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| Photo by way of www.zackdezonphotography.com |
Jennifer Lilya
"Fun, Fabulous Fashion Illustrations!"
Jennifer Lilya walks us through her transition of developing her craft, cultivating her passion, and building her entrepreneurial foundation as a professional fashion illustrator. Her pieces exude great energy, vibrant pops of color, and she makes her art come to life. She is simply amazing!
EE: How do you
define Jennifer Lilya?
Lilya: Happy, fun,
fashionable, sometimes shy, sometimes sassy, but always glued to my drawing
table!
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| Photo by way of Brooklyn Hilary | www.hilarymchone.com |
Lilya: All I ever
wanted to do was ‘paint pretty pictures’! I was always in love with fashion
& pretty things, so I decided to enroll in FIT”s fashion illustration
program.
EE: What is your
source of motivation? Where do you find inspiration?
Lilya: I just LOVE to
paint. I wake up before the crack of dawn every day, super excited to start a
new painting or project. Inspiration is everywhere- from the runway looks of
each season, to a cool texture I see on a city sidewalk, or just dancing around
to a fun song…as long as something makes me happy or excited, I’ll want to
paint it!
EE: What
techniques do you incorporate in your rendering process? What techniques would
you like to explore?
Lilya: For the past
ten years or so, I’ve been hooked on acrylic paint & black ink for all of
my paintings & client work. I work the acrylic like watercolor, using
multiple layers of color to create the look I want to achieve. I’m addicted to
black ink – it just flows perfectly off my paintbrush & it gives off so
many different feelings- from super intense sharp lines to soft, beautiful
washes. I basically layer color upon color to create shapes, then finish off an
illustration with black ink lines to express details.
I’m happy with
my acrylic & ink right now at this point of my career. I’d like to start
playing around with different marker techniques when I do my
live-sketching jobs. A medium that dries
quickly is always good for super-quick sketches & capturing the essence of
someone or something.
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| Photo by way of www.zackdezonphotography.com |
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| Illustrations by way of Jennifer Lilya | |
EE: What are your
favorite mediums?
Lilya: Acrylic paint for its quick drying time & non-smudging.
Waterproof black ink for the same
reason. My favorite paper is 90lb Stonehenge – perfect for those mediums- it’s
not too smooth or too textured for the level of detail I enjoy. I also play
around with collage in my downtime, so I’m in love with acrylic medium in
semi-gloss for that work. And tons of old magazines! |
| Photo by way of Brooklyn Hilary | www.hilarymchone.com |
EE: How do you
stay current?
Lilya: I’m always on
style.com looking at shows from all over the world, reading fashion blogs &
twitter posts from my favorite artists or designers.
EE: What projects
have had the greatest impact on your growth as an artist? What was the most
valuable learning lesson you walked away with?
Lilya: That’s hard to
narrow down since I feel like I learn something new (big or small) from every
job that I do. Since I’m a one-woman show, I’ve learned to manage my time as
best as I can- I prioritize projects by deadline dates or the length of time I
think it will take me to complete something. I try to stay in constant email
contact with each client, so everyone knows what I’m working on & when to
expect it, as well as having all of the project guidelines in writing for easy
reference & clarity for all involved. Communication is key.
From an art
standpoint, I’ve learned to go with my first instinct on
layouts/looks/trends/detailing, rather than wrack my brain or waste time
overworking a piece. Fashion needs to be fresh & fun, so I try to work
quickly, efficiently & happily! If something isn’t working out, I will
literally rip it up & start fresh rather than labor over it.
EE: How did you
build your professional network?
Lilya: Basically by
cultivating my Lilya look (happy, pretty girls!), but also being professional
from a business standpoint. Art can be amazing, but if a client thinks you’re a
stereotypical flaky artist or might be a little difficult to work with, you’ll
be passed over for somebody else.
