EXPLORE: Versatile, vibrant apps for fashion sketching and illustration!
I studied fashion design and fashion illustration back in the early 90s at the renowned Parsons School of Design where I continue to tach today.
And there isn’t a single day I’m not thankful that that is when I was learning.
Because Fashion Education has changed SO MUCH! I’m not convinced that removing drawing from the curriculae has served young designers.
I believe all designers want fashion sketching with ease and confidence as part of their skills set.
In the early 90s, our fashion design education had heavy emphasis on fine arts, (drawing, figure drawing and life drawing, painting, color theory, sculpture, ) and all of these courses made up our first year of study. before we began more specific fashion design studies (model drawing, illustration, draping, patternmaking, concept development, and construction).
I actually had such weak drawing skills when I applied to Parsons in NYC that my acceptance to the fashion design program was contingent on a summer intensive in drawing! 5 weeks of 6 hour days of mostly model drawing in a huge room surrounded with windows floating above Greenwich Village, with live , non -fashion models, and lots of CHARCOAL .
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME– and here’s why:
Fashion Illustration and Sketching as part of the creative design process
I am a passionate believer, as a fashion educator, author, designer and artist for 30 years now, that the QUALITY OF OUR EXPERIENCE in the creative process determines the quality of the “product”!
To state it more simply,– the richness, depth, wonder, and evocative beauty in every step produces RICH, DEEP, WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL and evocative inspired fashion art and design!
The open ended, soft, smoky, gritty, flowy, PHYSICAL aspects of drawing cannot be replaced by clicking on a computer screeen.
Fashion Illustration using apps CAN provide a freehand sketching experience (key word: FREE) that keeps you connected to the intuitive, emotive, tactile aspects of sketching.
I always tell my students to be aware of the SOCIAL aspect of the design page.
Are the figures alone, cold, sterile, are they interacting?
Are they stiff or full of flow and vitality?
Hiow does the viewer feel when they see your sketches?
How do YOU feel when you see your sketches?
If you have flats and sketches together on a single page, how are the elements of that page interacting with each other?? ( i have a pinterest board about that)
Even when your page is “just about design thinking”, IS THERE such a thing as FASHION DESIGN THINKING that doesn’t have a social, psychological, spiritual component?
So remember to consider
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
HOW IS THE WEARER FEELING?
How do you want the viewer to feel, what do you want them to see first ?
What is it you really want to say?
THIS BRINGS US BACK TO THE INITIAL CONVERSATION:
HOW DO YOU WANT TO FEEL WHILE YOU ARE CREATING?
FREEHAND work that is open handed, physical and flowing lends a feeling and experience that clicking boxes with a mouse while staring at a screen cannot replace.
This is why I am passionately urging you to pick up analog art supplies to bring your ideas to life through fine arts and illustration.
Then, when you are on the go, you can use your ipad or tablet to mimic those same tools to make your art/design work
Fashion Sketching with Art apps is portable, flexible and shareable
Using an app for fashion sketching, as I said, is not recommended as a substitute for the experience of working with deliciously gritty and textural pencils , papers and watercolors. Even if we are using an app like Tayasui Sketches app which is so beautiful at mimicing those artistic qualities.
BUT WOW, when you are on the go, ISN’T IT WONDERFUL to have a suitcase full of art supplies that never dry up, break or run out, tucked neatly and conveniently into your portable device?
No water, no washing brushes, no sharpening pencils……
But since you will have to choose pencil thickness or softness, paint color and opacity, pencil or ink, paint or marker, filling or stroking, etc, then we have another concern- ease and immediacy.
And so,
AND WHAT MAKES ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE in this moment is to have the most intuitive, immediate, reflexive and efffortless interface possible.
WHY does the interface mattern?
Because at the end of the day, software and apps don’t have the immediate physical creative flow that natural art supplies for fashion illustration and design sketching have.
This physical grounding is actually stress relieving, which enhances our creative fashion sketching process. When we are tense and mostly in our heads, we experience more mental strain.
IT IS OUR GOAL TO HAVE A KIND OF NATURAL FEELING IN OUR PROCESS that keeps us grounded in our physical nature while balancing that with the “mental” aspects of designing.
This way, we can feel our response to our fashion design and artistic choices from a human, emotional and sensitive place.
The key is not to lose touch with our humanness, as far as I’m concerned, that is a top priority.
There’s nothing i’m more passionate about than highly personalized, clear and informative creative design sketching that reflects the personal style and voice of the artist/ fashion designer/ fashion illustrator.
My highest goal is to unblock pathways to your ultimate flow in creative process from the physical to the psychological aspects of bringing your imagination out into the world and onto the page.
I’d love to hear from you: what are your experiences, challenges, joys, and questions regarding this world of fashion creativity and expression?
Thanks for visiting and i hope you’ll continue to be inspired to paint, sketch, draw, make , design, sew, and USE YOUR IPAD to create and share your unique voice in fashion design and illustration for YEARS AND YEARS to come…
In a way that feels pleasurable and exhilarating, expansive and fulflilling.
Love always,
Laura
ps. the images on this page are linked to relevant courses to nudge you forward on your journey and build your portfolio through creative projects and expansive exercises.
Each course page has a free tutorial or two on it as well, so you can begin learning with me whether or not you join a course.
I WELCOME YOU!
