leah reena

2012-01-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

valentines

2012-01-18T15:44:00.001-05:00

Valentine's day is my favorite holiday because I love making the cards. This means hours of painting and paper cutting, using mainly my favorite color (pink)! Every year I send my mom a gouache painting of hearts and fun shapes, and she sends me some elaborately layered, paper cut heart she made. This year I decided to design a set of printed cards using some of my favorite Valentine's colors and patterns. The shape and size is reminiscent of the little cardboard cards we used to exchange in elementary school, but without the Looney Tunes or Rugrats (I'm guessing these days it's more like Justin Bieber and Miley).

The card set is for sale here.

for a pretty girl

2012-01-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

I haven't made anything new in so long. I've spent the past few months plodding through my senior thesis, making and mailing dozens and dozens of Etsy orders, spending well-deserved time with Netflix, slowly assembling life in this apartment, sending frantic emails to the scarf manufacturers, stressing and crying and finally shipping off an important order to an important store. . . any anyway, I forgot to draw and make new nice things along the way. I drew these vintage dresses a while ago and colored them dresses last night with my new Bamboo Wacom tablet I got for Christmas. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but the tablet, like, *gets me*. I love it. Dylan and I are now staying up late working on concepts for our first real job together, so I'm drawing again and it's fun. Plus, the client's brand color is this amazing PINK, so I'm feelin it. xx

2011-12-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

A Future Present is a new project that Dylan and I just embarked on. For now, it's a blog that chronicles what goes on in our apartment and workspace. We moved in just under 2 months ago with a lot of space and few possessions, so right now it seems like a never-ending work in progress. In the future we hope to expand AFP into a brand, shop, and possibly studio, with products and projects we design together. For now, I hope you enjoy looking at all our stuff and the things we make!

a painting, a scarf

2011-12-22T16:37:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite scarf because it was made from an exact painting. Square-shaped, in color, and all I did was scan it. A lot of the other scarves came from paintings that I assembled or colored digitally, but I love this one the most because it feels so real.

Cards!

2011-12-16T13:48:00.002-05:00

I made this floral greeting card set a few weeks ago. They're postcard-style, without a fold, so they can also be hung as prints!

Buy a set here.

match match

2011-12-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

First image by me, second image by Chelsey Pettyjohn

Chelsey and I have had 6 hours of school together every week since the end of August, and at a certain point early-morning mandatory work time grows sluggish. We began sharing reference images, and it was fun to see the similarities and differences of drawing from the same source. Many of our images are of contemporary real-life people, and we had the genius idea to collaborate on an illustrated street style blog. The blog has yet to be realized, but one day it will happen.

Also, I haven't updated this blog in over 2 months because a lot has happened. Dylan moved in with me, I made a bunch of scarves, I did a textile & jewelry project with Kaye Blegvad, and now I'm working on a billion Etsy holiday orders. If you're following me on Instagram you can see bits & pieces of all this stuff since I may not update for another two months!

1940s turbans

2011-10-08T20:50:00.000-04:00

girls

2011-09-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

some new sketchbook stuff

instagram

2011-09-25T18:01:00.002-04:00

I love instagram. Ever since summer ended and my life got boring, I've just been posting photos of work. These are some of them.

(Bows prints are new in the shop)

2011-09-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

my boyfriend and his cat Mako

swanson

2011-09-14T21:08:00.001-04:00

This is Swanson, he's a kitty, he is named for Ron Swanson. He lived with me for a week or so and made me very sick with allergies but now he's gone and I kind of miss him.

cat friends

2011-09-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

2011-08-17T01:56:00.005-04:00

Hey guys, I just printed a zine of my work from this summer! It's full of lots of colorful patterns and girls, and is only $5! You can buy it in my Etsy shop.

The zine has some images from Internet Girls which opens tomorrow night at Habitat. That's me, still in my yoga clothes framing the dozens of little pieces. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Internet Girls

2011-08-09T20:05:00.007-04:00

Internet Girls are the result of the cycling of images and tastes through the internet among girls. Internet Girls explores the current state of the Internet Girl. Right now, Internet Girls like vintage things, florals, patterns and textiles, pretty pastries/food, cats, the color pink, lace, and natural earth things (geodes, crystals, plants, succulents, feathers, bones, etc). If my show is any good, it will probably look like your dream bedroom.

Internet Girls will be at 1008 21st St. San Diego, CA 92102 at like 7 pm.

