7 tips to define your illustration style
You know, we all have different personalities and look unique, why would everyone want to illustrate things in the same manner? So, these days I am in the process of searching my style of drawing. Defining my style represent the most important step in creating fashion illustration and push me to seek new ways to express my vision.
Here are 8 tips that I used in the process of defining my style of illustrating my fashion creations. You can adapt these to other areas of your life.
In this image: Work in progress - “DayDreaming” - Fashion Illustration designed by Iulia Stanescu created with Watercolor and Ink
1. LIST ALL YOUR LIKES
The main resource when it comes to finding your personal style is your life and your experiences. I tooksome time to look into my life, into my soul, to explore my friends, I looked at all the things that I love the most.
What makes me happier? I created a list with all the things that I like the most.
2. EXPLORE YOUR PAST DRAWINGS
Look back at all my drawings and explored them. I looked at colors, attitude, vision, design of my illustrations. I created two lists:
*** Things that I love the most on my drawings and I want to pick them into my future artwork ( like: colors, attitude, the fashion figure, the attitude etc.)
*** Things that I dislike on my drawings. Even if you created something, it’s possible that some little aspects not represent yourself. And these should be changed. I discovered that I have a lot of fashion creations with black clothes. So I decided to clear this.
3. CREATE ILLUSTRATIONS BASED ON STORIES
Imagine a story and tell it through your illustration. I decided to transform my imagination into stories represented by my drawings.
Sometimes the ideas just come to you, but what are you doing if they don’t? I tried a different approach: What’s in the news? What is important to me? What stories do I like? Add some inspiration from your life, from things that you like, from a good movie, look into the history of fashion, explore people around you.
4. LEARN THE RULES, BREAK THE RULES
Once you have mastered and understood the techniques required to communicate your ideas, you can then afford the luxury of breaking the rules and forging your own unique perspective.
An illustration is illusion of the reality. Starting with this in mind, in the illustration above, I exaggerated the hair of the figure.
Fashion figure can be exaggerated and the distortion can enhance the look of your personal, unique style. Sometimes exaggeration gives you a better vision of the truth. This means stretching, curving or changing the body in ways that make it more expressive. Amusing the viewer is an important task for the illustrator.
5. PICKING UP ON MOOD
The most important thing to do as you begin your drawing is to define the attitude you’d like to represent in your artwork. If you draw well, often you can pick up on the mood and attitude of the model you want to represent.
How do I define attitude? An attitude is not just the way we think, but the way we think, feel and do. I decided three values that guide me in the process of creating the fashion figure. I choose positive attitudes: dreamer, happy, self confidence.
After this aspect defined, it was more easier for me to create the figure position, the face expression and the colors of my creation.
6. BE UNCONVENTIONAL
Don’t be afraid to think out of the box. Dare to be unconventional. The color that I applied to the hair in this illustration effectively reinvents what might otherwise be considered a fairly classic style of garment.
Experiment with new styles see what you love the most. Dare to be different, dare to create!
7. EXPRESS YOURSELF
Everything about the figure drawing should express your personality. Expressing yourself is the key to the successful illustration.
One thing that I have learned is that perfection doesn’t exist. What’s perfect to one will be unbearable to another. I have a love for drawing. I create my vision, so, it doesn’t have to be anything perfect. Perfect is what I want to be perfect.
This was my vision that helped me to define my style. I’d love to hear what’s yours. Pick one from these 7 or just add yours in the comments section.
Thanks to: Octav Druta for inspiring me.
Source: Inspiring book: Fashion Illustration School: A Complete Handbook for Aspiring Designers and Illustrators / Carol A. Nunnelly
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