What would have been

So this was meant to be my task 6 this week, Geisha Inspired, Now I decided to scrap that idea because I researched so much about the Geishas I felt bad portraying them wrongly

Geisha's beauty style was rather simplistic and so were the accessories, this piece you see above would be a hooker, loud make up and head pieces, also you'd never see a geisha flashing this much skin, showing the back of the neck was enough, i was gonna erase the paint on the ears as well cause they don't paint their ears.

Another part I felt was challenging was that geishas would paint to mimic a porcelain doll, which had no unique features, such as cheekbones, lips or eyebrows so it was hards to choose if I wanted to define these factors or not. 

I do like to mention that the eyes have a lot of editing going one, making them different colors, one blue and one lavender

So that's basically it, this got scrapped because for the task I felt I needed something I could freely work without having the responsibility to showcase such a strong tradition in a way that it shouldn't be looked at. 

Tell me what do you think! Leave a comment, thick a box and as usual be ready for a special project coming soon! 

PS: I didn't even make the hair 

FREAK SHOW

Happy Halloween dear readers! I hope you'll have a good party at night xo

So, just as I promised, here it is, my special Halloween graphic (I saved 3 different versions)

First one. Basic one without background. Circle looked gross (and it still does)!

Added background. I liked it but somehow... It isn't working, something's missing.

 

 

Finally, it's done! I added shadows and played with colors.

 I can say that I like the final graphic, I'm happy with it! I guess I could add some more shades on some parts of the dress and specially hair which is so bad... But I like it!

So, let the Halloween begin! Happy Halloween from Carbette and Cardot! xox

Hairxcellence

Hey Guys! Wow today I'm so excited because I've won top photo @ The Graphics Project 3 times ! 

Congrats to Rozalia and Filip I'm happy to have such great competitors, beth would have been as well and I'm so sad to see her go! 

So for this task I was gonna go for a different theme ( Post coming soon) And two days before the deadline I decided to switch it, as a blessing an University messaged me about having an interview so I was able to get myself some more time! (It was still two days tho Yay go me!) 

Jack told us to play to our strengths and I started thinking, What is it that I do best?

HAIR! At the very last minute I chose to go for designer Charlie Le Mindu for inspiration! I love his work and the social messages he likes to add to his work! 

 I absolutely fell in love with these editorials and felt that (by switching them up a little) they really fit in with each other! Also I started thinking of a space/ time traveler and I thought what would this fictional character wear and do, so that was my background while creating these 

Take a look and see for yourself with this new perspective

Normally I don't like using my own doll for this competition because I think it's greedy to showcase your work as a graphic designer and also showcase your wish to model, but for this one I felt it was completely appropriate. 

I'd also like to know If it'd be interesting for you if I posted the complete story I make for my graphics! I'm not a writer at all but if you like I can share with you my efforts to use the written word for these!

As usual I'd love it if you'd thick a box, leave me a comment whatever you want! xx 

Scrapped

PS: The shoes and Bikini are not shaded or well done because well meh I just added them to cover her privates 

So I was planning to release a fashion line this fall but due to (being overworked at ) the graphics projects task taking over my time i had to postpone that, anyhow I had intended to use this body for the models, Id love to know what you think! The model is Jack's doll cause the face is so flawless right now I just can't 

I decided to not use it because well i don't know I'm just not feeling the body shape a lot, I love how the breast area came along though ! 

It's a short post because I have so much on my plate now (gotta make 10 dresses IRL by november 14th) but I don't like being inactive ! 

The show was gonna be inspired by this song!

 

Leave a comment, tick a box, ask for the Png version of this hair whatever you feel like doing ! xx.

Shh

who knows? 

Simplicity

EDIT 17th Dec 14: I've now added a larger/better version of the graphic =)

Another one for this weekend - this one I actually just did! The model is Baylee8172 who replied to my little casting call on my FB page yesterday and I felt she fitted the graphic the best. With this piece my aim really was to make myself enjoy sitting down and working on graphics - I'm very busy in RL now and any free time I have had, I haven't wanted to do any graphics because they can take a lot of energy, time and patience, however I made myself sit down and complete this. I'm hoping I can set aside time at weekends to put work into graphics, as they really are one of my favourite pastimes and I've definitely neglected them in the past year for uni work, but that was pretty important! 

Anyway, this is a simple piece really, I spent time on the clothing and I'm pleased with that. Some aspects of the skin I like, and some I don't, for example the models left arm, the shading just isn't right - despite this, I'm very pleased with how it all worked out!

