Thu 13 May, 2021
Gray M.C.A in partnership with The Courtauld Institute of Art London is proud to present a series of Fashion Illustration Masterclasses – each hosted by a leading illustrator. In each session you will hear how a contemporary artist approaches his or her work, and what inspires and influences their practice. Participants will also gain insight and feedback on the work they produce over the course of the evening, as they are invited to draw fashion worn by live models. This is a unique opportunity to be inspired to learn about current fashion illustration practice, while producing your own drawing.
We are pleased to announce that our next Masterclass will be hosted by Richard Haines. To Richard Haines, New York City is an endless runway. When he moved to the city to pursue illustration, he instead found a successful career as a fashion designer, where he developed a keen eye for the often overlooked details of form, fabric, and how a garment falls on the body. After years in the design world, his career came full circle: he’s now one of today’s most sought-after fashion illustrators:
”During this drawing session I will discuss, in no particular order: the rich history of fashion illustration from Lepape to Bouchè and Bérard to…me! I will share my insights on the importance of gesture, shape, the play of positive and negative, and I’ll explain my golden rule of drawing—never use an eraser.
As we begin drawing we will talk about the process of approaching a blank sheet of paper— What do we see? What do we tell ourselves? Are we excited, apprehensive? So much of drawing is overcoming our fears, the voice in our head that says “I can’t draw,” “this is hard,” or “I’ll draw but I’ll avoid the hands, or the feet, or…” I’ll talk about ways to move those old conversations out of our head, which allows us to proceed to make beautiful drawings.
Drawing from live models I will share my tips on the “under one minute drawing”—what to look for, how to edit the information and get what we want on the paper. Over the period of the class we will go from quick, gestural drawings and build to longer, more detailed 15 and 20 minute sessions. We will work on large pads of paper with charcoal stick and pencil – giving us space for the sweeping gesture and the play of shadow and light, always returning to a strong, confident shape and ultimately engaging with the viewer – the essence of Fashion Illustration.”
It is not uncommon to see Haines seated front-row at Fashion Week, sketching images for publications who’ve hired him to record the nuances that cannot be captured on film. His fascination with the people behind the styles informs every stroke, propelling his work into the intersection of fashion and art.
IMPORTANT: Please note that materials are NOT provided, and participants need to bring their own paper, pencils, pens and any other tools
