Lately, I’ve had too many irons in the fire. In addition to moving into Madalynne Studios, I’m also moving to a new place. My life is in boxes. I can’t find anything. Little things nettle my nerves. If I have to go through the headache of packing, why not wear heels? That’s the motto I’ve taken. Life at 1-2 inches above ground has silenced my stress. You should try it.
There is a bright side to moving, and that going through my old journals and sketchbooks. Since high school, I always had one in tow, stored either in my backpack or my purse. I write and draw anything and everything in them. There are pages full of words I like and their definitions, torn out and pasted articles from newspapers and magazines, sewing and patternmaking notes, random thoughts, and technical and fashion drawings. Before I attended Savannah College of Art and Design, my drawing abilities were anything but skilled. A fashion figure is nine heads high. I seemed to think it was a stout 4 heads tall. I must have been into midgets then. Who knows? Regardless, I wish that in the beginning, I had known about Fashionary.
The name Fashionary is a hybrid of the word fashion, dictionary and diary, and their sketchbook is useful tool for brainstorming, fast sketching and quick referencing. Available for both men and women and in A4 and A5 sizes, the first portion of the book provides fashion information such as spec sheets, measurement tools, laundry labels, seams and stitches, and the remaining pages contain figure templates. The templates are barely visible, so you can use the pages as a normal sketchbook if you prefer. Also, the paper is 100 gsm, so the text and drawing won’t go through to the other side. That’s a deal breaker when I buy a notebook.
Their sketchbooks aren’t the only products they sell. The company also offers tape measures that are marked with advanced body measurements, which are based on slim to medium to slim sized figures (EU 38, UK 10, US 6). The purpose? When you don’t have a mannequin, you can easily refer to the body measurements (neck size, shoulder width, waist circumference) on the tape. Another neat product are fold out panels developed for figure and flat sketching in bulk. Folded into 9 accordion pages, the panels can fit into your pocket, but become the largest sketchbook when opened. Talk about effective workflow, people.
Fashionary is offering one Madalynne reader a sketchbook and tape measure. To enter, like Madalynne on Facebook and follow Madalynne on Bloglovin. Then, in the comments below, specify your method of entry and your contact information. If you’re already a follower on either platforms, don’t worry, just tell me so. Contest opens immediately and will close June 2nd, when a winner will be chosen, notified and featured on this blog. Last, contest is open internationally. Good luck!