Jennifer Lilya - Fashion Illustration Art: How to Draw Fun & Fabulous Figures, Trends and Styles

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I love painting pretty pictures! It sounds so simple, but those few words sum up my world of fun, fabulous fashion illustration. I grab my paint and brushes and completely lose myself in colors, silhouettes and beauty.

I fell in love with the art of fashion illustration long before I realized it was a thing. My eyes were always drawn to the gorgeous brushstrokes and expressive beauty found in traditional fashion illustration. The magazine advertisements of the 70s and 80s that contained illustrative work were always my absolute favorite. I would spend countless hours tracing, practicing and emulating the art that I found to be so pretty and compelling. I was always the kid in class who could draw, but to turn those childhood doodles into a lifelong career is a dream come true.

The artists who inspired me when I was a kidAntonio Lopez, Ren Gruau, Carl Erickson, Tony Viramontes and countless othersare still the artists who inspire me to this day. To think that Ive made a name for myself in the wonderful world of fashion illustration makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. My ten-year-old self would be freaking out with joy to know that I would be painting my Barbie dolls all day long when I was a grown-up!

I spend each day painting pretty people in their whimsical worldssometimes real, sometimes a complete fantasy, but both are fabulously fun. Many people have asked me to teach classes or write a book, but I never really had the time to take on such a huge personal project. When I got a call from F+W, I knew that I had to jump in with both feet and just do it!

Ill admit it was challenge finding the time to work on the book in between other client projects, sometimes grasping for inspiration at 3:00am and trying to find the right words to use to make verbal sense of what I do instinctively. My goal was to turn my fashion illustration methods into lessons that will help you, the reader, all while making them fun, exciting and inspiring so that you want to do nothing but paint pretty pictures all day long. I hope you find this mission accomplished!

The lessons in this book are what I do from start-to-finish to create my Lilya Girls. Ive broken down my process by how I portion out my day-to-day projects. Well start with the supplies you need to get started as well as the basics of color, skin tones, anatomy and balance. Then well warm up with gesture paintings and practice expressive lines and brushwork to master the lively movement so instrumental in fashion illustration. Finally we will practice the details and finishing touches that complete a piece and make it truly magical.

I hope you have as much fun painting with this book as I do painting in my studio each day. Approach your art career with seriousness, but remember that fashion is also light-hearted, sweet, pretty, fun and visually exciting. Keep that in mind and your girls will start to come to life in perfect worlds of your own!

xoxo

What You Need

Surface

Stonehenge paper

Pigments

assortment of acrylic paints including Titanium White, Cadmium Orange (for outlines) and Dioxazine Purple (for shadows), metallic paints, black permanent ink

Brushes

nos. 000 to 12 rounds

Other Tools

small porcelain palette for mixing inks

large porcelain palette for mixing acrylics

water jars and spray bottle

paper towels

PAINT THE TOWN PINK!

SKYLAR

Just as a chef prepares her ingredients, tools and equipment to create a delicious recipe, my mise en place consists of paints, brushes and paper to create pretty paintings. Before I even set brush to paper, I set my drawing board up with a rainbow of colors, supplies and inspiration, which youll find inside this chapter. Its taken me years to discover and perfect my favorite color palette, my favorite brands of paints and paper, and especially my favorite brushes. This chapter provides an easy guide that can be altered to suit your own illustration needs. I suggest you experiment with a variety of colors and tools to enhance your creativity and find your very own mise en place.

Painting Supplies

BRUSHES AND BRUSH CARE

There are many sizes, shapes and brands of brushes, but my personal favorite is the quite affordable Winsor & Newton University Series. These synthetic brushes are sturdy enough for heavy acrylics and fine enough to create a watercolor effect on paper.

I use only round brushes. They creates perfect lines for fashionanything from a delicate, pointed eyelash to covering a large background of color in one stroke.

Theres no need to spend money on expensive brush cleaners; just use a gentle shampoo straight from your shower. Clean your brushes about once a week to rid them of the paint and ink that build up at the base. Gently suds up your brushes with lukewarm water and shampoo in the palm of your hand, swirling them around to remove any dried paint. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly and use your fingers to reshape each brush into a point before it dries.

ACRYLIC PAINT

Many people think that I work in watercolor and are surprised to hear that my illustrations are created in acrylic and black ink. I love a watercolor effect, but I dont like how watercolors are still blendable on paper. I want my brushstrokes to be quick and fresh. Once acrylics dry on paper, theyre water resistant and cant be changed. This allows me to layer color upon color without worrying about them turning into mud or tearing up the paper with too much blending. Experiment with acrylics. Youll find that you can create a whisper soft wash all the way to a deeply textured surface. I tend to stay on the watercolor-effect side of acrylicsI prefer fashion to be on the light and whimsical end of the spectrum, and acrylics allow me to achieve this.