Boîte Naissance Les Loupiots

I am so proud of this recent collaboration with the blog Les Loupiots. I illustrated the cover of a baby gift box. The box is full of locally designed and made goodies, some of witch are personal favorites, like Bouton Jaune and Raplapa. You can get more details here. 

Noémiah Fall-Winter 14'

Photo: Instagram Noémiah (@missnoemiah)

 Isn't it funny that the last post I wrote before taking some time off with my baby was about some work for Noémiah... and now first one is all about her as well! I have started working again since earlier this fall, but there is not much I can show yet. This gorgeous collaboration took place in late spring and summer, and her De Glace collection is now out, so I can brag. 

 I designed some patterns for her, but she ended up using this single motif instead. It embellishes some pieces, embroidered in shiny gold thread.. and Also a cashemere scarf. What more could I ask for? This collection feels much more mature, Noemiah has found herself... and it's really a pleasure to be working with her after all these years! 

Photographe : Stephanie Lou 

Assistant à la photographie : Damien Thiberge 
Maquillage : Catherine LeMay 
Décor : Justine Roy et Joanie E. Roy 
Modèle : Valérie Collette

Winter

Oh ALLO!! 

 Sorry for the long winter pause, but I have been very busy with you know... giving birth and taking care of a new born. ;) 

 I wanted to share the last image I did for Studio Espace Mukti before leaving for mat-break. It was meant for their winter season. Which is over by now... right, winter is over soon....please? Is it just me or did this one seemed to drag and drag, almost May and the temps are finally trying to come up a bit. I love Espace Mukti's yoga classes, the pre-natal yoga really helped me feel mobile in the second half of my pregnancy. Until I was put on modified-best-rest but that has nothing to do with the yoga. I actually missed it a lot.  I also took a baby massage class this spring. It was really magical and I'm so glad I have those knowledge now, I highly recommend it. :) 

 Talking about babies... here are some pics of my tiny lady. Baby Estelle Ursa was born on February 11th. She was 7.8lbs and 19" She has been amazing since, the loveliest most easygoing baby I could imagine. Don't get me wrong, taking care of an infant is the hardest thing I've done, ever. But she is usually in a great mood and that helps a lot. 

Some last minute work for Noémiah

 I did those for my friend Noémie last week, designer behind the lovely brand Noémiah. I was not supposed to take more work.. but I remembered I had told her I'd do it a looong time ago and had forgotten. Woopsies. It's always fun to try and find ways to match the soft look of her brand with  my illustrations. I really like how these turned out. Here are some of my favorite pieces from her last collection... Can't wait to see what she'll have for spring very soon!! 

(Photos by Noémie Vaillancourt and Manon Parent and you know, hair and make up by me ;))

M'as tu vu?

 This is nothing super duper new but I realized I had not shared it here yet. I did the cover illustration for Simon Boulerice's teen novel M'as tu vu? (Les Malins) That's the first of the serie and it is called Hors-Champ. I'm currently working on the sequel, so I thought it was high time I shared this one!! It came out in september, and it is a great tween novel. I actually am enjoying reading those a lot!! Reality tv, high school drama, bullies.. friendships and relation ships shenanigans... All you need, really. :) 

 The graphic design of their books is always really nice. This one is right up my alley. I had never seen rounded corners on paper-backs.. are those a new thing? And the title is actually textured....! 

Already January...

 Well... a new year starts! And what a different one it will be! I don't even want to try and make resolutions.. except maybe, take things one a time? Make sure I do my best at..everything? Ha... I know I want to be a good mother, and a good person, but that is way to broad to be a resolution, right? 

 Anyways, we had a very... special Christmas time. And I got behind in my work a bit. Now it's catch up time and I'll admit, I feel like I am working against a very special clock. ;) 

I hope to be done with work for mid-january. Let's do it!!!! 

In case you had not seen this image, it's Espace Mukti's illustration for the new classes of mother-baby yoga. 

2013

 Well, well.. as the year is coming to a close, it's hard not to look back and kind of sort out what happened, how you felt, what you accomplished, or did not, how you feel about it, etc. 

 2013 has been ONE HECK OF A HUGE YEAR FOR ME in terms of personal life events. I got married in March. And yes, as cliché as it sounds, it was the happiest day of my life. I still get all teary every time I look back at photographs or hear "our song". And honestly, I hope it stays that way for ever. Those emotions are still so raw and real. 

