Learn Fashion Design, Fashion Illustration online from anywhere!

In Fashion Illustration TRIBE. I’ve taken 27 years of teaching at Parsons School of Design and working in the NYC fashion industry– and crafted my courses with the singular vision to share what matters most to me (and you, if you’re here); your unique voice and approach to fashion and the art of expressing your vision and message. This is a place to hone hands-on skills for a lifetime, the skills that don’t change with software that comes and goes. THESE ARE THE SKILLS BEHIND AND BEFORE the digital technology- HANDS-ON techniques, craftsmanship and

Ready to learn fashion design online? Join a program today, or come browse the blog for tips, exercises, tools, examples, and inspiration.

BEGIN YOUR PERSONALIZED, CREATIVE JOURNEY IN FASHION DESIGN. You'll learn professional skills and tools, and here learning is fueled by your passion for fashion, inspiration, and insatiable creative curiosity. We create in and from flow to bring new worlds to life in living color!

Welcome home!

I’m Laura Volpintesta. This is our space to unwind and journey within through art, fashion, and design.

Each blog post, course and program I shere here incorporates one fashion design skill at a time. Add to your skill set week by week, so you can build your confidence and experience in fashion sketching and technical design.

My vision was to create a place where you can learn fashion design online, paced the way you need it, FROM ANYWHERE, and build your own portfolio with emphasis on your inner vision, your most personalized style, and sketch in a highly personal way with those professional skills.

I believe that design and creativity that are authentically unique serve in a way that highly industrialized, corporate, mass-market fashion can’t. How do we create fashion design that serves but that also feeds the soul of everyone involved in the processs, from concept to making an distributing? This is the kind of world we strive to build collectively.

Testimonials

Straight from the mouths of clients and students

Courses

So, each module in each course is an container for experience and development that leads to the next. CLICK ALL AROUND THIS PAGE TO VIEW COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND FREE TUTORIALS. I designed them in a way that keeps you at the center of the experience. I believe that learning has to be motivated from within, your deepest knowing, imagination and calling. This is fashion design study that places your own values as the guiding force in your fashion art and design journey.

WHAT ASPECTS OF FASHION EXCITE AND INSPIRE YOU THE MOST? What aspects of art, culture, and the world intersect with fashion in a way that is unique to YOU? Where do you draw your inspirations? What fires you up? What are your unique strengths? Where do you feel stuck or lost?

You can choose self-study, or coached options for any course to get more one-to-one mentorship that can boost your experience even more. It can be truly transformative to be witnessed, seen, and encouraged by coaching, although even in my “self-studies” you’ll get intereaction with me.

From design sketching, model drawing,… to fashion illustration, concept development,… to digital fashion illustration, or patternmaking, draping and fashion portofolio…. or all of it, here goes…..

Blog Posts

Come on in and browse around! Use the search bar in my header menu to search for any topics on fashion design, technical design, and fashion sketching and illustration.

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Learn creative, professional fashion design, sketching, technical and fashion illustration online through an atmosphere of FLOW, enjoyment, exploration and innovation.

SOULFUL, SKILLFUL FASHION EDUCATION

I was so disappointed with the changing landscape of “fashion design education”- both from the institutional standpoint and its approach to the craft.

FOR ME FASHION IS PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL. I never entered the field planning to sit at a computer clicking buttons all day in a chair. I came to fashion design wanting to touch, see, smell, hear, touch and feel. To build, drape, interact, play, discover, try new things, travel, research, dig and draw. As computer classes and an evolving corporate landscape edged sewing, draping, drawing, painting out of the design learning process, I couldn’t bring my soul on board with that approach.

I intentionally crafted these SOULFUL Fashion Art and Design Foundation courses for you to learn –from anywhere, anytime– a FULL BODY experience of fashion design, for a lifetimeof enjoyment.

You’ll experience, create, and graduate with skills that become a part of you to LIVE in and with. Creativity, discovery, experience, embodiment, evolution and expression are key pillars here.

