digital art – The Big Hair Diaries

Coolest Cat in Town

Published on October 20, 2018 by hellosamanthadear11 Comments

Am I the coolest cat in town? Heck no. But I feel like I am in these shoes!

I was told by an older gentleman the other day that “all the coolest girls in high school wore saddle shoes” (he experienced high school in the 1950’s) so needless to say I was feeling pretty cool wearing these gems!

I’ve wanted saddle shoes for who knows how long now. It’s like the Christmas present you always wanted but never received. I bought these from BAIT footwear; pretty much where I go to buy all of my shoes. It’s a dream come true!!! ♥️

I ended up wearing a lot of butterfly clips this past week, I noticed. Butterfly mood, I suppose? I made a new pair this past week, which you’ll see in the next outfit a little ways down (also, above picture: big (messy) hair, don’t care)…

My skirt! I’m loving the vintage look of it; I bought it at Forever 21 this past week! I was so shocked to see that there’s a massive selection of 1970’s-style clothing, currently. If you love vintage-inspired clothing: GO. NOWWWWW.

Fun fact: I spilled part of a Maple Pecan Latte on this second featured outfit. And these photos were taken post-spill!!! So it turns out, it wiped off easily without any stains, somehow. Lucky me. Lucky CLUMSY me, I might add…but realistically, it was a minor spill. More funny than anything!

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New monarch butterfly hair clips I made!!! Aren’t they darling? They’re appliques from JOANN Fabric. I simply glued alligator clips to the back, and there you have it!

This past week, I finished up some artwork I’ve been working on. It’s actually a follow-up to a first illustration I did:

“Luna Sea”

“Starla (Luna Sea, Part II)”

My friend pointed out that these works had Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness vibes, and to keep the vibe going, I named the second closeup artwork of the mermaid “Starla”, which is also a Smashing Pumpkins song.

All in all, I’m super happy with how these two pieces turned out, and within the next month I’ll be selling 5 x 7 prints on Etsy of nine different illustrations I’ve made! Super excited!!!

Last night (Friday night), I felt like watching a movie. I wanted something from way back when, and I remembered I have quite a selection of films from the 1920’s-1930’s. I have a soft spot for films from that time.

This is Smart Money, 1931. It’s a gangster film! I should probably point out I also have a liking for the adorable and strikingly handsome James Cagney, whose charm stands the test of time in my opinion. 😍

I don’t know what it is, but I just really love old films like this. I love the styles of the time, the way people talked…it’s all so different and feels refreshing for me. Really loved Edward G. Robinson giving off those Al Capone vibes.

And that’s a wrap! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. 🙂 I sure am!

See ya next time!

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Triple Scoop

Published on June 7, 2018 by hellosamanthadear9 Comments

Heeeeeeey! (Me, pointing out the fact that my headband matches the roses.)

Welcome to everyone reading! This is a “triple scoop” post…as in, featuring three outfits. The ice cream reference will make sense later, promise!

It’s been a really good week and I wore some fun outfits, so I figured I’d feature them all in one, since I have an exciting post coming up on Saturday. 🙂

Red! Well, burgundy-red. This is one of my all-time favorite dresses…it’s perfect for summer and very casual. I’ve had this for years! I think it’s from Forever 21, and it’s lasted for so long.

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I’ve mentioned before that I don’t wear red all that often, but when I do, I realize that it’s a nice color!

Next up, I wore an outfit I really really loved that was a combination of dusty rose pink and pastel blue. Love this look!!! I told my sister the colors made me think of the Care Bears. Hahaha…

My sandals are baaaack. It’s been in the 90’s here so, I figured it was time to bring out the open-toe shoes again! These are my favorite summer shoes. ♥

Aside from feeling like one of the Care Bears, it also reminded me of a carnival…like I needed to be eating cotton candy.

This is where the ICE CREAM comes in…

I mentioned in my last post that I bought a new pin from the super cute Etsy shop, The Tote Trove, where I have bought many a pin in my past, and this one I am very happy to add to my collection!!!

Ice cream, folks…an instant winner and perfect for summer. 🙂 My eye immediately was drawn to the mint chocolate chip one since that’s my favorite flavor ever…

It makes me want to pay a visit to my local Baskin Robbins. It’s been at least a year or so since I’ve had mint chocolate chip ice cream. Whaaaaaat!

