Not only in your fashion illustrations, but in life:
When you finally allow the shadows to show themselves and speak up, your work and life become beautifully “round” , rich, dimensional and integrated!
GRAB YOUR JOURNAL
I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT SHADING AND SHADOWS!
What a beautiful metaphor. And technique for fashion art, sketches, design illustrations, and drawings……
AND LIFE.
You all know I’ve been enthusiastically teaching fashion illustration, design, and model drawing for over 27 years at Parsons School of Design Fashion department -and now 13 years here in my private coaching programs and online courses.
AND THIS BUSINESS WAS BORN IN THE SHADOWS. IT’s a long story for another day, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows that encouraged me to go out on my own from the university. (Well, it sort of was, because part of the reason was my beautiful family).
But it required me to go into my own shadows and beyond my fears!
And likewise,…
SHADING HAS ALWAYS BEEN
…… the most feared and avoided element of those new to fashion illustration and fashion drawing. My students and clients avoid it like crazy. It’s the funniest thing, and yet, I totally understand it because I went through it too, personally.
and at the same time?
SHADING IS THE BEST TOOL!
THE BIGGEST SAVIOR! But apparently it takes a leap of faith and trust to cross the fear line and land on the other side.
Shading and shadows are the MAGICAL ELEMENT that adds movement, depth, dimension and ease to your fashion sketches.
Shading is something students and clients fear
because they think the dark markings will ruin their sketches.
Ironically, using pale, shy shadows doesn’t have any effect. The drawing stays flat and “thin” with very little texture this way.
So when you get bold and dark with shading, it feels “destructive” and risky, but it actually adds ease and softness and “reality” to your fashion illustration!
it’s an amazing metaphor for life
and today’s videos are about that.
This Issey Miyake timelapse below has no instruction, (only my original music) except that you can see the fashion illustration build and how the addition of shading at the end makes it all POP and come to life and form.
It’s about that thing you are so afraid to do….
that feeling that you could make a horrible mistake and “ruin everything……” is a fear and a belief that holds you back
but so beautifully untrue!
EXPLORING THE SHADOW OF PERFECTIONISM
My favorite thing about teaching fashion design and illustration is experiencing these transformational A-HA moments with you.
HOW BAD CAN IT BE?
SOMETIMES you need to be eager and willing to “ruin the drawing”.
To get uncomfortable long enough to move into a whole new arena and level.
To be ” a terrible artist”. To make an “ugly sketch”.
To take something beautiful and maybe destroy it on your way to a new WORLD of possibilities (that some part of you knows exists!)
Our perfectionist selves fear this like CRAZY!!!!
But oh my gosh!
FREE FALLING
When we “free fall” into that zone of “I don’t care” liberation, we find we are liften and enriched. That we CAN’T RUIN IT, and even if we could, we would still be okay!
ONE BIG SHADOW can set make the beauty shine brighter
TAKING THE RISK
Taking the risk would make our experience richer and give us gifts that ONLY THOSE WHO ADVENTURE OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE get to experience!
That’s where your confidence and security come from, and your deep trust and the twinkle in your eye that creatives get when they learn to trust the Universe and the creative process and creative source within them!
I loved making this video about SHADOWS
AND SHADING
and sharing this message with you.
If you feel called to take the plunge into your fashion studies, YEAR OF FASHION design COACHED is open and half price for ten more days….
let’s take this journey together!
Love
Laura
