BY ELLE BILLOSO
You know how typography and lettering became a trend all of a sudden? A quick scroll through your IG feed and you’re bound to see your favorite quotes brought to life by beautiful lettering. So what if I told you that fashion illustration might just be the next big thing? The art of drawing fashion figures, faces, clothes through a unique and stylised touch, fashion illustration is more than a hobby ; for some, it’s also a profession. So much so that talented illustrators are being discovered and offered major collaborations by huge brands.
Enter Krizia Banogon Chan (@kriziaillustration) and British illustrator Hayden Williams (@hayden_williams). Krizia and Hayden are just a few of the insanely creative illustrators who show off their talent through social media platforms such as Instagram.
Feeling inspired and ready to take your fashion illustration skills to the next level? Here are a few tips and tricks to help you create stylish fashion sketches!
Challenge yourself
Get out and let our dynamic world inspire you! Most of the time, stylised (personalized) illustrations are used by designers to quickly record their inspirations. You don’t need to spend time perfecting every arch on the finger though, just focus on what you really want to see. Spend your days by the park sitting and sketching the passers-by. Take note of their bodies, movements and the details of their clothing. Imagine that you’re sitting at the front row of a fashion show with no camera and only an old school pen and paper for sketching.
Part by part
If you’re really bothered by your less than perfect sketches, you can try mastering each component of your drawing in parts. To do this, focus on a specific body part such as the hand and try drawing it in different poses. You could also try zooming in on the face and try to apply makeup on it. Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect but permanent.
Image from Mawee Borromeo
Copy
It is often said that the sincerest form of flattery is imitation and copying is one of the best ways to learn a new skill such as drawing. Inspiration can be found anywhere, so pick up that pen and copy away. May it be an image, a model or nature, copying allows you to form your drawing techniques.
Just bear in mind that copying is copying, so if find yourself copying from an image, you’re technically just copying and not creating an original piece of art.
Try different mediums
Not satisfied with pencil drawings and your humble mongol #2’s? Try experimenting with different art mediums. Watercolor is a widely popular medium in illustration for its ability to add color to your drawings. You don’t need to stop there either ; there’s a plethora of other mediums for you to try out such as oil pastels, markers and even crayons. Just find one that you like best and get creative!
Find your own style and get comfy
The goal of every fashion illustrator is for your message to come across (the design, colors, its final look). Whether you come up with a stick drawing coupled with incredibly detailed clothing and pouting lips, or a full-on fashion figure complete with a head-to-toe OOTD. Keep in mind that it need not be perfect in others eyes, long as it’s able to express your style and is perfect to you.
Feel like trying out this new trend? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!