Fashion Illustration - Annie Tang

Everybody (I think, I hope) wears clothes, and clothes have been around for centuries. So, it makes sense that fashion illustration has been around for centuries as well.  Fashion illustration is exactly what it sounds like; it communicates fashion through illustration, drawing, and painting. Illustrations are often commissioned for reproduction in fashion magazines' editorial features, for advertising and promotion, and so on. As long as clothes are in existence, and as long as people care about what they wear, there is a need to translate an idea or image into a fashion illustration. Each illustration represents the design of a garment, but it also serves as a form of art, in and of itself. 

In recent years, as photography and other digital mediums become more advanced, the art of fashion drawing has been put on the back-burner. You find fewer and fewer fashion illustrators who make their living through drawing fashion, as a lot of art has gone digital, and many illustrations are created on the computer or a drafting tablet. One prominent example of the decline of fashion illustration can be seen in the illustrious fashion magazine, Vogue. From its inception until the 1930's, Vogue was known for its celebrated illustrated covers: 

But in the late 1930s, Vogue began to replace their illustrated covers with photographic images, marking a major turning point in the fashion industry. 

And yet, drawing is something that will never go out of style. Despite the prevalence of computer illustration, the need for hand design will never disappear completely. Some people have even described fashion illustrations as "showing the presence of hand" and being a "visual luxury". Even though magazines like Vogue may not need illustrations in lieu of photography, there is something captivating about organic art. For instance, illustrations can stretch the viewer's mind by exaggerating or introducing elements of fantasy in ways that are impossible for cameras. Laird Borrelli, the author of Fashion Illustration Now states: 

"Fashion Illustration has gone from being one of the sole means of fashion communication to having a very minor role. The first photographic cover of Vogue was a watershed in the history of fashion illustration and a watershed mark of its decline. Photographs, no matter how altered or retouched, will always have some association with reality and by association truth. I like to think of them [fashion Illustrations] as prose poems and having more fictional narratives. They are more obviously filtered through an individual vision than photos. Illustration lives on, but in the position of a poor relative to the fashion."

Here are some great examples of fashion illustrations/illustrators, who have built up a following on social media, such as Instagram: 

@bildonovan

This artist uses gorgeous, colorful watercolor sketches of pieces straight from the top runways. 

@travelwritedraw

This artist uses a variety of illustrating mediums, from colored pencils to paint and more, to showcase a variety of looks- runway pieces to the celebrities sitting in the front row. 

@paperfashion

This artist has a penchant for using very interesting and varied materials in her illustrations- watercolor, sequins, beads, lipstick, and even leaves. 

@meganhess_official

This artist works with a client list including Chanel, Dior, Tiffany's, Prada, and more. She brings fashion to life with feminine and glamorous illustrations. 

Artist Blog: Butch Hartman by Brandon Ingram

Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV is an American animator, writer, director, producer, illustrator and voice actor, best known for creating the Emmy-winning animated series The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and T.U.F.F. Puppy. He was born on January 10, 1965 in Highland Park, MI. He is the father of Sophia Hartman and Carly Hartman. Butch attended Anchor Bay High School and later attended California Institute of the Arts.

I have always been intrigued by Butch’s work since his sketches and characters are unique. I first learned about Butch from 2 of my favorite childhood shows: “Danny Phantom” and “Fairly OddParents”. The line drawings of both cartoons are very similar so I immediately began to wonder if the same artist created both of them. I discovered that it was the same illustrator worked on both cartoons. The fact that Butch isn’t only an artist makes his work even more interesting; he brings creativity and more fun to his illustrations and uses a lot of the same techniques that we’ve learned in class this semester.

Artist blog: Butch Hartman

Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV is an American animator, writer, director, producer, illustrator and voice actor, best known for creating the Emmy-winning animated series The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and T.U.F.F. Puppy. He was born on January 10, 1965 in Highland Park, MI. He is the father of Sophia Hartman and Carly Hartman. Butch attended Anchor Bay High School and later attended California Institute of the Arts.
I have always been intrigued by Butch’s work since his sketches and characters are unique. I first learned about Butch from 2 of my favorite childhood shows: “Danny Phantom” and “Fairly OddParents”. The line drawings of both cartoons are very similar so I immediately began to wonder if the same artist created both of them. I discovered that it was the same illustrator worked on both cartoons. The fact that Butch isn’t only an artist makes his work even more interesting; he brings creativity and more fun to his illustrations and uses a lot of the same techniques that we’ve learned in class this semester.

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Bill Henson

            There is an overwhelming photograph hanging in the Australian national gallery, measuring 1.5m by 1.5m. The image is called ‘Untitled, the Paris Opera Project, 1991’ and is characterized by the startling contrast articulated through the use of chiaroscuro. This projects a haunting feeling reminiscent of a Caravaggio painting. A young girl leans over to whisper into the ear of an elderly gentleman dressed in tails at the opera; it is a Degas-style moment prompting the audience to enquire about the relationship between the two subjects. The artist, Bill Henson, comments on this technique by explaining how “In every form of art, you really want the experience of the images to transcend the medium, for the medium to disappear into the greater experience of viewing the work. So that you forget you are looking at a painting, or a photograph.” (Bill Henson, ART MONTHLY AUSTRALIA, July 1996, pp 4-7)

Bill Henson is an Australian contemporary art photographer born in Melbourne in the 1950’s. He put on his first exhibition at the national gallery of Victoria when he was 19. His work is characterized by a strong application of chiaroscuro – echoing the composition and emotion of the old masters, specifically Caravaggio and other artists of the baroque persuasion. Conceptually however, Henson strives to incorporate raw and candid emotion in his work. These concepts that Henson plays with are expressed through his subject matter, most usually adolescent models. He comments on this controversial subject matter by saying that is is simply “the best and most effective way of expressing ideas about humanity and vulnerability.”

 However, Henson also branches into another subject matter that he couples with his nude photographs; land and city/town-scapes. He believes that there is silent presence in the forces of nature and rural cityscapes that can make you feel and experience emotion in a way that portraiture cannot. For example, In the above photograph, “Untitled #8”, 2008, is a photograph of a boy around 9/10, standing with his back towards the viewer and his head turned to the right. His body is outlined by finite strokes of light that structure the figure. His pose illustrates a defensive and stubborn attitude and his head is tilted and his focus lies heavily on something, but the black background signifies that his vision is set on something unknown or sinister. This photograph, coupled with “Untitled #22”, 2008, of a road passing through two poles of a gate, provides a more complete understanding of what is occurring with the figure. This diptych creates the sense that the subject is looking ahead as to what’s to come, but with alertness as to what preceded him. The road winds into dark issuing the sense that the subject’s path still holds mystery. The fact that Henson is able to paint such a comprehensive scene from two supposedly polar subject matters is why I find the artist so fascinating.