In-store graphics project

At the last term in my MA, I did a bit of more extra work to extend my final illustrations into a commercial piece.

The brief is to pick a fashion brand from the followings which seems to have similar style to my drawings:

1.H&M
2.Laura Ashley
3.Christian Louboutin

Then, create in-store graphic such as:

1.Window Display
2.Point of Sale
3.In store VM of Product

I picked Christian Louboutin, and create their in store graphics based on this drawing.

I did a lot of research on all other shops, Louboutin brand background, their philosophy, and product ranges…etc. I even found out that J-Lo was singing a song called “Louboutins”! So sexy and gorgeous!

Carrie waring Louboutin shoes in the movie “Sex and the City2″

Collaboration with Barbie

…and here is my final work for Window display: It is inspired from the playful spirit of the brand, so I wanted to make something cheerful and fun. I also wanted to introduce the idea of glittery “stage” and “performance” coming from the song “Louboutins” and the world of “Sex and the City”.

Point of sale (in store) :

In store Visual Merchandise of product:

Final outcome plans:

It would be great if could have an opportunity in the future to present this to Louboutin!

Recent work

I’ve recently started to work with fashion designer in London. It’s very exciting to work with a designer with someone who makes fabulous clothes.

I’ve finished doing technical drawings for her new AW collection.

These will be handed out to press and buyers.

 

Book done!

Yay! I finally got my book completed. The colour came out very well, and my illustration looks nice with the marble paper I ordered from GF Smith. However, nothing goes perfect, I had few problems with the binding. I wanted to see which would look better – to bind it or just to fold it like newspaper style. Afer the printing was finished, I thought it would look much better to have it saddle stitched, but the print shop didn’t accept it after the printing was finished.
So I had to find another place where it is possible to do that and also to trim the edges. Another problem was that I initially printed my front cover to different kind of paper – on a laminated paper. It looked very nice itself,  though It was completely different from the rest of the pages. My tutor had been greatly supportive and I was managed to find another print shop. I reprinted the front cover on a same paper, they finished the job in couple of minutes – my big problem was solved immediately! It’s good that the pages still open flat which was one of my main focused point.
I am happy with my book and looking forward to the exposition!

Preview of my book:

Expo info here

Dummy Book

I came across a perfect sample for my book.

The layout is almost exactly what I wanted to do, illustration main on each page with simple text.
Inspired from this, I made a dummy book in the same A3 size.

After looking at it, I felt it is too big. However, I really like the newspaper style – no binding since the page stays open flat.

I will scale down the size into A4, and still thinking about the text.

Progress update

At the end of the PGD phase, my project was going more into depth, although I was still not sure what kind of illustration I am capable of as I do not have professional background as a graphic designer. I was lost, I was not sure what to draw. Then, I discussed it with my tutor and we decided just to draw freely during the easter break. It was very good to have this period, which I discovered myself as an illustrator much more. Then, the work in progress presentation had been helpful to rethink and adjust the path of my project. What is my professional approach of my project? Within my research into fashion illustrations and collaborations, and my aim which is to develop my skills of illustrations in fashion, I finally got more specific idea for my final outcome. My book will be about illustrations of several fashion categories such as perfumes, clothes and jewelry etc. based on a narrative topic of “dreams” and “memories”.  I was concerned with having a narrative, but it was eventually very supportive to draw. Now, I am at the final stage, thinking about the layout and design of the book.

What is fashion illustration?

“What is fashion illustration?”

This is my topic of my MA research.  As I plunged into the final term of the MA, I am finalizing my conclusions for the topic.
I have been looking at the collaboration between illustrators and fashion brands. The illustration applied on to the brand products such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci are all collaboration with “artist”.  For example, these artists which I picked up in my previous post has the common aspects of which they all have strong characteristics of drawing style as they do not draw for the brand. The artist’s work is directly applied on to the products as it seems to commercial their works using the advantages of big brands. They are “artist” in which is more likely to be fine artists.

Fashion brand and Artist collaboration:

PRADA

Louis Vuitton

Gucci

Instead, people who are called fashion illustrators are artists who specializes in the field of fashion. They illustrate motifs such as female models, flowers, and use subtle lines that generally represents fashion. They would refine their art work in order to fit to the commissioned works such as posters, magazine editorials etc. However, it is hard to draw the line between “illustrators” and “fashion illustrators”. There shouldn’t be any clear border between these.
My goal is to be the latter one, “fashion illustrator”.  Although I do not want to be focused only in one field perhaps my illustration would end up being suitable for children’s book or something else… but I want to brush up my drawing skills and try to work in the field which I love.

Fashion Illustrators:

coco

Cecilia Carlstedt

Sandra Suy

Sabine Pieper

Senshoku-do textile workshop

I took the Japanese textile workshop “senshoku-do” instructed by Kyoto based artist Akihiko Izukura. This is Japanese traditional textile dyeing and  weaving method using materials all produced from the life of plants, flowers and insects in Nature.

First session, I dyed silk scarf. To make a dye ink, first you break the material into small pieces using hammer to make it into powder, and then dip in the water for more than 24 hours. The more you leave it, the darker it gets.
It was interesting to see how silk absorbs it really quickly, and the colours came out very vibrantly. Once you are done with dipping colours, you’ll just have to wait until it dries and you’re done!

Second session, we used rice paper for braiding. It looks like a string, but it is a paper twisted to make it like a string, so if you put some water on it, you can unroll it and forms back to flat paper. This was pretty struggling, though once you get it, you can indulge yourself in for hours…

This traditional way of approaching art is great for sustainability. Nothing you can waste, everything is from the nature. Considering that in ancient times people used nothing chemical and coexist with nature, this is the primitive way of art.  Living and grown up in an industrialized world, it is hard to learn what you can produce from the nature.