You can follow all my Internet Girl-spiration on internetgirls.tumblr.com.

the nicest rocks

2011-08-06T22:00:00.002-04:00

the nice smooth flat ones you can hold in your hand for comfort (and Dylan says for skipping)

summer bummer

2011-07-19T01:17:00.000-04:00

los angeles and crafts

2011-07-17T16:01:00.007-04:00

D and I went up to L.A. yesterday for the Renegade Craft Fair. It was like Etsy in real life, some things I loved, and some things not so much. This is what I got! A crystal and "seed bombs" (homemade compost mixed with California wildflowers) from Terri Planty, a zine about making friendship bracelets (screenprinted with a cool gradient), a bird and horse mobile by Hillery Sproatt (really, really want a bunch of her dolls too), and a leather tassel keychain by Carrot + Corriander.

Other highlights:
It was super fun wearing my cat dress because a bunch of people recognized me! It was nice meeting Caitilin of Nice, and I wish I could have bought her Wild Heart banner. Also had fun browsing through my old neighborhood(s), and catching up with old friends from my former life as an L.A. girl. So much has changed in Silverlake, Echo Park, and Little Tokyo in the last 2 years! My favs were IKO IKO for amazing everything, and Wurstküche for the best fries ever.

2011-07-15T18:26:00.002-04:00

Spending as much time as I can making new patterns. I wish I could be doing this all the time ... but thanks to everyone who's paying my new school tuition in cat dresses and kitty tees.

poppies

2011-07-12T18:35:00.000-04:00

a pattern and how to wear it

2011-07-04T20:37:00.001-04:00

2011-07-02T00:37:00.003-04:00

summertime squiggles

2011-06-27T21:56:00.004-04:00

Newly printed squiggly silk is cause for an impromptu shirtless photoshoot! Check the Habitat babez of summer.

Dylan

Jackson.

And me.

Plant Life

2011-06-26T22:20:00.004-04:00

tropical times? no, just a couple I did while stranded at a Starbucks waiting for D to get out of an important meeting about clogs.

BFR mag!!

2011-06-23T17:41:00.005-04:00

Really fun package from Barbara Ryan came in the mail today!

zines zines zines

Best fashion illustration I've ever seen

real summer

2011-06-22T23:43:00.006-04:00

The summer solstice was a really nice excuse to pack up some oranges and a sketchbook and go to the park. There's been too much indoor work lately, and a late afternoon sun break was much needed. I tried to look nice by wearing my cat dress since it's the only clothing I have that's not from the Salvation Army. Also, I feel cooler wearing it now that a lot of bloggers and internet girls have convinced me that it is a cool thing. Sunglasses are from In God We Trust, and the denim shirt is from, yes, the Salvation Army.

2011-06-17T16:23:00.002-04:00

more little things.

Lots of things are getting done at the house, so more blog posts to come!

chambray dress

2011-06-15T12:42:00.005-04:00

2011-06-09T01:02:00.001-04:00

I drew some bears today!

summer patterns

2011-06-07T17:26:00.004-04:00

Hiiii. No, I'm not having a lazy summer on the beach, I am inside most of every day at D's house making things for my lovely Etsy followers and trying to do new things in the little time that's left. Some of these new things (like cooking!!! I'm becoming an expert at non-beef burgers) have a hard time fitting on the scanner.

Here are a couple new patterns I've made, though. They're ready to be dragged off the blog and tiled as pretty summer wallpaper.

summer studiooo

2011-06-01T01:14:00.002-04:00

Max moved to Vermont and left us his Nelson bench. Throw some cats on it.

Dylan made me the lil desk.

Also, I'm tweeting now (@leahreenagoren) so you can follow me if you'd like! It'd be much appreciated because twitter makes me a bit nervous.

new teees

2011-05-27T11:52:00.003-04:00

New tees are up in the shop and ready for summer! Photographed in soft California light by Dylan Ousley. We also worked together on the first shirt, transforming a dream he had about floating cheetos into a textile.

SABBATICAL

2011-05-16T18:55:00.002-04:00

I'm in California for THREE MONTHS. I have two cat dresses and four fungi shirts to make before I can even think about making anything fun or sitting by the pool. Sorry to anyone who feels the way my mom does, that they miss me and are wondering why I'm not updating the blog more often with new and interesting sad girls. Dylan and I have to go grocery shopping now but I'll be back soon!

2011-05-11T16:34:00.001-04:00

I got some free Moleskines yesterday, thanks Moleskine!

