What is an illustration?
Illustrations mean to accompany some text, articles, etc. with related pictures. Make the words and ideas clearer.
1. Application scope of illustrations
Free creative categories:
Doujinshi exhibition picture books, birthday greetings, character Q version cartoon creation, travel notes and paintings, street Graffiti etc.
Decorative paintings:
Home decoration, wall scenery, curtains, fabrics, storage, etc.
Publications:
Illustrations used on book covers, book pages, book jackets, book content supplements, etc.
Includes illustrations used in editorials such as newspapers and magazines.
Commercial promotion:
Advertising DD includes illustrations used in newspaper advertisements, magazine advertisements, signboards, posters, leaflets, and television advertisements;
Commercial Image design: product logo and corporate image (mascot);
Product packaging design;
Packaging design and illustrations DD consumer guidance, product descriptions, instructions for use, charts, catalogs< /p>
Film and television multimedia:
Character and environment art settings or interface design for film and television dramas, commercials, and the Internet.
Game design:
Game promotional illustrations, game character settings, scene settings
Animation, comics, cartoons
Animation original paintings Setting, comic design, cartoon design
Basically all commercial paintings can be included in the category of illustrations.
Two major types of applications
In the field of graphic design, we are most exposed to literary illustrations and commercial illustrations.
Literary illustration - a visual art form that reproduces the plot of an article and embodies the literary spirit.
Commercial illustration - a form of image expression that combines art and commerce to convey product information for companies or products.
The illustrator receives related remuneration, gives up the ownership of the work, and only retains the right of signature, which is a commercial transaction.
Definition of illustrations
There are certain differences between modern illustrations and artistic illustrations in the general sense. There are differences between the two in terms of functions, forms of expression, and communication media. The service objects of modern illustrations are first of all products. Commercial activities require that the information carried be conveyed to the audience accurately and clearly, hoping that people will correctly receive and grasp the information, and allow the audience to take action while giving them a beautiful feeling. Therefore, it is said to serve commercial activities.
Art illustrations in a general sense generally have three functions and purposes:
As a supplement to text;
To allow people to obtain the satisfaction of perceptual knowledge;
Express the artist’s aesthetic concepts and expression skills, and even express the artist’s world view and outlook on life.
Modern illustrations are very functional, and deviation from the pure art purpose of visual communication often weakens the function of modern illustrations. Therefore, the design should not allow the subject of the illustration to be ambiguous. It must be based on clarity, simplicity and accuracy.
The appeal function of illustrations
The basic appeal function of modern illustrations is to convey information to the audience in the most concise, clear and clear way, arouse their interest, and strive to convince them of the delivered content. And in the process of aesthetic appreciation, they readily accept the content of the propaganda and induce them to take final action.
Display vivid and specific images of products and services and convey information intuitively.
Stimulate consumer interest.
Enhance the persuasiveness of advertising.
Strengthen the appeal of products and stimulate consumers’ desires.
2. Illustrations are commonly known as illustrations in China. Commercial illustrations popular in foreign markets today include publication illustrations, cartoon mascots, film and television posters, game character settings and game built-in art scene designs, advertisements, comics, picture books, greeting cards, wall calendars, decorative paintings, packaging, etc. form. Extended to virtual items and related visual applications on current network and mobile platforms. The hottest and most eye-catching fashion illustrations right now are here!
Works by popular fashion illustrator Helen Downie
As a veteran visual communication medium, fashion illustration has not only continued to develop in the new era, but has also spawned many new forms of expression with different styles. How many of the most popular and eye-catching fashion illustrators and their works do you know today?
The Golden Age of Fashion Illustration
In the early days, the full cooperation between fashion illustration and fashion magazines helped it enter a heyday. At that time, magazines almost without exception needed to use illustrations to illustrate everything from the cover to the inside pages. Readers at that time received information about fashion, art, taste, etc. from exquisite illustrations. It can be said that fashion magazines and fashion illustrations at that time were in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Harper's Bazaar magazine cover
The collision of fashion illustrations and fashion brands
In the digital age, photography has become the main source of visual communication for magazines and publications. Although the era of magazines with fashion illustrations as the main promotional media has ended, the fashion illustration industry has not fallen asleep, but is constantly developing and evolving in new directions.
Collaborating with fashion illustrations and fashion brands is the most successful new path discovered today. As the most topical brand nowadays, Gucci often searches for some popular illustrators on social media for cooperation.
The following colorful and poetic works are created by illustrator Helen Downie. It is worth mentioning that this extremely professional illustrator is actually a housewife without a professional background. Her legendary experience and her paintings became popular on the Internet at the same time. In addition, her painting style is surprisingly similar to the new aesthetic concept advocated by Gucci, so the brand's creative director fell in love with her work at a glance and launched a series of in-depth cooperation.
