Drawing and Doodling

Hey friends! For those of you that have come to my blog not by way of my instagram, I hope you know I draw! If you'd like to check out my art you can head to my Insta where I keep you updated with what I'm working on as well as my dog. I also have a Facebook page for it that I'm trying to be better about updating. And a Society6 Store that some people have bought my art on :) Check em out!

please feel free to email me about ordering prints of anything too >>> gaby_loguercio@yahoo.com

(all images are mine and copyrighted)

Valley Girl

Who else was happy that it rained in LA this weekend and drove up to the mountains to see and feel it all with their dog? Just me? Oh okay.

  

Olive was a good sport even though she got carsick and I had to pay her back for enduring the long trip with me with onion rings and belly rubs.

This week marks WEEK 3 at the new job. I love working for Urban Outfitters! Getting to float around the shop and talk to different people all the time is something that really works for me. I've gotten to greet, work up in mens for a bit and the fitting room. I've taken a likeness to the fitting room at my home store in Pasadena. I got a longer shift this week and was super pumped. The more time I spend there, getting to know the staff and the usual customers that pop in to dress up and browse the good UO finds, make me feel more comfortable at my new workplace.

After the Monday closing shift and a day of drawing, I got to accompany my dad the next day, to a straight up beautiful new venue in Hidden Valley out by Sherwood Lake. Epona Estate and it's 40 acres is nestled on the west end of LA and falls in between the border of Ventura and Los Angeles county. The venue was being shown off to designers, wedding planners and event people in SoCal. The mountains that linger above the valley and just barely poke through the clouds made me miss the big mountains in Denver and one 14ER that a friend helped me climb (It was the only 14,000 ft mountain I have and plan on climbing but you never know...).

Dress: Stone_Cold_Fox Marrakech dress

 I spent the evening sipping on various cocktails and admiring pieces from my fathers company that were perfectly placed in one section of the venue. Our glam teepee (which has been rented out so much this summer) kinda stole the show though. It didn't hurt that two super cute bartenders were mixing up yummy cocktails underneath it too.

Photo: Town & Country Event Rentals Instagram

Outside Sales & designer on the job: Adam Martin 

I spent most of Wednesday drawing and watching various Bravo Shows (Million Dollar Listing SF is super hot right now. Thanks again Andy Cohen). In between browsing for 2nd jobs I worked on illustrating one of my favorite quotes that comes to mind whenever someone second guesses my dreams.

"IF YOU BELIEVE IN IT AND IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR IT"

Here are some shots of the work in progress from my IG...

I rounded out the day not getting Taco Bell but a nice little taco place n town, watching 7 DAYS IN HELL and doodling some more during a Key & Peele marathon. 

Scenes from Tumblr this week:

ALSO, I've been thinking about it more. The BIG IT. The answer to what "I wanna be when I grow up" and I think I wanna do something with design. I think I'd be good at being a stylist :)

Good Downtime

So I had my first day of work on thursday and learned all about Urban Outfitters and how the stores operate. It was pretty cool because I was always just a customer and had never known what it was like behind the register or what it was like to operate the fitting room, which I think was my favorite shift. I was the greeter for most of my shift but that was fun too. I only worked a closing shift this week and am scheduled for another one next friday. I'm excited but I wish I had more hours. I wanna get into retail in a bigger way eventually. I think it would be exciting to be a buyer. I've always loved clothes ever since I was little and I know everyone says that if they work in fashion - but I've always been addicted to the connection I feel when I examine and touch the pieces and see how they're styled, slip them on and play around with them. I love how clothes can mimic the beauty found in nature and vice versa. I know I'm supposed to work with clothes somehow but I'm not sure where and when that relationship might start. For now, I'll work at Urban and learn what I can. I started sewing a robe and that has already given me a thicker appreciation for how cute, beautiful, and delicate clothes are created - to be loved.

Friday night was pretty fun and I bounced all over LA with friends after checking out an event for FLYNNE SKYE at SPACE 1520 with my beautiful friend. Before we checked out some music and old DVD's at AMOEBA MUSIC, I ended up buying two STONE_COLD_FOX crop tops at Urban because they were on clearance. I'm addicted to that brand but I can never afford to pay sticker price. All the pieces I've accumulated in my closet (6) have all been found on sale, 3 pieces have been found on sale at Urban Outfitters.

