Fashion Illustrations From Someone who Never Studied Fashion or Color Theory

Just pen, paper, markers, and a sharp eye to create a magnificent gown

I didn’t go to fashion school; and I most definitely did not study color theory, human anatomy, or anything art-related.

Choosing a college major had to be something “professional” rather than “creative.” It was fine, I guess... but for a while, I really regretted not going for fashion design. That was until I took it up as a hobby and realized: Thank goodness I didn’t put my money towards it! After a few attempted gowns, I was finally getting the hang of it on my own terms.

I’m a very visual person, so when it became hard for me to see how a gown should fall or find a new style for sleeves or a collar, I started looking to characters for inspiration.

What collection of movies has a better library of characters than Marvel? The Avengers were my first muses. Their suits are exaggerated, their uniforms have unique color palettes, and their personalities are so distinct that the gowns practically designed themselves!

My first model was The Hulk. I studied a few things:

the purple and green color story, his massive anatomy, and his aggressive mood.

The result was a puffy, over the shoulder gown, with super large sleeves, and a showy top. Then I did Iron Man…Captain America…Thor…Bucky…until I did literally every single Avenger. Gotta admit, they got more and more impressive :)

Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America were the first three gowns. For Cap, I was having second thoughts about the skirt... I originally wanted it wide and puffy, but it never clicked. Once I tried a drape-around style, I knew I’d found the one. For Tony’s gown, I added gold roses at the hips to give it a richer feel.

I even themed the hairstyles because why stop at the gowns? The full presentation really makes a difference…

Since Natasha (Black Widow) liked Bruce in the movies I sort of made it like her hairstyle from the first Avengers movie. The hairstyles for the Iron Man and Captain America ones are a mockup of Tony’s and Steve’s hairstyles, just slightly longer and for a girl.

Deadpool’s gown was so fun to draw! The end result had an almost Victorian twist to it, but the bodice was almost, if not, identical to Deadpool’s suit. Then of course I added his logo/mask on the gown to make it a little more obvious.

For Wolverine’s gown, I took his entire outfit and reshaped it. The sleeves are sticking up at the shoulders to mimic his mask. The hairstyle is rugged and “ripped” because why not? It matches his attitude and his blades.

Johnny Storm aka Human Torch was a challenge. I know the new Fantastic Four came out, but I really liked the old Johnny’s suit better. The dark blue just suited him more. And it was Chris Evans, who really did an amazing job in this role. Sooo when I colored this gown…I had to study fire very carefully AND how colors, specifically marker, worked on paper. It had to be done in specific layers: dark over light. The beauty of coloring fire is that it glows. So I colored the base with a yellow marker, then gently used an orange color pencil to add depth and the actual flame. Finally, I added light strands of white to separate the orange and yellow and give it more of a 3D look. It’s hard to describe…but it worked out so well!

The next three gowns were inspired by Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and Thanos. I had a slight headache when I was drawing the Spider-Man gown, so I technically just copied his suit and featured a sheer draping around the waist to mimic a web.

I wanted Ant-Man’s to look like a bug, so I went with a baby doll style skirt that puffs out at the sides. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it makes the silhouette look shorter and more youthful, just like a bug. Didn’t really need to do too much. And the little black shoes were the perfect finishing touch.

When I drew Thanos’ gown I was so excited to finally use my purple markers. I’ve gotten new black, blue, and red markers so many times, but purple was pretty rare. Now this one is obvious: the infinity stones on the pants, the golden gloves, the high boots…and of course the majestic sheer shawl and the deep purple, royal looking cape in the back. Those features definitely call for attention and power.

I could NOT find a style for Loki! I’m still thinking about remaking his…Yeah, yeah, like to everyone else’s gowns, I mainly copied Loki’s general outfit, but I still want it to look a little more elegant. Maybe if I remake it I’ll do it long? Perhaps a fitted one like Captain America’s? But a little fluff to it at the shoulders? I really should have done something for his helmet too like I did for Wolverine’s. It really would have made it a bit more “Loki”.

Thor and Dr. Strange…those were both pretty good too. Started running out of black marker while coloring Thor’s 😭. The blue lightning is so pretty though next to his shoulders.

And for the last three: Peter Quill, Katniss, and Soldier Boy. Of course I moved beyond just Marvel…why stop there? To ME, Peter Quill’s gown is a little “meh”. The moons on the skirt were such a random addition because it looked boring with nothing. And the red marker did not match his jacket either…

I had to do the fire for Katniss’ gown just like Johnny Storm’s. I gave her some kind of feather drape in the back because of the mocking jay.

Last but not least, is Soldier Boy from The Boys. Jensen was really funny in this show. His random swearing thrown in at the most random times was so stupid and hilarious. When me and Mena watched Supernatural after this show it felt a little weird when Dean (Jensen) kept his tone and language to a minimum. Speaking of the gown inspired by him, I really loved the arm cape. That’s a pretty unique style and makes it different from the rest.

What character gown should I do next? I’m currently thinking about Castiel, Nebula, or even Sam Winchester. Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Black Widow are definitely coming soon.

I want to hear from you: If you’re a fashion designer or illustrator, what tips do you have for me? I value any advice that helps me improve my craft!