girlfringe diaries #7 ★ october art diary, day 7: don’t bring me to tears when I just did my makeup so nice :-)
TODAY’S MIXTAPE:
TODAY’S PROMPT: MAKEUP
MOODBOARD & MUSIC INSPIRATION
I might have said this before, but I swear this is my favorite illustration from my October Art Diary !! When I saw the prompt word, my mind went into overdrive: I had so many ideas, vibes and aesthetics swirling around, both visually and even sonically, that it was honestly overwhelming to sit down and sketch out the composition.
First of all, the song “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter was my go-to mood for this piece. The lyric, “Please, please, please don’t bring me to tears when I just did my makeup so nice,” is everything. The moment. The anthem. Iconic. Not only is it kind of relatable for me in some ways, but it also made me imagine a girl doing her makeup, not confident and carefree like I initially thought, but slightly sad, worried and overthinking. She’s deep in her thoughts, a little reflective, which completely changed the vibe of the piece for me.
On top of the musical inspiration, I went full Pinterest mode and gathered a ton of pictures to nail down the mood I had in my mind. Once I had the visual board ready, I finally started sketching the composition.
FIRST SKETCHES
The sketching process for this one flowed so naturally. At first, I started with just the basics: makeup essentials like brushes, lipstick, a mirror and some eyeliners. As I kept going tho, I realized I wanted it to be even more intricate, detailed and eclectic, so I went all in and added tons of objects: more brushes, nail polish, pearls, hair clips, plants (of course) and multiple light sources to give myself plenty to play with when I’ll have to add colors and shading.
With this piece I really felt like I was tapping into my creativity. Honestly, if I’d had more room, I probably would’ve kept adding objects… there’s something so satisfying about building up all those little details until the scene feels alive x
COLOR PALETTE
For the color palette I had a few ideas in mind, mainly circling around shades of red, oranges and pinks. Honestly, any of them would’ve worked, but I ended up going with the last one because I wanted a more toned-down look with more browns instead of pastels.
Looking back, I realize I’ve always struggled to decide between earthy tones and pastels in my work, but now I think I’m starting to figure out how to blend them together so I don’t have to pick one or the other. I’ve always had a thing for earthy tones tho, even in real life I’m more drawn to these colors when it comes to my wardrobe rather than bright pastels. So since this piece resonates with me personally, I chose a more “me” palette which I think gave the illustration a slightly fancy, mysterious vibe and added depth to the overall mood.
I keep saying though that I’ll still bring the first version to life, because that mix of purple and green looks so soo good and it fits the mood of Sabrina’s song perfectly — the 80s synths paired with that color palette? a match made in heaven. Yup, I’ll definitely bring that one to life too, soon.
GIRL MESS AESTHETIC UNLOCKED
I’m honestly so pleased with how I managed to incorporate all the elements into this illo. I think it perfectly captures that “girl mess anthem” vibe, while also giving off cozy, eye-pleasing tones. The mirrors, plants, candles, little accessories, all the tiny details plus the little bits of text on the objects that you can only spot if you zoom in and really take a close look… it all just comes together so nicely <3 I’m beyond proud of this illo, I can’t stress it enough.
FROM BASE COLORS TO TEXTURES AND (STARRY) DETAILS
I didn’t go too overboard with the textures on this illo since it already felt extra enough with all the elements and details. The approach was pretty basic, but I still put thought into achieving a polished look, so I added some subtle reflections and light on the mirror, glass and candles + I threw in that little detail with the star on the cheek just to give it an extra touch.
AND THERE SHE GOES <3
FINAL PIECE & CLOSEUPS