Lastly, I’d like to show some of my art I’ve done this past week. I’ve been in a drawing mood, so here we go:

purple-hair

I really love this one. ♥ The second drawing I did, I’ll show you the process I go through, since I’ve never shared that before!

I always draw on the back of some paper within reach. It’s not always in a sketchbook, since I don’t carry one with me, typically. I draw out the main idea and make sure to draw the lines a bit dark, which will help later once I transfer it into Photoshop.

In Photoshop is where the magic happens!!! I then start to add color…

Aaaaaand the final outcome!!! I love to use a mix of traditional drawing and Photoshop. In this piece, I aimed to capture the essence of a fashionable free spirit. ♥

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed my little behind-the-scenes of my art. Haha!

I’m really excited for the weekend (as you can see from my Bitmoji above) because I’m going on a road trip for the day! I haven’t been out of town in awhile. I’ll save where I’m going until the next blog post…it’s a surprise! I’ve wanted to go to this place for a looooong time.

See you soon! ♥

Busy Bee

Published on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 by hellosamanthadear6 Comments

Hello again!

Could it BEE any windier today?! (haha, you’ll understand the pun later!)

The weather was nice and warm earlier today, and literally out of nowhere, by the time I got out of work, I walk outside all obliviously and I’m hit with a gust of wind.

It was tricky getting these outfit photos, but I really wanted to take them because red and yellow are a combination I don’t typically wear, n’est-ce pas?

Evidence of the struggle: here is a picture of my phone falling. The wind hit really hard and WHOOSH! The phone, while attached to the tripod, went tumbling down. But the cool thing is that the timer continued to count down and it caught an awesome live-action still!

Now, back to the outfit!

My outfit is a nice hodgepodge of many things. To me, my outfit:

Reminds me of something Disney-esque.
Reminds me of the 70’s.
Makes me want ketchup and mustard.

The downside: I’ve been charged at by bees two days in a row. In fact, it’s getting ridiculous!!!

The first incident was yesterday during my lunch hour. I typically eat in my car with the windows rolled down, and suddenly I hear the sound of doom.

Bzzzzzzzz…

It was a yellow jacket, at MY side of the window. Terrified, I literally rolled across the center console of my car, over the passenger seat, and out the door. It happened so fast…suddenly I was outside of my car. The question now was: where was the bee? Fortunately, it wasn’t in my car, as I thoroughly checked and then spent the rest of my lunch with the windows up.

But then when I came back into the office, a honeybee came charging at me as I walked in. Then, today on my break!

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I think bees are attracted to bright colors, and I also heard they’re attracted to sweet smelling hairspray/lotion/perfume. So I’m pretty much an airport for bees. 😦

I’ve been staying a busy bee myself lately, having just finished and released a new textbook at work (yay!), and brainstorming ideas for new artsy creations. I’m trying out my first wallet design!

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Zazzle.com makes it really easy to get my artwork printed on things! I plan on gluing rose charms to the blank pink strips above and below the picture, to add some pizzazz to the overall look. Once it’s complete, I’ll be sure to post photos! ❤

Enjoy the rest of your week! See you next time!

Crystal Baller

Published on March 25, 2018 by hellosamanthadear8 Comments

Hello, hello!!!

Ahh…one of many bands that makes me nostalgic for the 90’s is Third Eye Blind, which is song-referenced in my blog post title. I’m also getting back into wearing chokers again (we have an on-again, off-again relationship it seems) which is also very 90’s. To continue on with the crystal ball reference though, I also have this to talk about:

The Crystal Ball Frappucino! This elusive drink is only available for a few days before it disappears. I tried it, on a very stormy evening a few days ago (you can see the rain on the window, and it was thundering and lightning, too). It was quite delicious! Very sweet (I’m used to mochas, which have a rich taste and aren’t as sweet) but it was nice for a one-time try. ❤

Guys, I can’t tell you how excited I am for Easter!!! I can’t wait to get decked out like a pastel princess, and I have a headband I’m making to wear that day. Really looking forward to wearing my Easter outfit!

