She is cooler than cool / Ona je iznad svega ( Fashion illustration of the day/ Modna ilustracija dana)

September 26, 2016

Is background important? Yes, it is important in many ways. Today I won't talk about having the right kind of background for a certain job or position (widely debated topic today) but I will talk about background in paintings and drawings.

Not in the historical sense of the world, one that has to do with history of classical art. I won't analyze great painters, not just yet. I will, however, mention the history of fashion illustration. Is there such thing? There certainly is. It is estimated that fashion illustration is approximately 500 years old.

It dates back to the origins of fashion as we know it today, albeit it could be argued with good points that fashion is a lot older than that (points I happen to agree with that is why I'm using the phrase 'fashion as we know it today' because that implies a newer definition of fashion that is often taken for granted).

After all, there are very precise paintings of garments to be found in Asian art that are a lot older from Western ones, so it is not like it is something relatively new (and only five centuries old). Still, five hundred years seems to be the standard version in fashion history textbooks. Fashion illustration, from its origins, has both practical and artistic aspect.

Sometimes it was a bit more than a sketch and sometimes it was a work of art in its own right. Fashion illustration, throughout history, was often used in advertisements. In fact, all the first adds in all the first fashion magazines were using just that- fashion illustrations. In fact, fashion illustrations used to be the main method of advertising. Hence, there was a strong commercial aspect to fashion illustrations back then.

POST UPDATE 2024

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FRIDAY FASHION ILLUSTRATION: FANTASY VIBES

Je li pozadina važna? Naravno važna je na puno načina. Danas tema neće biti imati pravi pozadinu za neki posao ili položaj (tema o kojoj se puno raspravlja danas) nego ću pričati o pozadini na slikama i crtežima. Ne u povijesnom smislu, onom koji ima veze s poviješću klasične umjetnosti. Neću analizirati velike slike, ne još. No, spomenut ću povijest modne ilustracije. Je li to uopće postoji? Naravno da postoji. Pretpostavlja se da je povijest modne ilustracije stara oko petsto godina. Datira u same početke mode kakvu poznajemo danas, mada naravno da postoje valjani argumenti da je moda puno starija od toga, s kojima se ja osobno, slažem zato i naglašavam "moda kakvu znamo danas" da bi naglasila da je riječ o novijoj definiciji mode koja se čini se uzima zdravo za gotovo. Napokon, postoje jako ddetaljne slike odjeće u Azijskoj umjetnosti koje su starije od zapadnih prikaza tako da se svakako ne radi o nečemu relativno novim ( i starom samo pet stoljeća). Ipak ta definicija od pet stotina godina čini se standardnom u povijesnim knjigama o modi. Modna ilustracija od svojih početaka imala je i praktičnu i umjetničku ulogu. Ponekad je bila tek nešto više od skice, a ponekad pravo malo umjetničko djelo. Modna ilustracija, se kroz povijest, često koristila u oglašavanju. Zapravo prvi oglasi u svim prvim modnim časopisima su koristili upravo to- modne ilustracije. Zapravo modne ilustracije su nekada bile glavno sredstvo oglašavanja. Tako da je tada postojao naglašeni komercijalni aspekt modnih ilustracija.

SEE MORE OF MY FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS

MORE POSTS IN THIS CATEGORY (2023) :

FRIDAY FASHION ILLUSTRATION APRIL 2023: A BLUE MAXI DRESS 7TH OF APRIL

SPRING INSPIRED FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS published on 24th of March

FRIDAY FASHION ILLUSTRATION : TWO PORTRAIT SKETCHES published on 10th of March

FASHION ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY: MY SELECTION published on 24th of February.

AUTUMN AND WINTER INSPIRATION and published on 7th of October.

