All The Pretty Girls

The decadence of a beautiful face, drawn to drip in jewel-colored makeup could definitely dress up your white walls. Illustrator Leigh Viner's pretty girls all look like their cocktails are laced and Bowie's playing loud, pump-thumping through the wall-sized speakers at that new, shiny downtown club. Rendered in ink, or acrylic, or whatever Viner picks up to paint with, the beautiful faces she fashions are a result of a somewhat divine talent. With minimal art training, Viner has largely taught herself how to make magic on paper. Her raw technique is laudable, with its dependence on free-form lines, drips, and fabulous dribbles. The results of her skills are portraits with personality--the type of personality that you would never talk to at the party, but would always gawk at.

You can purchase Viner's work through her Etsy site for very reasonable prices. To get to know her better, and to see some of her fantastic photographs, check in on her blog.

All of the images above are copyright Leigh Viner, and are hers and hers alone. No stealing, wannabes!

Look, But Don't Take.

Artist Lauren Nassef is one of those poetically gifted artists who knows just how many lines to use in her work. Her drawings are detailed, but spare, but evocative. They've got personality, identity-- and for a scandalous time last year, they suffered identity theft.

An online "artist" took Lauren's drawings off the web and claimed them as her own. She sold the forged drawings and even won a major competition with them. The matter has since been resolved, but gave me pause. The internet makes a pretty easy game of cut-n-copy. It takes some seriously compromised integrity to steal someone's work on such a big level, but this case also shows just how simple it can be if one were so inclined. Caution artists, and warning fakers: Feast your eyes on Nassef's beautiful work, but don't get any plagiaristic ideas. Just enjoy the simple, gorgeous graphics. I love so many, so I'm posting many.

See, they make you covetous too, don't they? That's ok. You can get some through Lauren's site (where she posts a drawing a day!!) or through her Etsy shop.

All art © 2007-2010-infinity Lauren Nassef / laurennassef.com (see that?)

Kate and Dolly.

There's something really funny about this, and then there is something strangely hypnotic about it. Watch Kate Moss appear as Dolly sings the ultimate ode, Jolene.



You can buy that drawing if you want.

Sugar On Paper.

Renderings of fantasy; that's pretty much what the fashion industry and all of its offshoots are, right? Give me a dream, show it to me so that I can see it somewhere besides the back of my eyelids. Give me a representation of something I thought couldn't be looked at here, in public, with others. Give me your fantasy, or feed me mine. That's it. Fashion illustration is the passing along of fantasy. Autumn Whitehurst's work is a sweet fantasy, a girlish, glamorous, laze with phantom lollipops. It's fashion candy. Bee stung lips, honey-colored complexions, syrupy, doe-eyed stares. Penny candy for the pretty people.

Autmun is represented by Art Department. You can see her portfolio here.

Like A Fox.

Alyson Fox draws illustrations that trace the line between pretty and dirty; between innocent and unnerving.

Fox's illustrations are making their way onto all sorts of items that can make their way into your life for a very reasonable fee. You can purchase prints of her drawings on sites like Little Paper Planes, and Poketo has produced a pretty little wallet featuring Alyson's work for a cool $20.

See more of Alyson's work on her own site.