"zippered denim jumpsuit"

"critique is so lame"

"bus home from bedstuy"

deep sea

2011-04-27T21:33:00.001-04:00

silver crab claw

2011-04-26T23:17:00.002-04:00

Chelsey drew me today. It's the most hideous I've ever looked.

I'm your girl.

2011-04-21T23:36:00.001-04:00

patterns!

2011-04-20T17:58:00.003-04:00

I just ordered some fabric which means new things in about a month!

Bows on linen-cotton canvas, for make-up pouches of course.

And my favorite girls will be on a pretty silk dress.

I also ordered some fungi fabric to make a verrrry small run of new fungi tanks for summer. Please email me if you'd like to reserve one because they may never be made again.

2011-04-17T09:45:00.003-04:00

like a child

Saturday morning inspiration

2011-04-16T11:14:00.003-04:00

This is what I'm looking at while I drink my Oslo coffee and eat my Oslo bran muffin and get ready to paint some canvas to make tote bags today. The first one was an experiment and these ones should be epic.

Clockwise: Eley Kishimoto, google images, 2 ancient Egyptian paintings, Ashkahn, Becca Stadtlander, and last one unknown sorry!

Clockwise: 2 by Brie Harrison, Kaye Blegvad, Malin Gabriella Nordin, Yelena Bryenskova, Louis Bourgeois, Rodarte for Repetto, and Arian Behzadi.

Probably all of these have been on my tumblr where I post a few times a day and Diwa posts a few times a year.

There is so much to look at. I have so much to make! My summer starts in less than one month and it's going to be all seeing and thinking and making things all day and California sun.

major hair

2011-04-12T16:50:00.002-04:00

Please sit in front of me every week. Best lecture yet.

MoCCA

2011-04-09T18:03:00.002-04:00

Some pretty patterny sticker & zine packs for the MoCCA Festival. A few of my zines are for sale today and tomorrow (well, today is over already) at the Parsons table. I'll be at the table until 2:30 tomorrow - come say hi!

She'd found a way out.

2011-04-08T19:20:00.001-04:00

I miss you so much, it's silly.

2011-04-06T21:17:00.001-04:00

SUMMER '11

2011-04-05T18:55:00.003-04:00

Cats are still the jam. Chelsey printed these amazing sphinx shirts and I customized mine into the #1 summer dress.

Buy one here!

~hair accessory designer~~

2011-04-04T22:59:00.002-04:00

Printed silk turban headband, will be in the shop soon. Second image from a look into my sketchbook on Book By Its Cover which I am very excited to be contributing to now!

parallel brains

2011-04-03T13:47:00.009-04:00

Rachel Antonoff's Fall 2011 presentation via the Style Rookie

Me, of course, Summer 2010. Just sayin'.

gold & dirty

2011-04-03T00:39:00.000-04:00

sad ballerina

2011-03-31T21:22:00.001-04:00

"I'm sure a lot of people think you just make kind of bad drawings of little girls."
-D

Prints!

2011-03-31T00:05:00.003-04:00

New prints are up in the shop.

putting things in frames

2011-03-28T16:42:00.003-04:00

Some pictures I found of me putting things in frames at D's house last week.

7 weeks til summer.

pet portrait!

2011-03-26T14:04:00.005-04:00

I recently did a trade with the lovely Sarah McNeil who sent me, among other little pretty prints and things, a pet portrait of my puppydog Tova.

Everything Sarah makes is so delicate and pretty, I am very happy to have this piece on my wall!

1986

2011-03-24T15:28:00.001-04:00

Did these while watching Pretty In Pink on the plane a couple weeks ago.

2011-03-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

in the poppies

2011-03-17T14:19:00.001-04:00

2011-03-15T14:23:00.004-04:00

It's time for the next Craft Jam at Habitat House! Dylan wrote up a nice blurb on the site there you can read, and here's a couple pictures of some of us getting crafty last time.

Hope to see you there!

2011-03-10T20:40:00.003-05:00

Nothing for two weeks but iced coffee in the sun, ballet flatting through the park, and making D get sushi with me. And getting my wisdom teeth out.

moleskine

2011-03-07T22:41:00.005-05:00

I really don't like moleskines or microns UNLESS I'm in a completely mind-numbing situation like an airport or doctor's office waiting room. Or all that drawing I did in the back seat of the car last summer. Or today's lecture on sustainability.

