Very beautiful work of fashion illustrators from America. Fashion illustration - history, decline and rebirth

Flipping through fashion magazines and brand catalogs, we are used to seeing eye-catching photos of perfect models in designer clothes and accessories. But how did fashionistas learn about clothing trends before the invention and popularization of cameras? What did the magazines publish on their pages? The "ancestor" of photography was fashion illustration, which is able to effectively broadcast the latest trends and sell products of the fashion industry. Today, hand-drawn pictures are back and gaining popularity.

History of fashion illustration

What is fashion-illustration the world learned about 500 years ago. In the 16th century, artists painted court ladies and gentlemen in fashionable outfits, and at the end of the century, a book with images of clothes and instructions for their tailoring saw the light of day. The first fashion illustrator is considered to be the artist Wenceslas Hollar, who lived and worked in London from the 1640s. He was a real workaholic and created about 3,000 etchings on the most different topics from landscapes to drawings of women's clothes. In 1679, the Mercure Galant magazine was first published in Lyon, which became a pioneer in the world of fashionable gloss. The edition contained drawings by the legendary artists Pierre Bonnard, Abraham Bossom and many others.

The active development of fashion illustration took place at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. At that time, magazines gained general popularity, fashionistas all over the world were looking forward to the release of new issues. This, in turn, contributed to the emergence of great illustrators who became the link between fashion and people.

The artists Charles Dana Gibson and Giovanni Boldini worked at the end of the 19th and the middle of the 20th centuries, and it was they who largely influenced the formation of the very concept female beauty, depicting models in exquisite outfits and with a slender figure. Gibson deserves special attention, because. he created a special image for his heroines, which real women tried to imitate. In fact, the Gibson Girls were the first hand-drawn style icons! Fashion illustrators Paul Iribe, Georges Barbier, Georges Lepape, Erte, Kenneth Paul Block and many others also made a special contribution to the development of the genre.

Since the 1930s, Vogue began to publish photographs on the covers, which had a detrimental effect on fashion illustration. In the 1960s, the direction "surrendered" its positions and gave way to photographs, but it never disappeared and continued to develop.

A new round of fashion illustration

The emergence of web-based magazines, fashion blogs and social networks revived the genre of fashion illustration. The fact is that photographs limit the imagination of a person, do not allow you to complete the image on your own, because. the viewer sees a whole picture with an ideal model.

Clothing and accessories brands are increasingly turning to illustrators for help, they use their drawings for prints, as well as patterns for fabrics. Many brands prefer hand-drawn banners and posters to attract the attention of customers in branded stores.

Fashion magazines and designers have chosen illustrations to create advertising campaigns, which is quite natural, because. drawings allow the buyer to show imagination and try on the created image, think up a story, this is not always possible when using photographs with models.

Popular bloggers writing about the fashion industry have also turned to illustrations. They create pictures that reflect future trends, plus they accompany their bows with hand-drawn copies. Many of them are noticed by well-known magazines or fashion houses, offering cooperation. So the drawn bunny Fifi Lapin turned into a whole brand.

Social networks crave content, and “warm” content, the fact is that users are fed up with direct advertising of a product that does not evoke a strong emotional resonance and blocks the imagination. The illustrations also help avoid trolling and negative comments, there is no reason for users to pour out dissatisfaction with the “photoshopped” models and their figures.

The work of fashion illustrators

Modern illustrators are reviving fashion drawing based on rich history fashion illustrations. They work in a variety of techniques: from watercolor to acrylic, while masterfully combining freehand drawing with computer technology.

Fashion artists make sketches at fashion shows (not a single Fashion Week is complete without them), transfer street style to paper, draw bows, create patterns for fabrics, and assist clothing designers in creating collections. They work on illustrations for fashion magazines, books, films, commercials, websites, social networks, collaborate with clothing, cosmetics, accessories and luxury brands, advertising agencies, publishers and design bureaus.

