BTEC Art Blog: FASHION ILLUSTRATION

You need to research the work of 2 fashion illustrators, here are a few good links to explore:

Anna Higgie

Try to choose illustrators that have contrasting approaches and use different media, as you are going to have to respond visually to these illustrators BE REALISTIC and select styles you are confident you can reproduce effectively.
For each selected illustrator print out at least 4 reproductions of their work at a reasonable size (A5 ish).

You then need to do the following:

provide some analysis of each illustrator. Find out what you can about them - where they trained, who they have worked for.
Analyse the images you have chosen, identify what media have been used and discuss technique (expressive or controlled?), composition, use of colour.
Give your personal opinion on the work, but ensure you give reasons for the views you express.
Use the following words to help you describe their work:

realism, colour, expressive qualities, character, exaggeration, structure, story telling, naive qualities, accuracy, decoration, delicate, applique, motif, inventive, inspiration, experimental, body proportions, pattern, accentuating colour, photographic, movement, embellishment, combinations, texture, movement, bold, etc etc

Present the work thoughtfully (2, A3 pages per illustrator), think about layout and text/titles with intelligent analysis etc.

So you will need:

To do the Fashion Illustrator research as detailed above.
To get a collection of images by your 2 illustrators - enough to get a really good feel for their style, technique and media.
To take range of photographs from the figure - try to get some good dynamic poses that have the feel of Fashion illustration/photography. If you are unsure what you are aiming for then flick through a few copies of Vogue and look at the fashion shoots and advertising images.
Using your own photos as a basis produce two Fashion illustrations in the style of each Fashion Illustrator you have researched (4 images in all), make sure you use the most appropriate media (identify what they use and do likewise, if their work is produced digitally then don't try replicating it by hand). Take time over this and aim for some professional looking illustrations. See separate post for an example of this.

Once you have all these things you need to really focus on making some impressive responses that capture the feel of each Artist. Use the lightbox to start your drawings from your own photos off if it helps. You might want to use software to extend and stretch the figures in your photos and achieve something closer to the classic fashion illustration proportions (which are quite different to the real proportions of the human body).

Here's an example of what I'm talking about: