Fashion and computer technologies

Fashions are always changing and using a computer enables illustrators to respond to the fast moving world of fashion. I’ve always been interested in the illustrations by Patrick Morgan and when I was thinking of what I could write about linking both fashion and technology I thought this example might be interesting to my readers.

Patrick Morgan started his career as a freelance designer after completing a degree in Graphics and Illustration and has provided works for advertising campaigns including Selfridges, Hewlett Packard, 3 Mobile, Impulse, The Body Shop, Levi’s and British Airways. He created images for advertising campaigns, while also pursuing his interest in illustrations created via computer for fashion campaigns and design.

The art of fashion illustration is to give the viewer an insight into whats in current high fashion magazines. Taking cuttings and writings from magazines and websites is a good way to keep you up to date with what’s on the catwalks. Patrick Morgan encapsulates all elements of fashion into contemporary illustration. Most of Patrick Morgan’s work uses a combination of traditional drawing techniques and computer rendering – the computer enables him to perform updates easily and also speeds up the whole production process.

Advanced computer technologies have allowed for fashion illustrations to be sketched digitally, rather than sketched by hand, creating a professional and efficient illustration. Before a garment or item of clothing is produced it must be designed and the image must be recorded on paper with details including buttons, zippers, pockets, colours, measurements, fabric etc.

Fashion illustrators create accurate images out of ideas, representing products as diverse as hairstyles and spectacle frames. This includes work as a forecasting illustrator for prediction services, where predictions have not yet been realised and photographs cannot be used. Their work must be clear enough to be used effectively by the manufacturing and production team, as well as media and retail outlets.