   The LIAM crop tops are the most recent where the HELENA printed robe was found at an impromptu trip to the store i now work at on black friday. I found it while trying something on I ended up not getting after realizing the fit was too small. When I saw the robe I grabbed it immediately. It was on MEGA SALE and I about died. (TO DATE I've saved about $1,300). I took it home and wore it all day. SCF does delicate but bad ass clothing well and the pieces are all amazing quality which is why I jump on them when I find them on sale. I've even gone to warehouse sales in DTLA that the company holds once in a blue moon.

I found this place, PREUX & PROPER, the other day when I was walking around DTLA by myself. It's only been open 6 months which is why it was kinda empty at 11pm on a friday night. The tiny two story bar sandwiched between Spring & Main street will soon be packed. We made nice with the bartender and he let us try a few chilly samples of drinks from the daiquiri machines. I ended up having 2 mango margaritas and they were AMMMMAZZZING. "Call a Cab" was pretty good because who doesn't love strawberries? We even tried "Rocket Fuel" because it had Everclear in it, which everyone should know to AVOID, but we tried it anyway. AND IT WAS SO GOOOOD. 

It was an alcoholic orange creamsicle. It was great.

the weekend was very chill and I just worked on creative projects and sewing my robe. More pictures to come once I find somewhere to wear it. It looks pretty sweet but it also feels like I'm wearing a soft silky jersey type blanket. I'm pretty stoked about it.

I also did more 2nd job searching. I want a cute apt with nice plants and a big fluffy bed and driving to fun places in LA aint cheap so I'm attempting to save and I'm motivated to work a little harder to make that dream happen. Also for those watching TRUE DETECTIVE, how are you feeling about this season? I was addicted to the last one but this one is a little harder to love and I don't know why with such a great cast. But tonights episode was JAW DROPPING CRAZINESS. HOLY SHIT. I can't wait till next sunday.

Vibes from tumblr this week: 

cool + fresh

Major Update

Hi friends. Gaby here (aka -Gabriella Audrey the artist) with a major blog update!

It's been a long time since I've blogged. I used to feverishly check out blogs before entering high school and during and always thought I would grow up to be a blogger. I tried blogging in college but my heart wasn't in it as I was "finding myself" in free drinks for girls night at bars downtown and dates I snagged through OKCupid and Tinder during college. But now I have A LOT of down time as I just graduated college and am only working part time so I decided to get back to the roots of my interests when I was young and thought I would enter the exciting job world as a cool and accomplished grown up but entered it as a 22 year old Los Angeles native with drive and creativity and almost nowhere* to put it.

*I was recently hired at Urban Outfitters and I'm suuuuuuper excited for this new adventure :)

Instead of reading a novel, here are some important accomplishments that happened during these last 4 years:

• made a bunch of friends and "networked" in college in Denver.
• learned my drinking limits
• learned that I have pretty cool closet full of thrift store finds and black friday sales
• fell in love and out of love pretty quick
• studied abroad in London for 4 months
• made friends abroad, traveled to Spain, Hungary, Germany and France
• followed The 1975 around on tour a bit and gave them my drawings of them (George Daniel posted one to his Instagram and earned me 100 followers and a few friends)
• felt immense nostalgia and longing to like in the UK again during senior year
• Netflixed. A LOT.
• learned how to live with a pathological liar and all around crazy person
• made best friends who I miss so
• ate an excessive amount of pancakes
• drank a lot of coffee
• wrote a TON of papers (AND A BOOK I HAVE YET TO PUBLISH)
• dated some cool boys and not so cool boys
• cried because I was going to miss my seeing my friends all the time and because I'd have to move back in with my parents as I saved up for a decent apartment in a nice part of LA
• graduated and moved back home

LIFE AFTER GRADUATING...
    has still been interesting but a lot more stressful. Mostly because all of my parents friends and parents constantly ask me, SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE? WHEN YOU GETTIN MARRIED? ARE YOU WORKING? ARE YOU SURE YOU WANNA WORK THERE? and so on... but I've gotten tired of deflecting these questions which is why I currently I sit here, watching E! and trying to sew a dress because I am trying to not spend so much on clothes, despite that I now have an AMAZING JOB in retail and am part of the Urban, Free People, and Anthropologie community. I am starting a blog named after the three most important things in my life besides my family, boyfriend, and dog and hope to update people about my adventures in my life after college.

