Shopdates:: Society 6 Re-Opening!

I've gotten my Soc6 account back up and running! It now has a few prints and photos, but rest assured that there are some awesome pieces still heading that way. I'm really excited! There's a widget on my blog that can direct you to my store.

This decision has come along with a plan for some major changes in the look and design of The Little Willow Shop. I think I have finally decided which direction I want to go in, in terms of crochet items, so it's just a matter of getting the work done. I have also decided (for now) to keep my art prints solely on Society6, until I can figure out how to print high quality without as much of the cost. More details on the changes to come, but for now just know that I'm working hard and the shop will (hopefully) be back soon on Etsy!

In the meantime here's a sneak preview of a print I'm working on right now...

Adorable, right? I love drawing horses, I learned how to draw them in 4th grade! I can't seem to think of what to put in the background right now... Maybe I'll just be boring and plunk them into a pasture!

Finally creating again,
<3 Linda

Stylespiration: Agyness Deyn

Agyness Deyn is a model who knows how to dress. I love her choices of bold colors and patterns, and her ability to wear crazy things but somehow make them look subdued and graceful. She's the epitome of quirky and colorful when it comes to the clothes she wears, and she has one of the most recognizable hairdos to boot. Her style is androgynous and strong as well. Check out some photos:

L to R from top:: 1//2//3//4.

Lovely and yet not too overdone! And now for my own collection (thank you Polyvore for existing!), inspired by her fashion:

Agyness Deyn Inspired Look

All choices, as always, are under $50 so that you can get the look for less. Click on this link for more details if you're interested in purchasing anything! For day looks, Agyness chooses a few pieces that are bold and bright while keeping others understated and basic. She has a penchant for strange bags, so I couldn't resist including this one! If you want to do makeup, keep the lips nude and stick to only mascara and eyebrow work for the top. If you want to dress it up, add a bit of colored eyeliner. Wear sneakers to highlight the tomboyish look. And there you have it!

<3 Linda

TiLT:: It's All Black and White

I've been saving a lot of black and white items in my favorites on Etsy, so I thought I'd share a few with you:

1. These tarot cards are awesome, the intricacy of this pack is amazing. I love tarot cards even though I don't believe in them and I have a deck as well. I like the idea of an artist creating their own, though.
2. Glass beads with black and white swirls! They're really mesmerizing, for some reason. My sister is a glassblower so she probably knows how to make these.
3. Check out this ring by MisanthropyCreations. This store is one of my favorites and I highly recommend that you go check out their stuff! I might do a TiLT specializing in this store soon, because so many of their items are my favorite!
4. This is a wedding gown and I do know that. However look at it! The black and white stand out so perfectly against each other.
5. I've been ogling this coat for a long time, but I don't think I'll ever be able to afford it. The lace underneath is so cute. You could probably wear this alone as a dress, even! High fashion but low effort, that's my style.
6. This is another store that often has cute things. This collar is awesome and can be thrown on top of anything! So much versatility.
7. More wedding things... I have no clue why I often find myself in the wedding section of Etsy. They're save the date invites in a comic style! Perfect use of black and white.
8. Finally, I present the number one favorite. This blazer is so cool, but not my size. How I wish it was! The black cuffs are really what make it for me. And you can wear it on top of practically anything and look effortlessly put together. Props to the person who modeled it for wearing a Jane Birkin shirt, too.

I haven't done this for a while! I forgot how much I loved to put together collections. Black and white looks great for an all neutral look, with other black and white patterns, or even with a couple of pops of color! I like it because it can be worn in 21908983 different ways. You could style the same black dress with sneakers and go to school, with flats and go to work, with heels and go out, with cowboy boots and go on a picnic... the possibilities are endless if you have a good set of accessories at hand!
<3 Linda

Bamboozled:: LCC Goods

It's really difficult to draw on a tablet versus in real life! Here are some (old) projects of mine, all to do with LCC. I mainly use it to make things for this group because I normally don't have other opportunities to submit my work. Check it out!

This is the cover I designed for my theater group for our Winter show (almost a year ago!) I'm surprised I never posted it... I drew all of this from scratch about thirty minutes before it was due and somehow it got chosen. Font used: Geosanslight & Market Deco.