Please let me know what you think, and if you tick "Needs More Work" please leave some constructive criticism =)

L A D O L C E V I T A

Hey guys! So, I noticed I haven't done a real face in a while! And then I scrolled through my folder and this caught my eye. Colors, pose, everything about the picture. But it wasn't easy. And it's totaly not! But  I still hope it will look fine at the end.

Until then, do you know who is it?

Goddess look

I made this graphic waaaaaaay back in May (yes, 5 months ago!) and I initially made it just to dust off my skills but I ended up giving it to someone for a project, however it's changing a little, and so here I am publishing it!

The model is Starbuck1, who signed up a very long time ago to be involved in practice graphics on my blog - and I felt like her face suited this ref so much, and I loved her skin tone, I think it gives the whole piece this vibe which I don't think I've seen in my graphics before. 

The only thing I don't really like is the left hand on the chest, it didn't come out very nicely, nor did the neck really, but the rest is pretty decent I think!

Please leave me comments with what you think! 

Love K xxx

Like a Carousel

Hey guys! I finally finished the Halloween graphic but all you will get are few spoilers until Friday next week!

I need to do some more details and I will also try to improve shading on fingers which looks totaly bad and this hair... I can say that I am ashamed of it when I look at my previous work with it. But I must say that I love shoes and the dress! But you will decide when you see the full graphic! xx

SPOILERS

Here are a few little crops of a feature graphic from the upcoming issue of X Magazine!

I adore this graphic as a whole but of course I couldn't post the entire thing, so I hope these teasers satisfy you for a while!

The hair was drawn by me and I'm definitely proud of that, and I'm also loving the face shading on the model. 

What do you think?

Are you excited for X Magazine?

 

MODEL FOR X MAGAZINE!

This is just a quick, short post to let you all know that there is an immediate casting call at Haus of X - we are seeking five new models to appear in the next issue of X Magazine.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Thank you!

PS: Hmm... what could this be?

Another unfinished piece

This was scrapped from Escape:

What do you think?

Spooky Preview

Okay guys, so here is a little preview on the graphic I'll release on Friday next week (I guess ya'll know why is that day a special day).

It's not even close to be done, it needs much of work and many more shades but I just wanted to show you a bit! Can you already guess what it is?

Hope you will like it x

X APPAREL SS15

"The SS15 collection of X Apparel takes inspiration from street styles, modernized feminism, and the simplicity and power of black. Color is unnecessary when it comes to strong, timeless cuts and a spectrum of textiles. Each look represents a different young woman - together they form a strong collection defining the intertwining differences of the dynamic women today."

 CLICK HERE to view the X Apparel online archive, where you can click on each individual piece for info + prices.

What do you think of X Apparel SS15?

What's your favourite piece/look?

Leave a comment! Tick a box!

Your feedback is always appreciated

 

Face.

So, a good while ago I decided to give real faces a shot (prior to task 3) this is where I was at (clearly didn't finish because well, life happened) Maybe I'll go back and finish this sometime soon, can you guess who this is? Plus this was my second real face ever, the first one was Lana Del Rey (please forgive me all of you Lana Fans outs there)

Its so bad I can't even, Also I'd like to mention that due to the fact that we are asked  to complete a lookbook for task 5 I may not be able to post that many graphics for the spooktacular so sorry you guys! Take this Lana as enough scare for now! 

I'd love it if you'd leave a comment, guess who this is or tick a box, even hate mail me for ruining a beautiful picture of Lana Del Rey! xx.  

Trend Peek

Hello! After a very extended absence from Stardoll I am very excited to finally share a graphic from the upcoming issue of Trend. 

The model is .naima and I believe the reference is from W. I still need to blend the neck/head more because the model's skin was darker than the skin of the actual graphic - aside from that however it is pretty much completed. I'm no graphic designer by any means, but I thought I would share this anyway!

Improvements

Hi! Today I found a graphic request I've made several weeks ago. I was staring at it for a while, thinking about my skin shading techinque, what should I improve, what I already improved... And then I remembered very old graphic I made in a competition which was kinda very similar to requested one. So, here they are

Requested graphic for Adrail

Old graphic I've made for ''Manda's Model Mission''

Well, I guess I improved a lot. Skin shading techinque on the old graphic is so odd and you can't even recognise any part of the body since her right hand is totaly merged with the rest of the body.

