Artists gather inspiration from the space that surround them. It is their choice to let the outside world inside their creations. Bits and pieces from their life are placed in their creations, sometimes bluntly, other time subtly.
It takes a keen eye to perceive these influences, to spot what exactly is the story behind a masterpiece. And the principle applies to all arts, from painting, to gastronomy and fashion.

But lets take an example that speaks loudly about this. If you see a fashion illustration created from flower petals, what would you think it inspired the artist? Pretty obvious,right!?

Well, the story behind these beautiful creations lays in one specific rose. Grace Ciao, the fashion illustrator based in Singapore confessed in an interview with BuzzFeed that it was a rose she received from a boy and did not want to see it die. Thus she thought of an artistic way of preserving it and turned it into a fashion illustration.

From the first design she created with flower petals, Grace loved both the volume and shapes that the petals gave to the dress and the unique pattern. Colors are an important part of her creations and she tells she wouldn’t have thought of such pallets and trim if it weren’t for the flowers she uses.

Her unique approach toward fashion illustration has become a worldwide phenomenon and her creations are now used not only in the conception of beautiful gowns but also in phone accessories, social media content and more.

Grace has a great talent as an illustrator and she was smart enough to leverage it through the power of social media. She used Instagram as a main source to drive followers and admirers. She basically pushed forward and emerged a career in fashion illustration though this social channel. Now she’s invited as a guest illustrator by many famous brands. She collaborates with them on creating new collections or add an extra something to their pre-existing designs. From lecturing in events, partnering in campaigns and inspiring other artists through workshop, Grace is admired by fashion aficionados from all over the world.

With a bit of inspiration she emerged gracefully from watercolors and pencils to flower petals. An approach that gave her an identity and put her on the radar to be discovered by fashion giants. A big step of courage and lots of perseverance determined her career as a fashion illustrator.
So, dear artists, don’t be afraid to experiment and promote your creations they might just bring you the satisfaction and recognition you search so much.

To find out more about Grace Ciao you can follow her on Instagram or gather inspiration from her portfolio available on her website. Enjoy!