Essential Fashion Illustration: Color and Medium

From the first rough sketch pursuing the development of an idea into fabric choice and draping style, fashion design is an exercise in imagination and problem-solving.

When it comes to documenting the evolution of fashion as culture, we could safely say that illustration has become fashion design’s number one ambassador, covering a visual timeline of materials, techniques and styles that have graced the fashion world over the past century. This book features more than 250 illustrations. Practical exercises will guide you through creative activities focused on contemporary fashion illustration. The exercises include suggestions and tips, and are executed by practicing contemporary illustrators. Instruction provided will allow designers to improve their drawing skills and communicate their vision effectively through a range of illustration mediums that incorporate color as a contributing element for both style and texture. With this special attention to color and how it is perceived the illustrations highlight how subtle nuances or striking changes can occur when rendered using different techniques in gouache, watercolor, pencil, pastels or digital, and how these materials can transform the feel and mood of each illustration.

About the Author:

Estel Vilaseca completed her Audiovisual Communications degree at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona at around the same time she created a forerunning digital fashion magazine. Her professional career is geared towards graphic design, fashion, and visual trends in general. After working with Dresslab, Neomoda and an influent communications agency specialized in fashion, she now dedicates herself entirely to editing, for maomao as well as for a personal project.