Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Brandon’s Book Review.
Fashion Illustration Exposed. Edited by Julia Stanescu.
It’s great to have a book tailored to the subject of fashion illustration. Hats off to Julia for bringing together a collection of artists who take the time out to do what they do best and are willing to share their knowledge with others. Reading this inspired me to try new techniques and keep pushing my art. Honestly, I’ve never liked painting my fashion illustrations because there’s no Edit > Undo button. Sometimes I say to myself, “It’s so hard to correct mistakes when you paint so why bother.” I know it’s not true, but it gives me an excuse to keep doing what I’ve been doing and not take the chance of ruining a good line illustration.
I was encouraged by the opening tutorial by Maryanne Oliver. She explained how to build your painting in layers so you get the look you want, and easy ways to make adjustments if you don’t get the desired effect. Not only did she break down the type of pens and brushes she uses, she also gave inspirational creative advice like, “Remember, don’t be afraid of making mistakes! There are no mistakes in art!”
Overall, Fashion Illustration Exposed provided plenty of great examples by each illustrator, to show their creative process, and techniques they use. I think students will really appreciate that featured illustrators such as Jennifer Lilya, who does this full time for a living, shares the fact she uses a Tom Lynch palette, for example, and considers it one her best investments. Because of the amount of choices we have when buying supplies, getting profession recommendations like that makes the process a lot easier. In addition, this book captures the feeling of being back in the studio; and walking around getting insights and picking the brain of fellow illustrators, to learn and get inspiration for you your own work.



See more preview shots here at http://issuu.com/fashionarium/docs/fashion-illustration-exposed
The book ends appropriately enough by providing examples of the new styles and media used in fashion illustration with profiles of David Delin and Phoks, two designers who mix photography, illustration, and graphic design to create their pieces. Phoks, for example, finds a bunch of magazine pictures, pulls certain objects and details from them, then reconstructs his own design using Photoshop. He uses Photoshop filters to give the pieces an illustration-like look. Really cool!
This book is a must have if you are a fashion illustrator or designer. Julia has created a quality and insightful reference book for the the fashion illustration community.
Her passion, curiosity, and desire to learn from others definitely comes through in this book. I would love to see more from her, maybe an updated edition with even more interviews and profiles!
Be sure to enter in the discount code wouldyourockthis to get 20% off the retail price.
Brandon’s Book Review. Fashion Illustration Exposed. Edited by Julia Stanescu
Tags: Brandon Graham, david delin, drawing fashion, FASHION BOOK REVIEW, fashion illustratin techniques, Fashion Illustration, fashion illustration exposed, fashion illustration using photoshop, fashion illustrator, how to book for fashion, how to book for fashion illustration, inspiration, julia stanescu, maryanne Oliver, painting fashion illustrations, painting techniques, phoks, photography, photoshop for fashion design, sketch, womenswear sketches
Posted in Fashion Illustration, Uncategorized, Vendors and Products | No Comments »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Received my sketchbook today!!!
Just received my copy of FASHIONARY (Fashion Sketchbook) in the mail today with a personal note from the founder himself, Penter Yip. Look out for the review on WouldYouRockThis.com If you already bought this, what did you think? -Brandon

FASHIONARY

Personal note from the founder himself, Penter Yip.
Received my sketchbook today!!!
Tags: Brandon Graham, fashionary, fashionary.org, penter yip, sketchbook, womens illustration, womenswear sketches
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
PinkyShears’ sister site, WouldYouRockThis.com, is about to get their own business card.
WouldYouRockThis.com Business Card Update
Tags: Brandon Graham, Would You Rock This?, wouldyourockthis.com
Posted in Video, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »
Monday, June 28th, 2010
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble!
Fashion Illustration VS Fashion Sketch
My friend Julia, creator of DesignYourFashion.tumblr.com, asked me to give my opinion on the difference between a fashion illustration and a fashion sketch.
Here’s an excerpt from my response.

