“Don’t copy others and be yourself” says up and coming fashion illustrator Baiba Ladiga from Shanghai, China.  With a recent exhibit of her work alongside popular illustrators Sandra Suy and Connie Lim at Line of Style: Fashion Illustration Spanning the Globe- exhibition in LA in April, she continues to garner attention from the fashion illustration world.  In this interview Ladiga joyfully shares her inspirations, optimism and exploration of her own signature style as a spontaneous, colorful fashion illustrator!

What inspired you to become a fashion illustrator?
I always felt like drawing and loved fashion. So I graduated with a Master of Arts in Fashion design. And I still do fashion design and styling. But fashion design world is very cruel, if you don’t come from the right country or even right  school or you have no financial support, it is quite hard to get through. Fashion illustration world is totally different, it doesn’t matter what is your nationality or background or financial situation. All you need is your skills and talent i guess. So I found that this is something I can do without any worries about material investments but more important – I really felt like doing it and it is kind of therapy for me too, It just makes me happy.

How would you describe your work?
I am more interested in drawing girls. So my work is quite  feminine, but I think they are not super girly, there is always a bit masculine touch. My illustrations are often bright, a bit chaotic and spontaneous. I think they look quite poetic. Line and color is quite important for me. As well as intense, intelligent look and a bit of drama and sadness. I don’t know why, but my girls don‘t look very happy, maybe because I want to say something with deep intense look and I think that a smile looks great only in photos.

What is your creative process?
Every time it can be different. Sometimes i start with lead pencil, sometimes straight with ink or markers. Fashion magazines like Vogue Italy is a great source of inspiration, but quite often all i need is just a blank page and a pencil. But I don’t have  a routine- i can draw all day long and then stop for a week, I try to follow my intuition and draw only when I feel inspired or have something to say.

What medium do you use for your work?
China ink, watercolors, markers, pens and pencils and collage. I live in China so China ink is quite present in my works, i guess all those amazing animal hair brushes and good quality  China ink you can find here in Shanghai has something to do with it.  Markers are my new passion and I will continue to work more in these mediums, because you have to be very quick, spontaneous and that’s so me☺. And i love to mix and experiment.

Has teaching fashion illustration influenced or improved your work in any way?
Of course! It is just perfect training and i am sure that teaching helped me a lot to find my way to illustration and gain more confidence. This is how i started – even after coming back from work – i couldn’t stop drawing, I guess you get addicted seeing like 60 kids a day with pencils and correcting their work. And I improved my figure drawing a lot and that’s what my strength is I guess, cause drawing a portrait is one thing, but fashion figure with nice proportions – that’s
something more challenging and difficult.

What is the most exciting thing about being a fashion illustrator for you?
Just doing  your favorite thing and seeing that people love and buy it, it is quite exciting.  And that everything happened so quick and easy for me, I think it is a sign that this is the right thing for me.

Who are your favorite illustrators/artists?
I really admire those, who have found their signature style, that makes them so special and stand out from the crowd. I like Laura Laine, Julie Verhoeven, Kazuki Takamatsu, Stina Person , Tina Berning and others. They stand out because they use traditional media like pencil, ink or watercolors their way and you can tell that illustration is their passion in the first place. I prefer those illustrators who use hand drawing, digital illustration is not really interesting for me –
it’s way too synthetic, has no soul or personal touch and most of the time they all look the same.

Do you think’ fashion illustration’ as ‘fine art’ will be revived?
It depends, there are illustrators who work commercially and even make original drawings for 10 USD. I don’t think that’s serious. That’s more like selling postcards not art. I am more on the art side no matter if its fashion or illustration or styling. And there are more and more galleries willing to exhibit fashion illustrations and more clients choose fashion illustration over photography.

How did you find out about/get into the ‘Line of Style: Fashion Illustration Spanning the Globe- exhibition in LA?
Good portfolio and Website is a must if you want to work professionally and be found. I am still very exited about this exhibition and glad they offered me this opportunity.

What would you like to accomplish as a fashion illustrator in the next five years?
More exhibitions, published in fashion illustration books, and yeah, one day I  want to work only as a fashion illustrator and nothing else and live wherever I want and that‘s, thanks to Internet, delivery service and mobile phones is quite possible.

Which companies, brands (if any) have you worked for and which exhibitions have you participated in since you started your career as a fashion illustrator?
I launched my Website last October, so that’s exactly the time i started showing my work I have made so far. So I am just at the beginning and I have reached far already, and I am quite sure more exciting projects are coming I just have to draw more and more!

How have you been promoting yourself?
My Website, my Facebook fan site, twitter, etsy, blogger all these social network sites does something for my promotion. But to be honest I don’t have time for that, so I just do what i like and somehow people find me. My best promotion is my work, I work a lot and still have to learn a lot.