What you can expect from this blog is 

• some writing on the job search (cause I'll need 2 part time jobs to save up enough to get a starter studio apartment)
• pictures of the adventures me and friends have in LA and where ever the wind takes us
• drawings CAUSE I ILLUSTRATE :)
• pictures of some pretty sweet clothes available at Urban Outfitters 
• and general "cool girl" updates about my life 

I have my first shift at Urban Outfitters tomorrow and while I will not broadcast what goes on behind the scenes and company information, I will update anyone who reads this blog with the weekly goings on in my world. Blogging is something I probably can't quit cause I like talking, so I hope you'll enjoy listening to these stories I tell.

XOXO

   Gaby

I didn't think i'd resort to blogging about this but...

  Of course i'm looking at my life in the format of a sitcom- it's perfect. Coming from California, Los Angeles no less, I thought London of all places would be a fantastic town to study abroad in. I had seen it pictured as a town filled with cute boys with accents, cute cafes, cute clothes. Everything just seemed so picture perfect - of course it wasn't what i imagined when i got here. 

  Do i deserve this crappy weather though? Probably. I should have done some more research but whenever i start to feel angry or upset, i just think "none of my friends back home are here so i should be grateful" and i am. THe other day i found myself so upset and frustrated because of how pathetic i was feeling that i wrote my parents this long email, thanking them for everything they've ever done for me. I am usually a very happy and spirited person, even though i'm seen wearing a lot of clunky black shoes and thin black lacy clothes. SO being in London, where the sun literally does not shine as much as i thought it would, i am feeling a little less happy these days.

  I never thought i would be affected by a little thing like not enough sunlight but in fact, i am HEAVILY AFFECTED. Today in class i couldn't help but doodle happy things and notes on a job interview i'm looking forward to. My mind has been focused on sunny Los Angeles (they pronounce it as Loss An-gel-eese here) and my puppy and palm trees. I don't want to go back right now though, i just want some of that nice weather, which is probably why the cost of living there is so expensive. You may pay extra for that "quality" of clothes and other name brand stuff but i think everyones really paying for that A+ weather we always have. With living in Denver for school, i now know the true meaning of what is to actually be cold and feel it in your bones. If it gets cold in LA, you basically throw on a cool sweater and leggings from Free People, grab a skinny vanilla  something or other from Starbucks to warm your hands and you're good.

  But here, it is not just the cold that is annoying, it is the dreariness. The lack of color from the sky seems to drain the rest of the colors out of everything. Sure you can see the nice pastel painted flats sometimes but when it's raining and you're trying to keep your head down because you only wore a jumper and no beanie or jacket to shield you from this "normal London weather" you're not really focused on taking in the slight tints of color around you.

I've been here three weeks and all i've really managed to do is:

• watch the season 12 of Project Runway, the entire series of Sherlock and Broad Church.

• attend two of The 1975's shows at Brixton O2 Academy (within the first week of being here) meet the band, give them my art and have it posted on their Instagram (okay this was like the high light of my time here....yeah)

• My fangirl post / The rockstar drummer's original pic of it
• make a really great friend from Germany, from that concert
• grab some drinks with cute locals and make friends in my program
• get a gym membership even though i've lost weight from all the food i haven't been eating because it's either heavy bread and pastas or has meat in it (i'm vegetarian, not vegan)
• and do a bunch of art

YET I STILL FEEL LIKE I NEED TO HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH MORE BUT IT KEEPS RAINING AND I CAN'T GO ANYWHERE WHEN IT IS RAINING.

(EARLS COURT is terrible right now)

   For instance, this TUBE STRIKE(look at the post about it on BuzzFeed if you  don't believe me that this sucks so hard) thing is pissing me off. After Uni today I wanted to go to Neal's Yard in Covent Gardens because i've heard it described as "a colorful, communal place with fresh fruit and cute markets and shops". I've also looked at it on tumblr and saw how pretty it was and thought "yes this is the perfect place to cheer me up" but no. Life just said, you can't see it today. Nope. Not today......