The weather is in that weird stage where it’s warm one day and cold the next, and today was an in-between sort of deal where it was not really warm but not really cold either. With that, I chose a comfy sweater and a purple skirt, and a gold belt to tie off the look.

It’s so faint, but I’m wearing a light purple choker. I’m totally getting into wearing chokers again! More to come in future outfit posts. 🙂

New nails!!! I love these; I continued with the ombre sparkle look, like I had previously. I’m really loving them! ❤

I drew this the same evening we had that severe thunderstorm, and I was drinking the Crystal Ball frappucino. The creativity was flowing and I decided to draw this. 🙂 My inspiration was simple: I’m very big on ‘happy places’. That varies greatly from one person to the next, but for me, a cup of coffee and a book is one of my many go-to ‘happy places’. ❤

‘Til Next Time!

Artsy Chic

Published on March 3, 2018 by hellosamanthadear14 Comments

Hello there!!! I have some super duper exciting things to share, so here we go!

Last night, I had my first art showing!

I was asked by a DJ who I follow on social media about setting up a table at Art Hop, which is a once-a-month event downtown. I was, of course, ecstatic!!! I had to pick the perfect artsy/feminine outfit that would reflect my own art, so I went with this. The ring is my own creation, of course!

I took the day off from work just to enjoy the day before I arrived early to set up. Going to Yellow Mug coffee shop, it was very quiet because a) it was a weekday and b) the weather was SOOOOO terrible! Rain and wind, all day. But, I got to enjoy the warmth of the coffee shop indoors and watch the rain through the windows. 😉

As you can see, I had a celebratory birthday cake macaron with my coffee that morning. ❤

Showtime!

Here is my set up! I brought out my top favorite art and jewelry creations. ❤ I had the opportunity to walk around the room and look at other artists’ work and share our inspiration behind what we create.

For me, all of my work has an underlying theme: femininity! My jewelry has mostly a cutesy, floral theme to it, and my digital art is all of women with their own type of beauty and mystique to them. Both my outfit and display have a lot of pinks and florals, because pink is a powerfully feminine color and flowers are Earth’s natural beauty. Flowers comfort me. ❤

The art show started off quietly, but as the evening went on…

…it picked up and was packed! It turned into a house party environment with musicians performing and people dancing. It was very fun. 🙂

At the very end of the night, I sold a ring! I was pleasantly surprised. The entire night was a lot of fun, and several friends of mine came through to see my work and show their support. I was touched! ❤

This was a big deal to me because I have wanted to showcase my art at Art Hop for a long time! I set up my table display on my own and it’s just how I hoped it would look. So I feel really happy that I accomplished a long-time goal!

Have a happy weekend! See you next time!

Don’t Be Afraid to Sparkle

Published on January 10, 2018 by hellosamanthadear10 Comments

This is a very sparkly post! Doesn’t my headband and choker give it away? 😉

This new headband is so sparkly that I’m actually worried about blinding someone if the sunlight hits it…it’s way more sparkly in person than photographs can capture.

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Really loving this rhinestone choker from Forever21! I bedazzled myself entirely today, because why not? It makes life more interesting.

This shirt is neat; I like the random yet intentional hole in the middle, ahaha! It is separate from the dress, so it can be worn as an additional piece to any outfit, really.

Funny expression. 😛 I’m not the best at posing, but I really don’t take outfit photos to be taken seriously – it’s more for fun and to capture my own unique outfits to look back on!

It’s been a rainy week here off and on, and honestly not quite as cold as I thought it would be, which is good! 🙂

I received really awesome news today: I sold one of my greetings cards on Etsy!!! I was totally surprised and really happy to know that someone wanted something with my own illustration on it. ❤

It was this one! I’m so happy. Also, I got some of my materials in the mail, so I’ll be making some new rings shortly. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Last night, my friend and I checked out a new coffee shop where I live. This was a chili mocha, and oh my was it deeeeelicious! Doesn’t it look dreamy?

Let’s revert back to the theme of sparkly stuff, though. Figuratively speaking, I think everyone sparkles in their own way. Whether it be their smile, their humor, their fashion sense, their quirks, their talents, their intellect, their kindness, etc. …the list can go on and on.

