from the G.V.G.V SS 2013 fashion show (@Tokyo Fashion Week)
(Disclaimer: I wrote this post more than a month ago, but I just published it because I was waiting for an inspiration for the illustration. Just a while ago Garance Doré published a very similar post and I didn’t want to publish this anymore because I thought people would think I copied her… But then I said, whatever :-p *the fact that she’s a Taurus too is a crazy coincidence ahah*)

It’s official, I’m mutating the rational, self-confident, strict scientist that once I was into a caricatured version of a chick-flick character.

I mean, I listen to the daily horoscope. EVERY DAY.
I watch Sex & The City and Grey’s Anatomy (over and over…). With a bowl of ice cream. In bed.
I choose the bridesmaid dress for the wedding of my best friend and fantasize over marriage (me?? seriously??  MARRIAGE??)
I feel the need for a glass of wine every day after work.
I think that my life is not complete without a cat.
I’m BFF with my hormones.
I HAVE A DIARY.
I… OK let’s stop it here. I’m ashamed of myself.

But let’s get back to the horoscope.
After a week of daily horoscopes (for the Italians: yes, Paolo Fox’s horoscope) you start to think that or you were definitely born under a wrong star or the horoscope guy hates you.
It’s cosmic depression all over.

I definitely think that Paolo Fox hates me and hates Taurus.
What did we do wrong to you, Paolo? Why can’t you say, for a change, that it’s going to be a bright sunny day? OK, not sunny, I’m in Belgium. Why can’t you say it’s going to be a nice, easy day?

Because the worst thing is that after a week of this crap you start to BELIEVE it. You need your daily horoscope as much as you need your three cups of morning coffee.
It’s addictive.
Maybe it’s just because you need someone that will tell you that tomorrow is not going to be this hard, that tomorrow is going to be better… Maybe you need to have the illusion of predicting glimpse of your future because, really, you can’t afford any more bad surprises.
Maybe.

But every single day Paolo Fox says “You’re going through a rough path, Taurus friends. Very tired day ahead. You’re the heaviest sign of the horoscope this month”.
Taurus FRIENDS?? Really?

Come on, show me some pity.

But maybe he’s right. It’s heavy days because I check the horoscope every morning. And I believe it. And I hope that life does something for me instead of making it happen.
And I live in a chick B movie.

AND SATURN HATES ME.

And I’m finally back! (I hope, for good)


Al

PS: Do you believe in the horoscope? Or do you read it just for fun? Or you don’t read it all? Do you have a favorite website where to get your daily dose of Astrology? Which one is your starsign? How many questions am I asking???

PPS: If you’d like to see more Horoscope illustrations tell me which sign and I’ll try to make it! It’s fun!

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Al
in Fashion, Illustration, Me | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

“If I had a world of my own…”

fashion illustration ink black the red dot alessia landi

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”

—

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

(Alice’s adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll)

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Al
in Fashion, Illustration, Inspiration, Me | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments