Tag: fashion

Turning Your Fashion Illustration Passion into a Profitable Career

Posted on by Sharrette

Being a fashion illustrator allows you to combine your artistic talents with your love for style and design. While it’s a highly competitive field, there is a huge demand for skilled fashion illustrators who can bring a designer’s vision to life. If you have a natural gift for rendering figures and capturing the essence of clothing, you may be able to turn your fashion illustration passion into a full-time career.

The first step is to master the technical skills required. This includes learning how to draw the human form and clothing accurately from various angles. You’ll need to understand how different fabrics drape and move on the body. Studying fashion design, color theory, and trend forecasting will help you create illustrations that resonate. It’s also crucial to develop your own unique illustration style through experimentation.

Once you’ve honed your skills, there are several avenues to explore for making a living as a fashion illustrator:

1) Freelancing for Fashion Houses and Designers
Many high-end fashion houses and designers hire freelance illustrators to bring their clothing concepts and collections to life through illustrations. As a freelancer, you can build a portfolio showcasing your ability to capture a brand’s aesthetic through your illustrations. Having this specialized experience can lead to ongoing freelance gigs or even a full-time position.

2) Working for Advertising Agencies and Magazines
Advertising agencies often need fashion illustrators to create conceptual illustrations for campaigns. Similarly, fashion magazines hire illustrators to provide illustrations for editorial features and advertisements. This type of work requires a versatile illustration style to bring different client visions to life.

3) Selling Products with Your Illustrations
Another option is to create your own product line featuring your unique illustration style. For example, you could design and sell apparel, accessories, home goods, and more featuring your fashion-inspired illustrations. E-commerce platforms like Etsy and your own website can help sell these products.

This is where I focus making money with fashion illustration. To have your own style and market that is key to this path. You can see more on this in my article here.

4) Teaching Fashion Illustration
If you love to share your knowledge, you could teach fashion illustration courses at local colleges, art schools, or online learning platforms. This allows you to pass on your skills while earning a living from your expertise.

No matter which path you choose, having an outstanding online portfolio showcasing your best fashion illustrations is key. Promote your work through social media and build a following to attract clients and customers. With dedication and perseverance, you can absolutely make a living doing what you love as a fashion illustrator.

One of my favorite fashion illustrators is

Holly Nichols be sure to check her out.

Free Digital Download

Posted on by Sharrette

I wanted to share something with you today. A free fashion illustration for your personal use. I hope you like it and enjoy!

You matter. You are essential because no one can fill the place you have in this world. You affect people whether you realize it, with love or hate. So let’s share love, spread kindness, and right wrongs.

Click to download.

Free fashion illustration coloring page

Posted on by Sharrette

During this stay in, I wanted to share with you some free fashion illustration coloring pages.
If you share on social media, I just ask that you tag me in them or share my website. I would love to see your work!

IG @Sharretteillustrations

Facebook: @sharrette.co

Right click, save image as, and print photo or color on your iPad.

Copyright © Sharrette Co 2020
Purchase of this item does not grant transfer of copyright. I, the artist, retain all copyright privileges. All artwork and images on this site are © Blessing Ball. Images may not be used, downloaded, sold, redistributed, altered, or printed. Personal or commercial use of the artwork without explicit written consent from the artist, Blessing Ball, is strictly prohibited and punishable by U.S. and international copyright laws. Please contact the artist prior to sharing on social media.

More artworks please click https://www.etsy.com/shop/Sharretteco
or visit my blog at www.sharrette.com

A Review of My Recent Shein.com Purchases

Posted on by Sharrette

A Review of Shein Clothes

I have seen the shein.com ads for a long time now and have wondered about the quality, shipping, and sizes of the pieces. The prices are so reasonable and the styles so cute, I finally decided to take the plunge and order a few items. This is a review of my recent purchase and whether you should order from them as well.

What did I purchase?

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am pregnant right now. Buying pants or skirts were out of the question. I wouldn’t be able to wear them for months still, and who knows what size I’ll be after the baby is born. I did end up going through their selection and save some to my wishlist for later, though. Hey, a girl can dream!

For the shirts that I ended up buying, I tried to find styles that I thought would look good both now and postpartum. The shirts that I bought were simple. Some were flowy and some were just normal t-shirts. Plus, I couldn’t resist this graphic t-shirt that has the word Nope on it.

It is always difficult to gauge what size to get when you haven’t purchased from the store before and shopping online. Plus, add being pregnant and it all just becomes a shot in the dark. I ended up getting a medium on everything. It seemed the safest bet in the end.

Receiving the Goods

One thing I was nervous about when I ordered was that shipping would take a month to get to me. I have bought from other similar sites and it did take that long, but this is not the case with Shein. It only took about a week, and everything was there.

When I was originally shopping on the site, I was going back and forth so much on what I wanted to buy that I was adding and removing stuff from my cart for several days. In the end, I didn’t double check the number of each item because somehow I ended up with 3 of the same shirt. I originally thought it was their mistake, but alas no. I had paid for all three and definitely had to do a return order.

Other than that, everything was there. Now for the fittings.

Trying Everything On

Even though everything I ordered was a medium, somehow there was a wide range in the size of everything. At the bottom of each item on their site, people do upload pictures of the clothes and review them. That is actually very helpful.

This blush shirt, that I ended up with 3 of, is super long in the back. I love the fit but I’m worried that it will look excessively long in the back when I’m not pregnant. We will see. I decided to keep one of them and send the other two back.

I also purchased this green shirt with a cute x detail at the neckline. Besides that, it is a pretty simple shirt. It seems slightly short, but that could just be my belly making it shorter. I’ll have to update this once I am postpartum. The material seems a little cheap, but not enough that I felt the need to send it back. It is soft and subtle.

Updated:

Finally, the last two shirts I bought were this Nope shirt in Black and a navy blue shirt that says wifey. I love both but I have not worn the wifey shirt once. It is really long, and I haven’t found myself drawn to it to wear.

So, now being postpartum, I wear the green and black shirt the most. I don’t wear the blush shirt hardly any and I don’t think I’ve worn the wifey shirt once. It’s a shame too because I hate spending money on things that I don’t end up wearing.

Conclusion on Shein

All in all, I like the purchases that I got from Shein. I wish I had returned the blue wifey shirt only based on the length. I feel the quality of the clothes is comparable to the price they charge.

One negative is that I think they only give you one free return, so I don’t think I will rush off to order more clothes from them. There is such a variant on the clothes, that I would be nervous about each item and how I liked it.

If you want clothes that are cheap and look good, then shop here. If you want high-quality products for great value, I’m not sure that Shein is the place to buy from.

Have you bought from Shein? What was your experience? Did you like the clothes?

Check out some of my other fashion blog posts below in the related section. In this blog post, I talk about some fashion trends for this spring. Also, if you are looking for a great mascara that gives you the false lash look, check out my review of these three mascaras.

Top 9 Trending Clothes You Need This Spring In Your Closet

Top 9 Trending Clothes You Need This Spring In Your Closet

Posted on by Sharrette

The spring has just started and so has your closet must-haves! There are a lot of trends happening, and I’ve combed through them to bring you this list of top 9 trending clothes you need this spring in your closet. Yes, there are only 9 trending clothes you need that you will be able to complete all your spring outfits with them. Check them out:

Top 9 Trending Clothes You Need This Spring

  1. Block Heels

These are a must have this season! I am seeing them everywhere, and I can’t wait to add them to my closet. They are chic and simple. You can easily pair them with all types of outfits, jeans, dresses or even rompers.


I know! You are like me and want to go buy some in every color. I haven’t added these to my closet yet, but they are definitely a must-have!

2. Lace Up Wedges

Another favorite this season is the lace-up wedges. You can wear these poolside, out for the weekend, or even everyday with jeans. That is the great thing about these 9 trending clothes items is that they are so versatile and will complete any outfit that you pair them with. Wedges are so easy and comfortable to walk in too, so you will have no problems with keeping these on your feet all night long!


Lace-up shoes are so sexy! They make me feel like a goddess whenever I have them on. I just want to show off my legs in them! You will too. 😉

3. Ripped Jeans

Number three on my top 9 trending clothes this spring are ripped jeans. I have a couple of different pairs of ripped jeans, as I am sure you do too. Pull them out and wear them because they are still on trend! I know you get the comments from your parents and grandparents that they will buy you pants that aren’t ripped. Ignore them! You look fly!

All types of washes and definitely black and white ripped jeans are the colors you want to add.


4. Moto Jeans

I am obsessed with Moto Jeans. They are like ripped jeans except your clothes aren’t torn! You have pants that have an element of design that was missing without them. My favorite colors for moto jeans are green and of course pink. Check them out and add them to your closet for this spring.

5. Off the Shoulder Tops


The latest trend for your tops and blouses is for them to be off the shoulder. Show some shoulder, show some skin. Super sexy! Who doesn’t love a sexy collarbone? Really easy to pair with skirts and jeans.

6. Rompers

These have been on the market for a couple of years, but they are really starting to take off in the style department. You can get a wide variety of styles of Rompers. Long or short, floral or plain, whatever you choose you will be on trend in a romper. Just let me know if you figure out an easy way to go to the bathroom whenever you wear one. 🙂

You will be wearing this for a weekend trip to the beach or a brunch with your friends! They are super comfy, too.

7. Maxi Dresses

It’s like resort wear took over the trends this spring for my top 9 trending clothes this spring to add to your closet. You will want to get your hands on a great casual and fancy maxi dress. They are the perfect item to pair with your block heels or wedges and head out for a date or to the movies with friends.

 

8. Tie Shorts & Tie Pants

Like I said the resort wear is taking over! Check out tie linen pants and shorts. They are a great spin on your traditional jeans and shorts. I think it is all about being comfortable, yet looking stylish and put together this spring. My favorite linen pants I’ve seen are from Vici Collection. Check them out here.

Other great tie pants and shorts are these:

 

9. Convertible Neckline Tops

Convertible tops aren’t just for nursing moms anymore! Now, they are making them for everyday wear. You can have the top be strapless or spaghetti strap depending on the top or long sleeve. They also combine the off the shoulder trend here. Great to pair with your ripped jeans for a fun night out. Or, just switch up the sleeves for a day to night wear.

Styling Them

So these are my top 9 trending clothes you need to add to your closet to be on trend this Spring. You can mix and match them with a wide variety of pieces to create unique and on-trend looks. I’m definitely looking to add them to my closet. What other trends have you seen this spring that you want to add to your closet? Comment below or connect with me on social media.

Have you read my post about how to minimize your pores for an everyday make up look?

5 Tips You Need to Know When Beginning Fashion Illustration

5 Tips You Need to Know When Beginning Fashion Illustration

Posted on by Sharrette

Introduction to the Basic Fashion Figure for Fashion Illustration

So you want to get started in Fashion Illustration? It looks pretty simple, you think you can do it, but you don’t know where to start? I’ve been doing this and learning a lot. So let’s discuss the five top tricks that have helped me out and can help get you ahead of the game.

Tip Number 1 – Create Movement with your Fashion Illustrations

You want to make sure your fashion figure pose isn’t stiff but has movement and flow. If you draw your fashion figure straight up and down it will come off as cold and robotic. Here are some of my very first fashion illustrations.

Fashion Illustration

I’m kind of embarrassed to show you these, but everyone has a starting point. This was mine. As you can see, they look stiff and the one on the right-hand side even looks like she is falling over slightly.

Here are some more recent sketches I’ve done with better movement:

So how do you create movement? On to tip number 2.

Tip 2 Study Fashion Magazines & Model Poses

You want to create movement. Angles, the body sways as you walk so you want to emulate that in your fashion sketches. Study fashion photos and see how the models are posing. Here are a few to give you an idea.

Follow the angles the model’s body makes and incorporate that into your drawings. Draw fashion illustrations of models walking the runway. The hips will go one way, while the shoulders go the other. I still have trouble getting this perfect, see my latest Instagram post for what I’m talking about.

