If you want to know the reality of fashion illustration, you have clicked into the right place! 

This blog is the place to learn all about the ins and outs of fashion illustrations. 

What is fashion illustration and what is its purpose? 

Perhaps I am a little biassed as a fashion illustrator myself, but I believe that fashion illustration is the DNA of the fashion world. The design and drawings are almost another language, communicating together the ideas from the fashion designer, flowing in tandem with the pen of the illustrator.

It is art. It is an expression that takes a small concept and transforms it into a tangible, touchable piece of artwork. The visual designs made by the illustrator can bring together important details and ideas, such as the design, the flow of the fabric, cuts, pleats, and colours. These drawings go on to be the blueprint for designs, whatever the item might be. 

Fashion illustration has been around for more than 500 years – ever since humans began to wear sophisticated fashion, the need for an artist to sketch and grow on their ideas has been required. 

Fashion Plate from the 1860s

What exactly does a fashion illustrator do!? 

 Think of a fashion illustrator as the artistic hands that skilfully craft up the vision of a fashion designer. The fashion designer remains the brainchild behind the fashion designs, but the fashion illustrator makes it come alive. 

This means that when a designer wants to conceptualize their ideas, they would contact a talented fashion illustrator to draw and design the concept before any prototypes are made. 

Fashion illustrators can do sketches for all sorts of things such as trousers, purses, earrings, dresses, hats, and many more. 

 It is hard to demonstrate what a day in the life of a fashion illustrator would look like because it can be so different and unique for every single creative illustrator! Some fashion illustrators focus their work on the editorial illustration space, fashion, beauty packaging, live sketching, or selling their work online, at markets or in galleries. Depending on goals and lifestyle, fashion illustrators can be self-employed, work in a fashion boutique, at a magazine, or in a niche design studio. 

Below I will explore the various ways one can pursue fashion illustration. 

Editorial Illustration 

Despite the world being very technological, there will always be a humanistic desire to touch and turn the pages of a book or magazine. This is where editorial illustration comes in. 

Many fashion houses, digital companies and magazines prefer illustration of fashion and trends in their magazine or fashion books. But it’s not strictly fashion-related, many makeup artists, interior designers and art companies/galleries like to use and celebrate the sketches of illustrators. Depending on who you’re working with, the sketches may be used for marketing, advertising, or content. 

After being hired, the client will most likely provide you with a storyboard or brief. A storyboard is a multiple-page target and a “brief,” which includes detailed instructions explaining the project’s target, plan theme, and goals. Using this information, you will begin to create and express yourself through whatever you prefer: pen, paint, or something else! 

After being successful in several projects, you can build your portfolio, which will help you land future gigs in the future. 

Fashion and Beauty Packaging

Trendy, unique, and thoughtful packaging can be the difference between a brand being picked off the shelf or not. As a fashion and beauty packaging illustrator, you get the chance to get to know a product, and its customers, and bring it to life with authentic and desirable material and packaging. 

When you get chosen to work closely with a brand or marketing team, you will be involved in the design, colour scheme and text based on the client’s goals and style. There is a chance you will need to be familiar with online tools like photoshop or adobe design. 

Fashion and beauty packaging roles can be a very rewarding role because you can see your hard work in major retailers, shops and even a friend or family’s houses! 

 Live Sketching

Live sketching gigs can take place anywhere, anytime. You may be hired as a live sketch artist at a wedding, a birthday party, a celebration, a launch, or anything else! You will get the chance to capture the mood and vibe of the event through your unique artwork. The opportunity to live sketch might be as drawing guests, a ceremony, a piece of clothing, or the backdrop. 

 Sell Your Work 

Many fashion illustrators opt to sell their original artwork online or in person at markets or shops. This route allows you to be your own boss and let your creative side shine! You don’t have to follow any challenging briefs or rules and can instead express yourself. 

You can also pick your canvas! You may wish to create original prints, stickers, cards, portraits, towels, mugs… the options are endless. 

Selling online is relatively easy and affordable through an online platform such as Shopify or Etsy. If you opt for online sales, you really only require between 5-10 strong pieces that are true to your style to sell. Or, for a bit more money, you can rent a table at a local weekly market or an artistic bazaar or gallery in your city. 

If you create rare and uncommon artwork of high quality, you can begin to forge a name for yourself in the art world, obtain fans and success will knock at your door!