Design sketches are worked and reworked therefore one sketch maybe slightly different from the next. So you tend to see the sketches on croquis to speed up the process. You also tend to see “blow ups” of details that are too small to see. These are placed around the sketch or off to the side with written notes to further explain details that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Read more of my response at DesignYourFashion.tumblr.com
Enjoy,
-Brandon
Let’s Get Ready To Rumble! Fashion Illustration VS Fashion Sketch
Tags: Fashion Illustration, fashion illustrator, Interview, sketch
Posted in Interview, PinkyShears in the News | No Comments »
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Here is the ad banner Kirsten (graphic designer for WYRT) designed for WouldYouRockThis.com 
This is an ad example she created for other fashion illustrators who want to post to the site. We decided to do this…
The first 5 people to request an ad for their fashion illustration or design site, their ad post will be FREE!
So if you are interested in posting your own ad, drop WYRT a line here at http://wouldyourockthis.com/contact-us/
-Brandon
Kirsten’s Ad Banner
Tags: ad, artwork, fashion ad, fashion designer, Fashion Illustration, kirsten elizabeth, marketing fashion, Would You Rock This?, wouldyourockthis.com
Posted in Sales & Merchandising, Services, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
Interview with Fashion Illustrator Jennifer Lilya
jenniferlilya.com
PinkyShears’ publisher, Brandon Graham, interviews fashion illustrator, Jennifer Lilya at her studio in Brooklyn, New York.
Have a look and give some feedback on Jennifer’s illustrations here on http://wouldyourockthis.com/vote/current
http://www.vimeo.com/12511455 http://www.vimeo.com/12511237
Interview with Fashion Illustrator Jennifer Lilya
Tags: advice, Brandon Graham, coloring, creative process, fashion illustration by jennifer lilya, fashion illustrator, FIT, Interview, Jennifer Lilya, jenniferlilya.com, pinkyshears, PinkyShears.com, womenswear illustration, womenswear sketches
Posted in Fashion Illustration, How To, Interview, Q and A, Video, career advice, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »
Friday, June 4th, 2010
This is our talk at 11p m after wrapping a video interview for FothMedia.com
Brandon talks about what was left out of the official interview and makes Dorelle promise to upload her fashion sketches to WouldYouRockThis.com
Dorelle and Brandon make a Pinky Swear
Tags: Brandon Graham, dorelle mcpherson, F.O.T.H. TV, FOTH TV, fothmedia.com/, pinky swear, pinkyshears, Would You Rock This?, wouldyourockthis.com
Posted in Interview, PinkyShears in the News, Video, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
QUICK UPDATE for WouldYouRockThis.com
I know, I know. LOL. Would You Rock This needs it’s own blog. I’m working on it. : )
-Brandon
QUICK UPDATE for WouldYouRockThis.com
Tags: Brandon Graham, Fashion Illustration, Would You Rock This?, wouldyourockthis.com
Posted in News, Video, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
Want some honest feedback about how talented you are as an illustrator? Would You Rock This (WYRT) has answered your prayers! It’s a great way to evaluate at what level you are at when it comes to fashion illustrations or if your fashion designs are even worth pursuing. WYRT was recently founded by Brandon Graham, Elizabeth Willse, and Kristen Reilly in the hopes that it will be an avenue for fashion students to get real feedback about the popularity of their designs. I had the opportunity to interview these young entrepreneurs about what lead them to WYRT.
1. Who came up with Would You Rock This and what sparked the idea?
Brandon: I came up with WYRT. What sparked the idea? Would you believe, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? I remember as a kid drawing endless pictures of the cartoon characters in my notebook. Donatello was my favorite. When I showed my drawings to my mom and grade school teacher, they showered me with compliments.
“Would it still be good if I were 21?” I asked.
“Well, no,” said my mom. “but you still have a lot to learn, so that’s okay.”
Then, as I began my fashion studies, I showed my designs to friends and family. They loved my designs because they loved me. When you’re starting out I realized it’s hard to get the kind of honest feedback that would tell you how you’re doing in the industry. Solving that problem led me to creating WYRT.
Read more at…
Interview for WouldYouRockThis.com by FashionHardDrive
Tags: Brandon Graham, Elizabeth Willse, kirsten reilly, Would You Rock This?, wouldyourockthis.com
Posted in Interview, PinkyShears in the News, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
THE BIGGER BOOK OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION by Martin Dawber
A clip of our WouldYouRockThis.com brain storming sessions.
Brandon might have some of his illustrations shown in the book’s newest edition.
click here for book link.
THE BIGGER BOOK OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION by Martin Dawber
Tags: Fashion Illustration
Posted in News | No Comments »
Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Sewing Hope Tomorrow @ 7pm
For more information and to make a contribution please visit…
http://www.fountofmercy.com/fount/sewinghopehome.html
Sewing Hope Tomorrow @ 7pm
Posted in Events, News | No Comments »
Saturday, May 15th, 2010
How To Improve The Attractiveness of Your Brand [Part 1]
What I meant to say @ 4:40 was…
I believe she felt her friend’s stuff wasn’t as GOOD LOOKING as Tracy’s (girl whose brand wasn’t as ATTRACTIVE).
Tracy’s accessories LOOKED and were constructed better,
but my friend would still invest the MILLION in her friend’s collection.
Here’s a little more explanation for you in Part 2. CLICK HERE.
How To Improve The Attractiveness of Your Brand [Part 1]
Tags: accessories, attractiveness of a brand, brand story, branding 101, Brandon Graham, Brandon Graham designer, creating a brand, creating a lovemark, creating a story, creating tribes, Fashion Institute of Technology, FIT, improving your brand, lovemark, managing a brand, Pinky Shears, PinkyShears.com, Seth Godin inspired, Would You Rock This?, wouldyourockthis.com, WYRT
Posted in How To, Sales & Merchandising, Video, wouldyourockthis.com | No Comments »