People say that the invention of photography has killed the fashion illustration but I would disagree. Why be negative and say that that fashion illustration was robbed of it main function and consequently lost its power? That is partially true btw, fashion illustration lost the race to fashion photography when it comes to the prime marketing tool, but that is not all the story. Fashion illustration went underground but it hasn't disappeared. Freed from its commercial purpose, fashion illustration has flourished in a new way. If you look at contemporary fashion illustrations, like Kat MacLeod, Susannah Garrod, Natasha Thomson, Garance Dore or Maya Baus (to name just a few), you will notice that have all developed their own unique signature style. Personally I simply adore contemporary fashion illustration for it is often is quite daring, wonderfully bold and refreshingly different. It is like all the rules have been abolished. This field is filled with amazingly talented artists and it is booming with life. Fashion illustration is neither forgotten nor dead, it survived the all its crisis. Perhaps its disappearance from the magazine was a blessing in a disguise for it could be argued it has helped fashion illustration get back to its artistic roots. You know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Fashion illustration is still alive and kicking. I'm even blessed to have one fashion illustration among my blogging friends, so I often get a daily dose of inspiration. Yes, it is you Pablo! Visit his blog Fungi Express if you already hadn't. Pablo also writes great articles about various topics, mostly looking upon these worldly subjects from a fashion angle.

Ljudi kažu da je izum fotografije ubio modnu ilustraciju, ali ja se s time ne slažem. Zašto biti tako negativan i reći da je modna ilustracija izgubivši svoju glavnu funkciju izgubila svoju moć? To je djelomično točno, modna ilustracija je doista izgubila uturku s fotografijom za mjesto glavnom marketinškoga alata, ali to nije cijela priča. Modna ilustracija je otišla u podzemlje, ali nije nestala. Oslobođena svoje komercijalne svrhe, modna ilustracija je procvjetala na jedan novi način. Pogledate li suvremene modne ilustratorice ( ostavila sam vam poveznice u engleskom dijelu teksta, slobodno tamo kliknite ako vas zanimaju djela spomenutih umjetnica), sigurno ćete primijetiti da su sve razvile (slučajno je ispalo da su sve žene) poseban stil slikanja koji je samo njima svojstven. Osobno ja jednostavno obožavam suvremenu modnu ilustraciju jer je često jako odvažna, divno hrabra i osvježavajuće drukčija. Kao da su sva pravila ukinuta. Ovo polje prepuno je nevjerojatno talentiranih umjetika i puno je života. Modna ilustracija nije ni zaboravljena, ni mrtva, preživjela je sve svoje krize. Možda je njen nestanak iz časopisa zapravo bio prerušeni blagoslov jer bi se moglo reći da je baš to pomoglo modnoj ilustraciji da se vrati svojim umjetničkim korjenima. Znate kako kažu! Što vas ne ubije, ojača vas. Modna ilustracija se još drži. Čak sam toliko sretna pa imam i jedanoga modnoga ilustratora među prijateljima blogerima tako da često dobijem dnevnu dozu nadahnuća. To si ti, Pablo! Posjetite njegov blog Fungi Express ako već niste. Pablo piše i vrhunske članke, o svakakvim temam, većinom iz modnoga kuta, ali s osvrtom na svjetske teme.

*** Ovdje završava moj hrvatski prijevod teksta jer žurim, pa ću samo sažeti bit, naime u naredna četiri odlomka govorim o svom odnosu prema modnim ilustracijama, ali mislim da sam već govorila o tome na blogu, tako da to nije ništa novo. Nekakav je moj zaključak cijele ovo teme to da je modna ilustracije još uvijek iznad svega, nekakako kako mi djeluje i ova djevojka na slici (vratila sam se akvarelu kao što možete vidjeti). Žao mi je ali jučer nisam imala vremena prevoditi članak. Nažalost, treba mi jednako vremena za prevođenje svoga teksta kao i tuđega, to zapravo i ne ide brzo jer iako mi je hrvatski jezik materijalni moram ipak prvo pročitati tekst na engleskom jer obično na njemu pišem. Ljubim vas, hvala na čitanju.