 I have also been very lucky in terms of work this year. I have started working with Éditions Les Malins and it's been a very fun process to get more into book cover illustrations. Work in general has come pretty steadily and I am sooo grateful for it. I know I am not the best at self-promoting and PR so having faithful clients and also just incoming work means a lot to me. 

 We took on a kitchen reno this summer (seriously the kitchen is basically done, I need to take decent pictures and share! We are so happy with how it looks and feels now!!) We knew we wanted our house to accommodate a family and be just overall more efficient and pretty.. but I did not know I was going to get pregnant the minute we started those renovations. I know people keep saying that no matter how long you wait for something to happen or how hard you want it... it will always happen the moment you stop expecting it.. Well, it proved to be true once again! 

 We are so happy about it and I have sort of held back from talking about this pregnancy for a long while now. I know I'm a jinx paranoid but.. at some point I just didn't know how to bring it up without making a cheesy big announcement out of it. I feel like I have been pregnant for so long now, we are really starting to be a little more ready and anxious to meet our little girl! I am already in my third trimester, and we are looking forward to her arrival in February. Like, a lot.   

 So basically things are all good. I have loved this year. And I'm really giddy for 2014 too. I will slow down work a bit after the holidays, basically finish what is already on the works. I'll take a break from February to May and see how we all feel at that point and where it leads us. I will probably still feel like sharing some things here during those months... 

 In the meantime, meet our little thing.... She does not have a name yet. And that picture is already pretty old. But it's the clearest image we have of her so it's still very precious. :) 

Espace Mukti : Automne 2013

I'm working on Espace Mukti's 2014 winter image right now, and it reminded me that I had not posted this illustration here. I have been taking a class at the studio and I highly recommend it! The ambiance is so cozy and friendly, and the prices are very reasonable. :) 

Noémiah : Roses d'hiver

 It's the second time I get to play around and do hair and make up for a Noemiah shooting. Exactly why my friend Noémie trusts me with this.. I have no clue! It's not like I know what I'm doing. But pitching in with whatever experience I have of applying make up on my own face, YouTube videos and pinterest tutorials... it usually turns out ok ;) 

 This time she was shooting her Fall-Winter collection for 2013, Roses d'Hiver, not only for her stunning as usual feather jewellery.. but also featuring clothes and purses for the first time!!! I am so excited to see Noemiah grow her brand. (and to see her evolve and grow as a designer and person at the same time.) She is one hard working woman, and her creations are nothing short of delightful, feminine and graceful perfection. 

 I basically did exactly what she wanted in terms of looks. She came up with most of the inspiration and styles, her taste is always very tasteful and trendy. We usually agree with what looks good with her products, and she trusts my eye too, whenever she hesitates, since we have worked together on many occasions. 

But little did I know I was going to ALSO play florist all day. ;)

The flowers she had picked were gorgeous. (as was the model, right!?)

Playing around with the gold leaf foil was super fun! 

It was a bit time consuming to apply.. but I think the result is really worth it.

Photograph: Manon Parent

Model : Mickeline Couturier

You can see the full collection here and shop here. 

Espace Mukti - Été

 When writing the previous post about summer, I remembered this illustration I did a couple months ago for Espace Mukti. Karine is one of my favorite clients, it is always so much fun to work with her. (I know I've said that before, but it's true!) Working on this made me crave a beach vacation so bad, since we did not plan our annual trip to Chincoteague, VA this year. Turns out, we did pay a short visit to the Atlantic after all.. ;) 

Even though I did not do any yoga at the beach.. and my boat pose is nowhere near being that tight!

I'm thinking of maybe taking some classes at Espace Mukti this fall. I love doing yoga at home, in the comfort of my pj and privacy. But sometimes attending class is an amazing motivation. 

Spa Balnéa

 A couple months ago I worked on an image with the people of Spa Balnéa for their summer campaign. They asked me to illustrate some tattoos over a picture, and well, that was a lot of fun! The theme this year is Été des chefs, it's all about gastronomy and food and epicurism. It was really different from other jobs, and pretty refreshing to work on. You can see the final version (we ended up modifying it quite a bit) on their website. 