So yeah, what do you think? Leave your opinions below x

My journey on "The Graphics Project"

This is my first entry. I think that it's actually the best one I gave in and really helped me step strong into the competition. I honestly think that it is one of my best graphics up to this day and shows that I put a great amount of effort into it. The snakeskin was quite challenging but it added to the 'wow' factor I wanted this image to have. I only received negative feedback for the rather small hand and awkward clavicle.

My second entry received very positive feedback and I was also given really helpful tips, especialy from Kirsten, on how I should have diversity in my shading depending on the item I am drawing. I am very fond of the hand and detailed nails. However, the face lacks shading and the hair is quite messy.

For task 3, we had to portray a certain artist and I was given Lana Del Rey along with a group of other contestants. To my opinion I did capture her vibe quite well but unfortunately the judges did not agree with me on that and I also did not receive the best feedback because of many little errors on my work. I am very proud of the hair and background though.

Task 4 was very demanding, as expected, since it was about time for all contestants to show if they were capable of shading all sorts of garments and deal with more complex graphics. Surprisingly to my expectations, I did quite well and managed to save myself from elimination. I am quite proud of this graphic as I was never able to draw leather or fur before.

This was the final task for me. Task 5 was to make a header for the legendary 'Haus of X'. The announcement of the results of this task was a moment I honestly feared as I was well aware of how bad my entry was compared not only to what wonderful artworks the other contestants were going to present but also to my previous entries. Having very limited time to work on due to schoolwork I only managed to give in this very weak graphic. The only part I like from it is the hair.

What do you think of my journey on TGP? 

Surprising bottom

 

This is officialy the graphic which sent me down. I must say that I was pretty disappointed about this graphic. And, just as Jack said, this huge text feels like it covered my poor work on this, but it didn't.

But yeah, life goes on and I can say that I am already trying to slay you again, and yes it will be an (hopefully) amazing Halloween thing. I wanted to add separated and colored graphics from this entry too, so here they are:

 

Damn, this is heartbreaking.

New Blood

So today the results for Task 5 at The Graphics Project were released, I congratulate my fellow competitors ! WE MADE IT TO THE TOP 3 !

Also I'm extremely sorry to see two close friends leave the competition xx.

My graphic was called "Virgin Blood" I was inspired by the cruel Countess Elizabeth Bàthory, she is known as the most prolific female serial killer, (perfect for the spooktacular) I wanted to portray something that felt almost out of a horror movie, I decided to not go for a minimal approach to this task, which may or may not have played in my favor, however this graphic absolutely reads me, I worked every single piece of this graphic, from the pupils to the lips, here you can see the full color versions of the individual shots

As you can see there is a dark victorian-esque feel to them

If you're interested in learning more about the characters I developed for this entry leave a comment below! Don't forget to tick a box and share your opinion on the results @ The Graphics Project 

BLOG MAKEOVER! FACE OF TGV REVEALED (FINALLY!)

So, as promised, I have designed a brand new banner for TGV. I decided to feature the lovely Isabella8103, her doll is just gorgeous!

(Probably looks better in photobox)

I settled on this reference because I loved the simplicity and elegance of the look, but it also has a renewing edge too. I'll admit I was lazy with the hair choice, but to make a brand new hair for this banner would have stuttered the process by at least a few days.

You may also notice the colour change on the blog, I went with a warmer shade as I found it more suiting for the fall/winter season.

What do you think about the new banner? Leave a comment! Tick a box

Now and Then

So in Kirsten's (sparklewand12) Fashion I decided to re-create an old graphic, I chose this one taken from an editorial with Anna Sophia Robb, I quite like the finished product, The face needs some work but yet again this was made a couple weeks before i started using a different method for shading faces, and what can I say, The bigger the hair the closer to god! 

Leave a comment, tick a box! I Love getting your feedback! 

Grand Spooktacular *Model search*

As a new project I decided to create an "Spooktacular October" Throughout the month of October and until November 2nd I'll be posting graphics with scary/costumy themes! 

This with the motivation to have an active blog with regular posts! If anyone feels like tagging along please do!

Also If you'd like to model and agree to be in graphics with a darker theme comment with your username below!! 

Let me know what do you think, Tick a box, leave a comment xx! 

TBT

A while ago I was in a competition called Destination Stardoll, task two was to create a motivational ad that focused on society issues, I chose to make a pro-trans ad,  although the quality doesn't live up to my current standards, i can't deny that i still love this piece of work, specially because of the message.

