Washed up

by Patsyfox on September 16, 2018

Watercolur_and_ink_workshop_Melbourne

Watercolour paints are one of the most beautiful and versatile media there is – the soft and organic effects can never be replicated by computer. However they can be one of the most frustrating media too. Do you start out to paint something fabulous but end up with a big mud pie? You probably need to learn a little more about your media and equipment, and some key techniques for utilising them. This one-day workshop takes you through the basics of paper, brushes, types of paints and inks, then shows you all the key techniques for using each of them. When you have that down we create some fashion illustrations just singing with your new skills. What’s not to love? Info here. Sunday 7th October 10.30am – 4.30pm in the beautiful studios of Frankie and Swiss, South Yarra (Melbourne).

Face it

by Patsyfox on September 16, 2018

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Beautifully drawn faces and portraits are pretty much my favourite artworks to look at, make, and collect. But faces are also something that a lot of people get wrong. I have a solution! My admittedly awesome very-one-full-day workshop So You Think You Can’t Draw Faces? It starts with the fundamentals of the human head and face, takes you through a method for constructing the face quickly and easily on paper, then we look at how to simplify these faces for fashion sketches. Learning how to draw faces well is one of the biggest boosts you can give your art-life. More info here. Sunday October 14th 10.30am – 5.00pm in the beautiful studios of Frankie and Swiss, South Yarra (Melbourne).

8 is great

by Patsyfox on August 26, 2018

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It’s a funny thing that as time goes by and our lives get busier, not more relaxed, the trend is to take on new skills in bite-sized chunks, rather than in a more comprehensive way. I do love my one-day workshops but they have nothing on the progress I get to witness when people take part in my 8-week courses. Introduction to Fashion Illustration at The Drawing Salon covers all the key fundamentals of fashion illustration, as well as the most creative and fun aspects. In my classes I have between 6-12 students only, and I ply them with music, chocolate, and cheese while I show them how it’s done and how enjoyable it can be.

The pics above are demos from the 8 sessions of this one-evening-per-week 8-week course. Classes are held in the beautiful and creative studios of Frankie and Swiss in South Yarra (Melbourne) – there is nothing not to love! Bookings close in a couple of days so jump on in here if you’re interested. And pssst, there is a special “bring a friend” price if you book two spots at once.

Come draw with me

by Patsyfox on July 22, 2018

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Oh hey! There I am at the end of a class at The Drawing Salon, everyone’s favourite bit, despite their initial reluctance to display their work. The minute they see it all laid out and realise how differently we all interpret the one image, they are mad for it. Coming up next is the action-packed Fashion Illustration Bootcamp. It’s a one-day workshop covering the most important fundamentals of fashion illustration, and how to use colour in an effective and dynamic way, with very simple equipment. A comprehensive set of notes is included and did I mention there is chocolate and cheese?! Details here. Saturday 11th August 10.30am – 4.30pm, in South Yarra (Melbourne).

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Oh look, it’s me again! Bird’s eye view of my demo…

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Chasing Rothko

by Patsyfox on July 21, 2018

Rothko-3-13-artworkRothko, No. 3/No. 13 (1949)

The NGV had me at Rothko, but in fact the entire exhibition is brilliant. I would probably prefer to trek to New York to see the works (any excuse!), but this is a handy alternative, as it really does have a first-class selection of the best of MoMA. Just remember to wear comfy shoes and pack your patience, because oh-boy, you will need it when you wait in that poorly organised ridiculous line for tickets. I make it my business to seek out Rothkos when I travel, and have my photo taken in front of them, no matter how banned the activity. With everyone freely snapping the works it wasn’t quite as exciting, but at least this one was in focus. Enjoy!

The brush up

by Patsyfox on July 9, 2018

Clarins-make-up-brushes-illustration

Call it age – or not, I’m fine with that too – but I have started getting interested in looking after my stuff. All my stuff. The worst thing about maintaining your things is that you start to notice the wear and tear and grubby bits. It’s like dust in my house – I have only become aware of dust in the last several years – where was it hiding before that?! Was there no dust?? Or was I just blind to it? Probably. In any case, after owning a bottle of MAC brush cleaner since pretty much the last century, I’m suddenly using it.