So, it seems that fashion illustration is here to stay. Students of Fashion Designer are still taught to draw, sketch and paint their creations. This can, I believe, be very useful in developing and reinforcing the creative process of designing. Anyway, it can't hurt, right? Not that you need to be a painter to be a designer, many great designers can't draw a straight line, they simply hire professional illustrators to do it for them. Believe it or not, some artists do fashion illustrations for a living. Obviously, fashion illustration is here to stay. There are also people like myself, hobby artists who do fashion illustrations for their own pleasure. What is my story? Well, I have always done fashion illustrations ever since I was a little girl. I didn't see it as anything out of the ordinary, because I would drew and paint just about anything all the time, yet when I would draw clothes, it would usually be just that- a sketch, an illustration or a painting of an outfit. In other words, a fashion illustration. It was a hobby I never completely gave up upon, even if there was probably an odd year when I would not draw any fashion illustration. I only started collecting my own fashion illustrations recently and many of my old works were lost in the move from Split to Mostar ( I had to throw them in recycle bins because I simply couldn't transport all my paintings). I'm afraid the same faith awaits my newer works, but I'm still trying to work out a system that would allow me to store them. Being faced with so many exploding folders, I feel tempted to give it up. At any rate, fashion illustration is something I always did, but most often without even realizing that is what I was doing at the moment.

I talked about our mechanism of denial here in Why Is Fashion Often A Dirty Word? The thing is, I still want to do fashion illustration. That desire has never left me. It hasn't evolved into something more, but it hasn't lost its intensity either. So, here I am. Drawing, sketching, illustration and painting fashion illustrations in many different styles (from cartoon-ish to artistic) and using various media (pencil, make up, watercolour, pastels, oil paints and what not). I'm not active at the Instagram at the moment, but often I share these creations with you here on modaodaradosti. It can be a lot of time but naturally often it can be quite tiring because I have so many ideas and it is hard to dedicate a substantial amount of time for in. So, in reality I often can't spare more than fifteen minutes for an illustration yet that's life, always bittersweet and never having quite enough time. You know what they say? When you care, you make time for it. There is also that Inspired by feature I'm very fond of and I'm doing my best to keep it going. It's a challenge setting aside time for it and even a greater challenge figuring out how to store all those illustration. Nevertheless, it is certainly something I want to be doing and that's why I'm doing it, so no complains here.

Now, let's get back to the topic of background. Usually there is a background to my fashion illustration and it is kind of a part of my fashion illustration. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has to do with placement, the feeling of capturing some definite place and time. Perhaps I'm afraid that without it my girls would get stuck up in some fashion limbo. Joking aside, I like how a nice background makes illustration seem more grounded. You might have noticed that often background plays an important part in the atmosphere I'm trying to create with a certain illustration. To me it is just something that makes sense. Perhaps it is because I'm self-taught and have never took a fashion illustration course, but I think that the background doesn't necessarily take away the focus from the clothes. Because you know what? Clothes are never just clothes, there is always a context and a story. I'm sure that is what draws me to fashion.

The older I get, the more I realize that fashion is a very complex thing, a monstrous creature that escapes our definitions and just when we think we have cornered it, this monstrous creature jumps over our heads and leaves us in bewilderment. Fashion illustration? It has found a way to evolve. For some it's a hobby, for others a career, but it is here to stay. I was thinking of naming this illustration 'She is cooler than cool' but it has just now struck me that could be said of fashion illustration as well. This girl on this watercolour illustration of mine? She seems cooler than cool. She has her flare jeans, red blouse and matching choker, black blazer (velvet) and pointy (ankle!) boots and I love her for attitude as much as for her clothes. Do you know what else I love? Fashion illustration, for what it was and for what it is, because fashion illustration is cooler than cool. Thank you for reading!

xoxo

Ivana

MORE LINKS TO POSTS ABOUT FASHION ILLUSTRATING

DIGITAL RETOUCHING WITH PAINT 3D, LADY IN A LILAC DRESS and BALL PAINT FASHION ILLUSTRATION.

Comments

Aly In Wanderland26 September 2016 at 03:42
Indeed. So many points you raised here and I agree. For me, it is just a hobby, sometimes its monstrous but it is also fun. Fashion that is.

