Customer Reviews

Big Book of Fashion Illustration: A Sourcebook of Contemporary Illustration

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you're looking for eye candy look no further than the Big Book of Fashion Illustration by Martin Dawber. And when they say big book they mean it. We're talking 384 pages of juicy pictures. It features a foreword by Karen Santry, Associate Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Executive Vice President at Fashion Art Bank Inc. After that Martin Dawber has written a small introduction and the rest is just art. It's divided into seven categories - Womenswear, Menswear, Youth Culture, Children, Sport, Accessories, and Beauty. Each of those is then divided further into subcategories.

Oh, if you're a subscriber to the elongated nine-head-length stereotype, you'll want to look away now. Fashion illustration has taken leaps and strides in the last 20 years. There is no set template that's followed anymore. Not just in size but in technique. You'll see not only drawn and painted pieces but several other methods as well. Naturally there's digital work and photography. But there's also collage work. In fact, UK-based illustration duo, Jacqui Paull and Carl Melegari, have this to say: "We like to fuse two elements together to achieve our goal. It is more innovative and exciting. We mix a combination of techniques - photography, hand-drawn elements, Xerox, flat graphics, - all collaged together using Photoshop to give a more individual approach." (taken from the introduction)

I got the book because my drawing skills are seriously lacking. At this point, you're wondering how this would help, right? Because I have a dozen drawing books and they all tell you the same thing. Draw this particular way, with this particular pencil, on this particular paper. And I get so sick of drawing realistically. I don't want to draw perfect people. As I flip through this book I see that I can throw all that out the window. Yes, I *can* draw a perfect-looking nose but why? There's no character, no soul. I'm hoping it will inspire me to work on my individual style. And, it also makes me want dust off my Wacom tablet so I can develop some mad digital skillz.

I'm not the intended audience for this book, I'm sure. But there is so much that I'm getting out of it. If you have any desire to draw people or just need a creative shot in the arm, I highly recommend this book.

When I bought this I was worried that I would be stuck with another "how-to" manual for fashion illustration. I just received my copy and wow! I'm so pleased with the quality of the illustrations and the variety of styles presented within- I can't wait to get drawing!

This was exactly what I was looking for, a source for stylistic inspiration to bring into my own drawing skills.

This book consists of fashion illustrations of many contemporary artists. There are no tutorials in the book but finished drawings. They are prepared in many different mediums and with use of computer programs as well. For me they are great source of inspiration. I recommend the book.

This was a really useful source book of current fashion illustrators. Both the layout and quality were very good.

Tons and tons of great illustrations... not a book just for fashion designers but for all ilustrators

I am thoroughly enjoying this book. It's well done- nice reproductions,comprehensive and contemporary. It's exciting to see Fashion Illustration still alive and well (if not used very much in USA). Nicely organized. My only hope is to be included in the next installment (Here that Martin Dawber!!!).
Completely satisfied with my purchase.

This book is so beautiful to look at! I have shown all my friends in my art classes!
Its Really fantastic!

i loved the illustrations that were selected for this book, its orgenized in an easy to read maner. great source of insperstion.

Such a wonderful selection this sourcebook is.
To those who expected tutorials, you may need to learn better comprehension skills when reading book descriptions as well as a better understanding of what's going on in the illustration industry today.

this is not a how to\& real characters fashion drawing, it's just an illustrations and high resolution pictures of ads and on each ad. there is a name of the one who created it, i got tricked buying this, it's cheap but heavy for a shipping. if u r the kind of guys who likes to draw and know how to draw (portraits, comics, real life, landscapes, etc..) then NEVER go for this AT ALL, the ONLY thing that attractes me and tricked me to buy this is the cover illustration.