As always, what is the best advice you would give to an aspiring fashion illustrator?
Draw as much and often as you can, experiment, be critical to yourself and know what’s happening in your field and be yourself.

How can you be reached for commissions and projects?
Just send me an email baiba<at> ladiga.com.

Where do you sell your work?
If you are willing to buy prints, i sell them at my etsy store, but for original artwork ( I accept individual orders as well) please see my website and contact me at baiba<at> ladiga.com.

Thank you

My home page:

http://www.ladiga.com

My blog:

http://baibaladiga.blogspot.com

My esty store:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ladiga

My illustration fan page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baiba-Ladiga-fashion-illustrationstyling-design/207893386451

Baiba Ladiga currently lives in China and teaches fashion illustration at Raffles Design Institute. She was selected as one of the nominees  for Iconique Societas Awards for illustration and styling and her illustrations were recently published in Kismet Magazine.

Here’s a look at what I’ve been working on for the past two weeks! I am venturing into the very unpredictable medium of watercolors! Wish me luck! Sorry about quality of pictures. I would love to find a fine art photographer so you all can really see the true quality of the work! Look out for more as I continue to pursue my goal to complete 20 pieces by the end of June!!!!

PENCIL PORTRAITS.

'Alice'

'playing dress up'

WATER COLOR PORTRAITS.

'Adrienne'

'Alyssa'

Hello there! Haven’t blogged in forever! I just watched what was probably a very old episode of Ugly Betty, the one where she goes to London in place of Daniel and runs into an ex-boyfriend who reminds her that she should be pursuing her passion – which wasn’t fashion- instead of following a career path that was really only meant to be a stepping stone but had turned into her life!  I heard explosions going off in my head for the second time this week!!! Another sharp reminder that I had lost my path, or have been procrastinating following it for some time now…

Yesterday, I was visiting a fan page of a fashion illustrator and found out that there was this amazing exhibition called  Line of Style: Fashion Illustration Spanning the Globe at Gallery Nucleus in LA from April 3, 2010 – April 26, 2010!!! I was excited and depressed at the same time. Why? Because fashion illustration is alive and kicking right here in LA, where I’m at AND depressed because I didn’t know about it!! But never the less, it inspired me to get right back into fashion illustration – my first love- and give it my all! It inspired me to learn from others, to do research, to DRAW, DRAW, DRAW as if my life depended on it. It gave me hope that something I love might actually be a purpose or a path for me in this life, something that I am naturally able to do, but have been struggling with fears and doubts for some time.

These two eye-openers plus the illustrated cover of VOGUE’s 50th anniversary issue a few months ago should be all the inspiration I need to get going. Coupled with acceptance into a few exhibitions and one Gallery…..what the heck am I waiting on? Fashion Illustration as a career – not just a hobby – here I come!!!!

Thanks for reading!

Fashion Illustration by Naja Conrad-Hansen

Here’s another face I drew….her name’s Giselle!

I have been recently inspired to do more faces. Here are some new sketches, just the beginning. I feel like the more i draw faces, the better I will get at them . I will post more as soon as I do them! I love detail and that very ‘mysterious, innocent’ look……

My  most recent project has been ‘Window Dressing’!  I am really happy to be able to use my creative skills to enhance the beauty of something or someone.  In this case, I had a cool opportunity to create these huge, hand-painted panels of stylish girls for the store front window of Taylr’z Joynt Boutique.  Though you can’t see the paintings in detail from a distance, once you are in front of the window, its  hard not to look at (as the neighboring store owner pointed out)!  It definitely has brought in some more customers and hopefully created some interest from Ventura Blvd’s passers by!  Stop by and see for yourself! I love the turquoise in the window, gives it extra pizazz!

I recently saw the cover of the 5oth anniversary issue of Vogue Australia. It was illustrated by renowned fashion illustrator, David Downton. There are four collector’s edition covers that I would love to have since I’m so glad to see fashion illustration grace the cover of a magazine. You can check them out if you haven’t already! It’s encouraging to see fashion illustration in all it’s glory.

Vogue Australia September 2009

Isn’t Sunday morning wonderful? Im gearing up for more illustrations and to put myself in the right mood, I’ve put some classic Nat King Cole on.  Always play  music that makes you feel good  while you draw. It keeps you happy and inspired! Just a thought!

Nature boy by Nat King Cole

Finished two more editorial style illustrations of my ‘New Yorker Fashionista’. I’m thinking her name should be Brooke – named after a friend of mine who is definitely a New Yorker/Fashionista.

I love drawing girls in cute clothes. I think it is fun to create a new character who has her own personality, mood and style every time I put pencil to paper. An illustration either makes me want to create what my girl is wearing or be that girl, whoever she is. This is my latest illustration. She is quite a sophisticated lady but with her loose side bun and hibiscus flower in her hair, she is instantly feminine and sweet to me.  Let’s call her Marie!

Marie