what i've learned

Throughout the process of attempting to create my own style of the fashion figure, I realized that I was going to need a lot more time to experiment and find my own style.  The few days that I allowed myself turned out to not really be enough time.  (Also, it may have been partially me -- after drawing my own outfits for a while, I didn't really have much inspiration besides the style I'd learned.)  Unfortunately, I haven't really been able to try out my goal of creating a whole new style (I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time), but I have been trying to add my own spin on the model and the clothing.  Here is my most recent sketch (that I actually semi-like; plot twist):

Despite the fact that I didn't really achieve exactly what I'd planned on, I still improved a lot with my art skills and learned a lesson: you have to experiment with what you're doing in order to be successful and advance your skills.

Throughout my experiences in sketching fashion figures for this project, I learned that experimentation is key.  You have to be willing to erase and redraw, erase and redraw, and erase and redraw over and over to make something look the way you want it to.  You really can't get too attached to any certain idea or line; you have to be flexible and ready to change details to benefit the bigger picture.

This doesn't just apply to art.  In life in general, it's good to be able to adapt to conditions that you may not be expecting.  In retrospect, I've had to do this a lot this year, both in school and in my outside of school activities.  It's a good life skill to be able to be flexible and be willing to alter little things along the way to have success.

So, maybe all you nonexistent followers of my blog have learned something, or at least marveled in the beauty of my fashion sketches (ha).

my own designs

Now that I'm more or less familiar with the design and layout of the standard high-fashion figure, I can begin experimenting with my own designs -- both for the clothes and the style of the model.  This is what my goal was; I've wanted to do this since the time I first drew a sketch in the high fashion style.  I just hadn't put in the time or effort to improve this style.  

Here are some of my sketches in which I utilize the basic outline of the figure from the tutorial.  It's just a basic, standing position with proportions that are common in the fashion industry.  However, this time, the clothes and designs are my own, as opposed to the photographs that I had been inspired by in the previous post.

 

As I continue to familiarize myself with this style, I'm learning that experimentation is key to succeeding.  If I don't take chances and be willing to change things -- both what I've learned from tutorials along with what I put on the paper -- then I won't get very far. 

Here's my favorite test that I did -- I just tried out the walking style a few times, and this one looked the least hot mess-y.  

Perhaps for my next and last blog post, I'll have begun experimenting more and more and maybe even beginning to develop a style of my own.  We'll see where my drawings take me, I guess.