Illustrators must be able to quickly sketch by hand, be able to work with professional programs ( Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.), to cope with tasks on time, and most importantly, to have a recognizable individual style and an inexhaustible source of inspiration.

fashion illustrator training

The beginning of the 21st century is our time, the time in which we all live, the time of the development of technology and new trends, no less technical, in art, but it is this time, the beginning of the 21st century, that is already called the time of rebirth, renaissance, fashion illustration, fashion illustration. The same old good illustration, which in the twentieth century was supplanted by photography.

It is so common to see photographs on the covers and pages of fashion magazines, but now illustrations coexist quite well next to photographs. In general, they perform the same functions - they show, transmit an image to us, appearance this or that thing, advertising it. Photography is modern, illustration is old, because in those days, when the world did not yet know what a camera was, it performed the functions of photography very successfully. But there are also differences between them. In illustration, there is much more room for the manifestation of talent, individuality, one's idea of ​​something, creativity, and, therefore, much more than the author himself. In the end, almost everyone knows how to take pictures today, but not to draw. And this also gives fashion illustration a certain magic.

The prototypes of the first fashion illustrations can be considered engravings and etchings of the 16th century, which depict ladies and gentlemen, fashionistas and women of fashion. But fashion illustration itself appears in the 19th century. XIX - the first half of the XX centuries - the time of its heyday. The French fashion designer Paul Poiret actively supports fashion illustrators, works with fashion illustration and. At the beginning of the 20th century, numerous floral ornaments, which were popularly called "spinach", served as a background for fashion illustration. Then the background is either removed altogether or becomes more diverse.

fashion illustrations from different eras

In the first half of the twentieth century, not only narrow specialists, those whose bread is illustration, but also many well-known artists, work in fashion illustration. So fashion drawings of the work appear in Vogue. And the Russian artist Roman Tyrtov (better known as Erte) was offered cooperation in 1914 by two fashion magazines at once: Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. They say that Erte acted completely banal - in order not to be tormented by the problem of choice, he simply threw a coin: “heads or tails”. And fate in the form of a coin pointed to Harper's Bazaar.

Fashion illustration flourished on the covers and pages of fashion magazines until the 1930s. It was at this time that photography began to supplant her.

But a new breath, a small revival, for fashion illustration is the work of the French fashion illustrator Rene Gruault. Gruault for a long time works with the House of Dior, for which he designed catalogs, packaging (perfume) and even announcements and invitations. Rene Gruault worked with Dior in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. It is quite possible to say that the image of the House of Dior was determined, among other things, by Rene Gruault. However, he worked not only in fashion graphics, but also in advertising, even more so in advertising. In the 60s, Gruault also collaborated with Valentino. His illustrations have appeared in Vogue and L'Officiel magazines. In fact, in the middle of the twentieth century, Gruault's illustrations won over photography, but this was just a pleasant exception rather than the rule. Interest in fashion illustration reawakened only at the beginning of the 21st century.

This lesson will teach you the basics of building proportional slim figure for fahion sketches. It contains the basic knowledge that will serve as the basis for other lessons that show models in various poses. Basically, we will deal with the torso itself and the legs. I will show you, how to draw model figures height of 8, 9 and 10 goals. If you want to learn how to draw a head and face, check out this one.

First of all, the model sketch is not part of realism. Of course, model sketches are like ordinary people, since in most cases they serve to show clothes on real human figures. However, the proportions of the sketches are far from the actual proportions of the body. So a comment like "Real women don't look like this" addressed to a fahion sketch is comparable to a comment like "It's unreal world”, addressed to the paintings of Salvador Dali. A fashion sketch is an ABSTRACTION.

Before developing your own style drawing fahion illustrations, you can practice working with the "standard" body proportions that most fashion illustrators use. So let's get to work!

Draw the figure of a girl for a fashion sketch

Look at the image below. These three figures different proportions and they give different impressions. The first figure is really elongated and looks implausible. The third sketch looks the most natural. However, all three figures are built in the same way.