You’ll find yourself supported, encouraged and guided on a journey of soulful self discovery here in the process. Because I know what magic happens when our defenses are down and we know we can be ourselves while learing and creating fashion….

Immerse yourself in the flow and spark of personal evolution through the arts of fashion with me.

I’m your, coach, a fashion author, course creater, designer, artist, and guide. I created Fashion Illustration Tribe as a space to discover and express yourself through your passion for the traditions, possibilities and innovations of fashion, design, arts, and illustration. As you encounter challenges along your journey to fuller expression, I’m here to guide you over those hurdles and enjoy the discoveries on the other side!

Contact me directly for private coaching inquiries: info@fashionillustrationtribe.com

Are you a beginner to fashion studies?

or have you been “at it ” for a while?

I welcome fashion-loving creatives of all kinds in to unwind and unfurl your wings.

Fashion, style, and adornment invite you to fan your inner fire, find and refine your voice and style, AND loosen up if that’s what’s needed. For most, that’s what’s needed!)

Sharpen your professional fashion art and design skills; infused with raw heart, freedom, intuition, deliberate intention, personal motivation, and a sense of adventure.

Isn’t that why we come to fashion?

This is the space where curiosity, discovery, inspiration, improvisation, accuracy and innovation flow out of learning in a space of encouragement, support, excellence, humor, intimacy and openness to grow and stretch..

Our creative expression is a journey in the material world, in our communities, but ultimately it’s a journey within ourselves, and our relationship to our own individual voice and expression.

It’s the TONE of my courses that make a difference in peoples’ lives here. I

t’s HOW we learn and expand when we feel at home and safe to embrace our natural process while learning

–that brings us to integrate these professional, creative, quality skills at such a high level.

…to learn more about me click >>|about laura volpintesta booklet|

I’m the Author of the Language of Fashion Design and fashion design faculty at Parsons School of Design since 1997- where’ I’ve had the unique opportunity to teach such a wide scope of fashion design courses; from 3 -D design/draping, patternmaking, sewing and construction, beginner and advanced fashion illustration, fashion design portfolio development, concept creation and research for fashion, and fashion model drawing.

There is nothing in the world like feeling the world of art and design open up in your hands, heart and soul as your journey unfolds and your creative voice starts to sing, at first so softly,

building through embodiment of technique, practice, and self-discovery. as we “clear” any of the clogged pipes to your creative outward expression from your inner voice. I am deeply honored to be a part of your journey.

There are free resources to support you everywhere on this blog, videos, tutorials, and more on the sales pages for each course.

I invite you to tune within and feel the creative energy bubbling up from that source within you that is always with you– and thank it for taking you on this journey and staying by your side. !

I want you to know without a DOUBT that if you have the desire and the love to create, then there is no way on earth that it is not within your power and ability to do so. Your desire that brought you here is your destiny to acheive it!

Now, let’s dive in.

INDIVIDUAL COURSES AND PROGRAMS:

VIEW THE ALL -ACCESS signature cerftifcation suite offashion programs above, or Click on any course below to visit the sales page, most of the sales pages have free tutorials to enjoy!!

What my students say:

"Hello Laura! Maria here☺️. I just wanted to thank you again for everything this three weeks. You have no idea how much I learned from you and the class. You really transmitted to all of us the deep passion you have for what you do. It is really inspiring to have a teacher that shows you what you can accomplish and the happiness that doing what you love gives you. I hope we can meet in the near future and stay in contact. Wish you the very best and again, thank you for everything, Maria❤️"

MARIA

Chile

“The Fabric & Flow Course is great for developing your skills and unleashing your creative spirit. Laura shares her skills, tips and words of wisdom from her lifetime experience as a fashion designer and educator in a fun and accessible way. I was able to find more confidence and freedom going through the exercises and found new ways of working that have helped me develop my skills - all while having fun! I know of no other course like it and highly recommend it. - Fifi

Fifi

Australia

Processes:

"Laura demystifies the fashion design process with a unique set of online courses designed to develop your design skills in an accessible and supportive environment. She is committed to her student’s development and teaches with a warmth, kindness and contagious enthusiasm for creative exploration and personal growth. A born teacher with a vast amount of knowledge and experience in the fashion industry, Laura will inspire and empower you whilst being your biggest cheerleader as you develop and reach your goals."

