Quick Update

Hey ya'll, I know I said I would announce the giveaway winner this weekend, however... between spending 4 hours at the printers for a group project, screenprinting 50 cover copies of our class book, a second unexpected letterpress run, and generally running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I was not able to.

So the giveaway winner will be announced tomorrow evening (Monday)!


In the meantime, enjoy this fun shot of my polymer plates, all inked up and ready to print on the letterpress!

Nerdy Girls

A little preview of my final sketches from "GeekChic": my Louis Vuitton and Nerds mash-up. These will be scanned in and put into fun little layouts, which include nerdy accessories like fountain pens, cups of coffee, and bowties. I'm a huge nerd at heart, so this is a really fun project!

Also, today (Friday) is the last day to enter the giveaway! 

It ends at 11:59pm EST, so read all of the details about how to enter HERE, and get some more comments on that post!

Seize the Day

What a lovely surprise today... in Fashion class, my professor announced that he and the Head of the Fashion Dept. had decided to put my Sporting Couture up on display! I was so honoured :)

The more I am in school, the more I am reminded that every day is an opportunity to make a positive difference. I know that sounds corny and cliche, but it's true. Tomorrow is never promised to any of us, and though we all certainly have times (like this afternoon for me) when all we want to do is crawl into bed and sleep, I think it's really important to seize the day. When I lack for motivation, this quote always reaffirms who I want and work to be:

"From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue."

Just some thoughts for the day. I hope everyone is enjoying their week!

Finals Week

Yes, finals week: my brain goes womp wommmmpppp.

Just wanted to give a little update on how things are going, since these last two weeks are finals for me, and I'll be pretty busy. And what better way than to Instagram?!

To start, I had an interview this past Friday
for a Fashion Illustrator Position here in Atlanta -- it went extremely well, and I will be going back for a second interview! Hooray!

Here's What I Wore:

- Black [Absolute Favourite] Skirt -- Target.

- Pale Rose Sequined-All-Over Amazing Shirt -- $4, Thrifted. Yep.

- Classic Black Pumps -- Unknown, but probably Target.

Now I know finals is technically only supposed to be one week, but my alter-ego Hermoine Granger says screw that and works ahead.

So finals week is two weeks for me! I am currently trying to bust out some of my Nerdy Fashion Girls: a cross between the luxury and swag of Louis Vuitton and the adorable geekiness of the intellectually badass (but tragically awkward). As you know, I create most of my work with coffee-in-hand: here are my models!



 
And last but not least,
even in the middle of the craziness, we all need to take a second to stop and smell the roses and be thankful for the opportunities we are given (and make happen!).

Thanks so much for reading!

It's starting to get even warmer down here in Atlanta (which means thunderstorms, yay!), and I hope everyone is able to go out and enjoy the weather :)

And did you get a chance to enter the giveaway?!

GIVEAWAY: Fuschia Rose Necklace

We did it, lovely birds ~ 300 followers! You guys are so rad :) Thanks so much for the support!

So without further ado, as my way of saying thank you... 

TO ENTER: 

Please leave a comment that you are an existing follower, or new follower!

You MUST be a follower to win!

(include your email so I can notify you if you won)

BONUS ENTRIES:

Please leave a separate comment for each with your email: 

1. Like The Little Bird on Facebook

2. Heart The Little Bird on Etsy

3. Follow me on Pinterest

4. Blog about the giveaway (please include a link to your post so I can share the love!)

5. Post about the giveaway on Facebook (please link me to the post)

Giveaway runs from Wednesday, May 16th - Friday, May 25th

I will announce the winner on Saturday, May 26th. 

Winner will be chosen by Randomizer.org

Show Me the Goods!

Louis Vuitton Fashion Nerds

Just a sneak peek of new Fashion Class stuff... nerds!

If you'd like, follow me on Instagram :) Username is MiriLittleBird.

This week is gonna be super busy and productive -- 

happy Tuesday, lovely birds!

Vogue Fashion Spreads

For Fashion class, we had the most super awesome project: mock Vogue spreads. Our challenge: 10 design houses, 10 sports. We were challenged to research the design house, and design a garment that reflected not only the designer's style, but also functioned as a sporting outfit. For mine, I decided that actual functionality was not a priority, and went for a more surreal, conceptual approach.

I picked a few of my favourites to share with you :) I LOVED this project!

1. Schiaparelli Swimming outfit inspired by jellyfish
2. Watanabe Archery Outfit inspired by Saint Sebastian
3. Vionnet Horseriding Habit inspired by vintage carousel horses
4.  Cardin Scuba Diving outfit inspired by mod 60's colour blocks
5. Yves Saint Laurent Soccer Uniform inspired by the French emblem

So without further ado... "Sporting Couture".

{ I worked very hard on these - if you repin or repost, please link back/give proper credit! Art (c) Erin McManness 2012 }

It's a Secret

Rain Storm Artist's Book

Starting in on a new Artist's Book for the second half of the quarter in Printmaking :)
This one is based solely on the need to create something simple and beautiful.
And rainy weather is my favourite type of weather.

This is just my mock-up for now. I used watercolour on vellum.
Seriously I am having a love affair with vellum.

The best part was hand-cutting the clouds ;)

And how fitting - we're getting thunderstorms in Atlanta right now!

{ design, art, photo (c) erin mcmanness 2012 - if you repin or repost, please link back! }

Florence + the Machine

Another digital portrait in my portfolio series. 
I chose Florence because she has been the musical inspiration behind many of my paintings, and is usually my go-to for jam sessions with my sketchbook!

1. To make these portraits, I create the sketches (based on a variety of photos) traditionally, in my sketchbook.

2. I scan them in and arrange them together.

3. From there, I digitally line some of the sketches in Photoshop, and lay in custom textures, 

tutorial for which can be found here.

4. Splash on a little colour and BAM!

The rest is magic... or more realistically, coffee ;)

{ image (c) erin mcmanness 2012 - if you repin/repost, please credit / link back }