Previous Work

Before I proceed with posting any more illustrations, I would like to share some of my previous work with you to allow me to demonstrate my progression over the last few years.  I will start by uploading some of my oldest work from first year and end by showing you my most recent work from 2nd year.

The three illustrations below were completed for my first year fashion illustration class when we were introduced to the "eight head figure theory" and proportion.  I simply added the colour to them using colouring pencils and pantone markers.  Although these drawings are quite simplistic, I like the style of the illustrations which is why I decided to create templates of them for my future use.

1st Year Illustration

1st Year Illustration

1st Year Illustration

For my design class in the first year of my course, we had to complete a 'white shirt project' which required all students to pick their own theme before illustrating their design process and creating and manufacturing the final design.  My chosen theme was 'Romantic Thrills with Frills' and my design ranges are shown below along with my final design illustration.  I created the initial templates for my illustrations by before scanning and editing them on Photoshop to achieve my final outcomes.  Given that I had limited knowledge of Photoshop in first year, I feel that I was able to demonstrate a reasonable level of competence using the programme however I feel that I could have developed the hair and facial features further.

1st Year Design Range

1st Year Design Range

This is my final design illustration for my 'Romantic
Thrills with Frills' project from 1st year

In second year, we were given the task of creating a capsule collection, again  picking our own theme.  This time we had to design and make an outfit from the capsule collection which would be modelled at Belfast Fashion Week S/S 2010.  My chosen theme was 'Authentic Africa' and I have included a few examples of my work from this project below including my final capsule collection and my final design. We were expected to show the development of our Photoshop skills in second year therefore although my templates for these illustrations were completed by hand, all other details were added using Photoshop.  I scanned fabric swatches and embroidery details and created them into patterns using Photoshop.  I feel that these illustrations display my increasing confidence using Photoshop however if I were to add criticism, I would say that some of the poses and facial features could have been altered and improved.

My final capsule collection from 2nd year

2nd year illustrations from my capsule collection

This is my final design illustration for my 2nd year project

Our second design project in second year was our menswear project which required us to work in groups throughout the design process before giving a group presentation to Douglas and Grahame Ltd who design and distribute Remus Uomo.  Each group had to design an outfit based on their chosen theme which had to be related to sport, with the aim of creating an outfit to fit into the Remus Uomo collection.  My group chose motocross which meant that we had to incorporate this theme into our design range whilst maintaining the essential elements of the Remus Uomo brand. Each member of our group was assigned with their own task and one of my responsibilities was our final design illustration which is displayed below.  The working drawings to the right of the illustration were hand-drawn however the actual illustration was created using Photoshop.  I feel that the final design illustration for this project is one of my best pieces of work as I have developed the facial features and hair and the proportions and pose look a lot more realistic.  I feel that this particular project prompted my interest in menswear and male illustrations which is why I have decided to incorporate male illustrations into my current assignment.

Final design with fabric swatches and working drawing from 2nd year

Final design created by myself & the other 2 members of my group
 for our Douglas and Grahame menswear project in 2nd year

My illustration style has constantly changed over the last few years however, I believe that my assignment for this blog has showed the importance of developing a consistent and recognised style in the same way as my illustrators.  Although I was satisfied with all of my work at the time, looking back I can now see where I would make improvements.  The poses and proportions were not great in some illustrations however by reviewing my previous work and taking the time to critically evaluate it, this provides me with a opportunity to correct these mistakes in my future illustrations.