That’s my inspiration for today! I urge everyone to sparkle, in whatever way you do. Celebrate yourself and let yourself shine to the world. You never know who may need the light.

“Glitter, sparkle, shine…but most of all, be kind.”

‘Til next time! ❤

En Janvier

Published on January 4, 2018 by hellosamanthadear4 Comments

Welcome, world! 🙂

I caught a photo of the super moon from the other night – however many nights ago it was – and it was super bright! I managed to get a decent photo of it. ❤

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My start of the year is definitely beginning nicely, I would say! The other day I went for a walk on a different trail, and got myself a hot cup of coffee beforehand to keep warm. This trail is really nice because it’s within the city, so it’s settled in a pretty residential area. Nice for a change of scenery. 🙂

Today’s outfit!

berries-on-branch

Nothing like finding little dead tree particles to keep me entertained!! There’s nothing left of the big tree out front, except for some twigs and berries…

Today I tried something different: I wore some faux fur boot cuffs! I look ready for treacherous, snowy terrain…

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… jk. Don’t the little cuffs add something to the boots, though? Totally changes the entire look!

Overall, this is a very fun look, in my opinion. I think it’d look cute too with an entirely pink outfit! Like a snow-Barbie look.

periwinkle-shirt

January is a relaxing, calm month in my opinion because it’s post-holidays, and it’s nestled in a window of time where winter carries on, but there’s that anticipation for spring in the back of my mind in the months to come…

I really tend to romanticize the seasons, don’t I?

I’m feeling really positive and happy, as it’s the beginning of a new year and I’m just doing my thing, sketching out ideas for new projects, and ordering the materials I need. ❤ Suuuuuuper excited for that!

I’ll leave you with my latest digital art. I titled it Winter Wonderland and I aimed for it to inspire feelings of joy and wholesome fun.

snow-girl

See you next time! ❤

The Return of the Cheetah Jumper

Published on December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 by hellosamanthadear7 Comments

Hi there, friends from near and afar!

This outfit is from Sunday, and I was super happy to be wearing my cheetah-print jumper again!!! I haven’t worn it since summer, but I managed to turn it into a winter ensemble with the right additional pieces.

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This gold, shimmery scarf was the perfect addition to the ensemble! I’m thankful I’ve held onto this scarf for so long; I’ve had it since high school, I think.

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Momentarily distracted…

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Okay, you have my attention again!

I think the black tights really looked nice with the jumper. It’s winter and I’m trying to be creative with accessorizing…

Shortest legs, ever. I know, I know…sandals aren’t exactly right for this time of year…

I’ve learned that I really love hot pink and cheetah-print! It’s super cute and not really a combination I’d think to put together, but I love it. ❤

I just HAD to showcase my beautiful iced mocha I got at Yellow Mug coffee on Sunday!!! Isn’t it just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? ❤ I’m typically a no-whip mocha kinda gal. I was feeling particularly daring on Sunday and ordered whip, and the sweet baristas put this yummy chocolate wafer in the whipped cream. 🙂 It’s the simple pleasures in life!

Exciting jewelry news!

I’m super happy to share that I’ve fulfilled my long-time dream of merging my jewelry with my art!!!

This is my first ring from my upcoming line of rings that will feature my artwork. I’m super excited about it, and you can find it in my Etsy shop here. I really love how it turned out and I can’t wait to create more. I’ve been wearing the ring practically every day, haha!

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I received these beautiful lace blouses I ordered a month ago (the seller included the beige one in my order – for FREE!) and I can’t wait to wear them; however, they’re a bit sheer and will be better for spring. Although, knowing me, I’ll probably end up wearing them now anyway! Aren’t they a dream?!

As I’m writing this, there is a homeless man outside the window at Starbucks about a foot away and he is literally blowing kisses at me and dancing. He knocked on the window first to get my attention and then began performing. Not making this up, folks…

The song It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is playing here in Starbucks in all its Christmas glory and it oddly enough goes with his dance moves… hey, this is actually pretty interesting!