I know the heads in front of me are dreaming of other things.

gave up note-taking shortly after "suburbinization"

started to do that crazy hair thing again

seriously, help!

childhood eyeballs

2011-03-06T12:25:00.001-05:00

2011-03-02T15:13:00.003-05:00

Really liking this large eyeball/eyelid/eyebrow combo and can't stop drawing girls that have it. Chelsey and I have named the combo "Childhood Eyeballs" after the enormous, enormous eyes I had as a little kid. Also related is the angry, furrowed-brow grimace I called "Hairy Eyeball".

2011-02-28T20:34:00.003-05:00

Last night John and I drew guests at Refinery29's Oscar's party. It was a super fun, fashionable take on the party caricaturist that used to be at every Bar and Bat Mitzvah I attended 10 years ago. We managed to make a mess of everything pretty quickly.

Champagne, water, paint water. Amazing.

Guests got to keep their drawings so I don't have much to show. I wish I had good photos or scans but I only have an old Blackberry!

This man was left behind, though, so I took him home with me.

The most important things I can think of

2011-02-28T10:39:00.001-05:00

2011-02-26T00:30:00.004-05:00

Obsessing over envelope security patterns and things a little bit 90s and a little bit tacky. Dylan did the STFU!

The most important things I can think of

2011-02-23T23:18:00.001-05:00

This is one of them. Part of a zine I'm working on.

more sketchbook!

2011-02-22T17:55:00.003-05:00

boys and girls, balloons and bubbles

I love Sketchbook almost as much as I love Photoshop. It's so dirty and so much fun. It's hard to believe I gave it up back when I had that existential crisis of not being allowed to draw with a pencil anymore. I even drew with a pencil today, as you can see above. Everyone should Sketchbook.

sketchbook!

2011-02-19T20:56:00.002-05:00

2011-02-16T16:58:00.005-05:00

100 marker drawings in 2 hours and only one pair of Timberlands.

i love valentine's day

2011-02-14T22:40:00.005-05:00

I painted this yesterday and thought it was the most pretty girl Valentine-themed image ever (put it on a tumblr between photos of softly lit macarons and Alexa Chung), and then today, what did I get from D but my favorite old dirty torn up Ferragmos patched up, redyed, and resoled! It was perfect. Also, the best cards:

Left one from D by illustrator Mogu Takahashi (seriously amazing work) and paper cut heart from Mom (also seriously amazing).

2011-02-14T10:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Making Valentine's Day cards is my favorite craft of the year, and I was excited to make two for DailyCandy this year. Thanks to Jordan & everyone else at DailyCandy for a super sweet article too!

2011-02-13T23:54:00.000-05:00

I just spent a super fun weekend drawing *fashion portraits* at the W hotel in Union Square for fashion week. This guy was my favorite, I did 5 or so drawings of him and his scarf. My time at the W is done, but you should go get sketched by Chelsey or someone else through Feb. 17.

wildflower

2011-02-12T23:16:00.003-05:00

My new Dr. Martin's super crazy (I mean, concentrated) watercolors have the most amazing color. These are the flowers that grow along the road by the ocean in Carlsbad. I think they're poppies but they grow in every color, not just orange.

2011-02-10T19:46:00.002-05:00

Probably the coolest thing I've made in a while. Cool like, you'd probably get a compliment if you wore it on the L train. It's available for purchase here.

"i want this to be my default"

2011-02-08T20:18:00.002-05:00

spreads from Japanese-style aka accordion-folded Moleskine

It's all about Delaney right now.

Cow and Poodle are friends.

2011-02-03T18:11:00.009-05:00

You know, I'm not really sure if he's a cow. But they really are friends, good friends.

2011-02-02T22:17:00.001-05:00

Prints!

2011-01-31T23:28:00.000-05:00

Hey there. I put some prints up in the shop for the first time.

because I love Delaney

2011-01-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

2011-01-27T18:33:00.001-05:00

baby baby baby

2011-01-25T23:56:00.001-05:00

2011-01-08T12:33:00.002-05:00

Craft Jam next Saturday at Habitat! Gonna be radddd.

Love from California

2011-01-03T20:05:00.002-05:00

Photos from this time last year by Ryan Larry. It's too cold to run up the beach this year. We'll be in L.A. all weekend and I might never go back to New York (sorry).

kitty cat

2011-01-01T16:23:00.000-05:00

New kitty shirts up in the shop! 2010 was a good year for cats, but they're going to be huge in 2011. Check out American Apparel's new dress with textiles illustrated by Dov's Dad, Morris Charney, in the late 60s -- the best one is the cat one.

