Another shout-out to one of my favorite bloggers.

I’ve been following Gabi of GabiFresh.com for what seems like forever. She’s now one of the preeminent plus fashion bloggers on the scene and has been doing big things — designing swimwear, contributing to InStyle, collaborating with major plus brands, and overall just being fabulous.

One of the great things about Gabi’s style is how she rocks a bare midriff, and this outfit is one of my personal faves. This is illustration is based on a photo she posted during New York Fashion Week — you can see the original here. One day I’ll be brave enough to bare my midriff too… one day. Until then, I’ll just keep admiring Gabi’s daring and stylish looks.

(This week I’m sketching my favorite bloggers because WHY NOT?! :))

I’m so lucky to be able to call Patrice Grell Yursik, also known as Afrobella, not only one of my favorite bloggers, but also a supportive and encouraging friend. I love her work because she stands for something I deeply believe in — encouraging women and girls to find and celebrate their own unique beauty.

Afrobella’s been in this blogging game for a long time, and it’s been amazing to watch where she’s been able to go and the things she’s been able to do — from creating a lipglass with M.A.C. to covering the Academy Awards to giving a talk at TEDxPortofSpain. And all from having a unique platform as beauty blogger for women of color. Her TED talk on being courageous and embracing your own beauty is soooo worth the watch.

This sketch is from a runway look she rocked while hosting the BlogHer 2013 fashion show in Chicago this past August. The dress is by Monif C and I’m super in love with the directional stripe design. Head over to Afrobella’s blog to see photos of her in the dress and her recap of the conference.

Interested in your own custom illustration? Email me at [email protected].

A few weeks back I hopped on a BoltBus to New York so I could take part in a live illustration event with Would You Rock This?, a fashion illustration community headed by the super cool Brandon Graham.

The event was held at The Fashion Center in conjunction with Thistle & Clover boutique. About a dozen or so of us illustrators gathered to sketch a model in outfits styled by the boutique. Afterward, we submitted our work for consideration to be displayed in Thistle & Clover’s store window.

If you’ve never done live-model fashion sketching, let me tell you: it is EXHAUSTING. We did about eight or nine different poses over the course of two hours. I met up with friends afterward at Coffee Shop and couldn’t wait to sit down to exhale.

My pieces weren’t chosen for exhibition (sadface!) but it was cool to get up to New York and meet other people who were just as passionate and excited about fashion illustration. Plus, the WYRT crew is super cool. I SO need to make live drawing a regular part of my schedule. Exhausting as it is, it’s also invigorating and very fun.

This past weekend I attended the launch party for Your Chic Is Showing, an amazing new styling and event planning company founded by my friend Erika McDaniel.

The dress code for the event was “Black, White and Red” — so I rocked my favorite black-and-white stripe paneled sheath dress, accented with a little red faux leather wristlet. I threw on my favorite denim jacket and Steve Madden booties to keep it casual chic… oh, and black tights to keep my legs warm!

The event was a ton of fun. Delicious catering, yummy treats, and my first red carpet interview. (I used to work as a journalist, so it’s an adjustment being on the other side of the interview.) We were even treated to a mini-fashion show where Erika showed off her styling prowess.

I’m excited to see what YCS will do next — I’ve watched Erika work feverishly behind the curtain in Philly’s fashion scene for the past few years, and it’s great to see her own company come to fruition. Now, off to figure out what I’m wearing to next YCS event….