Towards the end of the twentieth century fashion illustration had become a rare sight but since the late nineties several fashion illustrators have re-entered the world of glossy magazines and advertising, sometimes even making it onto the covers. Downton is among this select group and his work reflects the craft of his predecessors in a totally contemporary way.
David Downton combines two of the great characteristics of fashion illustrators: an extraordinary ability to eliminate line and a love of beautiful women. When drawing a model – say Catherine Deneuve or Amanda Harlech – his pen swiftly imparts the salient features to paper with no wasted flourishes. He clearly establishes a rapport with his subject, his semi-abstract line capturing the character of the model as well as communicating the particular garment she might be wearing. The elimination of extraneous detail and reliance on line recalls work by Eric or René Gruau yet without a hint of pastiche.
Downton uses several different techniques, from an initial pencil sketch through to collage, paper-cut work, gouache and coloured inks and even the common felt-tip pen. It is this array of media, combined with technical wizardry, that brings such vividness to his rendering of a taffeta ball gown or gem-encrusted chandelier earrings. He understands how paper weight, colour balance and even typography contribute to the final outcome. His sense of space and proportion, allied to an in-depth understanding of the structure of the human body and the swing of a skirt, gives a unique strength to his work.
The artistry and observational techniques that Downton brings to his work are reflected in the diversity of his clients and the commissions he undertakes. Portraits, advertising campaigns, editorial and limited-edition portfolio work are all part of his extensive repertoire. His work is just as likely to be hanging on the walls of a boutique hotel as it is to appear in a fashion publication. His contacts within the highest echelons of the fashion world enable him to work with some of the most exquisite clothing and sought-after models.
In this age of the digitally produced image, the heavily retouched and the mechanically reproduced, it is exciting to discover that there is still room for the traditional craft of fashion illustration. Downton has a following from Sydney to New York, which goes to prove that however mechanized the world becomes, people are still astonished by the simple art of being able to take a pencil and draw in pure line.
Erin O’Connor, Dior Couture, 2002.
The extraordinary often attracts the extraordinary. In this case, model Erin O’Connor poses in the Stephen Jones headdress created for a Christian Dior catwalk show designed by John Galliano. This is pure fantasy in terms of wearability but offers the sensational pleasure of knowing there are people, including Downton, capable of creating such a visual.
Belle de Jour DVD cover, Criterion Collection, 2011.
Cinema and fashion have a strong link and nowhere more so than in France. Catherine Deneuve wore Yves Saint Laurent both off screen and on, so a fashion illustrator creating a DVD cover showing Deneuve in one of her great screen roles is the perfect pairing.
La Dolce Vita, 2008.
Fellini used clothes as part of his storytelling; even just a hint of the black strapless dress worn by Anita Ekberg in the Trevi fountain in La Dolce Vita conjures up the entire scene.
Where and when were you born and where do you live now?
I was born in Kent, in 1959. Today I live in East Sussex about 10 miles from Brighton, where I have a studio.
Any particular childhood influences?
I grew up in a household that was pretty unconcerned with fashion or style. My family was a sporting family; my brother played cricket for England. My earliest influences were all from the cinema. I lived at the cinema; Hammer films when I could get in, ‘Carry On’ and James Bond – the things you might expect of someone growing up in the sixties.
What is your earliest drawing memory?
I was always drawing. As a child, my idea of a treat was a big sheet of white paper, which I bought from WHSmith every Saturday. I used to copy film posters from the newspaper using an HB pencil. It would take a whole day. My parents worried that I was not socialized enough. I remember saying that I saw my friends all week at school, which was enough.
What was your first professional work?
I started out first as a general illustrator, taking on whatever jobs came along, learning as I went. I considered myself to be ‘successful’ (by which I mean I was working more or less every day), but I was bored and frustrated at my lack of direction. I developed the self-employed mentality of ‘wagging my tail when the phone rang’. I don’t think there was any subject I didn’t tackle. I did a long stint in romantic fiction, worked for educational press, cook books, wine labels; I even did a sex manual, which was a high point of sorts! From time to time, I got a fashion commission, but I certainly didn’t consider myself a ‘fashion illustrator’ – that came much later.
Do you have a preferred medium?
