The Coolest Cat in Atlanta
Atlanta has been quite the experience for me. This is where I fell in love with men's fashion and began pursuing men's fashion's illustrative avenue. It began with the suggestive word of a friend (Mike McLaughlin- commencefailure) and a gift card from HomeGoods. Street Style had already taken root in popular culture and I was yet unaware of it. Polos that draped my body like a Roman Toga and Khakis that barely stayed resting upon my hips were the height of my fashionable endeavors. With my gift-card and passion in tow I purchased some Khaki Chinos and a casual Calvin Klein, blue-tartan, button up shirt. I knew it! I knew that this would make me the hippest kid in town. The coolest cat in Atlanta. Catlanta didn't know what was heading its way… or not. This first attempt at fashion glory was pale in the light of folks found across the entire internet spectrum, foolish perhaps. Lucky for me my laptop had been stolen my first night in Atlanta and I hadn't yet gathered the funds to enter the world of the informed- whether that be about fashion or about the world as a whole. Nevermind my failures in the beginning, the first step was still glorious even if it was only for me.
It would still be another two years before that me became this me. Before the chino wearing, bright-eyed passion began thinking of illustrating fashion. Before the act of illustrating was truly a pursuit. That first step was brilliant and beautiful.
To purchase this 3x5" index card watercolor illustration click here.
The Numbers are in...
I first want to thank all who participated in the promotion this past week. The ballots have been cast and the numbers are in… and the recipients of a Sunflowerman Fashion Synopsis Booklet are the following lovely people (please take the time to view what they do). Jose Lopez-Perez -twitter Amonfocus -Tumblr Pinolomannaro -twitter IAMAMIR1 -twitter Ghoti -Instagram Leslie Yvonne -Facebook ib247_tbre -Instagram mpinkleton -twitter Heather Holyan -Pinterest Christaltoso -Instagram
The response impressed me so that I got off my bum and produced a few more to send off to some lucky folks
Charleyrt -twitter, Instagram marinheii -twitter, Instagram
If you'd like to make your own then you can simply download the pdf Sunflowerman_Booklet
And if you wanted a booklet and didn't get the luck of it you can purchase one for $5 at the Sunflowerman Shop on Etsy.
The Sunflowerman Fashion Synopsis Booklet
Here's the deal.
There are 10 Men's Fashion Synopsis Booklets that are waiting for a home and they want to go home with you.
The best part is that you can get one for free.
Just share this post via your preferred social network (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Wordpress, Instagram) and tag #Sunflowerman to be entered into a drawing to win one of the ten free Men's Fashion Synopsis Booklets. Deadline is Friday, March 8.
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Each Booklet is hand-bound and comes with a little surprise inside.
Creativity and Fashion- Hair
I was 11 with hair trimmers in hand. My mother vehemently and vocally disagreed. The masterpiece she had been parting over the last 10 years was disappearing. The full, soft, curvaceous mop atop my head was now adorning the tile beneath my feet. Freedom. The tyranny was over. No person could control me any longer. My idols-a disobedient cousin, my father who liked to cause little mischeifs, the athletes on the playground- were now all knowable. I could truly understand them for the first time. I could feel the power. I cut off all my hair.
I was 17 with a paint brush in hand. The classroom bustle had lulled and all of the students were balanced upon their stools. My bristle top stood attentive as it had for the last 6 years, standing guard. This particular day it was given a new permission.
Change. The need for military grade hair-styling disappeared. The girls in the class expressed in resolute terms the attractiveness of long hair on men. Within 6 months I was a new man. My posture strong, my eyes seductive and my hair fell to the length of my shoulders.
Since those Sophomore grade-school years the cuts, lengths and styles have varied dramatically. I have grown it to obscene lengths and cut it back to nothing again.
I have shocked my friends with dyes, straightening, gelling, mohawks, near-mullets, corn-rows and at times a sheer lack of concern. Some members of my church even went so far as to scorn me for my erotically long hair.
The adventure of hair is fantastic if not at times controversial. If God gifts you with a full head of hair do not waste it. Enjoy it. Revel in it. Let the world see and marvel at it.
Men's Fashion Template, Shirts
I have been wanting to share something special here for a while. This is the first of several templates I will be releasing here at the Sunflowerman Blog. Please feel free to utilize these (png's) as you wish. Share with a friend.