 How to Get Started with Fashion Illustration 

My number one piece of advice when it comes to following a dream such as fashion illustration: just start. Start right now, right after reading this blog and begin the journey. 

You are going to need to put in a lot of hours of practice to hone your skills and there may be days it absolutely exhausts you – but you still need to pick up a pen to paper. It takes a lot of raw talent, but it also takes self-motivation and self-determination. It is important to never give up. 

 To get started, I recommend starting an online platform such as a personal website, with a blog, and a storefront, such as Esty and a social media page or two. The world is super digitised, and it is one of the best ways to start your branding and designing. 

However, the online world can be very competitive, so I recommend having plenty of content to post before starting. You should aim to post daily if not multiple times a day to remain active and relevant. 

In addition to fresh content, one trade secret is email lists! Gathering customers and fans emails is like gold dust - as it allows you to connect with your followers on a weekly basis. You can do this by advertising your email list on your social media and your website. Then, each week, send them an interesting update, fact, new project or a behind the scenes story. 

It will be important to continue getting your name and work out there. One way to approach this is by going into local department stores or boutiques, introducing yourself and sharing to the marketing manager why a live sketch event in their store would be a fantastic addition to their upcoming events, sales or parties. Explaining how I've sketched is memorable and personable, and of course, they make great keepsake gifts. Be professional and friendly then follow up with an email that includes your fees, scope of work.  This is particularly enticing to stores around major holidays! 

Finally, I highly recommend looking up other artists, fashion illustrators, and general illustrators in your area and reaching out to them to see if they would be willing to meet up and discuss business and how they got started. People are generally quite open to newcomers and will be pleased to meet over a coffee for 30 minutes. 

You should also look for events that are fashion focussed such as fashion shows, new boutique openings or people doing relevant speeches or talks. These are great opportunities to get your name out there and meet new people that are involved in the industry.  

 

Tip for Improving Your Fashion Illustrations

When it comes to being a fashion illustrator, it is important to know that it is one industry where you simply cannot fake it! Your artwork will uncover everything, and it takes a ton of practice to perfect your art skills. 

You don’t necessarily need to obtain a degree from an art college (though more power to you if you do!) but it will be useful to expand your skills through local creative art classes, watch YouTube lessons, Masterclass, and through do art and line tracing. 

I also offer a signature Fashion Illustration 101 course that features more than 6 exhilarating hours of world-class advice. The course features step-by-step videos on various topics, advice on how to network and how to really make money in the industry. Plus, you will have exclusive, lifetime access to the course which you can visit again and again. You can learn more about my course here! 

To get started as a fashion illustrator, you will want to work on the following: 

1.    Master body proportions

Body proportions are imperative if you are going to be drawing fashion pieces! As such, you need to have a strong understanding of body anatomy. You can start with the head and work your way down the body mastering different movements, proportions, and postures.  

2.    C’mon, vogue! 

Your figure’s pose is very important as it helps bring to life how the fashion will hang off the form, bringing it to life. You can practice by playing around with different bodily curves and poses to discover which poses are the most realistic movement for the body.

3.    Discover your edge 

You want to stand out for all of the right reasons as an artist. To discover this, you will want to try different sketch styles and techniques, always being sure to add your own personal flair. Don’t be shy about trying different mediums such as markers, paints, pens, canvases, and tools to up your game and challenge yourself.

4.    Draw clothing and pieces 

Understanding clothing and accessories and how to translate that to paper is a very important part of the job. You can start with some of your favourite pieces that you like to wear, such as your favourite dress or trousers. Then let yourself go wild and gradually draw pieces that are obscure, unique, and funky. Always remember to keep the various fabrics in mind when sketching, as certain strokes or shading will create realistic illustrations. 

5.    Have fun! 

There’s that classic old saying that says – do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. Well, sure it can be hard work drawing and creating full time, but it's an absolute pleasure. It is my dream job and I believe it can be for many! It is fulfilling, and exciting and no two days are the same. 

6.    Have a plan to combat creative blocks 

As an artist, it is evitable to get stuck with a creative block. It can be very frustrating and quite disheartening, but it becomes less so when you have a solid plan and tools to help you through these times. Some suggestions I offer are: 

· Get outside into nature 

· Speak to a loved one 

· Take a break 

· Exercise and break a sweat 

· Listen to music

· Mediate and deep breathe 

· Have a warm tea 

7.    Make a business plan 

Create a goal for the future with a business plan. You can plan for 2 years, 5 years and even 10 years in advance with different skills you want to achieve, dream clients and where you imagine yourself working and living. When you plan for the future, it’s pretty incredible how things fall into place! 