<3 | X ALY | Aly In Wanderland | New post | ft. Ripped Denim Jumpsuit
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FashionJazz26 September 2016 at 04:17
Gorgeous as always :) xx

www.fashionjazz.co.za
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Unknown26 September 2016 at 04:18
Drago mi je da si se vratila akvarelu, ja ga nekako najviše volim vidjeti na ilustracijama :) I mislim da je ilustracija zadnjih godina pronašla neki novi uzlet, sve više je super cura koje rade sjajne stvari (baci pogled na www.whatktdoes.com, ja je pratim na instagramu i radi super modne ilustracije) i nadam se da će tako i ostati :)

Vjerujem da imaš problem sa pohranom crteža, ali nemoj odustati, znam da si ih već prikupila valjda na tisuće, ali šteta je biti primoran baciti ih kad su tako posebni, jedinstveni i - tvoji. Jesi možda razmišljala o digitaliziranju? Onda si možeš kupiti eksterni disk koji će biti samo za njih i imati ćeš ih sve na jednom mjestu. Skeniranje je idealno rješenje, ali ne i nužno, možeš to sve obaviti fotićem (ako trebaš savjet, samo viči) i zaista nije komplicirano.
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Unknown26 September 2016 at 04:57
Ma ti si cooler than cool takođe :) Jako mi se svideo ovaj osvrt na modne ilsutracije i način na koji sebe pronalaziš u tom svetu. Sećam se kad sam bila mlađa, da sam jako želela da se i sama okušam u tako nečemu, ali to nekako nikad nije zaživelo. Slažem se da je moderno doba ilustraciji donelo novi život a ne nužno samo zlo, čak mislim da u poslednje vreme dobija sasvim nove dimenzije. I ja jako volim Pablov blog i on mi je baš dokaz onoj temi kako je moda mnogo više nego što deluje na prvi pogled. O tvoji ilustracijama imam samo reči hvale, beskrajno si inspirativna i želim ti da uvek nađeš vremena za njih. Stvarno mi je užitak kad dođem ovde kod tebe i pokupim pregršt inspiracije i kvalitenog sadržaja. Ne brini za prevod, znam i sama koliki je to posao iako to laicima deluje tek tako, ništa. Mislim da se i taj posao često uzima zdravo za gotovo, ali to je neka druga tema ;)
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Paola Lauretano26 September 2016 at 05:49
Che bella questa illustrazione, look perfetto!!!
Kisses, Paola.

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the chilicool26 September 2016 at 06:08
Molto bella questa illustrazione, sei bravissima!
Alessia
new post
Thechilicool
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Coco26 September 2016 at 06:22
Adoro le tue illustrazioni Ivana, sei bravissima! Bacio grande tesoro
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Ivana Split26 September 2016 at 06:52
<3
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Aisha26 September 2016 at 08:23
What a beautiful post dear :) I wish you a wonderful week !! xx

aishettina.blogspot.it
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Carina Vardie26 September 2016 at 08:29
I love fashion illustrations and think they are so cool.

xo
http://www.carinavardie.com
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Ivana Split26 September 2016 at 08:40
<3
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claire26 September 2016 at 08:48
Stunning illustration! I really like it :)
I know only the artworks of Garance Dore, she is quite popular here, especially after she had launched the book :D
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Carolina Vega26 September 2016 at 08:58
so beautiful!

kisses dear

www.aprendiendoaquererme.com
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angieporelmundo26 September 2016 at 09:02
es muy interesante
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Lenya26 September 2016 at 09:57
When you care you make time! Amen to that, Ivana. Wishing you a happy start into another beautiful week, my dear blogger friend.
xox
Lenya
FashionDreams&Lifestyle
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Laura26 September 2016 at 11:07
What an interesting post, it's great to read about art once in a while and not only fashion and beauty. Feel free to stop by my blog and have a great week! xo
www.hollylovespaul.com
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Fabrizia Spinelli26 September 2016 at 13:29
Amoe sempre legger ei tuoi post, pieni di ispirazione e novità. e in particolare amo le tue creazioni!
Fabrizia - Cosa Mi Metto???
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Emanuela26 September 2016 at 14:50
great illustration! :)
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Unknown26 September 2016 at 15:32
Totally agree!=)
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Vanessa26 September 2016 at 16:42
Beautiful post.^^
Lovely greets Nessa
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Shireen L. Platt26 September 2016 at 18:34
Fashion illustration may not play an important part as it used to but I love it whenever I see one. The fact that it's not as widely used and available anymore makes it way more appealing to me and I appreciate it more than ever. I don't understand fashion, period....it's just a weird world to me. LOL!

