Fashion Illustrator 10- Ruben Toledo

Ruben Toledo, 58, is a Cuban American artist and a sculptor. 

In 1997, He published Style Dictionary with his collections of watercolor drawings. He also completed his first animated film of French Fashion based on a book called Fashionation. Ruben Toledo also does illustrations for Penguin Classics, Jane Eyre, Dracula, The Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Pride and Prejudice.

He also collaborated with his wife, a fashion designer, Isabel Toledo on a book and exhibition called Toledo/Toledo: A Marriage Of Art and Fashion. And in 2005, both of them were awarded the Cooper-Hewitt National Designer Award.

Fashion Illustration 9- Rene Bouche

Rene Bouche 57(1905-1963), also known as Robert August Buchestein, was an artists and a fashion illustrator born in Austro-Hungarian Prague. In 1926, he studied art history at Munich University. At that time, he was already an illustrator and was working as an illustrator of children’s books. After graduation, then became a professional illustrator.

From 1934 to 1938, he works for magazine Plaisir de France and advertises for Nestle. After that, he began to work for Vogue. He also draws for Saks Fifth Avenue and Elizabeth Arden, as the chief advertising campaign illustrator. 6 years later, he became a teacher at Art Students League. He also contributes to Time Magazine covers and also designed stage sets and costumes for American Ballet Theatre and Theatre Guild. His advertising campaign for Jaguar and watercolor painting for Schweppes, has led to a huge commission from Buick (GM). The murals for the Seven Hills of Rome restaurant in New York Hilton(1952) were the last major commission in his career. He also work for LIFE magazine and Givenchy.

He paints abstract paintings and also portraits. Some of his famous celebrities portraits includes, Audrey Hepburn, John F Kennedy, Jack Benny, Ed Sullivan and Edward R Murrow.  

His painting styles changes from using strong back lines to big patterns of color, to using charcoals that totally devoid colors and features were shown through line work.  He also do sand paintings.

What Have I Learnt:
I learnt that he paints using abstract technique as the background then, he add the details to the portraits. And if you're not happy with the painting, you can always amend it by painting over without throwing it away.

Credits:

www.renebouche.com

Fashion Illustrator 8- Antonio Lopez

Antonio Lopez  44(1943-1987), is a fashion illustrator born in Utuado, Puerto Rico. He studied at High School of Art and Design and being influenced by his parent, mom; a dressmaker and dad; a mannequin sculptor, he then studied at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to pursue arts in fashion. 

He was under Women’s Wear Daily for internship and soon dropped out of school after securing a job in WWD. He also worked in The New York Times in 1963, Vogue, MAC, Elle, Interview and Harper’s Bazaar, also collaborated with Juan Eugene Ramos, Karl Lagerfeld and Charles James.

His style of drawing was of the edgy swinging sixties imagery, more of a New Yorker style. He also combined photography in his drawings. He uses pencil/crayon charcols, markers, and overlay film (acetate sheets). He also draws the models in a lively, fun, energetic way. "What one recognized in his illustrations was, in the end, more than just a dress," said photographer Peter Knapp, with whom Lopez worked. "It was a state of mind." He even influenced designers with their collections as he draws the clothes with the model just standing beside it, he will make amendments to it and designers will change their clothes to look like what Antonio portrays it in his painting.

He does not only paint but he also discovered famous models like Jerry Hall, Grace Jones and Jesica Lange. He also made Carole LaBrie to be the first African American on the cover of Italian Vogue. He also helped Andy Warhol in her break through.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT:

I’ve learnt that fashion illustrations and fashion designs are connected. The models are also very important to portray the look of the garments. He also uses a very tight academic approach in his drawings.

Credits:

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/reviews/antonio-lopez-art-and-photography#slide-3
http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/stylenotes/082812_Antonio_Lopez/

Fashion Illustrator 7- Sandra Suy

Sandra Suy, 37, born in Barcelona, is a Spanish fashion illustrator, who studied fashion design and art at La Llotja, is now working with management agencies in London and Milan.

For her work, she’s inspired by the prime fashion illustration as it shows the elegant and reflects timeless beauty, and also searches the web, which includes fashion and decoration blogs, and fashion magazines to get ideas. She also get inspirations from her surroundings, she does not have a particular place or time she gets her ideas as she feels that her ideas just come and go. She uses manual drawings focusing on line work to define the features of women fluidly and romantically, and also software to create the background of her art piece. I also realized that her art works are sharp and minimalist. She only focuses on two points of her work which are facial features and hair, or the facial features and the outfit.

Her client list includes some of the big names like Harper’s Bazaar, Martha Stewart Weddings, Elle, L'Oreal, Triumph and Zara.

