An Illustrated Fashion Blog by Angie Réhe

It’s a good week when you manage to balance an excessive amount of work with a Rolling Stones concert and a new pair of shoes.  Even better when they’re one of the beauticious Preston Zly works of art.  I’m building quite a collection of those sexy red boxes…

Make no mistake, my slackness in blogging does not match my slackness in working.  I’ve been busy, very busy! Par example:  For the launch of The Spring Racing Carnival collection I was the artist-in-temporary-residence for Mimco in their fabulous Chapel St store – yes perched in the window sketching quick on-the-spot portraits of the lovely guests.  No pressure!

When Lindy Klim sits down in front of you, you know that warm-up time is over and it’s time to get the paintbrush moving…fast.

The lovely Lindy Klim, and my demonstration of a perfectly straight back.

One of the things I love about myself (note sarcasm) is that I do the work/make the goods, but just don’t show anyone.  Imagine my dismay when I realised I forgot to post this sketch from a couple of weeks ago when Matthew Williamson paraded this delicious collection at London Fashion Week.  Mantra of this lifetime: Better late than never!

In an ideal world I would be sketching away, kaftan-clad and sipping on a G&T as the fashion week presentations rolled by.  Sadly I scan them in the wee hours of the night and barely have time to commit any of my favourites to paper.  Last week’s New York Fashion Week left me wholly underwhelmed so thank god for these fab stripes at DKNY and Victoria Beckham.  And that is all – hooray for London!

And rock ‘n’ roll, and Joan Jett for that matter.  Friday night saw the launch of the first ever Girls On Film Festival and what better kick off than The Runaways?  If I could steal just one film wardrobe I would steal this one – I want the leather, the Gary Glitter-style platform boots, and more than anything the red jumpsuit.  Sigh.  Was still thinking about it over the weekend and just had to draw the beautiful Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart, who were both so fabulous as Cherie Currie and Joan Jett.

Last week’s demo with the delightful and talented Advanced Fashion Illustration class involved the art of the disappearing illustration.  Rendering it just so it had a presence, then fading it away without anyone noticing. Just as I like to do at parties…

Ink, soft pastels, pencils

I could never be accused of not letting the world know about my love of cats, and when the deadline to get my art in for the Wear Art Thou t-shirt exhibition was not only looming but zooming by me, I again called on my feline friends..

If you’re in Melbourne and happen to be around the city tomorrow night 5th September, drop by No Vacancy Gallery, have a wine with me and say hi. Illustrators Australia have collaborated with Red Bubble to put a bunch of our artworks on t-shirts and display them – for sale – in this lovely gallery space.

Fur & shine – my favourite combo

Apart from blubbering over the true death of True Blood – Was I crying because it never did redeem itself and get good again? Or because it was possibly the worst-written last-episode of anything? Or simply because goodbyes have never been my strong point and after four back-to-back episodes I had made my way through most of a bottle of red wine? True mystery.  Where was I? Oh yes, apart from that I was drawing up a storm with my students, as usual.  The sessions are always fun, always challenging, and just sometimes require me raiding my kitchen and laundry supplies… These are some of my demo drawings.

A little this n that from the kitchen and laundry

Mmm, wolves…my choice animal from the animals in fashion illustration session

It was comforting to spend last Sunday afternoon in the presence of a nurse, seeing how I’d given my liver a good flogging for the previous 48hrs.  A nurse at a Dr Sketchys drawing session however is likely to lead you into more trouble, not less.  At least the lighting was low and hair of the dog was plentiful…