As a rule, we draw a head with a size of 2.5 X 1.5 cm. I am going to use in this example these numbers. So, the length of the head is 2.5 cm (in the third example, 2.2 cm). In all three examples, the length of the torso (from the chin to the bikini line) is equivalent to the height of three heads, that is:

Head length x 3 + 1 cm = torso length

2.5 x 3 + 1 = 8.5 cm

1. HEAD

1. NECK AND SHOULDERS

Step 1. From the chin, count 1 or 1.5 cm and find the neckline, the gap between the neck and collarbones. Draw two lines.

Step 2. Draw two vertical lines on the neck (the width depends on the type of figure - thin or athletic) and two horizontal lines for shoulders (shoulder width = 4 cm).

Step 3. With curved lines outline the contours of the body.

1. BREAST

Step 1. Define the armpits. There should be enough space to fit a small circle between the angle of the shoulder blade and the armpit.

Step 2. Count 1 cm down from the neckline. We begin to draw the lower outline of the chest. To me it looks like a tent️⛺. But this is only one type of breast, of course, and shapes and sizes vary. The outer contour looks like the letter S.

1. WAIST AND HIPS

According to our calculations, the length of the body from the chin to the hips is 8.5 cm. The width of the hips is equal to the width of the shoulders.

In order to draw an hourglass body shape, draw two intersecting diagonal lines connecting the points of the shoulder with the opposite point of the thigh. In this way, we outline the shape of the body, as shown in the image.

Well, back to the image with three figures and heads. As you can see, the leg lengths for all three models are 6, 5, and 4 heads, respectively. All you have to do is count:

Head length x N = leg length

Pattern 1: 2.5 x 6 = 15 cm

Figure 2: 2.5 x 5 = 12.5 cm

Pattern 3: 2.5 x 4 = 10 cm

If you divide this length by 2, you get the knees. In our case, this is 15 cm / 2 = 7.5 cm.

Step 1. Calculate 7.5 cm down from the crotch and find the knees. You need to draw them as two closely spaced circles. Draw the inner outline of the knees as shown below (in green).

Step 2. Draw two circles on both sides of the crotch a little higher. Connect them to your knees.

STEP 3. In order to draw the inner thigh muscles, draw one circle under the crotch and another circle above the knees (marked as 3 and 3' in the figure).

Step 4 Draw the outline of the hips as shown below.

Step 5. To find the ankle, count 7.5 cm down from the knee point. You can label them with smaller circles. Their location should be slightly closer friend to a friend than at the knees.

Step 6. Draw the outline of the calves. Pay attention to the shape of the muscles shown above.

1. FEET

By “foot length,” we mean the total length from the ankle to the tip of the big toe.

HEAD LENGTH = FOOT LENGTH

2.5 cm = 2.5 cm

Step 1. Remember that the inner bone in the ankle is higher than the outer one.

Step 2. Draw the inner outline of the foot. It is more pronounced than external. In this example, we draw legs with high heels. Length 3/4 head length.

Step 3. Draw the outer outline of the foot.

Step 4. Depending on the shape of the nose of the shoe, draw the legs.

Use template for fashion sketches

You can download a template for all three types of shapes and use it for your projects, as well as a base in next lessons fahion-illustration.

Video instruction

This video tutorial is about drawing a figure with 8 heads. However, here I take a different approach. See if you find it more comfortable.

Illustration by David Downton: Cate Blanchett on the cover of Vogue Australia

I have always thought that fashion is a legitimate subject for art…. Look at the way fashion illustrators like Eric and Antonio or René Gruault have helped define the times we live in. They were like any photographer in thinking about how we want to look and how we want to live,

Says David Downton, one of the most famous and talented illustrators of our time.And this is true, because it was the illustration that served as a photograph at a time when it was still very far before the advent of the camera: it introduced new fashion trends, demonstrated new outfits and trends.

