Fashion illustration always fascinates me.

A few years ago, I was commissioned to work on a small project requiring me to sketch fashion poses of different clothing styles and ever since then, I fell in love with this type of art.

In this class, let us explore fashion illustration using watercolors featuring a technique called scratching to add details and patterns.

Painting details has always been a daunting task for me when I was a beginner. That’s why I was so glad to discover that we can combine the familiarity of using a pen in adding details and the challenge of holding a brush for the bigger shapes in this painting style.

Here’s a sneak peak of the projects that we’ll work on in this class.

What will we do in this class?

We will create fashion illustrations of girls facing back to omit the challenge of having to draw the face. Thus, we will be focusing on how to paint and add details on the hair and the dress only with the watercolor technique called scratching.

Here is the summary of lessons:

Class Project: This will give you an idea on what we’ll be creating.
What is Scratching: A demo video on the scratching technique.
Hair Practice: Color mixing and detailing lesson for the hair.
Dress Practice: Color combination and adding patterns on the dress.
Lady in Pink: Time to apply what we have learned using a single color for the hair and the dress.
Lady in Blue: This time, we will combine two colors and add challenge in the painting process.
Lady in Purple: Now, we will use three colors and a more complicated hairstyle to finish off this class with a bang!
Final Touch: The optional use of splattering and adding shadows to make the illustration more visually interesting.
Sharing Your Work: Let’s summarize what we learned and list down what we must do after finishing this class.

Who is this class for?

Since this class combines the unfamiliarity of holding a brush and the familiarity of writing tools, this is best enjoyed by beginners who are new to watercolors and find it challenging to hold the brush and for hobbyists who love creating illustrations with watercolors.

But experienced artists are welcome to join the fun and challenge of scratching patterns with this unique illustration style.

What do we need to get started?

Before watching the class project videos, please make sure to prepare the following:

Watercolor paper and paint (student grade materials are accepted)
Watercolor brush (one size 8 or 10 round brush will do)
Water jar, paper towel or rag
Pencil and eraser (optional)
Pens or markers (for shoulders and arms)
Pointy object (e.g. used pen, toothpick)

I have also provided a Class Guide downloadable file which contains the following:

scanned copies of the class project for your reference
summary of lessons
list of common mistakes to avoid
recommended materials
color palette used and
guidelines for the hair and dress.

By the end of this class, you will be the proud creator of these girls in beautiful dresses that you can use for your craft projects.

You will also be equipped with knowledge on how to maximize this technique by applying it on other painting and illustration subjects such as landscape, still life, animals and even portraits.

Music by Purple Planet.com

Emilie B

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