  After walking a few blocks to Glouster Station, i saw that the underground was of course, closed, so what did i do? Bought a salad from Waitrose and scuffled back home to write this post in a room with a twitchy internet connection as i try to watch the last episode of Sherlock.

Thank god i'm going to Paris on Friday, if the tube strike permits me to get to Kings Cross on time. 

i'm selling myself...

...in the form of art work.
I finally joined Society6 after much thought and now you can get some of my art and photos as prints and phone cases :)

check me out on society6.com/gabriellaaudrey

an introduction

    To introduce a little of who I am, I thought of using this picture of home that I found on my favorite social media site, tumblr. I say "home" because I live very close to the 110 freeway, which leads into Dodger Stadium and a very busy and traffic-laden Downtown Los Angeles. It might be scary to drive fast on an old winding freeway but I just blast whatever is currently on my iPod as I drive toward Santa Monica or Venice for the day. I DON'T miss home yet but I know I will eventually. 

      Though I don't adore LA, I have been described as a Los Angeles hippy. I've gotten the creative girl with the crazy leggings too and a tumblr addict. The last one I feel is especially true, even if I should never put it on an actual resumé. Being a visual learner and a lover of cute, pretty, strange and interesting images, I found that tumblr was a perfect place for me. Thru Tumblr, I've found: 

1. a new love for the super model Cara Delevigne (the girl with the big eyebrows and goofy but adorable face)
2. a longing to dye my hair a strange and vibrant color 
3. and a continued love for pastel-see-thru-lace pieces of clothing

    For those of you who aren't an addict like me yet, Tumblr is great blogging platmorm when it isn't changing layouts or suffering a crash, and lately it's been working well. It is a great place to procrastinate, look for new fandoms to get into, pretty pictures to set aside as inspiration in a drawing folder, find cool do-it-yourself projects and where you can drool over the best pictures of your favorite celebrities. 4 years and 1,000 followers later, I have found a place where I can find inspiration from pop culture and others who appreciate it on a similar or larger level. 

    I feel like tumblr is a great producer of fantastically gifted artistic people to admire as well. I Do check GAK Designs a lot, who did the green tinted skull girl illustration. The other pictures stand as goals in what I hope to accomplish with my own skills. I like heavy designs but light pen work as well as the mixing of watercolors and other media (I honestly get a little over excited whenever I open a magazine and see a mixed media spread).

     It sounds so typical to say that i'm from LA and know a bunch of useless facts about celebrities but I DO. For example, Jared Leto went Vegan after gaining A LOT of weight in 06-07 to play Mark David Chapman in the film Chapter 27, which focused on the obsessed fan and murderer of John Lennon. Being a method actor, he microwaved pints of Haagen Das to quickly put on weight but ruined his health because of it and is now trying to make up for it thru Veganism. He's gotten very spiritual too and looks great for being 41 but that is beside the point i'm trying to make. It's not bad to be into the lives of celebrities as long as you don't creepily stalk them. 

    I have been lucky enough to attend premiers, award shows and other Los Angeles events where all these beautiful and talented people congregate. Meeting Olivia Wilde at the HBO Golden Globes after party was WONDERFUL not only because it was my first time there, but because she is just so naturally beautiful and ACTUALLY VERY NICE, which is hard to find in famous people at these events.

       They are always with their handlers and don't like being bothered because they have to go from this event to another and it just seems all too hectic to say hi to an adoring fan. Honestly, I get it and I would probably grumble over having to fake smile for one stupid picture where I don't know if the lighting will come out good or bad but SHE was sweet and made it worth walking around in painful heels all night which ended up leaving scars on the back of my ankles. 
       Christopher Gorham was kind as well when I politely asked him for a picture as he checked his BlackBerry after The Golden Globes had ended. I had a little crush on him ever since he played Henry, the nerdy love interest of the main character in Ugly Betty.

   So it may seem that i'm an artistic - tumblr addicted -celebrity invested - do it yourselfer - media and pop culture consumer. I may be lacking in some departments that I will hopefully fill out in college, such as other news and media sites to spend time at but I think where I stand with media and pop culture knowledge might end up working for me in my journey as a newly declared communications major.