HISTORY OF FASHION-ILLUSTRATIONS

Fashion illustration has been around for over 500 years. Its prototypes can be considered engravings and etchings of the 16th century depicting court ladies and gentlemen - the main (and, in general, the only) fashionistas and fashionistas of those centuries. For example, at the end of the 16th century, books with images of clothes and sewing instructions appeared in Spain.

VACLAV HOLLAR

At that time, one of the first fashion illustrators is considered to be the Czech graphic artist and artist Wenceslaus Hollar (July 13, 1607 - March 28, 1677), who worked in London from 1640. Hollar worked in the etching technique, he created about 2740 engravings on various topics, among which were images of women's costumes.

In 1679, in France, in Lyon, the magazine "Mercure Galant" begins to appear, from which the history of fashionable gloss begins. The magazine was adorned with hand-drawn drawings by famous French artists: Abraham Bosse, Pierre Bonnard and others.

Since then, publications that featured fashion prints have become commonplace, and fashionistas around the world have eagerly awaited the latest editions. The very first real fashion magazines arose in the second half of the 18th century, then fashion illustration began to develop actively, and its dawn comes in the period from the 19th to the first half of the 20th centuries. This time gave the world the most talented illustrators who greatly influenced the perception of fashion as art.

1850-1900 Notable figures in fashion world were the Italian painter Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931) and the American graphic artist Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944).

GIOVANNI BOLDINI

Giovanni Boldini, being an excellent portrait painter in his time late XIX- the beginning of the XX century, went down in history, after all, as one of the first fashion illustrators. Self-confident ladies of high society appeared in his paintings in exquisite evening dresses. It was Giovanni Boldini who more than a hundred years ago had a hand in a new perception of the ideal of female beauty. Dame Boldini is taller than average, has a thin ankle, small breasts, and is particularly slender.

What is the role of fashion illustration in today's fashion/gloss world?

In the Russian market, illustration is only gaining momentum and starting to win hearts. All over the world of gloss, the art of photography dominates - because it is more understandable and sells better, which is important in our commercialized world. The Russian fashion market is still young, there is no culture and history of fashion illustration. However, there is a love for the figurative presentation of ideas, nurtured on Murzilka and Crocodile. The world's glossy magazines, whose covers and pages were adorned with illustrations by the Russian émigré artist Erte and many others, have huge archives of the works of the great masters. The gloss came to us much later and already in photo format. However, thanks to the web versions of magazines, Instagram and blogging, the demand for illustrative presentation of fashion is growing.

What are the 5 items a fashion illustrator should have in their arsenal?

A sketch pad and a never-ending ream of A3 paper, a Moleskine portfolio folder, or just a tablet with an A3 clip to store your work and be able to sit and draw on a hard surface anywhere. Favorite pencil if you are a conservative and love one technique, or a whole suitcase of cool materials if you like to experiment. For example, I often take half a suitcase of Faber-Castell pencils and Winsor & Newton markers, ink, brushes and other good stuff with me on business trips, but for each show I take 1 material with me and work it out to the fullest.

Also, you need a phone at hand for shooting and primary processing of photos. I have been using iPhone for many years, I love the camera. By the way, the new iPhone 7 has optical stabilization, you can take photos in RAW format and immediately edit them, for example, in the Adobe Lightroom application - very convenient. And for full image processing, I use a MacBook Pro and Photoshop.

Fashion illustration often involves very fast work: what does the process look like from idea to publication?

In my case, this is exactly the case, I like to work quickly. From 30-60 second sketches on the show, to "long" works (no more than 60 minutes, and for someone the process takes tens of hours - it all depends on the technique). If we take an example work as part of the Paris Fashion Week, the process is as follows:

If you were allowed to go to the backstage, this is happiness, because it is here that you can ask the model to freeze in the position you need for 5-10 minutes and draw a sketch, as well as take pictures on the iPhone of the necessary angles for further work.

I also take photos and videos in between sketches so that I can paint the final pictures from them later.

In the evening after the show or early in the morning, I review photos / videos / sketches, choose the best angles and work on the final illustrations.

on good daylight I take pictures in HD format, you can edit immediately in your favorite application.