On that note, I’ll end it here. Til next time! ❤

Snow White

Published on December 17, 2017December 17, 2017 by hellosamanthadear7 Comments

Hello hellooooooooo. ❤

It’s been such a nice weekend, and I hope everyone has enjoyed their own! I finished up my Christmas shopping and went to a sugar cookie/gingerbread house decorating party a friend of mine had going on Saturday night. Silly me, I didn’t even stop to think to take pictures of how my sugar cookies came out!! I was too involved in it and having fun with everyone that I didn’t bother with my phone.

Before all of that though, I took some outfit photos. Can I say that I’m in love with this sweater?

The camera doesn’t capture it well, but it’s fuzzy. And the princess shoulders are my favorite thing about this sweater!! I used to have a black shirt with princess shoulders, and I wore it so much that it developed holes in it. I’ve never found one like it until this. 🙂

I’m so glad I made this white flower headband, because I just knew it’d go with so many outfits!! To me, white is totally a winter color! Makes me think of snow.

The tree in my backyard is officially pretty much bare now…so long, leaves!!! I will not miss the sap you produced and got all over my car. Bye Fe-leaf-cia…

Time for some inspiration…

Gosh! It really does feel like Christmas now, after going to that fun sugar cookie/gingerbread house decorating party. I like stuff like that; it gets you in the mood for the season.

Also, the hostess of the party last night was saying how positive and fun it was just to sit around and decorate cookies, and that Christmas time can bring out the fun stuff we did as kids. I started thinking and realized that it’s really important not to let go of your inner child. As adults, problems and such can easily take over our thoughts and our lives. As children, we were more in the moment, and it probably didn’t take much for us to be happy.

That’s something I definitely don’t want to ever lose. ❤ I think it’s good for us as adults to take the time to do things that bring simple joy and cater to our inner child. Going for a walk, admiring nature, drawing, decorating cookies, etc… whatever you think of that brought you joy as a child, I highly recommend doing so!

…And time for some art…

drawing

A few weeks ago, I drew this lovely Christmas lady, and I ended up using it as my own Christmas postcard. I drew the holly first, which I originally made for the Christmas luncheon flyer at my work, and ended up using the same holly for my own digital illustration and I love how it turned out!!

emirati-drawing

This illustration I finished last night, and I’ve been working on it for awhile! As someone who is fascinated by different cultures, I find myself randomly researching traditional dress of faraway lands.

A few years ago, I spent time with a friend of mine who was from Kuwait, and she had some paintings she made of women wearing a gold mask (I didn’t know what they were called at the time). Fast forward to now, and I’ve learned that they’re a style of burqa that originates and is worn by some in the United Arab Emirates. I drew this after doing a lot of research on it and it’s my first try at creating cultural artwork. ❤ Something different!

This is turning into the longest blog post ever, so I’m going to stop here! Haha. I hope you enjoyed reading and have a great start to your week!

See ya! ❤

Blue Jeans

Published on October 18, 2017 by hellosamanthadear2 Comments

Hello, hello! ❤

Since I’m not typically one to wear denim very often, I wanted to show a few shots of my outfit from Sunday. It was a really nice day and I was able to debut my bright blue flower headband, which I really love. I think it’s the brightest blue I’ve ever seen.

blue-jeans

The denim and white skirt kinda has that country look going on. I like it!

latte-art

I had to post this beautiful latte art!! On Saturday night, I went to a cute coffee shop that does the really pretty latte art in their hot drinks. I’m a sucker for art in general, but latte art is just so cute in my opinion. It’s the simple pleasures in life!

I received this customized Evil Eye bracelet from Etsy that I bought, and I love it sooo much! I was able to choose the thread and bead color, and I had to have the size adjusted for me since I have super tiny wrists. It fits perfectly and I can wear it every day with anything since I chose a neutral tone! It looks so elegant and pretty. ❤

corpse-bride

On a final note, I’ve been in the Halloween mood and I was inspired to create a new illustration. I came up with a corpse bride; isn’t she beautiful, in her own creepy way? I really got into the shading details of the dress…I think that was one of my favorite parts about drawing it. I love how melancholy and somewhat reluctant she looks.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week! It’s supposed to (hopefully?) rain by the end of this week, and I can’t wait to finally bring out my pink umbrella. It’s been months and months since it’s rained here, so I get a bit overjoyed when there’s rain in the forecast, haha.

Tag: digital art