Wordsation is a new subscription site offering original graphic designs and illustrations on baby apparel. They are looking for artists to create one-of-a-kind designs that incorporate artfully fun words. Each month, designers submit 5 theme-based designs that the site chooses (such as transportation, animals, tools, etc). A minimum of three designs will be chosen, and then printed on onesies.

The designer is the centerpiece for the site for the entire month and will be featured with a video, photo, bio and link to their website or portfolio. Designers also make a commission on sales for all onesies sold with their designs. This is a great opportunity to have your work featured!

If you’re interested in being a featured designer, contact Sarah Scudder at sarah@wordsation.com

Follow the jump for example designs! See more…

Online Instructor Gayle Kabaker, a fashion illustrator and graphic designer, was recently asked to lend her art to a collection of lamp shades! The project came about through her art show, One Family, Four Artists, One Night, that featured her work alongside that of her husband, son, and daughter. The collection features seascapes, ballerinas, flowers, and leaves in a variety of colors.

Congratulations Gayle – can’t wait to see what you do next!

The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is holding its annual poster contest! They are seeking artists to create an exciting image that will become the face of the 8th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration, to be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012. The winning artwork will be featured in a wide-scale multi-media marketing campaign in both the mainstream and Asian Pacific markets and they’ll also receive a $500 grand prize!

“This is a great opportunity for any up-and-coming artist to have his or her work showcased in such a large scale and meaningful way.”  – Jennifer Yin, Marketing and Communications Associate for the Asian Art Museum

The deadline for submissions is January 6, 2012 at midnight. For rules and details, click here. All entries should be submitted here.

Women’s Wear Daily asked a few designers to share their original sketches from the Spring 2012 Collections. It’s truly fascinating to look at the sketch, created months before the actual garment, and then see it come to life on the runway. We’re sure that many of you can relate to that feeling!

Gucci – Sketch Courtesy of Gucci, Photo Courtesy of David Maestri.

Giorgio Armani – Sketch Courtesy of Giorgio Armani, Photo Courtesy of Giovanni Giannoni.

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Today we bring to you a new column, Instruct/Influence, in which we will be chatting with the amazing instructors at the School of Fashion. Hiding underneath that school teacher exterior, there lies a bounty of hidden gems -  some of the best fashion tales you’ve never heard. Our directors and instructors have worked with the best in the biz and have some sartorial stories that we could only dream of, and we wanted to share some of those experiences with all of you. We begin the column with Briana Kranz, one of our lovely Fashion Illustration instructors who has a new art show opening this weekend!

You attended the Academy of Art University as an undergrad – what was your favorite class when you were a student?

Yeah I studied Graphic Design and Illustration. And I took a lot of Carol Nunnelly’s classes, her fashion illustration classes. And there was just a spark in her class and I knew that that was the direction I wanted to go in. In illustration there wasn’t really a lot of that so I had to kind of find my way to fashion illustration because my school was a lot more traditional, as far as all of the foundation classes. I really liked the freedom of her class.

The techniques and the style are really fast and direct, not as sketchy. It was really nice to see someone who was really talented. The way she draws is so direct, you know she really thinks with every line she makes and I saw that and thought “That’s how I want to draw.”

What are your favorite subjects to draw?

Shoes! I love drawing and painting shoes.

And what materials do you prefer?

I do usually pen and ink and then watercolor on top of that. I started off playing around with ink, a pen and a nib. And then tried steel tipped pens and those really stuck with me. And it was really interesting because they are water soluble, so when I painted the watercolors over the ink, it blended into the paint. It creates a really cool effect and you kind of work with it and work around it. I just tried it one day and it kind of set off a light bulb.

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Grid suits are a teaching tool developed by School of Fashion Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer, to help teach students how to draw the body. As the name suggests, it is a body suit with grid lines drawn on it, helping students to draw the body proportionately and accurately. Illustration Coordinator Carol Nunnelly took the grid suits home the other day to wash them, giving them their own little adventure: from drying in a garden, to the body, to paper.

Top Row: The Gridsuit hanging in Carol’s garden, and being modeled by Mia Paschal

Bottom Row: Drawings by Natalie Chiu Sze Wai (L) and Kristina Fielding (R)

Online Fashion Illustration instructor Gayle Kabaker is holding an art show with her husband, son, and daughter. Each of the artists has a distinct style, yet they come together beautifully. Gayle graduated from the Academy of Art University and has since worked as a fashion illustrator, graphic designer and much more. If you’re anywhere near Greenfield, Massachusetts – be sure to stop by the show!

