Fashion Illustration Portfolio

22/9/2024 - 3/1/2025 | Week 1 - Week 14
Johanna Leong Hui Ninn 0359221
Bachelor of Fashion Design Technology (Honours)

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Week 1

Our lecturer briefed us with an overview of the module and explained to us which of the art materials we will be needing for our assignments. He then tasked us with searching for avant-garde fashion editorials to draw for our first assignment. I practiced my pen hatching techniques before moving onto my actual piece in order to create precise and consistent lines. After a while I had gotten used to it with much practice.

Week 2

This week, our lecturer reviewed our progress on the practice attempts. After our lecturer was done reviewing our practice work, he told us to proceed to the next stage of this assignment which required us to begin working on the actual drawing. 

Week 3

After pulling all-nighters, I had managed to complete the first assignment and submitted it this week. After pulling several all-nighters to meet the deadline, I finally managed to complete the first assignment. I made sure to ensure every detail was without mistakes before submitting it. 

Week 4

This week we had begun our second assignment, which involved colouring an illustration with coloured pencils. Our lecturer demonstrated the technique we were required to use with his examples. Since I had done a similar assignment during my foundation years I didn't have much trouble compared to the previous assignment, as I was already well-versed in using this medium.

Week 5

During classes this week, we continued progressing with the colouring assignment. After completing the practice phase, our lecturer reviewed our work and allowed us to move onto work on the actual drawing.

Week 6

Since i could move onto working on my actual illustration, I did so and started progressing during this week's class. I had also continued my progress at home. To keep my short attention span in check and ensure that I made sufficient progress, I watched some videos online in the background. I often do this as it helps me in being more productive.

Week 7

Since my specific illustration for the colouring assignment had many colours, it took me much more time to finish than expected. Despite me rushing to submit the assignment on time, I was actually quite proud of my final illustration regardless. I really liked the way I coloured this piece and it has to be one of my proudest colouring work.

Week 8

I had experience with Copic markers before, but it had been a long time since I last used them. The last time I had used them if i'm not mistaken was during my primary years so it had indeed been a long while. Therefore, I had forgotten a bit on how to use them but after working on my illustration,  I quickly remembered how to handle the Copic markers, as it came back to me from my memories.

Week 9

Since colour blending and marker control came naturally to me from my previous experiences with it from before back in the days, I was able to finish the assignment relatively quickly. This assignment was fun, as I had forgotten how much I enjoyed colouring with Copic markers. I enjoyed colouring the outfit to the hair as well as blending the skin. I think I did a really good job with it and I'm proud of my final piece.

Week 10

Seeing me and my friend's works displayed in the fashion studio brought me with much joy and only gave me more motivation to finish the last of my assignments for this module. 

Week 11

Our lecturer briefed us on the final task of the module, which required us to work with both dry and wet medias. We were to select a fashion editorial image featuring dynamic poses. Using the figure as the base pose, we then had to draw one of our three garments from the Fashion Project 1 module as part of the drawing. Our lecturer instructed us to use watercolour as our wet media and allowed us to choose any of the dry mediums we had used in previous assignments. I decided to work with pen and hatching to display the shadows in my illustration.

Week 12

I had no trouble with drawing my garment design onto the figure that I had chosen. Though despite having worked with watercolours before and used it quite a lot previously, I found this assignment to be posed with some challenges as it had been a while since I last used watercolours, so I had to get used to the medium again.

Week 13

This week, I continued progressing with my illustration. I first started to begin my piece with hatching the shadowed areas of my illustration. Moving on, I then began to work on applying the base colours of my illustration with the watercolours. I applied a few layers of watercolor applications to ensure the colors didn't look too diluted with water. 

Week 14

Once I was satisfied with the result of the watercolors, I then moved onto the next step. I relined the hatching with my pen to ensure it was visible, as some lines had disappeared due to the watercolor overlay. After looking at my piece, I felt it wasn't quite enough for me to be satisfied. So in addition to the hatching that I did for the main areas of the illustration's shading, I used watercolor to enhance the shadows and make additional shadings to make them pop out even more in my piece. I had finished my piece faster than expected and submitted it feeling quite proud of my unique application of both wet and dry media in the illustration.

Reflection

Task 1: Experimentation on Dry Media – Hatching on Pen (Week 1-Week 3)

Throughout this assignment, I encountered a few challenges that pushed me to improve my technique. Initially, when I practiced my pen hatching skills to achieve precise and consistent lines, it was indeed tricky at first but with continued practice, I gained more control and confidence in my work over time. As the deadline neared, I found myself working late into the night to complete the assignment. I pushed through several all-nighters and in the end, I successfully submitted the assignment. This experience taught me the importance of practice, focus and perseverance especially when working under tight deadlines.

Task 2: Experimentation on Dry Media – Scrubbing on Colour Pencil (Week 4 - Week 6)

During this assignment, I encountered several challenges that helped me refine my current skills in colouring with colour pencils. One of the main challenges I faced was the complexity of my illustration, as it involved a wide range of colours. This made the process take longer than I had anticipated. Despite the time pressure to finish on time, I was proud of the final result. I was especially pleased with the way the colours turned out, and it became one of my proudest colouring works. This experience taught me the importance of patience and time management.  Although I had to rush to meet the deadline, I learned to prioritize the quality in my work and enjoy the process, which led to a satisfying outcome.

Task 3: Experimentation on Dry Media – Overlapping on Marker Pen (Week 7 - Week 9)

Although I had experience with using Copic markers in the past, it had been a long time since I last used them. So at first, I had forgotten some of the techniques, but as I worked on the illustration, everything came back to me. I quickly regained my confidence with handling the markers, and it felt like a natural skill I had retained. This assignment taught me the value of past experiences and how they can resurface with a little practice. It reminded me that even if I forget some techniques over time, I can always rebuild my skills with patience and persistence.

Final Project: Mix Media Dry & Wet Media (Week 10 -Week 14)

Though having worked with watercolours frequently in the past, it had been a while since I last used them, so I had to reacquaint myself with the medium. This added some challenges to the assignment as I needed to relearn how to handle the watercolours effectively again. Despite that, I was able to finish my illustration faster than expected and submitted it feeling proud of the final result. The unique combination of wet and dry media gave my piece a distinctive quality, and I felt satisfied with how it turned out. This assignment taught me the importance of adapting to the media I am using, even if it required taking time to get reacquainted with it. I also learned that revisiting past techniques can lead to refreshing and innovative results, and that taking extra time to refine details can elevate the overall quality of the work.