Things I learnt on my fashion illustration journey

Pursuing a degree in zoology, trained me to be better at drawing the anatomy of various animals and cross-sections of their organs. But with no formal training in art and sketching, my illustrations were never as good. I was unable to translate the ideas I would have, leaving the illustration looking dull and uninteresting.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, croqui is a pose of a woman or a man drawn as a rough draft and stylized means to depict in a manner of unrealistic or distinctive style.

Some of the major struggles I faced were achieving the right body angles and facial expressions. Reading a few books on fashion illustrations like M.W. Bryant’s Fashion Drawings, 100 years of Fashion Illustrations by Blackman which have a large collection of fashion illustrations by various famous artists over a period of time and books like Fashion Illustration: Inspiration and Technique by Anna Kipner which inspired me to find my style of drawing the croqui.

In order to find what one’s style preferences were while sketching croquis, they can searched for fashion illustrators with unique styles. Hayden Williams, a British fashion illustrator and designer, draws croquis with realistic facial features and confident body postures. His hand drawn illustrations translate every little detail of clothing and the accessories. While Williams pays detail to the model or celebrity who wore the dress in his illustrations, Joseph Larkowsky brings a different view to the runway garments. He concentrates more on the aesthetics of the garment, instead of the physical features of the subject. His distinct style of croqui and techniques of rendering give a much unified look to his illustrations. Sunny Gu, a fashion and beauty illustrator, watercolors her illustrations to make them look vibrant and eye catching. She pays attention to the tiniest details of the garment and brings life to her illustrations and sets her work apart from others.

Once I studied these different styles, I was set on a journey to find a style that had my essence. On practicing and experimenting with various styles, it came down to drawing either cartoon like croquis- with big eyes, tall legs, short torso, voluminous hair or a body form inspired from the model itself with minimal features.

GLOSSARY

Illustrators:

• Hayden Williams, www.haydenwilliamsofficial.com

• Joseph Larkowsky, www.jlarkowskyillustrations.com

• Sunny Gu, www.sunnygu.com

• Megan Hess, www.meganhess.com

• Dena Cooper, www.denacooper.com

Books:

• Blackman, C. (2007). 100 Years of Fashion Illustration (1st ed.). London: Laurence King.

The book “100 Years of Fashion” lays emphasis on how fashion illustration and clothing has changed in the 20th century. It gives an insight on development of fashion and designers, along with their techniques and goals. Early in the 20th century, fashion illustration reflected new, liberating currents in art and culture, such as the exoticism of the Ballets Russes, while the postwar period saw inspiration from the great Parisian couturiers. After the dominance of the celebrity fashion photographer in the 1960s, a new generation of illustrators emerged, embracing the medium of the computer, while many returned to more traditional techniques. The book contains 400 illustrations and images to tell the story of 20th century and inspire budding artists and illustrators.

• Bryant, M. W. (2016). Fashion Drawing: Illustration Techniques for Fashion Designers (2n d ed.). London: Laurence King.

Michele Wesen Bryant teaches drawing at Parsons School of Fashion and at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she offers nothing less than excellence in her book. The book offers learners step-by-step tutorials of drawing the basic croquis, different poses, rendering. Making patterns and prints, it gives detailed knowledge on facial expressions and proportions of figures from all over the world. This book is one of the best books for fashion illustration.

• Dawber, M. (2007). Big Book of Fashion Illustration (1st ed.). London: Batsford.

The book contains over 1000 images from artists and illustrators offering inspiration to the reader. Use of every technique, from different coloring media to use of software’s, everything is talked about in the book. “The Big Book of Fashion Illustration”, apart from just croquis and poses, includes drawings of women's wear (including couture and bridal), menswear (from t-shirts to bespoke), children’s clothing (tots to teens) along with, sport and leisure, cool accessories, and beauty and glamour illustrations.

• Kiper, A. (2011). Fashion Illustration: Inspiration and Technique (1st ed.). New York: David and Charles.

The book does not necessarily contain tutorials of drawing but it is great to enhance what is already known. The book appears to be collection of photographed work from Anna Kiper which inspires readers to learn new techniques and personalize the croqui. The book does talk about rendering fabrics, color schemes, different media, fall of fabric and difference in male and female figures. This book is recommended for illustrators who wish t develop their style.

• Morris, B. (2010). Fashion Illustrator (2nd ed.). London: Laurence King.

The book talks about inspiration for an illustrator to a complete fashion illustration. The reader gets to know various techniques of rendering fabrics using various media, to make prints and patterns. it helps in personalization of croquis and digitalization of work using software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator. the student feels encouraged to experiment with various styles of drawing and coloring. Later chapters outline the history of both twentieth-century and contemporary fashion illustration, and profile influential fashion illustrators and designers. There is also guidance on careers for the fashion illustrator and portfolio presentation.

• Riegelman, N. (2000). 9 Heads: A Guide to Drawing Fashion (1st ed.). Los Angeles: 9 Heads Media Association.

9 Heads is by far the most recommended books for illustration. The book follows 9 head figures, and teaches illustration of female and male body easily. It lays emphasis on movement, poses, facial features and proportions in a body. Also, the book teaches draping and fall of fabric, technical details in flats and provides drawings of thousands of modern garments and accessories. Due to its easy availability and simplicity in teaching beginners, 9 Heads is a great book.