Sara Singh illustration board 2

This is my second Sara Singh illustration board. I definitely preferred this one, I liked the pose more on my first board but I think the overall look of this board looks a lot better. I like the proportions of the model. Sara Singh usually proportions her models relatively accurately, but I like the elongate the lower half of the body so did so on this board.

I really like my use of ink on this board. I like the fact that although there are so many different colours running through the garments, the overall look of the entire outfit still looks dark, which is the effect that I wanted. I really like using ink and fine liner, so I really enjoyed doing this board.

I took inspiration for the hair from sara singhs work as she does this style hair a lot and I really like it, I struggle with drawing out hairstyles and I think this one fits a lot of different era's and target markets.

The quote I have placed on this board reads ''clean lines, slender silhouettes, feminine mystique and power'' which again I made up of different words and quotes relating to noir.

Sara Singh illustration board 1

This is my first Sara Singh illustration board. I got the inspiration from this pose from a few different close ups of the top half of the body in some of Sara Singhs illustrations. I really admire the style that she illustrates in and I love the media she uses. I have illustrated my leather gilet on this and I think the pose really reflects Noir and what the brand is about.

The pose shows attitude and confidence, which a lot of the Noir models portray in their catwalk and fashion photos. I chose to use a few different colours that werent added into my design, as I think in Sara Singhs illustrations, sometimes you can tell she is illustrating a black dress, but she adds different tones and colours into the mix like blues and greens.

On my illustration I have added blue. I think it gives the black added textures and means that you don't just have to create a block black colour but you can add different tones and colours to create more colour and texture.

I also added a quote onto my board, as thats another trait of sara singh. The quote reads ''presenting graceful sophistication with a contemporary edge, a unique sense of quality''

I made up the quote with different words and quotes i found that are associated with Noir.

Erte illustration board 2

This is my second board I did that was inspired by Ertes style of illustration, I like this board a lot better than the first one, as i like the close up and pose more. The hand and body shape on this board was definitely inspired by Ertes style of model. I like the contrast between the black dress and white jacket, and I like that I can draw my own designs how I like them to be drawn with Ertes style, quite flat but detailed solid thin black outlines.

Again the movement swirls on the black dress were inspired by how Ertes styles his black garments,

In the background I added a triangular border on the right side of my illustration. I got inspired by another of ertes illustrations for this and the reason I used triangles is to reflect the tribal trend that inspired me when creating my capsule collection.

I like this illustration board a lot better than the first one, and I am glad I used Erte's style of illustration as I think it reflects Noir well, there is a very strong presence and poise about Ertes illustrations and the strong style and glamour of noir matches this perfectly.

Erte 1 illustration board

This is my first illustration board out of the 2 Erte inspired ones I completed. The reason behind this board is that I wanted a simple pose positioned in the middle of the board, and the circle of colour behind the model was inspired by a few of Ertes paintings. 

I thought the circle in the background was really effective and different, although I made my circle smaller which I now regret looking at it in comparison to this painting of Ertes above, so this is something I may change in the future. Also i wish i had done the circle in black as it looks way more effective, although as my garment was black I decided to opt for a different although still stronger colour.

I really like the silhouettes and shapes and movement that go into Ertes figures and models, so i decided to try something new and make my model a lot more curvier and with a lot more movement, as i usually make my models more straighter, I liked this effect a lot and thought the overall board looked better with a different model with more movement. 

I also added the swirls of movement Erte often puts into his black garments, just to add a bit more flare and texture. 

Unit 120 samples

We were required to do several samples for our 120 unit, here I will show which ones I did and explain them individually.

Here is a jean seam. This is what is used along the side legs of jeans to hold them securely together, is means that there are no visible seam allowances and its a very strong seam. I found creating this seam relatively easy and I think its a really reliable seam to have on garments, although isn't necessary for all garments, just garments that need to be held together relatively strongly.

This is a structural pocket. This means that the pocket is structured with the garments to create a pocket that is in and attached to the actual garment. This pocket is lined inside and i found this sample quite hard to do as it was very fiddly and as there were so many separate fabric pieces it was confusing as to which one attached to where, but once I finally grasped it it turned out well.

This is the second pocket we sampled, this pocket is an applied pocket. Its different to the pocket above as this time it has been placed onto the garment, rather than sewn into the garment. It is still lined inside and I found this pocket easier to create than the first one as it wasn't as complicated, although the first pocket looks a lot better I think, depending on what sort of effect is being created.

This sample is a fly zip. This was probably the most complicated sample and the method to this one was very long and tricky. A fly zip is mostly used in jeans, and other trousers at the front of the garment, it is hidden behind the fabric flap and just means that the zip at the front of the trousers or skirt or shorts looks a lot neater and more professional. I will use this method in the future for when I create garments that it is necessary for.

This is all of the bias binding samples that i created. There were a couple of different techniques that we used, one was where we wrapped and pressed the bias binding over the raw edges and then sewed on, and the other was where we placed the bias binding onto the raw edge and sewed on. As you can see we had some curved edges to bias bind, which was hard but the end result was that the curve was still present, which was good. I will definitely use bias binding in the future as a way of finishing the raw edges of garments and I think it gives a nice neat finish.

