Fashion illustration: working with a time limit
Using collage as background and as part of the illustration is another one of those time saving methods I have recently tried in a journal. This simple page was inspired by a workshop with Angela Kennedy.
I chose scrapbooking paper with a soft design and glued the entire sheet onto a page in my journal. Step 1 - Easy peasy, quick and fabulous background.
Fashion with a retro look suggested by the background
Next, I thought the shapes might suggest a retro look from the late fifties or early sixties. I sketched the model in pencil before committing her to permanent ink.
If you cannot sketch with the correct shapes or proportions, there are several options to make life easier.
You can very quickly achieve similar results with stencils and/or stamps that are available for purchase at Michaels. Another way to "sketch" a model is to find one in a magazine, cut her out, and then trace around her to have the correct proportions.
Don't worry too much about proportions: no body is perfect.
However, no need to get too concerned with proportions. Fashion illustrators often "stretch" out the body so that the legs are much too long for the body. We all know the magic of Photoshop and how it transforms a less than perfect body into an unattainable fashion model in a magazine spread.
Using Pitt pens, and very light touches of acrylic paint, I filled in the girl's body and her hair and allowed the background to be visible in her dress. Finally, I added a halo around her using my fingers and acrylic paint to make her more visible.
Voilà. She is ready for her first adult party on New Year's Eve!
