The ability to create a ‘type’ – an iconic interpretation of a character, which becomes the personification of a specific time or even a brand – through fashion illustration is well documented. The Arrow Collar Man, the Gibson Girl, René Gruau’s Dior Woman – all are examples of characters who developed a life of their own. The Jason Brooks girl and her companions inhabit a world that we long to enter, where gloss and glamour reside alongside a seemingly endless good time – be it on a beach or in a bar. We are seduced into believing that this is a real world, so perfectly has Brooks observed every detail. Like an author who knows the back story of his characters, in this case the artist seems to understand every nuance of his invented world.
One element defines and is common to all his work: detailed observation. The basic ability to draw without technology, and the understanding of line and medium underpin the entire output of this artist. There is never any doubt that the rose held by the model will be exactly the right rose, that the tilt of an eyebrow will convey exactly the correct mood. Even recent, sketchier, work implies that all is present and correct. His commissions spread across a wide range of clients and products, and from early newspaper work through to major campaigns Brooks has brought the same rigour to everything he has touched.
Colour has always played a key role in Brooks’s work, with a sharp use of contemporary colour balance in many of his images. Reflecting trends while retaining a personal identity and signature style is always a challenge for a fashion illustrator. Concerns of longevity also enter into the perceived stylishness of a fashion image, be it illustration or photograph. However, Brooks remains totally in control – whether in his glossy digital images or in his simple line drawings – by distilling the essence of what he wishes to say. He exemplifies the need for the professional, full-time fashion illustrator to adapt and move on, yet retains the integrity and strength of his personal vision. A combination of solid, basic skills alongside a desire to embrace technology is reflected in the references in his work. His best-known work is perhaps closer to the great poster and cartoon artists of the twentieth century than to fashion illustrators such as Eric or René Gruau, demonstrating how he has reinvigorated the art of fashion illustration for today.
Model Walking, Pink, 2008.
Smiling directly at the viewer, this long-legged elegante strides confidently across the page in her killer heels. The bold strokes of the artist leave much unsaid and yet tell us everything we need to know.
Where and when were you born and where do you live now?
I was born in London on 23 February 1969 and I now live and have my studio in Brighton, England. Here I have space for all my books and art materials and can really focus on my work.
Any particular childhood influences?
I was insatiable in my desire to make pictures from an early age and my parents were always kind and encouraging. One of my strongest early influences was a trip to Tuscany, when I was six. It was my first experience of looking at large-scale paintings and sculptures of the human figure. I particularly remember standing in front of Paolo Uccello’s painting The Battle of San Romano in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and being completely overwhelmed. At that age I particularly loved drawing battle scenes; I think it was because I could attempt to draw figures in all sorts of poses, and they also contained their own sub-narratives. I also used to draw my family and visitors to our house.
What is your earliest drawing memory?
I remember being around two-and-a-half or three and drawing a large head and shoulders in red crayon on a piece of paper, I guess around A1 size. It felt bigger than I was. When I had finished what I strongly remember is the grown-ups’ reaction of surprise because I had included details like eyelashes and eyebrows and added hands with fingers on either side of the figure. This was the first time that a drawing I had made brought me unexpected attention and praise.
What was your first professional work?
My first paid illustration work was in my early teens. I used to send drawings to all sorts of windsurfing companies and magazines and sometimes they would publish them and send me £25 or £50, which felt like an absolute fortune at the time. I also drew maps as a teenager that were put on rollers for printing into school exercise books – the company that produced them used to send me royalty cheques twice a year for many years.
My first real break came when I was 22, at Saint Martins College of Art, when British Vogue published an illustrated story about New Orleans across five or six pages. That was really exciting and lead to a whole string of wonderful commissions from Vogue throughout my time at college.
Fragment, 2011.
Sleek coiffure, arched brow and red lipstick convey a Paris allure, heightened by the strict collared jacket. The band of exotic fabric provides a touch of the oriental.
