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Madrid, Spain
Silja Gtz has three diٺerent major styles or techniques. The Årst she describes as a mix of
drawing and collage, where she works with diٺerent pens, brushes, and various papers; the
second uses a combination of black silhouettes with intricate black and white drawing; and
the third is a colorful swirling line drawings she creates in Photoshop. Even with these vari-
ations, Götz says she is always adapting to the client and the subject so it’s hard to maintain
one recognizable style. ¹Still my work is very personal and something of me always seeps
into the outcome.º
Editorial commissions usually start with a short description of the text her image will accom-
pany along with the approximate size needed. ¹I generally have a solution right away, which
may not always be the best one, but it gives me a starting point. I toy around with this idea,
look for material online, and start drawing diٺerent elements. As the illustration is taking
form, some things are discarded, others added, and everything is scanned and colored or
rearranged in Photoshop. It’s quite a lot of back and forth between the drawing desk and the
computer,º she says.
Try to apply your style to as many
subjects as possible. That way you’ll
learn more and keep your work
interesting for you and others.
CREATING HER OWN PATH:
SILJA GÖTZ
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THE ART OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION | PART 1: THE EMERGING MASTERS
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Pandora’s Box ¹For the dress,
I was toying with diٺerent bits of
paper I had lying around,º notes
artist Silja Götz.
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¹My workspace is not ideal at all, it’s a rented Æat and there’s lots of things I would change if I could. But it has
good light and lots of shelves, which is great. I Ånd I really don’t need the ‘perfect’ surroundings for working, as long
as I’m alone, surrounded by my paper samples, scanner, printer, pencils—and can listen to the radio,º says Götz.
InÛmences
Throughout her career Götz
has been inspired by many
artists including Ramon
Casas, Hiroshige, Ertu, and
Renu Gruau. ¹They all inspire
me to seek excellence in what
I’m doing: how to Ånd striking
graphic solutions, how to treat
color, and how to depict the
human body in new ways.º
Color can be problematical.
¹Aou change one color, and
the whole drawing can fall
apart,º she says. ¹Personally
I love to use black, especially
as a background, because it
brings out the other colors,
but sadly, I often get re-
strained by anxious editors
who think everything has to
be in upbeat spring and sum-
mer colors or their product
won’t sell.º
Good Advice
¹Be careful what you publish
online, because it may haunt
you later.º She also advises
working outside of fashion.
¹Try to apply your style to
as many subjects as possible.
That way you’ll learn more
and keep your work interest-
ing for you and others.º
Silja Götz’s start in the Åeld of fashion illustration was surprisingly simple. ¹It hap-
pened to coincide with a very propitious moment for illustration in magazines and
advertising,º she says. ¹Illustrations had been all but forgotten for many years, but in
the late 1990s people suddenly thought they were fresh and exciting again.º She sent
out a self-published illustrated book to potential clients, and showed her portfolio to
editors. ¹Right away I received some assignments from Cosmopolitan, Elle, and others,
and I couldn’t believe my luck,º she says. Then she landed a steady job as a magazine
designer in Hamburg, Germany, and gained even more experience. This led to more
illustration opportunities and to leads in the publishing Åeld. Götz eventually became
a full-time freelance artist in Madrid, working for clients such as the New Yorker; Vogue
Japan, UK and Australia; Marie Claire Spain; and Bloomingdale’s.
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THE ART OF FASHION ILLUSTRATION | PART 1: THE EMERGING MASTERS
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This piece was created as the subject of a short story for the New Yorker magazine. The illustration isn’t the one that ended up running with the article,
but Götz likes this earlier version the best.
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