Shireen | Reflection of Sanity
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Beautyntheglam26 September 2016 at 18:38
Great sketches as always.
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Unknown26 September 2016 at 21:05
The art work looks magnificent! So talented. :) Also, please check out my latest travel post: Tokyo Disneyland experience + a few tips. Hope to hear from you soon! ♥

Love, Airish
Gorgeous Glance
http://airishabella.blogspot.com
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Irreplaceable_fashion27 September 2016 at 00:18
I have to say it again, your illustations are amazing:)
Have a lovely day!
kisses

http://irreplaceable-fashion.blogspot.com/
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Miguel Gouveia27 September 2016 at 00:21
Thank you sweetie :D You really need to do and taste :D

I always love your draws and your reflections!

NEW TIPS POST | Makeup Low Cost Essentials.
Instagram ∫ Facebook Oficial Page ∫ Miguel Gouveia / Blog Pieces Of Me :D
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leadved27 September 2016 at 01:40
Very good!
What you think about follow each other on GFC and instagram (if you want)?
Follow me, let me know and I follow you ^__^
http://instagram.com/st_bakay/
http://astbakay.blogspot.ru/
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Moscow Blogger27 September 2016 at 03:33
I recognize you syle from millions
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De.27 September 2016 at 04:36
Che bel ritratto:) un bacione

https://denimakeup95.blogspot.it/
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Lubka Henry27 September 2016 at 05:18
Great illustration and a nice read. I think there will always be space for both fashion photography and illustration.

Lu | www.balgarka.co.uk
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BABALUCCIA27 September 2016 at 07:19
Sei sempre sorprendente Ivana nella scrittura e nella pittura
Un bacio
Nuovo post ❤
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Ivana27 September 2016 at 09:42
Odlican tekst! Moram priznati da nisam gotovo uopce informirana o modnim ilustracija te se susrecem sa istima primarno na tvome blogu i ponesto na Ig. Drago mi je nauciti nesto novo i stvarno, ne brini za prijevode! Ja ti se tu stvarno divim jer ja nemam vremena prevoditi svojih pet recenica a kamoli ti koja stvarno pises i prevodis vrhunske tekstove.
Sto se pohrane tice, nadam se bacanje nece biti opcija. Fotkaj ili skeniraj ili nesto, nemoj samo bacati! :)
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Bambi27 September 2016 at 10:51
Amazing illustration :)
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Unknown27 September 2016 at 10:59
Very interesting topic! I fully agree in that fashion illustration is certainly not dead...an illustration is always so much more than a photo! And you can be creative in so many ways...I used to love drawing fashion-related stuff when I was younger. I might take it up again!
Christina ♥ https://caliope-couture.com
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Andreea27 September 2016 at 12:27
Enjoyed reading this post and also loved the painting. x

Have a great week,
Andreea
http://couturezilla.com/
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Mypersonalkloset27 September 2016 at 16:52
Beautiful post !!!
I like your drawings
xx Marikilla
https://mypersonalkloset.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/little-black-dress.html
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Tessy Onyia27 September 2016 at 16:59
You look absolutely amazing pretty!

www.tessyonyia.com
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Tessy Onyia27 September 2016 at 16:59
You look absolutely amazing pretty!

www.tessyonyia.com
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Paola Lauretano27 September 2016 at 22:54
Amo la pittura e i tuoi post sono sempre molto interessanti Ivana!
Kisses, Paola.

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Rowena @ rolala loves28 September 2016 at 10:03
I think of fashion illustration and fashion photography as two completely different art forms so I certainly also wouldn't agree that the latter has killed the former. Lately it seems like fashion illustration has had a bit of resurgence which is great because it captures fashion in a way photography never could.
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bambolai29 September 2016 at 06:11
Jos jedna sjajno obradjena tema! Modne ilustracije mi uvek privuku paznju i iskreno smatram ih i vecom umetnoscu od modne fotografije.
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