This is a concealed zip. This sample was relatively easy I have created many concealed zips beforehand. A concealed zip is different to other kinds of zips as it means that the zip is hidden and the teeth aren't visible on the garment, This is chosen by a lot of people when they don't want the zip to be shown and I definitely used this technique on my trousers as the I didn't want a large zip to ruin the paneled detail at the back of my trousers, although a zip was required. So to eliminate all problems I placed in a concealed zip, which was a perfect method for me to use.

After creating all of these samples I can see why these main ones were very important for us to learn. With creating simple everyday garments or quirky different ones, all of these techniques will at some point be used and as they are simple they can be changed and developed, so they are very handy techniques to learn.

Sampling of Illustrators Work

After researching into the fashion illustrators, I have sampled their work to see which techniques I like and which ones I feel will represent my capsule collection best.

Here I will show my 3 favorite illustrators that I mentioned in my last post;

Carlos Aponte-

 Stina Persson-

Sara Singh-

Fashion Illustrators

We have been researching into several fashion illustrators to gain inspiration for different techniques to use for our final boards. There are a few illustrators I like the best.

Carlos Aponte is a really interesting illustrator. I really like the way he uses the masking tape as I've never seen this technique used before. I think the way he creates texture and movement is really interesting and i think on a black background it looks really effective.

I have always admired Stina Persson. I really like her use of ink and water colour and I think her sense of colour is also very innovative. I like the way she blends the colours together to create different effects and textures within her work and it looks so effortless yet so stylish and glamorous.

Sara Singh is a very fresh and young illustrator. I think her illustrations are full of volume and fun. The mood of her work is very stylish and I would definitely like to use her style of illustration for some of my final boards as I really admire her use of media and think her style is very effective.

Modelling on the Stand

Recently in class, we used calico to model on the stand using different design principles and trying to incorporate the golden ratio. 

 Here, we pinned each side of the fabric into the middle of the mannequin. This created symmetry and also had aspects of line and tucks. It created 2 upside down triangles as well which relates back to shape and the golden ratio.

 On this mannequin, we used the same method as above at the waist but changed the top detail of the garment. Again we used symmetry, and created more triangular shapes with draping and tucks.

 Full view of above mannequin. Silhouette is hourglass.

 Here, we used draping around the neck. The silhouette was quite natural and flowing and we created a sort of waistband where we tightened the calico at the waist.

 Close up of draping collar.

 On this mannequin, we decided to add n some darts to show how a natural fitting dress would sit. We left the body tighter than the arms which were left to drape and hang loosely. The silhouette we used here was a more natural silhouette, here the darts show that the dress doesn't have much shape to it.

Dress darts up close. 

Toile Diary

Firstly I started off my trouser by tracing out a basic trouser block. I then adapted my pattern to fit into my design.

I made the waist higher, and made the trousers angle out at the hips like on my design. I also lowered the crotch and tightened the legs and the bottom.

I also drew out where the panels were going to be on y trousers as well. The next step for me was to trace off the separate panels and add seam allowances where necessary.

inside leg FRONT

 second to top piece BACK

 outside leg BACK

 inside leg piece BACK

 outside leg FRONT

top piece BACK

top piece FRONT

After I had my pattern pieces, I then proceeded to to cut them out of the calico. As my trousers are mostly made up of panels, the only piece that was cut on the fold was the top front piece. I then started to piece my trousers together like a jigsaw, I found this surprisingly easy and I followed my large pattern to see which pieces went together.

Here, I had started by sewing the top back pieces to the two second to top back pieces, making sure I had lined up the darts so that they matched. This was definitely the hardest part of making the trousers as the darts never seemed to match up perfectly.

I then did the other darts on the front with the front top piece that had been cut on the fold. I attached the piece to the 2 outside front leg pieces and then attached the inside front leg pieces to the outside pieces. Now I had the front part of my trousers complete.

I then made up the back part of my trousers by adding the top part I earlier made up to the inside and outside back leg pieces. Now I had both the back and front pieces made up and was almost ready to sew them together, although firstly I had to insert an invisible zip.

Now i had to sew up both the outer sides and insides of the trousers to make them whole.

Here is my finished toile, I took close ups so the panels could be seen. After trying then on, I realized that they would have to be changed slightly as they were too big all over. So I put them on and then pinned them in place where they needed to be taken in, and took the measurements.

Rather than redoing my whole toile, I then made the amendments to my paper patterns and then started to create my final trousers. My final trousers fit perfectly with the new measurements.

I made sure that I faced the top of my trousers to neaten up the edges, and then I turned the bottoms of my trousers up 1 cm twice and hemmed them.

 Front

Back


I was very pleased with the final outcome of my trousers, as they fit how I wanted them too, and the panels lined up accurately which was at first quite hard to master. The darts didn't line up as accurately as I'd have liked but I think that might have been down to my patterning.

trousers on cad

Favorite sustainable designer

After researching many sustainable designers I can definitely say that Noir is my favorite.Although quite secretive and secluded, I really admire the stylish glamour that comes with the brand. A lot of sustainable brands are quite natural and casual but what I like about Noir is the fact that although quite simplistic the garments and clothing is beautifully made.

And the fact that Noir uses mostly sustainable fabrics makes it all the better. It works along side with Illuminati II, which is a sustainable cotton brand and this is where Noir gets the majority of its fabrics from, it promotes sustainability as well as glamour and style and some of the garments are amazing.