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| Illustrations by way of Jennifer Lilya | |
I also take
full advantage of online portfolio sites like the Directory of Illustration,
and of course my main platform is my facebook illustration
page-https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlilyafashionillustration?ref=share
I try to update
it almost daily with my client projects or little things that inspire me or
photos from live-sketching events. It gives potential clients an insight to how
I work & what to expect from me overall. I also love interacting with
people who enjoy my work- that makes me insanely happy to know that I’m
touching people in some way with my art.
EE: What advice
would you give someone who is trying to find his or her artistic identity? What
advice would you give about making the transition from academia to the
professional realm (to realize their dream)?
Lilya: It sounds so
simple, but practice makes perfect. I’m always painting & trying to better
myself artistically. The more you draw or paint, you’ll start to discover what
your natural style is. It just sort of happens when you let your brush or pen
guide the way.
As for
realizing your dream, never give up! You may luck out & be discovered
overnight, but realistically, it will take years of hard work building a client
base & gaining industry knowledge. You may have to work full-time jobs
while freelancing on the side, but it’s worth it. You can also try to find a
job that’s close to what you want to do- I had quite a few full-time design
jobs in the 90s, just so that I could sketch what I love, while paying my bills
at the same time. If you want something bad enough, I think you will naturally
find a way to make it happen. There are so many days that I work around the
clock & get very little sleep, but I don’t care- I’m painting & making
myself & my clients happy with my illustrations. That’s more than
energizing!
EE: What are
some of the frustrations you faced as an artist and an entrepreneur?
Lilya: Starting out
was definitely a struggle- I was constantly dropping my portfolio off to
designers or magazines, as well as doing mailings to art directors or companies
that I wanted to work for. Looking back at it now, it seems so exhausting, but
it was definitely worth it.
There were many
times I lived on ramen noodles & peanut butter waiting on freelance
paychecks to arrive, but I was determined to make my art happen because that
was the one thing that always made me happy. I also worked full-time jobs in
& out of my industry, and did freelance illustration at night or on
weekends whenever I could.
EE: It has been
noted that one of your passions outside of illustration is creating collages.
What do you get from that indulgence (benefits, what draws you to it)?
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| Photo by way of Jennifer Lilya | jenniferlilyafashionillustration.com |
EE: I enjoy
Victorian fashion and I go crazy for fashion of the 1950’s. What era of fashion
are you obsessed with and enjoy illustrating?
Lilya: I’m obsessed
with the 80s. It was my first inspiration when I was a young girl seriously
getting into art- early 80s new wave music & clothing was so expressive
& it immediately caught my attention. It was bright, happy & ridiculous
fun! I was also insanely inspired by Antonio Lopez & Tony Viramontes-
fashion illustrations of the 80s made me who I am today. I love the expressive
line, pops of color & sense of fun I get from it.
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| Illustration by way of Jennifer Lilya | |
EE: Do you
think that the relationship between fashion illustration and the fashion
industry is still one of artistic presence? Do you think that fashion
illustration can be as prevalent as fashion photography?
Lilya:Absolutely.
Fashion lIlustration is always present in some form- from in-house designer
sketches to all sorts of fashion lifestyle advertising. It definitely comes in
waves & trends, and I love seeing a real appreciation of the art form again
recently. I especially love the appreciation of traditional work, which is
obviously my favorite. It gives off such a personal touch.
I’d like to
think that fashion illustration can be as prevalent as photography, but I’m not
sure that’s realistic. What it can do is offer such a beautiful alternative
expression of what the client is looking to advertise. Photography seems to be
used a lot so that customers can see the details of a design, which is practical
and creative at the same time. Fashion illustration can be literal &
practical at times, but to me it evokes more of a feeling- an essence of the
garment, person, place, object or attitude. I’m personally more drawn to lines
& color on paper than I am to photos or digital art, so I’d love to see
tons more illustration (fashion or general) wherever I look!
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| Illustrations by way of Jennifer Lilya | |
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| Illustrations by way of Jennifer Lilya | |
LiveITLoveITExudeIT!
SimplyEE
www.jenniferlilyafashionillustration.com
