Exaggerated style clothing illustration - basics of fashion illustration

What are the common illustration artistic styles in fashion design? Can you elaborate?

1. Pop style

Pop style illustration art appeared and became popular in the 20th century, mainly through the creative techniques of commercial art, forming a fusion A new art style for popular culture and commercial art. At the same time, the relatively exaggerated cartoon images, newspaper print forms and humorous slogans in the Pop style all combine to form the unique characteristics of the Pop style, and the artistry of the Pop style is very strong [3]. Andy Warhol is one of the most outstanding figures who contributed most to the expansion of Pop style in the field of fashion design. He pioneered the use of paper, plastic, and artificial leather as basic materials for clothing production, and included them in his illustrations. In order to subvert the traditional design concept, it has distinctive features such as bright colors, avant-garde design concepts and bold color selection. To this day, Pop style illustrations still retain many similarities with Andy Warhol.

2. Abstract style

Usually, abstract style works generally use geometric points, lines, surfaces, circles, triangles, and squares as the main body for in-depth creation, and have unique characteristics in creative style. Typical abstract characteristics. Mondrian was one of the relatively successful early figures in abstract style works. His abstract style creation method was relatively unique, focusing on the use of various rectangular patterns as illustration content, and this type of illustration art form had a profound impact on abstract style. Take the work "Red, Yellow, and Blue" created by the famous French abstract style fashion design master as an example. This work is deeply inspired by Mondrian's abstract style and uses lines, triangles, and rectangles in a variety of colors to give a broad audience a unique art appreciation experience. Feel it and give the work a strong sense of visual impact and novelty.

3. Figurative style

The figurative style is different from the two styles mentioned above. Its graphic features are generally realistic and lifelike. Furthermore, the presentation of lines in figurative style works is relatively direct, and decorative generalization, exaggeration and deformation can be carried out to enhance the color sense of the work and highlight the simplicity and sophistication of the work. Take the famous Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada as an example. She once had the ability to use illustrations directly in fashion design creation. She can fill her costume design works with illustrations, and her works focus on carefully and delicately creating character shapes, highlighting the The color and splendor of the work[4]. In addition, the lines displayed in the figurative style are relatively elegant, which can give the audience a psychologically dreamlike experience. Especially when used in clothing design, it can effectively improve the sophistication of the design work and give the design work a flexible beauty. The hottest and most eye-catching fashion illustrations right now are here!

Works by popular fashion illustrator Helen Downie

As a veteran visual communication medium, fashion illustration has not only continued to develop in the new era, but has also spawned many new forms of expression with different styles. How many of the most popular and eye-catching fashion illustrators and their works do you know?

The Golden Age of Fashion Illustration

In the early days, fashion illustrations and fashion magazines worked hard Cooperation helped it enter a heyday. At that time, magazines almost without exception needed to use illustrations to illustrate everything from the cover to the inside pages. Readers at that time received information about fashion, art, taste, etc. from exquisite illustrations. It can be said that fashion magazines and fashion illustrations at that time were in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Harper's Bazaar magazine cover

The collision of fashion illustrations and fashion brands

In the digital age, photography has become the main source of visual communication for magazines and publications. Although the era of magazines with fashion illustrations as the main promotional media has ended, the fashion illustration industry has not fallen asleep, but is constantly developing and evolving in new directions.

Collaborating with fashion illustrations and fashion brands is the most successful new path discovered today. As the most topical brand nowadays, Gucci often searches for some popular illustrators on social media for cooperation.

The following colorful and poetic works are created by illustrator Helen Downie.

It is worth mentioning that this extremely professional illustrator is actually a housewife without a professional background. Her legendary experience and her paintings became popular on the Internet at the same time. In addition, her painting style is surprisingly similar to the new aesthetic concept advocated by Gucci, so the brand's creative director fell in love with her work at a glance and launched a series of in-depth cooperation.

Helen Downie's works

Although she is a mother, her unrestrained works always reveal a little girlish innocence. Especially the large innocent eyes of the characters in the painting are strange and full of childishness.

Works by Helen Downie

However, this is not the first time Gucci has collaborated with fashion illustrators. Earlier, the brand also invited another illustrator Alex Merry to launch a more "artistic" collaboration.

From New York to London, Milan to Shanghai, cities with art walls have been occupied almost overnight by Alex’s creative fashion illustrations. It is rare for such a giant fashion illustration to be presented like this, so when the picture of the art wall was released, it immediately caused a commotion on the Internet.

Alex Merry's works

In addition, Gucci will also produce and sell products from the illustrations, so that all interested consumers can find and own these products. They turn these fantastic ideal products into reality. On the other hand, viewers can see from these romantic-style fashion illustrations that the style of fashion illustration is no longer single.

Works by Alex Merry

Speaking of cross-border cooperation between fashion illustrations and brands, Prada has to be mentioned. At the 2018 men's spring and summer series show, the brand invited illustrator James Jean for a second collaboration, which shows the popularity of his works.

Works of James Jean and Oliver Schrauwen

This time, James Jean and Belgian graffiti artist Oliver Schrauwen teamed up to create illustrations of the show space. Viewers looking at these picturesque works are like looking at pages of lively and interesting comic strips.

At the same time, the author also specially produced an illustrated promotional video of the same style for Prada. James's cool illustration style, combined with Prada's futuristic fashion style, complement each other.

