More on negative space, use it to show pattern, in particular here, the pinstripes. Also note how the darker shadow of the leg and arm farthest away helps the eye see it farther back. Tone and negative space can liven up a fashion figure if you know where to place these two elements overall.
Negative space - I LOVE it! You can say so much by what you leave OUT of a drawing. Don’t over do it. In fact, you can leave out entire areas and they will allow your viewer to fill in the space with their imagination. So much more fun, right?
More DVF. She got more than 8 originals. :-/
Well, this is more about clients, than drawing… but it ties in… sometimes you have to be willing - if you are illustrating fashion for a living - to bow to the needs, desires (whims!) of the client.
In this case, Diane von Furstenberg, with whom I worked directly, had a specific woman in mind. “Make her independent, powerful, sexy, with a big ass.” Many drawings later, she was satisfied. She insisted on keeping all the drawings I did which is unheard of, actually. Clients buy the rights to use a drawing, not the actual drawing. For the actual artwork that’s a separate price. But she told my agent she always keeps the originals (really? No one else does or they negotiate that up front) and was actually quite nasty. I was discouraged, as I had thought she was a brilliant designer and businesswoman and if you read her tweets, an especially warm and loving person. Shattered illusions. Lost drawings. There’s more, but I’ll save it for another time. Onward!
I love the little trick of making a limb (arm or leg) go back in space to give the figure some depth and definition of form. This also gives the illusion of that limb - leg or arm - being farther away from the eye. This will give your figures more of a 3 dimension - not so flat. Here’s an example - in the leg.
Also notice how the texture of the skirt is only in the shadow area, not all over the skirt shape. All you need to do is indicate - not plaster it all over… use the shadow area to define your print or texture on a garment, but you’ll have to know the form of the underlying body to get this right. More on that later…
Follow me on twitter
Rocker Chick Pillow
http://www.jumadecor.com/pillows-c-5.html?osCsid=cmrdi32iuhijd7o81vthqllc82
This was done for Fairchild Publications, a book on being a fashion designer… they publish a lot of fashion books as well as W Magazine, and Women’s Wear Daily. This depicts a fashion designer/student gathering inspiration on a mood board, editing her inspiration into a theme for a collection, and then presenting her portfolio.
FEDORA on Theodora - it’s a wall decal!
Your bang-on-trend fashion senses know a good thing when they see it. Yep, this is that. Wicked cool.
Follow a strand of hair from the scalp to the tips… and don’t forget they travel in groups!
Wavy hair illustration commissioned by L’Oréal Hair Care.
The finish…
A solid fashion illustration must start with a good, loose sketch. I love to draw MEN.
