Say It with a Sequined Heart

I lettered and illustrated this valentine for a special ban.do project. You can buy a pretty sparkly ban.do for all your valentines and ban.do will send it with this card! How freaking cute is that?

Sunday Style Section: The Winged Eye

Practice makes perfect. My favorite liquid liner is this one, and my favorite everyday pencil is this one. What are yours?

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So This Happened

Yesterday, we got engaged.

6 Years

Today marks a happy six years with my best friend & partner-in-crime, Ryan. Since six is literally a perfect number, I just know this is going to be a great one for us. Here's to six more lifetimes. I couldn't do anything without you.

The Saguaro

We are heading out to the Saguaro Palm Springs in a couple weekends to celebrate our anniverary. So excited. Look at all that beautiful COLOR! Sometimes desert air and happy color is all a person needs.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Since I had a crap start to 2012, I'm gonna consider this the official new start of the new year. Join me in ringing in the year of the dragon!

5 Chinese New Year Traditions for luck

1. Wear new clothes. It's especially good to wear red, to color of luck.
2. Sleep with your red envelopes under your pillow on New Year's Eve.
3. Have a fish at dinner, but don't eat all of the fish.
4. Buy fresh flowers for your home.
5. Don't take a shower or bath on New Year's Day, it'll wash away your new fortune.

More superstitions here. Also, check out your Chinese astrology forecast for the year here!

From My Library: The Elements of Style

This week's featured book is The Elements of Style Illustrated. Two awesome notes about this book: 1) Maira Kalman illustrated this gorgeous edition of the classic writing manual. 2) I got it for free through Paperback Swap.


This book is charming as hell. I mean, as soon as you open the book, the end pages say hello.


Just there. Unassuming, all lower case, no punctuation, scripty "hello".


As a huge fan of both E.B. White and Maira Kalman, I can tell you this book is a dream. A visual feast.


I'm so happy it exists.


Have you ever heard of Paperback Swap? A friend introduced it to me several years ago, it's a site where you can upload books you don't want and send 'em to people who do want it - and every book you send gets you a credit. Each credit lets you order one book that other people have put up for adoption. It's totally free, you just pay the shipping (media mail!) when you send a book, but you don't when you receive it. So it's kinda like karma. Sending you presents in the mail. Nice.

SUNDAY STYLE SECTION: MODERN SHOW GIRL

Love love love these shots of Zooey Deschanel from this February issue of Allure. The styling and clothes are right up my alley - a glam modern vintage. Though that phrase feels insanely overused (and often, wrongly used) nowadays, visuals always hammer it right on the head.

More behind the cover shoot shots here.

I Won't Worry My Life Away

Going through some really tough family medical stuff right now, and that's all I really want to write about it for now. I'm trying to manage day by day, remembering these true words and through the incredible community the internet creates. No support group like it, and not that you'd ever want a reason to seek out a support group, but knowing other people are going through/have gone through the same thing is insanely comforting.

Flowers in Her Hair

Getting more experimental with photoshop painting. This daily piece was inspired by this awesome photo.

From My Library: Pretty Things

I'm starting a new column. It's called "From My Library" and it'll be a look into the books I have in my library. Pretty simple, right?

I have a fair-sized collection of really inspiring books - major influences on me and my work - and maybe you'll like some of it too.


We'll start here. This book is called Pretty Things and it's by Liz Goldwyn (yes, related to those Goldwyns). It's a companion book for her HBO documentary, which I haven't seen but it doesn't really matter.


Because there are amazing vintage photographs and interviews with the "last American Generation of Burlesque Queens".


Oh and the costumes. The collection of costumes photographed is exquisite.


It's no secret I'm a big fan of burlesque and showgirls, especially from another era, and I had gotten this book for research when I was developing my Miss Behavin' home goods collection based on a tongue-in-cheek fictional burlesque troupe. This book did not disappoint.


In action!


And great vintage paper relics, show notes, etc. that are such a fascinating peek into how people used to live, what their lives were like. Love love love.

Sunday Style Section: Winter Lights

Took down the Christmas tree this week, but left up the white lights. Still two more months of winter that need some extra sparkle.

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Shop Grand Opening!

It's finally here! I've opened up the much requested shop, where you can buy original pieces, prints, and zines! Tell your kids, tell your wife - click on over and find artwork you can call your own.

I'm still working out kinks and learning so much about opening up a shop. Let me know if there are illustrations you'd like to see as prints, or if there are original pieces you'd like that aren't listed, or if there are other sizes you'd like to buy. Just send me an email - annlashen {at} gmail.com - and we can work something out. Easy peasy.

So excited! Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Let's Make Magic Together!

So the first week of the year was off to a rocky start for me with a terrible stomach flu that knocked me out. But this week I'm back on my feet and ready to make things happen. Business cards have been reordered (see above). I'm 11 days strong on my daily drawing project (woohoo!). And I'm hard at work on finally opening my shop this week!

Also, now that I'm finally squared away with school, I have time to take on more projects. So please send any illustration/graphic design/custom artwork needs my way - annlashen {at} gmail.com. I'd love to make magic with you and the awesome people you know.

Boarding Pass

Anne of PRÊT À VOYAGER did a travel-themed interview with me here. See lots of photographs and sketches from my travels, find out what's in my designer travel kit, and where I'd recommend a friend to visit. It was super fun, thanks for having me, Anne!

Sunday Style Section: The Presleys

Today is Elvis Presley's birthday. So in addition to him being my illustration of the day over at Ann Draws Daily (lettering based on one of my favorite typefaces - Rolo Contreras), he is also helping usher back Sunday Style Section.


His and Priscilla's wedding is the epitome of sixties glam. Look at her hair, that miniature crown, those brows, and those LASHES! I love everything about her look here, right down to her groom.

Be a Citizen of the World

My last final project for school was to design & illustrate a campaign for a retail space. I picked J.Crew and crafted the theme Be a Citizen of the World - about a gal who travels the world and makes her home wherever her suitcase rests for the night.



One of my favorite illustrations:





Illustrated corners of the world:





Folk art souvenirs:

Ann Draws Daily

I'm still pretty sick with a bad bout of food poisoning, which has put a wrench in getting the ball rolling on all the projects I wanted to start in the new year.

Today, feeling about 60% better, I'm sharing a new venture - my daily illustration project! I'll be updating it every day with a new illustration, which is a way for me to expand my portfolio with all the things I wanted to work on but didn't get a chance to in school - food, fashion, pattern and lettering. I will cross-post some of the illustrations on this blog, but you can find the project and follow it on tumblr here: Ann Draws Daily.

Happy New Year