Where to find more information about fashion illustration

Thankfully, due to the internet and books, there is a vast amount of sheer information about the fashion illustration world and finding it is pretty easy! Here are some suggestions for continued learning:  

• Read Fashion Drawing for Dummies 

• My blog: 8 years in business and 5 tips I have learned from it 

• Check out my video: How to Draw Fashion Illustration for Beginners: Step by Step Tutorial

• Take a Skill share course on the Life and Times of Fashion Illustration

• Seek out old vintage Vogue, Marie Claire, and other fashion magazines 

• Read Fashion Illustration & Design: Methods & Techniques for Achieving Professional Results

• Take my course on Fashion Illustration 101 where I teach you the A-Z of how to draw face, hair, body, fabric, poses in and ways to monetize your art!

If you can dream it, you can be it! 

Time flies! I can’t believe today is my 8th business anniversary. When I started sketching my very first fashion drawing on my apartment kitchen counter, I could never imagine that 8 years later I would have built a brand to inspire and empower women all around the world. 

12 years ago, with broken English and a dream to be a fashion artist, I flew across the world from Shanghai to New York City. I remember there were many of my schoolmates thinking I was silly giving up a career as a game designer plus a potential engagement to come to a strange land and take a shot at being a full time artist. But to me, the dream was everything. If we don't have dreams and goals to look forward to and work hard toward to what’s the point of living? I knew the second the airplane landed at JFK airport, I was on a mission. 

After a few years of working with luxury brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton, I realized that the glamorous fashion shows and celebrity red carpet were not my interest. They didn’t light me up. Instead, I loved to draw everyday women. I wanted to draw women that we all can relate to. I put my focus on drawing holidays, special moments, friendships, and motherhood. So many have told me they see themselves in my drawings. There is no better feeling than to hear that, so I kept going. My work started getting attention from retailers like TJ Maxx, and Hobby Lobby. It was also getting noticed by the planner community, where I started to produce planners, and stickers of my art! Today, I have a busy e-commerce store and license my work to retailers around the world!

I look forward to what this journey will bring me and continuing to share my art every day. I am so grateful for all of you to be on this trip with me.

If you are thinking about starting your side hustle or your dream business, here are 5 things I can share with you.

1. It’s a mindset game - Business will always have ups and downs. Having mental toughness is the most important thing to carry you through the lows and keep you grounded through the highs.

2. Get comfortable with pivoting - The economy and consumer behavior is changing. Going with flow is important to keep you relevant. For example, I have always sold my art prints and original art. However, because I got many requests from the planner community I started creating planners and stickers with my art. Always listen to your customers!

3. Customer service is everything - Serve your audiences with the best experience. I have spent a lot of time in the back end of my business to speed up our shipping time, and talked with our manufacturer to provide the best quality products possible to my customers.

4. Hire a team to grow - Hire your weakness. Remember, you can’t do everything. That area you may not be doing well with, don’t hesitate to hire professionals which will save so much time and have a way better result.

5. Always be learning - I am an artist first and foremost but in order NOT to be a starving artist I also spend a lot of time learning the business side of being an entrepreneur. Learn from people who are doing what you would love to do. Invest in yourself, success leaves clues.

Whether you just found my art, or have been following me for awhile ... thanks for being here! Cheers to 8 years in business and look forward the next many many years to come!

Love,

Rongrong

Shop planner and stickers: www.shoprongrong.com

Shop original art and prints: www.rongrongart.com

Learn how to be a thriving fashion illustrator: https://www.rongrongdevoe.com/fashion-illustration-course

As an artist how many times have you heard: “You’ll never make a full-time career out of your art!” or, “There is no future in artwork?”

I am here to reassure you: that is simply not true! Being a professional fashion illustrator is a wildly fulfilling career, full of visionary concepts, interesting clients, and beautiful freedom. Freedom of time, imagination, and ideas. Plus: you can indeed use your creative side for covering bills.

The Work of a Fashion Illustrator 

You might be asking yourself, what exactly does a fashion illustrator do? 

