Black hair corner: What I use for my Box Braids

I've been meaning to do this post for a long time so here it is! This is going to be a whole post on what's on my head! 

In the previous black hair corner post I talked briefly about them and what I did. Plaiting box braids for me was £40 and took 6 hours. I honestly think that she didn't charge enough for the work she did but hey, discount for me right? 

Firstly I'd like to show you guys what I used. The hair I used was called expressions and it's cheap but of good quality. Priced at £1.99 you can't miss it in black hair shops. I used colour 4 (Black) and 99J (A reddish brown). It is one of the best packs for braiding and twisting it's also very good because you can curl it. 

For those of you who don't know... The name box braids is there because they part the hair in a box and plait it :). 

After plaiting all the way down (5 hours) my hairdresser boiled hot water and soaked the ends of my braids to secure them. 

I'm a massive fan of olive oil products and after using them for years I can say that they're a safe brand to look into and their products really do help you. Everyday after styling my braids I use olive oil sheen spray which gives it that desired shine after you've been fiddling around with it: 

I also do my edges (Baby hairs). You'll find these on the edges of your head. These hairs are too small to be braided so they are left however after a while they get picky and messy so I use styling gel and a tooth brush just to mould it down. I might do a tutorial on that actually. 

If you have Afro Caribbean hair and need any help call me! I'm not an expert but I can give you a few good tips. 

Lauren x

My apologies

Hi guys, I know I've said it many times but I'm trying to get into the habit of posting everyday again however my end of year exams are coming so I'll try my hardest but I can't promise that I'll be posting everyday. 

Anyway first up is a vacancy *oooooh* I'm looking for a hair and makeup blogger, who's skilled, knows what they're talking about and can do regular tutorials and posts. If you do choose to do this you will become a full time blogger to Laurey's illustrations and also take part of the complete changing of the blog including the name, look and everything else. This post is open until I find who I'm looking for. 

Laurey xo

New illustrations + Fsketcher's Aliya Uten is back!

Hey guys I've been working on some new illustrations today because if Fsketcher! Many of you know but if you don't know - I learn from a YouTube channel called Fsketcher. A woman called Aliya Uten runs this channel and she's amazing. She recently took like a 6 month break on Fsketcher where about nobody heard from her and most of us assumed that Fsketcher wasn't coming back. Well shame on us because it is back and it's back bigger and better than ever! Take a look at some of my designs ADAPTED from one of her tutorials. 

The first one was titled Fashion of the future - Metal. Not having the right equipment and only having a few markers meant I had to make do so the reflection of light isn't very good because all I had to show it was a white pencil. I'm running low on equipment and yet to buy new stuff. 

Lauren xx 

Ideal products for a fashion illustrator to own/want.

Hi guys, my house is being redecorated so everything is everywhere at the moment and blogging has been very hard. The iPhone app for blogger is really rubbish and basic so I don't use it because it doesn't meet my needs. I just found my tablet which is okay for blogging but I have no idea where my laptop is at the moment. 

Today's post will be me telling you about something's that most fashion illustrators want/have/need for their illustrations. These are in no particular order. 

1. Alcohol based markers. 

I own some Letraset promarkers. You can also use Copic markers and spectrum noir and the other Letraset range. These are a really easy, quick new way to lay down colour, create effect and depth. 

2. Some quality pencils. (Polychromo's). 

Every artist needs some kind of quality pencils. In my opinion the best type are Polychromo's. However I don't own a pack of Polychromo's because I only started building my art supply stock last year. Some good brands are; Faber Castell, Derwent and Prismacolour. Right now I own the Faber Castell Classic Colour 24 set and the Derwent Studio 12 set and a whole lot of random pencils. You need these for basic purposes like adding details and it's also good to use it as a second media to try out when your bored of using whatever you use. 

3. Some quality paper. 

Any paper apart from printer paper. The truth is if you want quality your going to have to spend money but it's worth it because your art looks more professional. If you use paint or alcohol based markers printer paper is definitely out its a serious NO NO. It will soak through and look disgusting. 

4. A light box. 

Not everybody needs this but most people do. It's used for transferring drawings and tracing. I don't have one because I'm still saving for one. For the mean time I have an iPhone and they come with a flashlight and I put that underneath the paper and it's just like a light box just not big enough however it'll do for now. 

Fashion illustration software.

Does anyone know of some free drawing software? 

Lauren

Black Hair: Update.

Hello readers of my Black hair corner! After a short break I am back. This post is just to update you on what's going on with this page and my hair. 

From the middle of February up until about three days ago I had my natural hair out, which can be a big pain when you don't look after it. Just to make it easier to Handle I relaxed it. The relaxer I use is Olive oil girls and because of how much hair I have, I actually use two boxes. After that I blow dried it and left it out for a while. It looked like this: 

After long hard searches of finding an affordable hairdresser I finally got one and finally got box braids which I'll show you below. I used the popular expressions pack of hair, I used colour 4 (Black) and 99J (A reddish black). I mixed these two colour together and to complete my head it took 4 packets. It was very time consuming... Took 6 hours in total! But it was all worth it in the end because they're so lovely! They are up to my backside and I got them medium sized meaning that they are incredibly heavy and sometimes weigh your head down. They are a nightmare to shower with however this is the third day of having them so I'm sure I'll find a way. 

So guys! That's the update. A post will follow shortly after this is uploaded and it's going to be on how to look after your hair when it's in Braids, especially box braids which can break your hair if not careful. I hope to see you all in my next post. 

Lauren x

New illustration: Scene

Hi everyone, so as part of my entry for the Zyra Banez competition 2014 I've been drawing like crazy and trying to find the right one! This is one of these drawings. I still haven't decided on my entry but we have until June and there is no need to rush. 

So initially I started out with plans to make an emo outfit but then I realised the promarker tones I had didn't suit that range so I change it to 'scene' (the happy and brighter version of emo). 

As usual, my drawing process: I drew a plan first of what I wanted to do and I decided on a short fur jacket and a Leopard print corset. (I'm sure most of you know I'm almost famous for my corsets :P. 

Name of Garment: Scene Leopard Print Corset. 

Model used: White model
Time taken to complete: 1hour
Media used: Promarkers, Faber Castell Classic Colour 24, Derwent studio 12, Watercolour and Fineliner 0.1.

Hope you enjoyed this post x

Lauren. 

 

Recent Purchase: Derwent Studio Pencils.

Hi guys. So recently I bought some new pencils from a less known brand however still very good quality (Derwent). 

I didn't want to buy a whole 24/36 set just in case I didn't like them so I bought the 12 set and now I love them and wish I bought the 36 set! Anyway, these are used pencils and I bought them from eBay but although they are used they are in very good condition. 

They colour very smoothly and nicely. They are waterproof. You can use them with any fineliner and it'll be okay. 

Laurey xo