Art: Jenny Liz Rome

Drawings and image compositing by Canadian artist Jenny Liz Rome. You can purchase prints of these works here. I would love to see the first two images framed and hanging beside each other. Such a lovely use of color, no?

Google reader is going away but there are lots of options to follow the blog: 
Follow Down and Out Chic on Bloglovin'
Subscribe to Down and Out Chic by Email or subscribe using the reader of your choice (have you tried Feedly?).

Art: Picky Eaters

For all the little picky eaters out there - this one's for you! These fun illustrations are by NY based artist Samantha Cotterill and can be purchased in her shop mummysam. Her style reminds me of illustrations found in vintage children's books with the saturated color and spunky characters. Check out more of Samantha's work here: blog / flickr / shop

Art: Katt Frank

My love of food illustration continues with UK based freelance illustrator Katt Frank. Her hand lettered type makes these illustrations extra special and I'm particularly fond of her collections like these cornish cheeses or things I found in my kitchen today. The last illustration rings most true on a Monday morning, don't you think? Coffee is certainly making my world go round! Find more of Katt's work on her blog and a few of her illustrations are for sale here. 

Happy Monday friends! Hope your week is awesome. 

Art: Amyisla McCombie

Work by UK based freelance illustrator Amyisla McCombie. Much of Amiysla's work is marketed as "children's art and nursery decor" but I think her illustrations would work for anyone who loves color and a touch of whimsy. I do think a series of characters from classic stories  - Little red riding hood, Princess and the pea, and Goldilocks - would be undeniably sweet in a nursery. Check out Amyisla's shop, website and blog for more.

Art: Elisa Mazzone

Mixed media fashion illustrations by Australian artist Elisa Mazzone. Her line work is amazing, isn't it? Combining watercolor + pencil + string and/or fabric is no easy feat but she does is beautifully. The last image, specifically, combines so many different elements and how about that watercolor hair?! 

A few of her prints are available for purchase over at Signed + Numbered and you can check out more of her work here. 

Art: Sabrina Tibourtine

 

 

Illustrated collage prints by German based artist Sabrina Tibourtine. All images featured can be purchased in Sabrina's shop, Eine Der Guten ($25). You can see more of Sabrina's illustrations here but I warn you that there are so many whimsical images, you'll want to stay awhile.

Art: Amy Robbins

These portraits, by UK based artist Amy Robbins were rendered using colored pencils. Colored.freaking.pencils. The third is image is actually a work in progress "that will never be finished, most likely." I think in this case, unfinished is exactly what it needs to be.

These images make me think I haven't realized the full potential of my prisma color box that has been sitting, untouched, in my art drawer for years. Wow. Check out more of Amy's work here and here. 

Illustrated Hair Tutorials

side twist chignon

express beach waves

crown braid

glamorous 40s wave

1960's french twist with flowers

These collaborative hair tutorials by She Lets Her Hair Down and illustrator Samantha Hahn are genius. I'm incredibly lazy when it comes to being creative with my long hair so I'm always looking for easy tutorials. The fact that these are illustrated is simply icing on the cake. Check out all of the tutorials here. 

images: She Lets Her Hair Down

Art: Bret Pendlebury

Portraits by Bret Pendlebury. The detailed line work creates a lot of movement in the pieces, making the images feel as though they're vibrating (or is that just me? Maybe I've had too much coffee?). Bret uses watercolor, markers, ink and colored pencils and I think his work is pretty charming. Prints and originals are available in his shop.

Monday's Motivation

happen print $15 by vapor qualquer

Just a little motivation on a Monday, because if you're anything like me, you might need it. This weekend was incredibly busy and I realized last night that I was more tired than I had been on Friday which is never good. Sometimes you just need drink an extra cup of coffee, put your nose to the grindstone and simply make it happen. Whatever "it" happens to be. Hope your week is off to a great start!

Obvious State

I ran across Evan Roberson's graphic design work on the Huffington post recently and found the use of literary quotes, typography and graphic images to be quite charming. These 13x19" digital illustrations are for sale in Evan's shop, Obvious State, for $24 each. My favorite is the Walt Whitman quote although I'm pretty sure I could see the Hemingway quote finding a nice home in our office. 

Art: Favorite Summertime Foods

Fresh Berries

Icy cold sweet treats

Corn on the cob and grilled kabobs

Caprese Salad and lemony asparagus (love this side dish with fish).

These watercolor illustrations by Elizabeth Graeber feature all sorts of yummy foods, fun kitchen tools and condiments. I'd love to own a series of my favorite summertime foods to hang in my kitchen. Originals can be purchased from her shop Food on Paper (starting at $75). Do see any of your favorite summertime foods above? 

found via emmadime

Paper Goods: Illustrated Knock Knock

An office isn't complete without some sort of snarky Knock-Knock notepad (at least mine isn't, my favorite being the blah, blah, blah sticky notes) so what could make these fun notepads even better? Get an illustrator like Kate Bingaman Burt to hand draw the classics. Check out the full collection here. Clever, right?