Normally, fashion illustrators become the architect of a fashion designer's alluring concepts. When a designer needs their ideas to come to life, they would call upon a fashion illustrator to draw and design the concept before prototypes are made. Fashion illustrators may find themselves sketching shoes, bags, dresses, hats, and many other items. 

Yet, the work is even more wide-ranging than that. Fashion illustrators can also work in editorial illustration, fashion, beauty packaging, offer live sketching, and sell their work creations online. Fashion illustrators can work freelance, in a fashion boutique, in a magazine, or at a design studio. 

Let’s dive into more on how to earn a real living being a fashion illustrator! 

Editorial Illustration 

Do you regularly flip through the pages of Vogue Magazine, Marie Claire, and Vanity Fair to admire the illustration? I can relate. My dream of being a fashion illustrator started when I was just in middle school. I would save my pocket money (that was supposed to be for lunch!) and buy the latest magazine just to obsess over the creative illustrations. 

Even amid our digital age, many fashion houses still prefer illustration as a charming nod to the historic early days, before photography became a popular medium. After all, visionary fashion ideas always begin with a pen to paper. 

I should note that it is not just clothing brands that use fashion illustrators but also makeup, interior design and art companies love to feature the sketches of illustrators. It’s not limited to just paper-based magazines either - but many online sources – including social media pages – use them too. 

Editorial illustration allows you to work with clients closely to construct their vision, embodying and marrying their ideas. Depending on who you’re working with, the sketches are used for marketing, advertising, and content. 

You’ll typically start the process by creating a storyboard that highlights your ideas, in line with a brief. A “brief,” if you are unfamiliar, is an industry term for detailed instructions given to the illustrator by a client explaining the project’s target, theme, and goals. A storyboard is particularly important if you win multiple pages spread to allow for continuity. 

You’ll then create draft sketches which you’ll unveil to the client. These don’t need to be perfect, as you’ll most likely need to make some adjustments based on feedback and direction. 

Then, it’s time to create the final image(s)! After a few projects, you can begin to build your ever-important portfolio, which will help you land future gigs in the future. 

Fashion and Beauty Packaging

A second way to earn big bucks as a fashion illustrator is through fashion and beautiful packaging. Branding and packaging are integral to a company’s success. It is the very first thing that catches customers' eyes and the right packaging can make a product stand out, garnering attention and more sales. 

That is where you can come in! As a fashion and beauty packaging illustrator, the opportunities are endless. You get the chance to get to know a product, customers, and branding as you create authentic and desirable marketing material and packaging. 

You will get a say in the design, colour scheme and even the text. This role will likely require getting familiar with some online tools such as photoshop and adobe design. If you prefer that pen in hand feeling, many digital pens give you that sensation.

I love fashion and beauty packaging, as there is no greater feeling than walking into a retail shop and seeing your hard work right there on display! 

Live Sketching

Do you love to travel, socialize and, of course, make art? Live sketching offers you the opportunity to combine all three! I love getting the chance to live sketch, it’s a super fun outlet and is one of the best ways to get your name out there and market yourself. 

Live sketching is really special. As a live sketch artist, you get to capture the mood, spirit, and feeling of an event or party through art. Depending on the affair, you may be asked to draw guests, a ceremony, or the backdrop. 

The best part is guests go home with a taste of your artwork or/and it gets hung up in people’s homes as a sentimental reminder of their significant day. If you’ve done a fabulous job – you can generate and forge more work for yourself, through recommendations and word of mouth. The opportunities here are limitless – I’ve even had the privilege of working with celebrities!

Sell Your Work Online

The final way to make money as a fashion illustrator is to sell your original artwork online. I firmly believe this is the very best way to get started if you are new to the industry for several reasons. 

First, selling online is relatively easy and affordable. You should start by creating a free social page on Instagram or Pinterest and then creating a Shopify or Etsy store, which does require a nominal fee. The second reason is that when you sell your work online, you will have 100% control of what you do. You will be working for yourself, so you do not need to adhere to any strict briefs or guidelines from art directors. I think that makes it super fun as you can design fashion-based artwork for multiple products from prints to coffee mugs. The third reason is that you can get your artwork out in the world and start to build a fan base and carve out a strong name for yourself. 

To get started with selling your work, you only need 5-10 original pieces of artwork and decide what medium to sell them as – prints are always a great starting place as people love to hang artwork in their homes and offices. 

