– Caroline Tomlinson – Bringing us all to life

Fashion illustrators capture the worlds most fashionable celebrities and models, using their unique artistic styles to celebrate these icons most stylish moments. But what about all the other women out there who have a passion for fashion, and want their very own fashion moment to be captured? That’s you, by the way.

After all didn’t the mighty Bill Cunningham say “The best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has been, and always will be.” And that’s a man in the know.
And London lover Caroline Tomlinson couldn’t agree more. Like many of us, she flicks through Vogue and imagines a wardrobe full of McQueen or Isabel Marant… But while we are all dreaming of these purchases, the reality is that the majority of us who love fashion have to make the most of what we have… but this is actually where, she believes,  the real fun begins.

Caroline Tomlinson works as a fashion illustrator and loves the fact that she gets to combine her two favourite things – art and fashion. And like the mighty Bill, one of her most enjoyable things is capturing everyday fashion moments in her sketchbooks.
She works in collage – a digital collage that comes together on screen, but is all made by hand. It’s a combination of hand drawn and hand painted elements. She loves using indian ink – making drips, dribbles and getting the lines and blobs to bleed into unique shapes and marks. She uses a wide variety of mark making tools, such as fountain pens, bamboo pens and Japanese calligraphy brushes… and she also incorporates charcoal, pastels and felt tips. She mixes them all together and sits and watches the magic happen…

Her work is very expressive and full of energy and it is these expressive marks that capture a personality – a sense of life. Clothing in mid flow, hair tumbling down. No air brushing and stylist pins. o photoshopping or trimming down… Everything she does is real, and she believes that that is what makes people beautiful.

“Everything is so digital nowadays and I think we are all perhaps a little more aware of anything, hand made and expressive marks. It’s a sign of a human touch. So for my work, my biggest challenge is to piece it together on screen, whilst retaining the hand drawn look and feel.”

Christmas is fast approaching, so if you’ve been stuck for a gift for a fashion lover you know, I can’t think of a better pressie than this. I love my portrait and I know I’m going to have it with me for the rest of my life. I sent her a snap from the week during London Fashion Week, butte can work from any picture you like…
If you’d like to get in touch with Caroline to ask her anything, get a quote for a commission or just to say hi, you can reach her at info@carolinetomlinson.com and you can also follow her on Instagram here –  @carolinetomlinsonillustrator.
She’s the real deal, you know.

http://carolinetomlinson.com

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