This is my room

2010-12-21T19:02:00.000-05:00

Pre-Flight Cocktail

2010-12-19T21:46:00.009-05:00

WILL MAKE YOU WELL.

Vegetables

2010-12-15T22:42:00.002-05:00

There is the statue of an artichoke near the shingle factory and a ten-foot carrot near the trout hatchery.

bad digipix / screenprints / brooklyn / winter

2010-12-13T14:33:00.009-05:00

My friends from school Rachel and Ceci were in a holiday craft market in Greenpoint this last weekend where I picked up a roll of 3 "wrapping papers" they'd printed for $5. Wrapping paper, no way, they all went up on the wall. I hung an old print Rachel did in red underneath the new neon green one since it's Christmas and all.

Rachel and Ceci started an Etsy for their line of hand printed and hand sewn products so check back there for when it's all up! The zipper pouches they had at the craft sale were the best.

ALSO, I'll be working the Mary Meyer Holiday Sale on Sunday so if you're in Brooklyn come say hello!

rose tyrien

2010-12-11T10:37:00.001-05:00

HI

2010-12-07T17:01:00.004-05:00

I put a new little zine on Etsy here that was a 30 minute zine challenge that Mike Perry gave a group of us a while ago. I'd like to send you one for free actually if you send me a SASA. Ok!

And speaking of photocopied zines I'm finishing up a nice big 11 x 17 one this week compiling all the drawings I've been doing for the past 4 months or so. It's a good way to clear everything out of my brain before I go back to California for a month and start a new year. Here are a couple spreads.

2010-12-01T15:33:00.003-05:00

Mom knit me Poppet the Poodle for my birthday! Here she is with Jamie and Tova before being shipped off.

hot dogs

2010-11-27T00:10:00.002-05:00

2010-11-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

Vanilla birthday cake with tarragon cream cheese frosting baked by Taylor and lettered by me.

GRITTY

2010-11-14T17:00:00.004-05:00

Old stamps, new print! Buy it here.

Seriously sewwwwwwww tired of sewing pun intended. Been in my room since Thursday doing everything from meat-printed shirts (coming soon) to mustard yellow silk birthday dress (YES) to weird just-the-front-not-the-whole-garment mock-ups (side job) to these little heads.

nudez

2010-11-06T11:52:00.003-04:00

2010-11-01T07:38:00.004-04:00

Good morning! I have a new item listed on Etsy! I made a few of these back when I was doing the crop tops that went to Kimski and totally forgot they existed until I pulled them out of a Chinese shopping bag in Taylor's apartment two days ago.

Because we are moving today. In one hour, 15 minutes. Which is why the mattress disappeared. Williamsburg here we come.

2010-10-31T19:34:00.001-04:00

new girls

2010-10-29T17:32:00.005-04:00

2010-10-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

Nice people, 1956

2010-10-21T20:37:00.002-04:00

February 2004

2010-10-15T17:56:00.001-04:00

2010-10-10T13:21:00.002-04:00

Update on the cats:
You can buy the dress now.

I even made this into a collab with Chelsey Pettyjohn without even asking her!

The dress comes with a zine of me & Chelsey's various cat drawings and paintings.

leah reena

valentines

for a pretty girl

a painting, a scarf

Cards!

match match

1940s turbans

girls

instagram

swanson

cat friends

Internet Girls

the nicest rocks

summer bummer

los angeles and crafts

poppies

a pattern and how to wear it

summertime squiggles

Plant Life

BFR mag!!

real summer

chambray dress

summer patterns

summer studiooo

new teees

SABBATICAL

deep sea

silver crab claw

I'm your girl.

patterns!

Saturday morning inspiration

major hair

MoCCA

She'd found a way out.

I miss you so much, it's silly.

SUMMER '11

~*hair accessory designer*~~

parallel brains

gold & dirty

sad ballerina

Prints!

putting things in frames

pet portrait!

1986

in the poppies

moleskine

childhood eyeballs

The most important things I can think of

The most important things I can think of

more sketchbook!

sketchbook!

i love valentine's day

wildflower

"i want this to be my default"

Cow and Poodle are friends.

Prints!

because I love Delaney

baby baby baby

Love from California

kitty cat

This is my room

Pre-Flight Cocktail

Vegetables

bad digipix / screenprints / brooklyn / winter

rose tyrien

HI

hot dogs

GRITTY

nudez

new girls

Nice people, 1956

February 2004

~hair accessory designer~~