I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine - selling work online is the top way to make money in this field and the majority of my earnings come from my shop! 

How To Build a Brand as a Fashion Illustrator

I will keep it real with you and tell you that building your brand takes patience and dedication - but it’s worth it. Below are some of the top ways to build your brand as an emerging fashion illustrator 

1. Know your stuff

It’s important to walk the talk – and being an artist simply cannot be faked. The majority of top fashion illustrators hold a degree from an art or design school and have dedicated thousands of hours to their passion. That’s not to say you need a degree, many have gone on to be a hit without a formal degree, but you need plenty of experience and practice to make your art stand out. Online courses, workshops, and training in new styles or mediums can be a great way to stay on top of your craft!

2. Find your niche 

Understanding what makes your art yours is the best way to carve out a niche and captivate an audience. You must narrow your focus and find a niche to tailor your message. You can do this by looking into your art and asking yourself, what do I love creating? Why am I creating? What makes me, me? What colours, shapes, and textures am I drawn to?  

3. Create Regular Content 

This is an important step in our social media-heavy world. You will want a variety of social media pages including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest that are creating interesting and fresh content daily. Content every day is especially important at the start, as social media algorithms favour active pages. Make sure it's content that you are proud and excited about. You can check out my Instagram page here! 

4. Collaborate with other fashion illustrators and designers 

Never miss a chance to collaborate with others - this step is hugely important for accessing a new audience. You can do this in many ways such as sharing a “post for a post” with another illustrator on Instagram or designing something in tandem with another creative. You also can work with fashion designers and collaborate on various projects. 

5. Create an engaged community 

What good are followers if they are not interacting with your work?! You want to create content that invites your fan base and followers to comment, re-post and click on your website regularly. You can do this by going live on social media, hosting contests/giving aways, and prompting questions. You can join my Facebook group HERE

6. Be kind and courteous 

While this step may be a little bit obvious, it is hugely important. Nobody is going to want to work or collaborate with you if you are unkind and unaccommodating, regardless of your talent. It’s important to always be on time for meetings, and be respectful, and kind. 

Tips and Tricks 

I think many artists will agree with me that one of the most important things to do is to carve out your niche– even if it’s just subtle – so that your work is recognizable and timeless. Many editorial illustrators will discover their influences from fashion trends, travelling, and nature where they pursue new colour pallets and themes. 

If you find yourself lacking inspiration when creating, here are some little tricks I use to think of new ideas: 

●       Get outside: I suggest a stroll in nature, the forest, or a community garden. Or instead, try people watching to look for new fashion trends and colours. While outside, invite all your senses and notice colours, smells, temperatures, sound, and light. 

●       Appreciate the artwork of others: This is like breathing for us artists! Visit a local gallery, art museum, library or even browse art online. 

●       Inspiration Wall/Board: As a visual person, it helps to create a set place to put your ideas when they come to you. When you’re feeling blocked, you can revisit this space and get inspired. 

●       Watch videos of fashion week: Trends are ever-changing, and it can be very uplifting to watch videos of fashion weeks around the world or high traffic events such as the Oscars, the MET Gala, and other big festivals. 

●       Read a book: Find a book you have yet to read and after learning about the characters and the setting, draw how you imagine them – including their outfits. Draw them in a few different looks to see what they’d wear in different scenarios. 

I encourage you to practice honing your artistic skills every chance you get. Nobody is too good, too experienced, or too old to keep learning. It’s vital to stay relevant and to continue growing. You can take classes, challenge yourself or try different mediums. 

One of my biggest pieces of advice for emerging fashion illustrators is to never plagiarize, copy, or include a famous brand’s logo/name in your work. You may think it’s no big deal but it could lead to getting sued. 

Get started today as a fashion illustrator and make a full time living asap

If you enjoyed learning from this blog, you would love learning from my one-of-a-kind, self-paced course filled with information and even more tips on how to kick start your career as a fashion illustrator. 

The course includes more than 6 hours of information across 7 unique video tutorials, PDF templates and resources to help increase your drawing confidence and – most importantly – monetize your artist's abilities as a fashion illustrator. 

You’ll learn first-hand from my experience of how I went from a complete outsider to working with high-end brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior, how to land huge sales and attend major events. This course has changed many people’s lives – and I’m confident it will change yours too! Click here to learn more about becoming one of my cherished students!