Tip Number 3 – Have the Correct Materials

Trio blending copic markers

Having the correct materials can make your work 100 times easier. This one you can get away with not having the correct materials. However, I highly recommend investing in some good alcohol ink markers. The colors blend well when you are using them and create just the right blends you are wanting to create in clothing, hair, skin, etc. You can blend with watercolors and even the iPad pro. But, alcohol markers make it so easy!

Personally, I switch between the iPad pro procreate app and hand-drawn fashion illustrations with Copic markers. I started out with colored pencils and watercolors and started investing in copic markers. It took me six months to invest in them to get a good variety. The difference is huge. Just scroll through my instagram feed and you can see what a difference the materials seems to make.

Copic Markers, or really any alcohol ink markers, are super easy to blend and use. You don’t have to get a degree to use them. You can layer the lighter colors to make a darker shade or add a slightly different tone to create the folds and shades of the outfit. Yes, you can do this with watercolors but I have found that the watercolors were not as easy as a beginner as the copic markers are.

Tip Number 4 – Practicing, Practice, Practice

As with everything, you need to practice, practice, practice to get better. It still takes me several hours to complete a fashion illustration. You can do different practices to help your speed. I just haven’t invested the time in that yet. Since it takes me several hours to complete one, I usually only manage to do about 2 to 3 fashion illustrations a week. I am wanting to be able to do them quicker so I can do more in a week. I am just not there yet.

Still, doing 2 to 3 a week has gotten me a long way from my first to my latest. This is the difference from, my first, 7 months ago to yesterday:

 

Tip Number 5 – Study Other Peoples’ work

Studying other fashion illustrators’ works and components has been a huge help for me. Check out my post on my favorite fashion illustrators to follow on Instagram. I study different elements or features that they have in their drawings that I love most and try to recreate them in my own figures and fashion illustrations. Occasionally, the artists’ will even posts tips and tricks on what they do to create their illustrations. I always get excited to learn something new to help improve my work!

When I first started drawing fashion illustrations, I had a lot of difficulties drawing the eyes and other facial features. It took practicing and studying what others did to improve. I still have a long way to go. In the beginning, I loved sunglasses or glasses because I just could not draw the eyes to save my life!

Bonus Tip Number 6 – Take an online Fashion Illustration Class

There are a few places that you can take a quick fashion illustration class. Check out skillshare, youtube, or as I mentioned in tip number 5, Instagram stories. You never know what tip or trick will help improve your work the most! Also, don’t forget about pinterest as a huge resource. You can find fashion croquis to help you get started or different outfit ideas for incorporating into your fashion illustrations.

These are my top tips for learning and perfecting fashion illustration. There are so many other tips and tricks you can utilize. I’d love to hear some of your tips that have helped you the most. Comment on this post or get in touch with me via social media! I look forward to interacting and learning with you!

 

 

Instagram Artists to Follow – The Best Modern Calligraphy and Fashion Illustration Artists that You won’t want to miss and how to find more.

Instagram Artists to Follow – The Best Modern Calligraphy and Fashion Illustration Artists that You won’t want to miss and how to find more.

Posted on by Sharrette

The Discovery Of Amazing Artists on Instagram

The past six months to a year, I curated a wonderful collection of Instagram artists to follow on modern lettering, calligraphy, and fashion illustration. I have found the artists to follow through hashtags and other shout-outs or mentions from top Instagrams in each respective category. Daily I feel as though I stumble across someone else who inspires me to do better and try a different technique or material. Each artist I look at, I think, “Oh, I want to emulate this style of theirs or try this or that out.”

Instagram has definitely stepped up Its game, too, with helping you find amazing artists to follow through the following of specific hashtags instead of having to search and then peruse them. Now new posts I wouldn’t normally see are right in my feed! I can like and follow the artist. I can see if their post is the subject of their Instagram or if it was a one-off thing. I have added countless amazing artists to follow through that ability. To save you some time going through those hashtags though, here are my top 5 modern calligraphy and watercolor artists to follow, as well as my top 5 fashion illustration artists to follow on Instagram.

Instagram artists to follow

The Best Calligraphy and Modern Lettering Artists to Follow on Instagram

1.Whitney Ruger, @whitneyruger

Her watercolor pieces are just adorable! You are sure to fall in love with her technique and adorable paintings. She tends to paint cute vintage items. I haven’t seen something of hers that I don’t like!