Les Loupiots

 A friend of mine recently started a new blog, about being a Mom. She shares darling pics of her son Edgar, but also some other cute guest nursery tours, weekend ideas, recipes and fun links. I highly recommend giving it a look if you are a Mommy or Daddy too! I especially enjoyed the really touching text (birth story?) her husband wrote recently. It was extremely moving and made me weep like a baby. 

 I have worked with Sabrina before, on her save the dates, and it was true bliss to get to work with her again, this time on her blog's visual. 

Gara

I was about to post a color palette - for the month of June's calendar - when I realized palettes are pretty much the only thing I've posted recently.. :S

I've been busy, but mostly with things I cannot share yet! So in the meantime, here's the final image of that sketch I had posted. The sun is finally back around here.. hoping it'll stick around a bit, it's crazy the difference it makes on the mood. 

Fresh & Cute

Fun new project going on, with a friend. 

Those are some of my favorite colors, ever. :) 

Summer Colors

Can it get warm again? Pretty please... 

This photo, and this line of knitwear. 

Mother's Day

I recently worked on a Mother's Day card with Minibulles!

Click on the link for the printable full size card :)

And don't forget to call / hug / kiss / treat your Mommy on Sunday!  

Illustration for Mode Trotter Blog

Well, well... seems like this is the week I brag about recent work! ;)

 I worked on the re-look of Cindy Laverdière's blog, Mode Trotter Blog, a couple months ago. The new look (works of Rose Flash Studio) is up now! And wow oh' wow, am I proud! I love the new look.. and those experiments with lipsticks paid off!! It looks really sharp, I think! (Thanks tones cheap Joe Fresh mate lipsticks that tasted like cheap wax!)

Minibulles :: New Collab !!

I've had a lot of fun with Julie & Sophie, the minds behind the new blog Minibulles. They really trusted me with the look of their site, and it was a real blast to work on. Lots of watercolor, spring colors, very very fresh!! 

It's been in the works since early spring, and I cannot wait to work with them again. I have a couple of illustrations I can't share yet, but be sure to check out their blog! Et partagez avec vos copines! 

;)

(This sketch did not end up being used, but I liked it too much not to share.)

Espace Mukti - Winter

 Another illu I did for Espace Mukti, and the lovely Karine. Those are always a dream to work on. I love yoga, and I love Karine's view / aesthetic take on it. Funny enough, exalted warrior is one of my favorite yoga poses. I like to hold this for a while after warrior I and II, and it hurts feels so good in your quads and arms. :)

 She mentioned that she loves Solow clothing. True enough, I had a lot of fun picking an outfit to draw from their website. Total envy. I think yoga is an amazing way of fighting winter ruts. This illu really represents the comfort I get out of calm winter sunlight, when inside. Now, I also always look forward to being able to take my mat outside for the first time around April or Mai.. 

Mercredi Wedding OCD : Flowers

 Ouh... A wedding post! Said wedding, is coming up quite fast! Pretty much everything crucial is already planned, but I feel like February will be a whirlwind of last minute loose ends to tie.. Still, we're looking forward to it more and more each day!

 But first things first... Here's an image I made for another Damask & Dentelle Wedding Guide. This was super fun to work on (recognize the colors?), the direction it took was right up my alley-tastes, and I get to work with such an amazing team. :) 

***

 Now.. moving on the the wedding, something I got really exited about was, the flowers.. I have always had a weakness for anything fresh flower, either growing in flower beds, backyards, bought at the market to have around the house... I just love flowers, from the bottom of my heart. So, yeah, I was exited about this part. 

 I got to meet Anaïs, from Les Petites Excuses (she is downright adorable) and she talked me through what possible for my in the middle of winter  on a budget small wedding. I dreamt of peonies, everywhere... but they are not in season in March, so she recommended renoncules instead.. seriously, prettiest flower on earth. Also, unconventional choice, double carnations. She never looked at me weird when I said I disliked this and that about traditional weddings.. and I basically feel super confident in the fact that she will make my wedding look purdy. 

 There is so much to think about... no wonder people hire wedding planners. But at least, fussing about flowers was pretty fun. Guillaume and I came up with a really nice idea for the table center pieces, but i'm not spoiling. ;)