This was supposed to be a shirt design for our theater company but later turned into a print because it wasn't chosen. I just had fun with an idea that two people had (Ivy and Yannan) and played around with our logo! Once again this was made about 30 minutes before and I have no idea how I managed to work that fast. Thank you Wacom! Fonts used: Market Deco & Pupcat.

Lapu-ception... This Halloween drawing was originally posted onto LCC Theatre Company's Facebook Page. I'm rather proud of it because I whipped it up in no more than 5 minutes! This was also done on Photoshop. Fonts used: Honey Script.

I've been doing a LOT of designing over the summer and recently. It's the only thing that keeps me entertained and tirelessly working! Still got a long way to go with the Wacom, though, but I love using it for almost every project I do. All pictures are copyright The Little Willow Blog, so please do not reuse/steal anything. Thanks! 

<3 Linda

Into India: Part 1

The beaches in Goa are straight out of a dream! Lots of dogs and boats roam the beaches, it's rather peaceful despite the local flavor. I loved the white sands (sans driftwood), as well as the way the sun filtered through the clouds... it was divine. I spent my time collecting little shells and admiring the almost-empty beach! Goa's quickly turning into a tourist location, but I really hope these beaches stay intact. The pictures aren't even close to capturing the beauty of it all.

<3 Linda

PS: A couple of changes to the blog! I made it wider to allow larger photos, and overall tried to open it up with simpler fonts and colors. I like it!

Apologies.

I know that it seems as though I'm in and out a lot lately. I planned to resume posting on this blog once I got back from India and Dubai, but tragedy struck. I need time to myself and I can't quite put any effort into this blog until I get my heart back. I'll talk about my trip later, but for now, you'll have to excuse me once again.

Thanks for sticking around.

Appearances Aren't Everything

Here's a picture of the gorgeous model Kate Moss sans makeup. She still looks great, it's just that the bright flash and clear resolution of this picture can't be flattering on anybody.

Source

I drudged this photo up from some corner of the internet because I really wanted to try airbrushing techniques. I got a skin texture brush set for Photoshop from this site, hoping that I could figure out how to use it. I think I did an okay job for a first-timer, but there are some CLEAR mistakes that I made, that I still see and cannot figure out how to fix. Anyway, here are the results!

The forehead and smile lines look a little strange, but this brush set is really cool and I'd love to keep using it. When I zoomed into the picture, the texture created was porous and natural, even though my blending techniques weren't too great. If you'd like to try it out, I suggest you download it, since it's free anyway! I really want to get better at it over the year because I'd like to do photoshoots with friends that look legitimate... especially if I'm doing them for the shop.

However, here's an interesting thing to think about: If I as an amateur can take this photo of someone looking natural and make it even remotely look "better" with the help of a kit, imagine what the media is doing right now to alter the faces and bodies of women all over magazines... Food for thought.

<3 Linda

Checking In and Checking Out

Whoa-- I haven't been on here in a while and everything looks different!

Source

I've come back to blogging (albeit still sporadically) because 1. I miss writing a lot and 2. I miss some of the people I've gotten to know on here. I also love being able to look at something years later, even if only to cringe at my horrid affinity for abbreviations. In order to feel like it's a fresh start, I'm probably going to change my blog layout in the next couple of months. However, for now (in case you've been wondering why my shop is on vacation mode), I'm going to be out exploring the luscious lands of India and Dubai! It's mainly going to be all about visiting family, but you can be sure that I'm taking my camera with me. 

Source

I'll be posting about my travels if I get the chance to get on the computer, hence being back to sporadically posting. I'm also trying to juggle an online course for college, which is probably going to mean that I'm going from 0 (having nothing to do) to 60 (being suuuper busy) in a few days! I still can't wrap my mind around it, but hopefully it's going to be a good trip.

<3 Linda

Relay for Life

My Reason to Relay

Honestly, I avoided joining the team last year till the last minute, because it hit a little too close to home at the time. I wanted to live in a state of denial, pretend it wasn't real. But that's how cancer wins: when we pretend that it isn't worth acknowledging and fighting against. And so, in the end, I decided to go, and I'm so glad I did. It helped me cope and find hope. My only regret is that I did not get a chance to raise $100 or more, so let's change that this year! Cancer hits close to home for everyone, and so I hope you will help me out.