2. Jessica Patterson, @jesslove_designs

Her layout design is excellent. She has nice clean lettering and it is always eye-catching. She hasn’t been posting a lot lately, but I definitely recommend following her for when she starts posting again.

3. Catherine, @letteringbycath

Super cute style and she does a variety of layouts, colors, and designs. Her work is vibrant and just so streamlined. She manages to make her work appear like perfection in every post.

4. Alex Kazakova, @mshelimar

Her work is absolutely stunning. Okay, so she isn’t a calligraphy artist but I couldn’t leave her off my top 5 list. Her focus is watercolor art. Definitely, check out her work. You won’t be disappointed!

5. Cassie, @thepeonyletteress

How can I forget her magnificent work? I love her lettering style! It’s so unique and quirky. The colors she uses are always brilliant and creative. She seems to do it all from normal watercolor lettering to using ink and nib.

Instagram artists on the rise

The Best Fashion Illustration Artists to Follow on Instagram

1. Holly Nichols, @hnicholsillustration

She is my favorite fashion illustrator. She does a lot of stories with great tips for what materials to use to draw your own fashion illustrations. She also had such a cute style!  She is the first I click on anytime I log in to my feed.

2. Rhian Awni,  @rhianawni

Her main medium is watercolor. Can you tell I love how watercolor looks? She always has a variety of subject matter in her pieces. One of my favorites is a mom doing yoga while laundry and her children wait for her. Zen in a busy life! Check out some of her other pieces to be inspired!

3. Cassandra Calin, @cassandracalin

Her focus is comic art and using black and white ink. Her work is super fun and light-hearted. Definitely, a must to follow if you love all things girly, everyday life, and comics mixed together.

4. Acelya Bazin, @acelyaillustration

When I first started doing fashion illustrations, I looked at her drawings a lot. I love the way she does the facial features, especially the eyes and freckles! I’ve tried doing freckles a couple of times but they never come out quite right. Probably because I do full body shots and she does more upper body drawings. Either way, her work is fabulous!

5. Leeann Visser, @leeannviser

Fashion Illustrator and Artist. Her work is sophisticated and lifelike. Beautiful portraits of all different types of women and fashion. The colors she uses are vibrant and each piece has eye-catching details! Love her work!

These are my top ten favorite artists to follow on Instagram. I love seeing the pieces they produce and secretly envy their talent. I try to emulate them in my pieces, but of course, nothing is ever as good as the original. Check them out and definitely follow them. You’ll enjoy the enrichment that they add to your stories and feed.

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Check out our shop to order prints, digital downloads and more, or contact us to get started on your custom graphics or illustration today!

Christmas Art Supply Haul

Christmas Art Supply Haul

Posted on by Sharrette

My Art Haul And The Difference Quality Art Supplies Makes

This is a little late for a Christmas haul, but it’s still January and better late than never to share my favorites art supplies from Christmas. Furthermore, I wanted to show you how it has made a world of difference getting quality art supplies in my final illustrations and art. I’ve been practicing calligraphy since November of 2016 and since July of 2017, I’ve been developing my fashion illustration skills.Fashion sketch

For years, I’ve loved the fashion sketches that I’ve run across on Pinterest and then I ran into Holly Nichols’ work. She is among my favorites and in another post I’ll go more into details of my favorite fashion illustrators and calligraphers.

Fashion Illustration

I decided to try my hand at fashion illustration. It seemed easy enough. Boy, was I wrong! Here are two of my first sketches:

They aren’t horrible. However, the illustrations lack movement and are very stiff. One of my problems when I started fashion sketching was  my supplies. I have watercolors, which many fashion artists use, but that didn’t seem to work well with the style I wanted to develop. After researching, I started investing in copic markers over the following several months. The first set I got was the skin tone set. It made a world of difference! You can see my progression on Instagram (@sharretteillustrations).

Copic Markers

Which brings me to my Christmas haul. I had a growing number of Copic markers, but they were for basic things like skin and hair. For Christmas, I got the Copic Ciao 24 color set and 2 blending trios.