My working method changes depending on the brief or my mood or what I want to get from the finished result. I use watercolour or gouache for small-scale pieces. If I need flat saturated colour, I use cut paper collage and then apply line using an acetate overlay. Fluidity, capturing a sense of the moment, layout and use of space are all-important elements, but most important of all is strong drawing. The great thing is you can’t be too good at drawing. And although, unfortunately, your reach may exceed your grasp, hope does spring eternal…
Do you work in silence or with background music / radio?
I can go for stretches working in silence then I get hooked on Radio 4, which has been my education – I know a little about a lot. Then I listen to the music Jo, my assistant, has put on my iPod. I love it because I never know what’s coming. It might be The Best of Bond, or Bob Dylan or Montserrat Caballé; often it’s someone I haven’t heard of. Sometimes I can’t switch it off fast enough!
What would be your ideal commission?
Drawing the cast of Mad Men on set, in LA and writing the copy to go with it.
Are you a slow and careful or quick and speedy draughtsman?
Both. I aim for a controlled spontaneity. A lot of my work involves elimination of detail. I like to leave ‘a breathing space’ in a drawing, which allows the eye to fill in the gap. But in order to leave something out, first you have to put it in, or at least understand how everything works. I do dozens of drawings on layout paper, taking the best from each one as I go. When the drawing looks right I start to eliminate, to deconstruct if you like. My mantra is to keep working until it looks effortless.
Do you keep a sketchbook?
Yes, in a drawer to my eternal shame! I don’t do nearly enough work in sketchbooks, which is ironic because I find other people’s fascinating. The only time I really use a sketchbook is when I am sitting around waiting for a fashion show to begin. Sometimes if I am eating alone in a restaurant I like to draw the other diners. I think it makes me look interesting rather than lonely…
How would you describe your work?
I try not to describe it. I think we become very hung up on the notion of style. In my experience you don’t find a style, it finds you, eventually. It is something you develop, work with and modify. The worst thing is when it comes to dominate your thinking and approach. But I did like the way Ian R. Webb of Elle once described it as ‘Contemporary Nostalgia’. That pretty well sums up what I’m trying to achieve.
Do you research your subjects? How do you research?
Sometimes it’s necessary, sometimes not. As with everything, it depends on the job. I recently did the cover for the re-release of Belle de Jour on DVD. ‘Research’ was watching the film through twice and looking through the YSL archives (YSL did the costumes and the brief was to give a fashion slant to the image of Catherine Deneuve) – all of which was a pleasure, of course.
How does your personal work relate to your professional output?
A commissioned piece of work is only half mine. I do the best I can within the confines of the brief and all the factors that go into making the job a success. The most important thing is that the client is happy; if I can’t always produce exactly the piece I would like, I accept that. It is part of what being a commercial artist means. For my personal projects, I’m prepared to open a vein. I work and work and rework them, and as the only person that needs to be happy is me, it can be a long process.
Anything else you wish to tell the reader?
Who knew that 40 years after the ‘death of fashion illustration’ it would be undergoing such a revival of interest? The depth and breadth of talent today is extraordinary. The truth is that we will always need artists to record and interpret a designer’s work. It’s a symbiotic relationship; one art form describing another.
Cate Blanchett, Vogue Australia 50th anniversary cover, 2009.
An illustrated cover – a rarity in the 21st century – for the Vogue Australia 50th anniversary issue featuring Australian actress Cate Blanchett. Even rarer is the fact that there were actually four alternative covers, all illustrated by Downton.
Dior Couture, 2009.
The skill, art and instinct required to eliminate within a fashion illustration is a feat of magic that can perhaps never be taught. Here, the bold lines of the hat and broad striped top are balanced by a model whose hair and face are only lightly sketched.
Erin O’Connor, Valentino Couture, 2003.
The luxury of drawing from a model is enhanced when that model is one of the supers of the last few decades. Erin O’Connor has posed for Downton many times and his speed at sketching her every move is honed to fine art, demonstrated here as she revolves across the page in a vivid slash of red Valentino.
Absolut Classics Timeless Cocktails Edition, Acne Paper, 2010.
Luxuriating against her El Morocco-style zebra background, this elegant model is portrayed entirely in a world of black and white, except, of course, for the vivid green of the olives in her martini.