When reading about fashion illustration there’s a constantly repeated phrase – ‘capturing the essence of a garment’ – and that’s what most illustrators subscribe to. Technical skills, such as the ability to render the texture of herringbone tweed or capturing models that fit a standard set of measurements, are very high on the list of priorities for most. But Cecilia Lundgren has taken an unconventional, contemporary and refreshing approach to it. Yes she creates highly realistic art, but instead of focusing on the surface she gives attention to emotion and feelings through the use of abstraction.
Cecilia delves into the world of the unseen and introduces subjective elements into her illustrations with total confidence. This may be due in part to her family upbringing, limited time in university art programmes and being very tuned-in to how she feels during her creative process. Her feelings have been her compass to find the right images for her clients, which include ELLE, Damernas Värld and Sony Ericsson. In this interview she opens up about her experience with clients wishing to link her aesthetic sensibility with their message and products while also explaining why her art is more honest now.
Your father once said, “Work with what you think is fun and everything else is possible.” Did he also say to you as a child, “Don’t worry about colouring inside the lines, just have fun with it?”
Yeah, unfortunately he passed away earlier this year from cancer, but he created a job out of his hobby: He started to collect postcards of ferries and cruise ships when he was about 9 then began his business around 14. Taking trips on cruise ships and writing about his experiences, my father became an expert in the area. He inspired me so much. When comparing my parents with those of my classmates, they were so worried whether or not their children would get jobs after graduation. My dad was always saying, “As long as you like and love what you’re doing, you will always find something, so don’t worry about it.” So I’ve never been worried about the future. Of course this field of work has its difficulties, but I never allow myself to worry. If I’d had other parents, perhaps I’d have chosen to work in a different field.
What a coincidence that your father loved images of cruise ships, and later you received a major commission to do illustrations for the interior of one. Can you share how that project came about?
It came from my connection with an interior design company I used to work with. It had an account with Costa Cruises, who contacted me because they wanted a large-scale illustration in the ship’s club. I was given swatches of fabric, images of the furniture and wallpaper colours, so I knew what the final interior was going to look like. It was up to me to deliver something suitable for the area. The end result was one big fashionable illustration plus four smaller ones.
Fashion illustrators sometimes get typecast into being strongly identified with a specific style. Is it your goal to become more consistent in delivering the style people have come to love and expect from you?
Developing my style is an important work-in-progress – I never want to get stuck in just the one. However, when collaborating with clients and customers, it’s important they get the style they want and have come to expect from me, but I’m not sure what I should call it. I have to deliver what I’ve been asked for, but when I have time, I try to do crazy stuff and just be as creative as possible.
Read the full interview with Cecilia Lundgren in our Spring / Summer 2014 issue of DASH Magazine, scheduled for release in mid-February 2014.
BRANDON GRAHAM AND LILY QIAN
