How relevant is fashion illustration in today’s design industry? Fans and media love to see a fashion designer’s
sketch, but is it really used in the process of putting together a
collection? Renaldo Barnette is the
answer to that question.
Renaldo has been a professional fashion illustrator hired by
brands like Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Nicole Miller. While some designers sketch for themselves,
others rely on more experienced artists like Renaldo Barnette to specifically
express their collection ideas in detail.
Take a look at his illustrations above. Do you see the difference between these and
the fanciful images you see in the media?
Fashion sketching for the purpose of clothing design is much more
detailed. If you ever studied fashion
design at a reputable school, these principles are drilled into you for your
entire portfolio development.
Your proportions need to be accurate. Even if the typical fashion figure is not
realistic to the average human being, your rendering of the clothing needs to
be correct to the proportions of the figure you have drawn. An advertising illustration can have a 10”
waist with a gigantic ballgown skirt that defies gravity made of mystery space
fabric. In the process of design, the drawing of the fabric
texture needs to be clear. The movement
and weight of the fabrics intended must be accurate. Could
a technical designer, draper or pattern maker recreate your look from viewing
the sketch?
Almost every “designer” job posting I come across asks for
Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or InDesign experience. Tech packs to factories at most major
companies require detailed technical flat sketches drawn with mathematical precision
(and no personality). Even when I first
graduated Parsons School of Design, being a full-time fashion artist was not a
career path many could hope to aspire to as the industry made it clear that CAD
would be standard. The artistic prints
that once were hand-painted in gouache are now completely cut from patterns
with “brushstroke” functions in a computer program.
I am so happy to know that classic artistic talent can still
result in a successful fashion career in the form of people like RenaldoBarnette. While this may not be a
priority in modern fashion programs anymore, the artist is teaching three
workshops in fashion drawing starting with the upcoming Saturday. Learn to sketch a collection like a professional.
So are you ready to draw with Renaldo Barnette? Register for his workshop today!
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