Works of James Jean

In Prada’s women’s wear show in the same year, the brand also chose to join forces with fashion illustrators. This collaboration invited eight female illustrators: Stellar Leuna, Trina Robbins, Brigid Elva, Joelle Jones, Giuliana Maldini, Natsume Ono, Emma Ríos and Fiona Staples.

In addition to jointly creating the wall works in the show space, they also perfectly integrated their illustration works into the new season's fashion series. While their comic-style works inject vitality into fashion, they also increase the possibility of stylizing fashion illustrations.

Today, fashion illustrations no longer follow the rules. As long as you are willing to put pen to paper, everyone can create their own illustrations.

Grace Coddington's works

Pioneering fashion illustrations

In addition to cross-border cooperation with fashion brands, there are also some professional fashion illustrators who insist on independent creation. While mastering the basic techniques of illustration, they extended and explored the painting forms of fashion illustrations and figured out their own style.

Pioneering fashion illustrator Velwyn Yossy has created a series of unique works. It can be seen from the smooth and neat lines of the characters in his works and the exaggerated but still appropriate overall proportions that he has always pursued the aesthetic concept of modernism.

Velwyn Yossy's works

Another rising star fashion illustrator, Ernesto Artillo, has extended fashion illustrations to a more abstract direction. His unique visual expression techniques break the public's traditional understanding of fashion illustration forms of expression.

Some of his recent surrealist works combine dynamic and still, virtual and real things, and use hand-drawing and collage to infinitely amplify the visual impact of illustrations, giving them a mainly static style. The fashion illustration has a bit of momentum.

Ernesto Artillo's works

Not only are his creative works still published in major magazines for a long time, but they are also often exhibited around the world. Ernesto Artillo said: "I hope to feel relaxed and excited when I see my works. It is the same in daily life. I will look for the balance and how to break the existing state."

Works by Ernesto Artillo

Even though the golden age of fashion illustration has passed, it is undeniable that fashion illustration still occupies a place in the fashion field and is full of high artistic value.

Fashion illustration is one of the few industries that can perfectly combine business and art, and the continuous emergence of popular illustration works has increased the possibility of fashion illustration continuing to move forward.

James Jean's dynamic fashion illustrations

After understanding these most popular and eye-catching fashion illustrations, everyone can pick up the pen and try to explore new paths in fashion illustration. The next popular fried chicken may be you.

Wonderful review:

[Editor, text/Chen Zhuo] Basics of fashion illustration | Detailed step-by-step tutorial with pictures and text on the proportions of the fashion human body

The fashion human body is also called "Sketching" the human body is the basic fashion body shape. We can design clothing or draw floor plans based on the human body. This is also the starting point for fashion illustrations.

Drawing a fashion human body sketch

First of all, you must be familiar with some rules of proportion.

The fashion human body is measured by "head length", and each head length represents 1 inch. Under normal circumstances, the fashion human body is basically 10 heads long, but it does not mean that 9 or 11 heads is completely incorrect. More often, it needs to be decided based on the characteristics of the clothing drawn. For example, if a shirt is loose, has big sleeves or a big collar, and has a lot of corset details, it may have a longer waist and neck; if it has exaggerated bat sleeves, the arms should be longer. If it is a skirt, the legs need to be longer.

Different clothing requires different focus, and different focus requires different exaggeration methods.

The following is an example of a human body with 10 heads:

1. Draw a vertical line on the paper, and then divide it into 10 intervals. The topmost line is 0 and the bottommost line is 10.

Each line represents a different part of the human body.

2. Head: Draw an ellipse between 0 and 1. The chin is exactly on line 1.

3. Shoulders and neck: Draw the neck and shoulders between 1 and 2. Shoulder width is approximately 1.5 head lengths (special styles of clothing may vary).

4. Waist and hips: Draw a line from both ends of the shoulders (shoulder line) downward to the waist line. The width of the waist is approximately 3/4 of the head length. Draw a line from both ends of the waist (waist line) to the hips (highest point 4 of the hips). The width of the hips is greater than the head length and waist, but smaller than the shoulder width.

5. Legs: Draw a gradually tapering straight line from both ends of the buttocks, from 4 to 10.

6. Feet: Draw a triangle on the outside of the lower end of the leg. The base of the triangle is the toe, and on line 10, the vertex of the triangle is the ankle.

7. Arms: Draw gradually tapering lines downward from the shoulder line to the wrist.

8. Hands: Use rectangles and triangles to roughly draw the hands, with the fingertips on line 5.

Now you have a rough basic human body drawn.

9. Smooth out all parts of the human body.

(The natural connection between the head, neck and shoulders, armpits to waist, upper hip line, buttocks, crotch to ankles, feet, arms)

Regarding the ideal body proportions of the fashionable human body, In fact, you need to be flexible and accept changes in fashion. What seems perfect in one era may look strange in another. For example, if you look at Monroe in the 1950s by today's standards, many people may think she is a bit fat~

The following standards determine the "perfect" fashion body of a certain era:

Models or celebrities of that era

Emphasis on body parts and certain postures of the character

Fitting clothing and underwear or other decorations, or no decoration

Generally speaking, the fashion human body must be taller than the ordinary human body, so that the fashion body can be better displayed and the effect of the fashion body can be highlighted in photos or works of art.

Thank you for coming!

For more exciting hand-painted tutorials, please pay attention to subsequent updates. (The article was first published on the WeChat public account, you can leave a message to tell what you are interested in)

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