Helen Downie's works
Although she is a mother, her unrestrained works always reveal a little girlish innocence. Especially the large innocent eyes of the characters in the painting are strange and full of childishness.
Helen Downie's work
However, this is not the first time Gucci has cooperated with fashion illustrators. Earlier, the brand also invited another illustrator Alex Merry to launch a more "artistic" collaboration.
From New York to London, Milan to Shanghai, cities with art walls have been occupied almost overnight by Alex’s creative fashion illustrations. It is rare for such a giant fashion illustration to be presented like this, so when the picture of the art wall was released, it immediately caused a commotion on the Internet.
Alex Merry's works
In addition, Gucci will also produce and sell products from the illustrations, so that all interested consumers can find and own these products. They turn these fantastic ideal products into reality. On the other hand, viewers can see from these romantic-style fashion illustrations that the style of fashion illustration is no longer single.
Works by Alex Merry
When it comes to cross-border cooperation between fashion illustrations and brands, Prada has to be mentioned. At the 2018 men's spring and summer series show, the brand invited illustrator James Jean for a second collaboration, which shows the popularity of his works.
Works of James Jean and Oliver Schrauwen
This time, James Jean and Belgian graffiti artist Oliver Schrauwen teamed up to create illustrations of the show space. Viewers looking at these picturesque works are like looking at pages of lively and interesting comic strips.
At the same time, the author also specially produced an illustrated promotional video of the same style for Prada. James's cool illustration style, combined with Prada's futuristic fashion style, complement each other perfectly.
James Jean's works
In the same year, Prada's women's wear show, the brand also chose to join forces with fashion illustrators. This collaboration invited eight female illustrators: Stellar Leuna, Trina Robbins, Brigid Elva, Joelle Jones, Giuliana Maldini, Natsume Ono, Emma Ríos and Fiona Staples.
In addition to jointly creating the wall works in the show space, they also perfectly integrated their illustration works into the new season's fashion series. While their comic-style works inject vitality into fashion, they also increase the possibility of stylizing fashion illustrations.
Today, fashion illustrations no longer stick to the rules. As long as you are willing to put pen to paper, everyone can create their own illustrations.
Grace Coddington's works
Pioneering fashion illustrations
In addition to cross-border cooperation with fashion brands, there are also some professional fashion illustrators who insist on independent creation. While mastering the basic techniques of illustration, they extended and explored the painting forms of fashion illustrations and figured out their own style.
Pioneering fashion illustrator Velwyn Yossy has created a series of unique works. It can be seen from the smooth and neat lines of the characters in his works and the exaggerated but still appropriate overall proportions that he has always pursued the aesthetic concept of modernism.
Velwyn Yossy's works
Another rising star fashion illustrator, Ernesto Artillo, has extended fashion illustrations to a more abstract direction. His unique visual expression techniques break the public's traditional understanding of fashion illustration forms of expression.
Some of his recent surrealist works combine movement and stillness, virtuality and reality, using hand-drawing and collage to infinitely amplify the visual impact of illustrations, giving them a predominantly static style. The fashion illustration has a bit of momentum.
Ernesto Artillo's works
Not only are his creative works still published in major magazines for a long time, but they are also often exhibited around the world. Ernesto Artillo said: "I hope to feel relaxed and excited when I see my works. It is the same in daily life. I will look for the balance and how to break the existing state.
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Ernesto Artillo’s work
Even though the golden age of fashion illustration has passed, it is undeniable that fashion illustration still occupies a place in the fashion field and is full of high artistic value.
Fashion illustration is one of the few industries that can perfectly combine business and art, and the continuous emergence of popular illustration works has increased the possibility of fashion illustration continuing to move forward.
James Jean's fashion illustration works
After learning about these most popular and eye-catching fashion illustration works, everyone can pick up the pen and try to explore new ways of fashion illustration, maybe he will be the next popular fried chicken. You.
Wonderful review:
[Editor, text/Chen Zhuo] How to draw the illustrations of three short poems?
How to draw the illustrations of three short poems. As follows: 1. First, you must understand what the poem is about and the meaning of each poem. 2. Extract the scenery in the poem and the characteristics of the scenery. 3. Roughly construct the distribution of the painting in your mind, or use pencil on paper. Mark which scene to draw in which place. 4. Draw by hand. Illustrations are commonly known as illustrations in China. Commercial illustrations popular in foreign markets include publication illustrations, cartoon mascots, film and television posters, game character settings and games. The built-in art scene design, advertisements, comics, picture books, greeting cards, calendars, decorative paintings, packaging and other forms extend to virtual items and related visual applications on the current network and mobile platforms.