{"id":30206,"date":"2019-10-20T17:04:34","date_gmt":"2019-10-20T16:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=30206"},"modified":"2019-10-20T17:04:34","modified_gmt":"2019-10-20T16:04:34","slug":"succeeding-as-a-part-time-professional-fashion-illustration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/succeeding-as-a-part-time-professional-fashion-illustration\/","title":{"rendered":"Part-time Professional: (How to make it as a Fashion Illustrator)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mazvita Musendo<\/p>\n

\u201cI just had to work at it everyday\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Media industries are saturated with young hopefuls rushing to apply for a limited number of opportunities. There are a handful of people who <\/span>have <\/i><\/span>figured out how to break down those locked doors. Whether they\u2019re working, in education or with child care responsibilities, these part-time professionals are people you\u2019ll be looking out for soon. So, how are they doing it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Gisela Gayleard, a third year fashion illustration student at the London College of Fashion, radiates warmth and homeliness in her tone as she describes her experiences within the illustration industry. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her art, however, cuts a much sharper edge than her sweet demeanour.  Gisela has important things to say and her bold drawings are making everyone listen. Her themes often express ideas of female empowerment, freedom and sexual liberation with daring execution. Here is why Gisela\u2019s art is unapologetically making waves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lines to Freedom<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s often hard to find work within creative sectors, such as illustration, as the competition is ridiculously high – especially in London. Pair this with having a regular job and it can become quite a troubling scenario.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFinding things costs money, I luckily got an internship after I contacted a well known book group. You just have to go for it. Being from a university in London is very attractive to some of these American companies\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Lines to Freedom\u2019 explores the female form and is influenced by traditional nude paintings from the italian renaissance era. It was constructed with 6 different pieces of tracing paper, each with a drawing from a different era. The piece aims to desexualise female bodies by expressing sexuality and it\u2019s complexity through the different layered images. Essentially, this piece takes ownership of the male gaze that is often on women and transforms it into a reflection of the female body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A Parisian Dream <\/b><\/p>\n

Time management and expenses are often a key reason for people not doing as well as they could. It\u2019s easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that needs to be done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI moved in with my parents to save money, and it\u2019s helped a lot, I draw on my hour journey to London and I\u2019ve ended up with so much stuff for my portfolio. It\u2019s almost ridiculous!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018A Parisian Dream\u2019 is a depiction of a fantasy world – hence the image looks like many famous buildings with an element of distortion. Parisian infrastructures are the key inspiration. The hour glass shape of the structure can also be used to infer meanings of time and movement. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn to do stuff wherever you are, I have to plan my whole life ahead or everything goes wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the most accurate representation of Gayleard\u2019s art style.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sorry I\u2019m keeping my legs closed <\/b><\/p>\n

Being patient is key as an industry beginner. Sometimes the best work takes the most effort and time. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople didn\u2019t expect it, but I basically made a gallery, I took out the photographs of the nude women already inside the public telephone box and replaced them with my own drawn versions. Sometimes you have to go to the extreme and I\u2019d say it paid off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Over a period of 3 months Gisela displayed \u2018Sorry I\u2019m keeping my legs closed\u2019 with a series of other images in a public telephone box. The \u201ctraditional London prop\u201d was painstakingly cleaned and sanitised in preparation for the pop up gallery. Viewers were questioned on their beliefs on female nudity and expression. Gayleard received mixed responses but the piece of art got people talking and it was important for her to feel that people were \u201cactually learning from it\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

RED<\/b><\/p>\n

Although some people may prefer working on their own, freelance work sometimes requires team work. The ability to bring ideas together seamlessly is very important. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard sometimes as you don\u2019t have full artistic direction, but I\u2019m quite flexible so I don\u2019t mind, I just get stuck in,\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

For \u2018Red\u2019 Gisela worked with a photographer in order to recreate a picture with added illustrations and distortion. Inspirations include Frida Khalo, lust and a Brazilian colour palette. Everything from the placement of the letters is deliberate and unapologetic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes people don\u2019t like it, it doesn\u2019t matter. Art is so subjective. You have to grow thick skin, and the more you do the better you\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Gisela one the best things to do is make sure you have a portfolio filled with things you\u2019re proud of. So it\u2019s back to grafting young professionals, there\u2019s a lot of work to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All art belongs to Gisela Gayleard who can be found on Instagram: @_gisela_illustrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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