 

Here are the links if you are interested in getting some too:
 Copic Ciao Markers 24pc Basic Set
Copic Sketch Blending Trio Markers 3/Pkg-Set 1
Copic Marker Sketch Blending Trio Markers, SBT 4, 3-Pack

As a result, I can finally add some color to my fashion illustrations without wondering how I’m going to blend my watercolors to be the exact color I need. It’s been great and I feel like it has really elevated my abilities.

Pentel Brush Pen

In addition to these Copic markers, I also got some refills for my Pentel brush pen.

This has been my absolute favorite calligraphy brush pen. Most of all, it creates such a rich mark and the brush tip is easy to handle. Best of all, It is cost effective!

In conclusion, what are some of your favorite art supplies you got for Christmas?

If you are needing inspiration for some supplies, I definitely recommend the copic ciao set, Or really anything copic, and the pentel brush pen! This post contains affiliate links for the aforementioned products.

 

 

Bucket List – My Top Five for 2018

Bucket List – My Top Five for 2018

Posted on by Sharrette

My Bucket List/Goals for the Coming Year

2017 was an exciting year for me. My Etsy shop picked up traction, my Instagram accounts have grown dramatically, and I went through a lot of personal growth both artistically and personally. As I look forward to 2018, I want to make a plan to grow this year but not be unrealistic. So I am making a top 5 bucket list of what I want to achieve.

Top 5 List

1. I’d like to hit 2500 followers on both my @dreamisawish_designs and @sharretteillustrations Instagram accounts.

Followers aren’t everything because I’ve noticed that the more followers I have, the less engagement I get. However, there would be a lot I could do in connection with this blog. That’s why I am putting that on my 2018 bucket list.

2. I’d like to see consistent growth in both my calligraphy and fashion illustrations skills.

At the end of the year, I’m going to redo one of the pieces I’ve done this month to compare the style and development. There is nothing like rewarding yourself for small things, and I feel like this would be a pleasant reward for the end of the year.

3. I’d like to be consistently posting to this blog.

My goal is to have at least 2 to 3 posts a week. It doesn’t seem like a lot, however, I have started blogs before and I quickly lose traction. I feel like with this blog I have a more focused topic to write about. That should help keep me motivated and writing consistently.

4. I want to overhaul my Etsy store.(You can see my shop here) Revamp some of my listings and add graphic design and fashion illustrations to the mix.

My Etsy store consists of calligraphy pieces and pieces targeted toward marketing and Senegence products. I want to, in essence, grow my line by diversifying. This isn’t challenging. The challenge would be to make the products marketable. Setting prices and getting people to buy isn’t as easy as listing and hoping someone stumbles upon it.

5. I want to put profit as my number five. However, instead, I feel like I should put something along the lines of generating meaningful content instead.

Everyone wants to profit from their work, and some do. I’d like to be one of those people. To do that, though, I want people to genuinely enjoy the content I’m producing; for the art to be pleasant and relevant and the content of the blog to be impactful instead of just words on the page.

So, that’s what my number five is: meaningful content.

pexels-photo-317409.jpeg

In Conclusion

This is my top 5 bucket list for 2018. I hope to look back at this throughout the year and see development as I go. I’d love to hear what your bucket list is for 2018. Share it with me on social media or in the comment section.

About Me

About Me

Posted on by Sharrette

My Degrees

Canvas Acrylic Wall Art Painting of Shoes

I always knew that I wanted to do something creative and fun, and wanted something versatile for when I had children. So, after exploring things like writing and illustration, I set my sites on Graphic Design as a career path.

Flash forward to graduating college with a BS in Graphic Design, I hit the work place right as the economy took a tank in 2009. With scarcity in my job outlook, I decided to reinvent and balance out my education with a Masters in Marketing. I finished my degree while working full time first as a Graphic Designer then as a Project Manager, always maintaining a creative outlet in my work and personal life.

The Present

I finished my schooling and worked for a company handling their website advertising sales planning, i.e. media planning. I got married just over 4 years ago. My husband and I have a wonderful, bright-eyed and smiley baby boy.

What Lead Me Here

All that schooling and life experience has led

The Future

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Scott Adams