 Transgender people are probably out of the whole LGBTQ community the ones that struggle the most, the ones that society least accepts, I believe in being who your soul tells you you are, not what society and what you have or don't have between your legs says, wether you disagree or not these people are equally worthy as human beings,i feel it'd be wrong not sharing my thoughts on this, so wether you disagree or not I guess it's worth sharing the message 

Where the art is.

Hey there! My name is Pablo (Contact at XxSophiie.LuvxX) , and I will now be posting on this blog! (Go me! finally here after like two years)

I'm a 17 year old guy from Mexico, who loves books, specially old ones, I enjoy music and play the violin and Piano, my dad is a musician also, I'm mostly inspired by decades that can go from  past centuries to the 20's - 80's which sometimes works out well for me and sometimes not so much!

I wouldn't say I'm necessarily edgy, or the edgiest because i like classic styles, that old glamour and femininity that women exude, I do however like to make everything personal, I believe a graphic becomes art when theres a story behind it, one of it's own, maybe it's also my failed dream of becoming a writer trying to take the spotlight.

Here you can see some of my previous work! I will also tell you a little bit about my thinking process for them!

Banner for my blog BANG! , for this I was inspired by Uptown Girl, By Billy Joel

Task 3 This graphic is a personal favorite, It's called "Gods and Monsters" When I think of Lana I don't see the dark side she likes to give off, to me she is haunting, sexy and touching, her musics gives me that feeling and her personality on and off stage too.

And this one, I have a very deep interest in cultures such as the ones from Africa, India, Thailand, because just like my own culture, there are so many different aspects that collide with each other, per say India, you get a clash between the crazy luxury and the overwhelming poverty and still between both of this theres a connexion thanks to the strong cultural roots they have ( for example religion) which fascinates me 

Hopefully you like my work and my posts! Leave a comment I'd highly appreciate it! See you soon! 

To the hills...

Hello everyone! So, as you can notice, I am one of new writers and I'll try my best to impress everyone in the industry!

My name is Filip and I've been here for last 2 years which means A LOT of improvements (?) and hard work. I started from the bottom, all alone with zillions of tutorials from Youtube. But now, two years later, I am accepted as a graphic designer all around Stardoll and I've actually made several well payed graphic requests. I can say that I've improved a lot, worked hard on my techniques and got the details. And now, I think that The Graphic Vault is the highest limit I could get, as one song says ''used to tell that sky's a limit now the sky's our point of view...''. And I made it to the top.

 

Entry for the Task 4 in ''The Graphics Project''. I was pretty happy with this one because it turned out just as I wanted, details went good and my model rocked it.

One of my latest graphics. I've used my doll as a model and this was specially made as the Miss Stardoll World Promo. I am pretty happy with it.

So, there are few examples of my work, give your opinion down in comments and stay tuned until my entry for ''The Graphics Project'' Task 5! xo

NEW GRAPHIC + INFO

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine approached me asking me to create a graphic for them, now usually I don't take requests, but considering I owed them a favor and the reference was stunning - I had to accept!

The reference was of the Olsen twins, and I just fell in love.

I really love pretty much everything about this graphic, it was so fun to make too! I had a little trouble with the lighting but I think I got it eventually.

I used the same hairstyle but styled differently on both models because I wanted to stay with the "matching" theme.

Let me know what you think! Leave a comment! Tick a box!


I also wanted to say that I'm in the process of emailing out invites to new writers, so please keep your eyes peeled for a message from me if you have applied to write for this blog - if you still wish to apply, you can do so by clicking the "JOIN US" tab on the top of the blog.

Furthermore, I know I promised a banner quite a while ago, but I've been up to my neck in other work and it's been crazy trying to prioritize anything. That being said, though, I do hope to get us a flashy new banner by the end of this month (although I'm not making any promises). If any of you have any ideas for what the banner should look like, I'd love to hear them! Part of what makes this blog special is the massive input from the readers, so to have your help in creating our new banner would be just lovely.

MORE X GRAPHICS

Yet again I've decided to scrap a graphic from X. I'm not totally sure that I'm comfortable with the concept/theme of this issue so there's a big chance I could be changing the whole thing AGAIN.

 

The reference for this was pretty abstract, click here to see it + get a better understanding.


It's pretty obvious why I scrapped this - it's very messy and and the overall feel of the graphic just isn't really working for me.

But I would love to hear your opinions!
Leave a comment! Tick a box!

PS: Who's excited for X Apparel? Coming this week!