Story

Meet the Fashion Illustration students in the next issue of VAROOM!

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

Written by
Josh De Souza Crook Published date
24 August 2017

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration new graduates Robson Stannard and Jessie Gardiner have already caught the eye of VAROOM! Magazine, a leading and unique publication about contemporary illustrators and image-makers, published by the Association of Illustrators, Somerset House. Work from their degree is set to feature in the latest issue of the magazine. We took the opportunity to find out more about their art, the role of a modern illustrator and being featured in the next issue.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Robson Stannard.

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Robson Stannard.

Tell us a little bit about your upbringing and how you got into illustration.

Robson: Throughout my entire art education, I was always told my work was illustrative, at the time I thought this meant my work wasn’t as good as my peers and it knocked me back a little. It wasn’t until I got onto the course at LCF that I knew illustration was for me.

Jessie: Having parents who are both fine artist’s means that I have always been exposed to the world of art and drawing. That combined with my love for fashion, studying Fashion Illustration at London College of Fashion seemed only a natural progression for me.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

How would you describe your style?

Robson: My work always consists of a bold graphic palette, heavy brush marks and a combination of media. I typically do portraits or head and shoulders only.

Jessie: Over the course of my three years at LCF, my style has developed immensely. I’d always thought of myself as a relatively traditional drawer, in terms of proportion and material. However, during the creation of my Final Major Project, I began experimenting will collage, whilst having a strong desire to try something new. Here, I found that I could combine elements of accuracy with more abstracted shapes and forms. This development led to more interesting compositions and therefore, a stronger over all image.

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Robson Stannard.

Both of you are being featured in the latest issue of VAROOM! How did that come about and what did you produce for them?

Robson: It came about after Jessie and I had both handed in our Final Major Projects. One of our lecturers, Daniela Hatfield, put us forward and we were both selected to be part of their top 15 graduates. I sent them two pieces from my Final Major Project, both Menswear Fendi SS17.

Jessie: My tutor, Daniela Hatfield, informed Robson and myself that we had been selected to take part in VAROOM’s top 15 graduate feature, showcasing our Final Major Project pieces – exciting news! VAROOM! chose a select few of my final images. The project was entitled ‘Bedside Matter’ and is a series of images based around the idea of objects reflecting identities, depicting still-life snap shots from intimate and individual spaces: bedside tables, the inside of bags, bathroom shelves. The objects one possesses can often say a lot about the person behind them and their current state of being, despite initially seeming to be somewhat mundane – a ‘portrait without the portrait,’ as it were.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

: BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Jessie Gardiner.

What’s the role of an illustrator today?

Robson: The role of an illustrator today needs to be a versatile well-rounded illustrator who can approach a range of project types in a style that suits.

Jessie: I believe that the role of an illustrator is totally up to the individual artist, and that that is the beauty of it. Drawing is a form of expression and communication, and that can be conveyed in an interpretive manner or in a more definitive way. Or on the contrary, the drawing can be totally for aesthetic reasons! I don’t believe that everything has to have a deeper meaning.

BA (Hons) Fashion Illustration by Robson Stannard.

What’s next for you both now?

Robson: I’ve also been selected as part of the #DRAWFASHION competition by CASS arts. With an exhibition to coincide with Fashion Week in September, I’m hoping that opportunities like those will continue to fall into place.

Jessie: Whilst I am keen to continue illustrating, I am looking to broaden my horizons within the creative field and experience various sectors of it. I am interested in developing skills with regard to layout and composition and so have been applying to roles within the magazine/publishing bracket. However, drawing is something that I will always love and undoubtedly come back to!