Lipstick, for Fashion Illustration Gallery, London, 2011.
In a nod to René Gruau and Le Rouge Baiser, Brooks gives us a quadruple red mouth with a tip-tilted curl of seduction.
Do you have a preferred medium?
Drawing on paper is still the foundation of everything I do but the medium I spend the most time using is Photoshop on an Apple Mac. I’m convinced that if illustrators like René Gruau or Antonio [Lopez] were around today they would be using computers extensively because so many of the effects they used – like blocks of hard-edged colour, gradients, coloured films, typography and collage; effects I also tried to create before computers arrived – are now so much easier to work with and manipulate.
Do you work in silence or with background music / radio?
If I’m working on the concept drawings that are the very beginning of a project I prefer it to be as quiet as possible so that I can really, really focus on what I am doing without any distraction or outside influence. The rest of the time though I like to listen to music or radio programmes.
What would be your ideal commission?
I have always wanted to create a series of really stylish illustrated travel books, like sketchbooks illustrating cities around the world. I would also love the freedom to create completely my own artwork, paintings, drawings and sculptures for, say, two years and have a gallery show after that time. I’d like to direct movies or create the title sequence to a James Bond movie in collaboration with David Lynch or Tom Ford. I’d love the opportunity to design and realize a really wide range of products for my own brand. Anything in collaboration with Madonna, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott or Karl Lagerfeld would be more than interesting – I could go on…
Are you a slow and careful or quick and speedy draughtsman?
My favourite way to draw is quite swiftly from life, having the person or object in front of me. This is the kind of drawing I have learnt from travelling or when I need to get an idea or composition onto paper quite quickly. Some of my all-time favourite drawings, like Picasso’s Vollard Suite etchings, or David Hockney’s Rotring portraits using one decisive line, have been an inspiration nearly all my life. Commercially the style I use most takes a lot longer and involves many layers of drawing and colouring over the original quick line drawing that has been scanned in.
Do you keep a sketchbook?
Yes, I love sketchbooks, I have boxes full of them going back many years. My sketchbooks these days tend to be more functional than they have been in earlier periods of my life, as I’m so busy with commercial projects and I tend to write more as well as draw in them.
How would you describe your work?
In five words I would say figurative, idealized, glamorous, sexy and optimistic.
Do you research your subjects? How do you research?
I find research essential and in a general sense it’s an ongoing process. I have a small library covering many aspects of art and design at my studio to call upon. Sometimes I assemble a stack of books on a particular theme that will help to inspire me and put me in the right frame of mind – I find it’s important to make visual connections and draw on different sources to do my best work. If it’s something I need quickly I also use the internet.
How does your personal work relate to your professional output?
My personal work gives me a chance to experiment and develop new styles, ideas and directions. Ideally I like to work on a series of images. At the moment my professional work is a bit more glossy and highly finished, whereas my personal work is heading in a direction that references more traditional media such as drawing and screen-printing. Having time to create personal work definitely enhances my professional output.
Inspired by Antonio Berardi, 2008.
A sense of proportion is an essential skill for a fashion illustrator. Here, the soft, rounded fullness of the coat is contrasted perfectly with the sleek hairstyle and skinny legs to emphasize the model’s silhouette.
Capri, 2010.
There is a hint of the past in this graphic image in which the broad stripes, carefully arranged silhouette and the relaxed swim-suited siren are all viewed from above.
Martini Glasses, 2005.
In every one of the illustrations featured on these shot glasses, a glass is being raised. Bold colour with black and clear make strong graphic shapes and a definite style statement.
Balenciaga S/S 10, 2010.
This illustration shows every detail from eye colour to shoes yet in an unconventional pose exactly right for the style of Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière.
Fashion drawings, Autumn / Winter 2007.
Brooks has invented his own model: almond-eyed and confident, she is constantly on the move and wears fashion with nonchalance and total assurance.