“Don’t stop trying, looking for your own style, working hard, and showing your art.”- Sandra Suy via www.fashionarium.com interview

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT:

To keep on practice
Find my own unique style
Be different from people

Credits:

http://www.fashionarium.com/post/265013454/living-from-my-art-is-my-greatest-success
http://sandrasuy.com/

Fashion Illustrator 6- David Downton

David Downton, 55 born in Kent England is a renowned fashion illustrator who started his illustration career by illustrating fictions, cook books and sometimes, fashion as a commercial illustrator. He studied the foundation of fashion illustration in Canterbury and graduated in Wolverhampton with a BA Hons in Illustration/graphics.

He was approached by Financial Times to draw at the 1996 Paris couture shows in July and since then, he became famous for his illustrations as his drawings has been pushlished worldwide. He also wrote his first journal of Fashion Illustration called Pourquoi Pas? in 2007, and followed by Master Of Fashion Illustration, and was a visiting professor of London College of Fashion.

He love to use rotring ink as he said that he likes how rich the black ink is and has a velvety violet cast to it. He also uses gouache, watercolor, oil stick and sometimes acrylic depending on his mood or what is he trying to convey the viewers about.

Some of his client list includes Lacroix, Tiffany & Co, Top shop, Gaultier, Chanel, Dior, L’Oreal, Vogue, Marks & Spencer, Harper’s Bazaar, V magazine, Valentino & Victoria&Albert Museum. He also works on series of portraits of Iman, Dita Von Teese, Elizabeth Taylor and Paloma Picasso.

 

“My advice would be simple; keep drawing. You can’t be too good at it. And when you’re not drawing, keep looking, training your eye. Be professional. Fashion illustration is a profession, as well as a passion.Most of all, enjoy it! You have the whole world at your fingertips.” -David Downton via Amelia’s Magazine

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT:

To always draw! Practice makes perfect! Even if we can’t draw, we should pick up the techniques by looking and analyzing the art work of the artist and learn from it!

CREDITS:

http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/fashion/an-interview-with-legendary-fashion-illustrator-david-downton/2010/11/02/

Fashion Illustrator 5- Petra Dufkova

Petra Dufkova, born in Czech Republic, is currently a full time freelance fashion illustrator representing Illustration Limited since 2008, designer and stylist in Germany.

 She studied art at a technical school for applied arts to learn about graphic painting and graduated from International Fashion School Esmond in Germany.

She participated in a lot of fashion and art related projects and contests and once won a Best Illustration Award at China Fashion Week with her Pret-A-Porte collection. She also collaborates with fashion designers like Iben Hoej and Marcel Ostertag to create lookbooks illustrations. She also have illustrates for clients like Elle Magazine, Cosmopolitan and Vanity Fair.

Her illustrations mainly focus on the female forms and are of traditional painting method like using inks, acrylic and watercolor with a modern twist to it. From her painting, I realized that she uses a lot of darker shades compared to the other illustrators and her watercolor and ink techniques are very well executed as she uses the darker tone to draw the lines of her female mode which creates an amazing toning!  She will first draw on a paper and then scan it into the computer to fix on the graphic and upload it. She gets her inspirations from fashion shows, magazines, books, exhibitions, and people on the streets and the famous icons in the fashion world.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT:

From her, I have learnt to not be afraid to use dark colors and to just draw straight on the paper itself without sketching  and also to tone better with using the darker shade of a color.

CREDITS:
http://www.fashion156.com/daily-blog/petra-dufkova/
http://www.museandthemoon.com/pages/petra-dufkova

Fashion Illustrator 4- Niki Pilkington

Niki Pilkington is a Welsh illustrator based in New York, who is currently back in London working for MTV. She studied GCSE, A Level and Art Foundation in Wales, then received a first class honours degree in Fashion Promotion and Illustration from Ravensbourne, London.

Specialising in trend inspired fashion portraits with great details; she got her inspirations from people she sees every day, focusing on the clothes that they wear and also places that she visits.

She also likes to combine phrases, idioms, and quotes into her pieces to tell a story each time she produce an artwork. She draws the main illustration mostly made out of line drawings, first using pencil to draft, which takes about a few hours, and going through it again with harder lines, then add colour, prints and lastly, adding 3D elements so that her artwork will stay fresh. 

She uses pencils, felt-tip fluorescent markers and pens. 

Since 2011 she's been sponsored by Derwent pencils and she also manage to draw for the covers of Derwent pencils’ pencil covers!

Her contemporary aesthetic adorns the walls of private collectors’ homes and galleries, and she also exhibits her artwork at local exhibition centres to showcase her art work. She also had them up on pages of numerous books and magazines with client list of TOPSHOP, Ted Baker, Sir Paul McCartney & MTV.

She also sells her artwork online via her own online shopping site, and also customized phone cases, pencil cases, pillow cases and all, using her art pieces. She also sell post cards and tote bags.  And frequently, she will have giveaways for her loyal subscribers and customers!

In addition, she also opens workshop for kids to teach them how to draw like her.

Niki takes in portraits requests from customers who wished to have them drawn by her, but at a high price.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT:

Not all illustrations have to be in 2D forms. Adding 3D elements to it can actually help in the appearance and also the effect of the drawing.