Laura Hickman

Fashion Illustrator,Author and Designer

Nourishment and Encouragement:

"To find a teacher in the arts who offers up everything they know and more, and whose sole purpose is to see you 'fly'- ... is extremely rare. Laura is one of those teachers. She set us up for success in so many ways. Generosity, creativity, and encouragement-- plus a solid foundation in basic art-- were all part of her teaching. I created some of my best work in her Fashion Drawing 1 class and still rely on many of the techniques. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been her student."

Jacqueline Heloise

Fashion Illustrator, Musician and Fashion Designer

Confidence:

"Teaching isn't just skill....Laura, your personality makes me feel like I can do anything. I've never done this before, and I've amazed myself!"

Tatiana Light

Fashion Designer

Structures and Formats for Success:

“I have nothing but good things to say about your portfolio class. You helped me in many ways but one of the most valuable holes you filled for me was on how to organize my thoughts when sketching. Its difficult to harness the muse in any kind of orderly way but your method has served me well. Both in that I came out of Parson’s with a strong portfolio that is single handedly responsible for landing me interviews ...but has also cinched the position at two different design firms now... Your drawing and the Portfolio are some of the most valuable things I got from Parsons as a whole. So thanks a bunch. You revved up my engine and Im still travelling on that momentum”-

Lauren Jones

Fashion Designer,Illustrator, Print Designer

Warmth, magic and JOY:

"I was fortunate to have such a wonderful professor for my Fashion Industry Design class(at Parsons). Laura is a talented designer/ illustrator, amazing tutor, and deep personality. Her open-mindedness, support, warm and kind attitude creates absolutely magical atmosphere in class. Laura is so alive, sincere, joyful and creative, it touches everyone. There is no chance a student can stay away from such great energy!"

Ev Bessar

Fashion Designer,Artist, PhilanthropistIllustrator, Print Designer

Experience for a Lifetime:

"I genuinely cannot say enough about how important your classes were to me and how much I loved them :0). In my time at Parsons I must say Laura’s class was my favorite! … where I truly learned the most about fashion drawing. I gained an understanding and awareness of proportion and how the human form reacts to movement…. tI was a student at Parsons over five years ago, but he skills I learned in Laura’s class have stayed with me. More importantly, though, is how much FUN her classes were, and how inspiring Laura is as a teacher! She encouraged us not to be afraid of color, shape and movement in our work! And this is what made everyone strive to create something unique and beautiful! Laura is a gem! A beautiful person inside and out, and one of the best teachers I have ever had, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her!"

Beth Gillespie

Fashion Illustrator and Designer

Professional Educator:

“Probably about 25 years ago, I hired Laura to teach at Parsons. She was excellent then, and has continued to innovate and expand as a teacher and as an artist. She’s without questions one of the best I’ve known”

Pamela Klein

fine artist, designer, former chair at Parsons School of Design

Passion plus Expertise all in one place:

"Laura is a talented, wise and passionate artist and teacher. Her courses are filled with amazing content delivered to build a solid technical foundation in illustration and fashion design or to expand on her students' existing skills. Her courses are appropriate for designers who want to develop their illustration skills, students who are building a portfolio for fashion design school, and anyone interested in fashion illustration or the design industry. Laura is an expert instructor with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Laura is offering something that no one else is: professional design school courses with personalized, private coaching available online wherever you are in the world.."

Melissa Darou

strategic marketing and retreat facilitator www.melissadarou.com.

Heart and Soul, Practical and Joyful:

"Laura puts her heart and soul into HOW she approaches teaching (fashion) illustration/drawing. Her gentleness, innovation and enthusiasm puts my self-doubt at ease and propels me to practice without judgement. I've studied with other college level instructors and what sets Laura apart is her unique way of breaking down visually complex forms into simple practical steps. She sets her students up to build confidence and achieve consistent progress. She sets her students up to Win, with great empathy joy and care!"