A few months back, I went to an exhibition in London to see a few fashion illustrator's work and the one who stood out for me the most, was Mats Gustafson.The above images were not there at the exhibition, but during my research of the artist, I found them and they are a sample of my favourites.
I really adore how elegant and sophisticated these women look. They have an air of grace and movement in them which I think comes down to his masterful way of using watercolours.
One can tell what she is wearing, how she is standing/ or walking away from you, just by how the paint and wash sits.
I am one for using a limited palette and seeing how he has used it, makes me think that sometimes, this works more than if he was to add colour.
Another thing I am in favour of is that in many of Gustafsons works, he does not draw or paint the woman's face.
They are positioned where one cannot see the face, or has hair covered around it or painting the model from behind.
I have spent a lot of time trying to get the faces right in some of my own work, but having seen this way of working and realising that it adds to the effect, it may not be all that important and just adds an air of mystery.
I have been very inspired by this illustrator and I am very thankful that I went to that exhibition and found a great artist.