If this is possible then anything’s possible so go on – make a wish!

*Illustration above is part of a series I did for Clarins.

Courses of course

by Patsyfox on April 10, 2018

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Wednesday evenings 6.30pm – 9.30pm from May 2nd

The Introduction to Fashion Illustration 8-week course has been running since 2010. I have refined it as I go over the years and am very proud of its quality. Starting with all the fundamentals of fashion illustration, figure proportion, how to get a figure down on paper, we move through all the key anatomy including faces, and through a variety of media from marker pens to watercolours and indian ink. And there’s more. This course is great for high school students, university students, people working in fashion who need to upgrade their creative skills, but equally as good for all the doctors, accountants, and retirees who have also done it just for fun and SANITY. Bookings and more info here, and feel free to email me with any questions. This course will not be offered again until the second half of the year.

OR, if you’ve done it, or are more skilled, or simply like to live on the edge, why not try the Intermediate Fashion Illustration course (Tuesday evenings 6.30pm – 9.30pm from May 1st) – it will not be offered again until 2019. More info here.

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Bootcamp baby!

by Patsyfox on April 10, 2018

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Sunday April 29th, 10.30am – 4.30pm

So much for turning over a new leaf this year – I was going to gift myself time affluence, a calm mind, plenty of time for personal drawing, ETCETERA. Instead I gave myself a couple of monstrous project deadlines and a wonderful bout of tennis elbow.

Classes and workshops at The Drawing Salon were the first victims of the crazy pace but THEY ARE BACK! First up is the Fashion Illustration Bootcamp. This very excellent one-day workshop starts at the very basics so the the information is clear and correct, then works through my particular method of getting the poses down on paper easily and quickly. Once we’ve mastered the figures we move onto colour and media technique and how you can use just a couple of marker pens with some coloured pencils and do amazing things. Don’t worry, when your energy flags I shove chocolate in your mouth – you will love it!

There are just 4 places left, bookings and more info here.

Hop hop hooray!

by Patsyfox on April 1, 2018

Easter_Bunny-fashion-illustration-Phoebe-Philo

Patience is a virtue / All good things come to those who wait / etc etc – Well finally one of these clichés came true: After more than a decade my mother has accepted that unlike her, I don’t like the small solid chocolate eggs – all I want is Humpty Dumpty. WELL, like the supersized hint I dropped a couple of weeks ago, the Humpty Dumpty she bought me could feed a small family!

The only down-side? The big box makes it less likely that my cat Frankie will get her head stuck in it again and bounce backwards around the room while I literally loose my load from laughing. #goals

The New Black Episode 6 with Bil Donovan!

by Patsyfox on January 28, 2018

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On today’s 6th and final episode for this summer’s run of The New Black on 3RRR radio, I was joined again by the fabulous Karen Webster, former CEO of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF). We chatted ethics in the fashion industry, why we shouldn’t play the blame game with fashion companies, and how the buck STARTS with the consumer. I also chatted live to New York to the utterly brilliant Bil Donovan (that’s his illustration above). He is one of the world’s leading fashion illustrators, and also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met – you will see what I mean when you listen to the interview. Along with producing work for luxury brands and publications around the world, he also teaches fashion illustration at schools including the F.I.T., and is the first and only artist-in-residence for Dior Beauty. He was commissioned by British Vogue to do an illustration for the January edition (below), and you can hear on the show how that commission came about.

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Bil Donovan for British Vogue January 2018

I chatted with Bil about what Fashion Illustration actually means, and how does he feel about digital illustration vs traditional (by hand) illustration. You can listen back to the show here, and for your viewing pleasure below is some more of his work. If you yourself are interested in fashion illustration or drawing, I heartily recommend his instructive and enjoyable book: Advanced Fashion Illustration: Lifestyle Illustration

Travel- pursuit of style-Bil-Donovan