As many of you know who have followed me over the years, fashion has been a constant in my life. Actually, since I was a young kid I loved fashion. My parents, my maternal grandmother were fashion people. There is a short bio in my book, Take Your Coat Off & Stay While that talks about my journey of fashion from elementary school and also my journey into the arts. You can purchase my book, Take Your Coat Off and Stay Awhile: A Fashion Designer Coloring Book & Designer Stories. More on that later.
My journey into the arts came about when my parents moved from the inner city of Cincinnati to the suburbs of Cincinnati in August of 1967. I remember that well because one of my neighbors, Cassandra who lived across the street had written the month and year in my family's not yet dried garage cement of our newly built home. She was a wild fifteen year, but fun girl even I knew that at nine years old. Lol, today that is called vandalism, but indeed, it was my cultural marker into remembering the beginning of my shift into the arts and why.
From the outset coming from an all black inner city to an all black suburban community seemed like it was going to be a smooth transition, but it wasn't and my mother recognized it right away. Soon, I would come home crying from school from boys of my color calling me 'black dog'. I would sit on our den sofa looking out the window sullen and crying about it. I had been a very happy go lucky kid in the inner city, playing double dutch, eating syrup sandwiches, running in and out of my neighbors house, to playing outside games to now nothing. My face had even changed. I looked so happy standing in front of my parents car with my cute outfit on in the inner city to so sullen on my school pictures from my new school in the suburbs.
As my mother began to notice the shift away from my 'free spirit' self, she introduced what would be my life long friend and career option to me; the arts. She began by buying me drawing pencils, sketch pads, paint by number art books, and erasers. I quickly became immersed. Sometime soon after, I began drawing fashion sketches. I wish I still had those sketches because I remember looking back that I was very good at it. I wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to go to New York Pratt School of Design, but again more of that in my book. Long story, short, after high school and onto college I stopped drawing, but I still had a love of fashion. I played around with drawing over the years, but it didn't stick as my career path stayed in the arts, but away from my childhood dream. Plus, I didn't have the mentors, or a community to help me see that dream as real. So, I didn't really fully pickup drawing again until covid October 2020 with everyone else in the world picking up hobbies and trying to find creative things to do. I was pleasantly surprised that I could still draw. It wasn't easy and still isn't but I still had the raw talent as I am still self taught like I was as a child; never taking a drawing class.
Below is my 1st drawing in over 50 years. I even taught myself to sew, make patterns not well, but good enough to make this white overlay dress from my own made up pattern. Again, the story about sewing is also in my book on how I became inspired.
I wore the overlap two different times. Which do you like?
For the past few years, I have been more intentional practicing my gift and working not to lose it. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it does make better. Below is a short video with fashion illustrations tips for drawing in colored pencils. I work with colored pencils because they are more forgiving than markers. If you are like me, you make mistakes and truly I don't want or like to start over because drawing is not easy but it is doable. Now, working with colored pencils are not easy, but there are strategies to make your work look rich in color similar to colored markers. In the video are a few tips.
Again if you are interested in learning more about my Fashion Design coloring book and fashion designer stories you can purchase it by clicking the link below.
Take Your Coat Off and Stay While: A Fashion Design Coloring Book and Designer Stories
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