Click here to watch a short clip about the project!

Elsa Peretti, Diana Vreeland, Coco Chanel, Pauline de Rothschild

In honor of the film, “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel.”

Special guest Laure du Pavillon (left) with 2011 French Exchange recipients (from left) Drew Williams, Peter Nguyen, Peter Yang and Lisa Relth at May's Spring Fashion Show. (Photo credit: Randy Brooke)

The Academy of Art University’s exchange students cross continents to learn their art (and craft), and get exposed to the capitals of Europe, the Far East, New Zealand and the four corners of the earth. We will be featuring reports from students (and faculty) about their exciting adventures, here and there.

The first installment comes from Peter S. Yang, a B.F.A. fashion design student who was awarded a scholarship to study at Studio Berçot through the school’s Sister City Scholarship Exchange in Paris. Peter’s report came in the form of a letter to School of Fashion Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer. It was so sweet, and revealing, we felt compelled to share it with you. More traveler’s tales will be coming your way shortly.

Greetings Gladys Perint Palmer,

I arrived around 10:00 yesterday and met with my friend from high school who lives in the 14e of Paris. Honestly, the language barrier is so severe, without her, I would not know where to go or what to do.

But I am trying to adapt to the language and culture quickly. I am so in awe of this city; seriously, my first day here has felt like a fantasy. Aside from taking care of the essentials like finding an apartment, setting up a bank account and trying to attain a phone, I have been exploring the lifestyle of these beautiful people. My first day here was so relaxing.

I got a chance to see some delightful sites along the taxi ride from the airport – I briefly saw the President’s home, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais (where Chanel shows haute couture) and a few other sites I could not retain. But sightseeing was not my first priority. I just needed to set up all of these errands before school starts on the 7th. We really took advantage of the fantastic Metro system (it seems difficult, but I think I can pick it up quickly) to complete these tasks. Along the way I was familiarizing myself with this magnificent city.

So far the standouts of my first day were the streets and buildings, the gorgeous men and the relaxed lifestyle of the French people. My friend Michelle and I really enjoyed just sitting at a cafe or restaurant for a couple hours having food, a glass of wine and cigarette embracing the weather, architecture and again emphasizing the most beautiful people around us. We did this maybe four or five times yesterday. I enjoyed it very much! It is so different from San Francisco in that the pace is slower and the people just really are enjoying life bit by bit. Why wouldn’t they? It’s Paris! People just love being around people and I love that! Everyone is so polite, greeting others as they walk into places. “Bonjour Monsieur”, “Bonjour Madame”, “Merci Beaucoup” and “Au revoir,” always with a smile.

I’m sure you know what it is like, so I do not want to bore you with my ramblings. I just wanted to take the time to tell you how much I appreciate this amazing experience. I did not have the opportunity to thank you so much for the chance you gave me to go on this exchange program. It feels like a fantasy being here and I cannot thank you enough for this. I really want to immerse myself in the culture and the people. It’s going to be really hard to make friends, I can tell already. But I will persevere! I’ll keep updating you on my journey. Thank you again for everything. I need to go back and cure this jet-lag soon.

Sincerely,

Peter S. Yang

Former Academy of Art University student Danny Roberts is a rising star in the fashion industry, making a name for himself as a fashion illustrator and one to watch in the art world. His illustrations have been featured on advertising campaigns, t-shirts, and a number of blogs, as well as on his website Igor and André. We took up a moment to to chat with Danny about his start as an artist and what his next projects will be!

When did you first start creating illustrations?
I first started when I took a Fashion Illustration class at the Academy of Art University back in 2006.

What inspired you to start illustrating famous faces in the fashion world?
Well, I don’t know if I ever focused specifically on famous faces. I actually started off drawing Gemma Ward and Lily Cole for practice as they were always my favorite models. As time went on I started drawing some of my friends who I met through blogging. Really, I just draw things that I like.

What advice would you give to aspiring fashion illustrators?
Oh, I would say be true to yourself and enjoy every moment of learning. Also, let art inspire you. I think starting out, it can be hard to stay true to yourself, and it’s easy to look at something you like and copy it. But I would say, the key to staying unique is to be yourself, because we all are made differently, which means if I stay true to myself, I will be unique.

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