Ruven Afanador brilliant fashion photography

Ruven Afanador

Awesome fashion photography

1930's Vintage Faces & Advertising

It's been a hectic month, but thought I'd make a post on something which has always been very dear to me. Having spent yesterday recreating a makeup/hair look from the 30's for a magazine shoot, I browsed through my many references of the decade. Such glamorous style and fashions are wonderfully inspiring to say the least. From the beautifully coiffed hair to the pencil-thin eyebrows, the charm of the 30's is evident in these little gems of images!

Fashion Illustration Sketches

Came across these Illustrations which are super artistic and inspiring.

Balloon Art & Fashion

There are a few things in life that tend to bring a smile to most people. Having grown up and forcefully distanced myself from balloons , I still envy the "free balloon policy" to kids at fast food restaurants. Once at KFC, I saw a bunch of them available for the taking, was about to leave with one when the sales staff said: "Excuse me, those are only for kids!". What is the "official age" for not being able to freely carry a balloon on the streets as a grown-up and get a few raised eyebrows in the process?  Whatever it is, I still cherish and admire them. Balloons are items that though extremely simple in matter, can really be turned into something spectacular and intricate. Here are a few great pics to please the eye!

The Quest for Inspiration

It is often wondered where and how one can invoke inspiration from...As artists, and people imbibed in the creative fields we always dread that moment when our vision falters and our creative juices stop flowing. While sometimes, it is simply fine to let go and allow our minds to have a break from conjuring ideas, most times it tends to happen exactly when we NEED a breakthrough...

As a professional makeup artist working on fashion projects, I face this challenge on a regular basis. On any given day we may be called for a creative makeup/hair design and going blank is not an option. I thought I'd share and give an insight into how our specific line of work creates magic alongside with views on inspiration in general.

1. Stick to doing what you love- if you love what you do, you will be highly driven (very necessary) and everything tends to work in your favor. Plus, you are less likely to get bored :)

                                 Hand-made face charts I created for a creative fashion project

Face chart done with several makeup products

2. Research, research, research-It's an endless process; we are never done with learning and new information processed in our brain = new channels of thought. So go to your nearest library, bookshop, friend's bookshelf and grab'em books! You don't even have to read them completely; stick to topics/chapters that might interest you, pick visually stimulating books with plenty of photographs. Go online and spend time researching on your subject, view other artists' work, talk to people in your field, etc.

                                        Feather String from Cheap Jack, Bandra Mumbai

                    Playing with paper and eyelashes on plain white mask as a face mock-up

3. Look at everyday life for inspiration- Leave the comfort of your home (or not!) and explore the obvious and not so obvious around you. For one of my recent makeup projects I decided to go into a general department store and pick up kitchen utensils to construct headgear...just because I could ;)
Look at things you generally see and turn them around. Think Lady Gaga; if you have a shoe, wear it on your head (maybe not literally speaking...). Travel to a different place; abolish familiarity and aim to open your senses to new experiences.

Intricate coffee shop windows at The Collective, Phoenix Mills, Mumbai

Tree at Rajesh Khanna Garden

4. Gather everything (experiences, photos, words, mood boards,objects), shut yourself off from the world, have a creativity-inducing space where everything from the mood, to the lighting, to the music and decor are supportive of your vision and tastes.

                Head mannequin with false attached dreadlocks & hair pins on center parting

Messy space with all the materials for a shoot being gathered

Start ideating!