Achraf Amiri Illustrations

I found this fantastic photo shoot in Idol Magazine which combines Achraf Amiri's illustrations with contemporary fashion designers work. The combination seems to be very complimentary with Amiri's haunting illustrations acting like the model's alter ego setting them free into a world of escapism of seduction and female dominance.

The shoot is very playful as model and illustration interact in a "come hither" manner. This presents how powerful illustration can be; it shows in this case an element of authority; it appears to be the driving force of the shoot itself .
Amiri's line quality is strong with use of very matte blocked out colours mixed with bold vibrant hints of colour. The composition of the illustrations lures the viewer in; the illustrations fill the space with their gaunt, twisted bodies and the strange, sexual positions they hold.

Illustrated People

Developing a particular style of drawing is a key element in conveying who we are as designers; it's the first thing the industry reads about us and our designs therefore they MUST be eye catching, bold and of course contemporary in a unique way. Yes, a lot to live up to.

Practice makes perfect....

 

The chosen brand for  my current project: Maison Martin Margiela (above image from MMM S/S 2009 Collection). 

The task: To replicate the above catwalk image as a Fashion Drawing conveying a sense of movement within the garments using mixed media, gaining a sense of proportion and stance of the model.

I struggled initially with proportion however I feel I conveyed the image as accurately as possible; more highlights could be added to the piece to create more depth but overall I am pleased with the outcome. I used mixed media of water colours, pencils and chalk pastels.

The second part of the task entailed picking a Fashion Illustrator and replicating their style. My chosen illustrator was Achraf Amiri. Amiri's illustrations are extremely ghoul like with their wide, zombie eyes and frail bodies. I find his style really eye catching, they allude to a completely bizarre world of strange fashion creatures.

 

 Overall I think my translation of this illustration was successful, I was quite bold with colour and tried not to be afraid in it's application however  I feel more attention to detail is need around the bottom half of the skirt in relation to depth of tone. I think I could have created a more three-dimensional effect. For this drawing I combined water colours, gouache paints and pencil.