Every person who donates, no matter how small the donation, will receive a 1-1.5 inch crocheted heart or awareness ribbon in the color of their choice (colors are listed in the 2nd picture on this event's page) handmade by me to put on their key chains or backpacks as a little thank you gift and reminder that you're doing a great thing. You have two ways to get it from me; either hand-delivery or with a letter in an envelope (send me your address in an e-mail!). For hand delivery: If you live in the Bay, I will get it to you during Spring/Summer Break, and if you live around LA, I'll deliver it sometime during this school year. Just keep in touch and let me know what color/type of thing you want, maybe in an email or FB message (or if you want my number and don't have it yet, message me too)! And if you would rather not have anything at all, tell me. I just really want to be able to raise $100 or more this year, and so I want to use the skills I have to thank you so that it's a win-win situation for everyone!

Donate here: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/LindaF  

Thanks so much! <3 Linda

Questions? Email me at littlewillowart@gmail.com.

If you want to see more of my crochet work, go to littlewillowart.etsy.com.

Please Stand By

Once again, this semester has managed to fly by. I finished yet another show with LCC Theatre Co., this time acting as an illusion of a tiny 8 year old girl. It wasn't too far of a leap, considering I have really young features anyway! Good to know that in the future I'll age gracefully. Anywho, this time around, my flyer design got chosen! Here it is:

I will never tire of design. It's definitely my passion, and all that I've ever known to be my passion. It feels really natural, and so I'm honored to have had my creation chosen. I also helped design the programs, but there are so many pages in that, that I highly doubt you'd want to see 'em.

The idea of "Please Stand By" was to create a show where the audience feels like they're watching TV. We filmed "commercials" which were basically short sketches, and played them in between each scene, along with static! You can see these commercials online by clicking here. I'm only in one, but the others are really funny, so you should watch them!

It was really interesting to go from playing an old lady last quarter to the exact opposite this time! I'm so glad the quarter's over, though. I could do with a week of vacation! I'll be staying for a couple of days to be with friends, and then taking a flight back home.

Do you have any plans for spring break?
<3 Linda

Location, Location, Location!

Hello hello everyone! Since I've been all over the place as of late, I thought I'd pop back in to show a couple of pictures of places I've been to recently! I had to visit these sites to write an essay on the preservation of art, but each of these sculptures were in places I've wanted to go to for a while. It made for a really fun day!

There's a tiny Native American woman on the top. Also, when the light hits the water, it creates a rainbow!

La Brea Tar Pits. Did you know that they're still excavating fossils from there?  They found an entire mammoth skeleton in 2009. Crazy!

I wish this picture wasn't so overexposed, I love the fish eye illusion!

I'm still learning how to use my camera (Fugifilm Finepix S3380), so a lot of pictures are still not quite how I want them to be, but it's a great transition camera for people who want a DSLR! I highly recommend it. I've been trying to get into the habit of taking it with me wherever I go so that I can always capture the moment, and it's pretty light, so it's not hard to bring it everywhere! More to come later. :)

<3 Linda

Happy Valentine's Day!

Once again, my friends and I are planning a party this weekend-- this time, for Valentine's Day! Any excuse to celebrate the end of midterms is fine by me. To prepare for the party, we decided to make goodie bags. My contribution was teeny crocheted hearts.

Aren't they adorable? I wish I had time to photoshop them a bit, but alas, it is four in the morning and I have yet to finish a 7 page paper as well as study for my Italian midterm tomorrow. Sigh!

For those of you who want to make your own cute little hearts, use this tutorial! It's super simple compared to other heart tutorials I've seen out there-- I made one every 6 minutes, and I'm a slow crocheter! The only difference between what I did and what they did was that I used embroidery thread so that the hearts would turn out super tiny compared to the original version! Love the pastel colors, and I can't wait for everyone to see 'em!

Sorry for being MIA, but it looks like school's going to be my first priority, so I'm going to be posting whenever I can, but expect to hear from me sporadically!
<3 Linda