5 Days of Lupita: Gucci for the SAG Awards

Lupita in Gucci by Veronica Marche

If you’ve been following my Facebook page, you’ll know that I’ve been dabbling in watercolors as of late. It’s a medium I’ve rarely worked in, so what better time than now to start sharpening my skills?

You’ll also know that I’m totally smitten with actress Lupita Nyong’o, who is, by all accounts, the human embodiment of total flawlessness. (The skin! The hair! The wardrobe! Oh my!) So for the rest of this week, as we get ready for the Oscars, I’m paying to tribute to the lovely Lupita with daily watercolor sketches of her best red carpet looks.

Today’s sketch is based on her look from this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she won Best Supporting Actress and completely SLAYED in this turquoise gown by Gucci. She was even daring enough to match her eyeshadow to her dress — an old-school beauty faux pas — with stunning results.

What do you think of this look? What’s your favorite Lupita look of this awards season?

How I Ended Up on Television

I kept a secret for a couple of weeks.

Last month, I got an email from a producer from the local ABC station here in Philadelphia. The station caught wind of my holiday cards being sold by Marmaxx, and wanted to interview me about my illustration business.

WHUUUUT?

This was surreal. I worked in media production for a long time, but never was I the subject of a television interview. But I guess that’s the beauty of letting people know about your passion and your product — someone’s going to notice! And now, a trio of someones was scheduled to visit my place and interview me about my work.

I had to get my studio ready for visitors — and cameras, and lights, and microphones too. Before I knew it, veteran broadcaster Lisa Thomas-Laury arrived at my house — MY house! — with a producer and cameraman in tow. Set-up took awhile, as is the nature of broadcasting, but it wasn’t long before Ms. Thomas-Laury was asking me about my process and my dreams of being an illustrator when I was a little girl. Oh, and the camera man convinced me to pull out a few, slightly-embarrassing childhood photos, (so just pretend you don’t see them in the video below.) I had a hard time keeping my face straight through the whole thing, and my guy, a Philly native, was a bit star-struck by the veteran anchorwoman sitting in our house. :-)

Before I knew it, it was over, and the crew from 6ABC was packing up and heading out. But it was such a great and fun experience. And a few weeks later, I got the email letting me know that my segment was airing as part of the station’s “Visions” special on local entrepreneurs.

Seeing myself and my work on TV is… well, surreal! When you’re simply doing work in your office (or in my case, my studio), you never quite imagine that someone is going to come interview you about it. At least I didn’t. But I’m super excited that it happened.

Check out the segment below and let me know what you think!

Fabulous Brown Girl Valentine’s Day Cards!

Valentine Kisses by Veronica Marche

Love is in the air, can’t you feel it?

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I’m happy to tell you that my new Fabulous Brown Girls Valentine’s Day cards are here!

Ladies in Red by Veronica Marche

I wanted to celebrate all the different Valentine’s a Fabulous Brown Girl has in her life… from her sweetheart, to her very best girlfriends, to that special someone who touches her — ahem — heart… in just the right way.

Valentine's Night by Veronica Marche

Oh yes. That was totally a double entendre. :o)

There are three cards available this year and they’re available over at my Redbubble shop. So click on over there and pick your favorites.

***Just an FYI, the cards take about a week to ship, so make sure you order them in time for  V-day.***

Like the Valentine’s Day cards? Want to see more? Let me know in the comments!

Interview with the Philly Inquirer

This is me on the front page of the Inky's Home & Design section. Whuuuut?! :)

This is me on the front page of the Inky’s Home & Design section. Whuuuut?! :)

Just a few weeks before Christmas, I sat down with Elizabeth Wellington from the Philly Inquirer. She and photographer Charles Fox stopped by my apartment to talk to me about illustration — specifically about my “Fabulous Brown Girls” holiday cards.

I have to say, as a former journalist, I’m used to being on the other side of the interview. But I had so much fun talking to Elizabeth about my cards (and nerding out about the journo biz) and posing for a few pictures with my illustrated gals.

This was easily one of the most exciting moments of the past year — being featured in major newspaper for doing the thing I love. I made sure to send several copies to my parents back in Pittsburgh.

But the best part? Elizabeth captured the whole reason I focus on women of color in my personal work:

In a world where public images of black women often teeter between miserable and maudlin, these cheerful holiday greetings seem right on time.

“If you went solely by what you see on TV and in the media, you would think that black women are devoid of joy,” Miller said. “The women I know laugh a lot. They love fashion, they work hard, and they are successful… And there is a lot of joy in our lives.”

You can check out the interview and slideshow here. And shout-out to Alex McKechnie at Drexel University for snapping a photo of the feature.

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