If you would like access to the illustrator file feel free to contact me on twitter @sunflowermatt
The Book Page Fashion Illustration Photoshoot
Recently I was able to have a ton of fun with the Book Page Fashion Illustrations. I just set out to shoot them together to share the Book Pages as a collective and in their newest form. Some are from the latest Tie + Jacket, the Smokes and London Collections: Hackett series. It has been some time since I had the opportunity to lay them out in this manner and it really took away what breath was in my lungs. The development from the first shoot is tremendous and beautiful (the first shoot). The Fashion Illustrations below are the newest hand painted illustrations in the collection. The majority are now available at Sunflowermanfashion.com. [gallery columns="1" type="rectangular" ids="2334,2335,2336,2337,2338,2339,2340"]
Now take one home by visiting the shop.
Bowyer and Fletcher Fabric Fashion Illustration
Jahmal, from Bowyer and Fletcher contacted me about some Bow Tie artwork for their fine bow tie brand. Bowyer and Fletcher was an early subscriber to the work I have been producing with men's fashion illustration and their support bolstered my confidence entering into this new market. The brand has now grown beyond just bow ties (see the new product) and I am excited to see where else they can expand in the future. I have to say that with this project took some long time to produce anything. I stake claim to the blame for that. Local projects kept finding there way into my days and I neglected the good folks at Bowyer and Fletcher. The wait did allow for the development of a project that had been floating around in my mind for some time.
If you recall the large fabric paintings from the H. Stockton show (in case you missed it) you will know what I am talking about. There, I debuted the large fabric fashion paintings. The reactions were all ecstatic and I knew that along with my overwhelming joy for there creation that this is what I needed to do with Bowyer and Fletcher.
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I am a little disappointed that there is little visual comparison of size but if you are a technical person then knowing that it is approximately 6 feet by 2.5 feet will suffice. Grommets are placed in each corner of the fabric for easy stretching or displaying on walls or in windows or over hand made frames.
Now go check out the good work from our friends at Bowyer and Fletcher.
And see the featured Bow Tie.
London Collections Men, Hackett
London Fashion Week kicked off the new year and the new look at fashion for 2013. I have taken a look at several of the collections and illustrated them on recycled Sherlock Holmes Short Story Book Pages and are available at the shop
This first look is at the Hackett Collection. The WWD review provides a great rundown of the runway.
Jeremy Hackett took to the crypt of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in east London for his show that was all about the snazzy English gent — the sort who wears a bowler hat to work. Hackett played with traditional men’s wear patterns such as Prince of Wales and windowpane checks, and mixed and layered tailored pieces with patterned knitwear in the form of sweater vests, V-neck pullovers and scarves.
Sold.
The Rake at the shop
The Dapper at the shop
The Dandy at the shop
Tie + Jacket Collection
For those of you wondering where you might find a Book Page Fashion Illustration the mystery will soon be resolved. Tomorrow is the launch of the online gallery and store. The link will be available here tomorrow so be sure to check it out.
The first release will be the Tie and Jacket Collection with new releases coming each of the next three weeks.
Every Book Page Fashion Illustration is an original Watercolor painting on recycled book pages. Tie +Jacket is a fashion series focusing on bold lines and strong compositions. The pursuit of Knowledge, Sophistication and Creativity are the framework for every illustration.
Juwan Mass Install...
I met this guy through a coffee shop. He has a passion for Men's clothing and eye for art and we hit it off. The resulting collaboration is what you see below.
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The Harrap Project...
My friend Chris Harrap had an idea and asked me to be a part in it. My expertise is in illustration and from that I was able to contribute an image for the project. There is a necessary amount of secrecy with this project but I do feel honored to show some of the process of the painting and of my end of the contribution.
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The H. Stockton Show...
Just before the Christmas holiday I had the pleasure of doing a joint show with Calvin Couther at the H.Stockton Midtown boutique. Joel Patton of H.Stockton has a been a big supporter of the Fashion Illustrations I have been doing and was key in putting the night together. I owe my gratitude to Joel and Calvin for making the night a success and a joy to be a part of. Also, Thank you to all of those who made it out to support us and to take part in the evening. Shawn photographed the event for us and below is the result of that night. (Shawn has been featured here before. Here's a link to remind you)
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Style Journal #9...
I had the opportunity recently to spend some time with Rashgmaal of The Follow Fashion (thefollowfashion.com). He was gracious enough to feature me in his new Style Journal section. See the resulting image below and follow the link to see the rest of the story. You all need to see what this young man is doing with his generative material.
…at H. Stockton...
A while back I stopped in to H.Stockton Midtown to meet the proprietors of the fine men's fashion boutique. One thing led to another and here we are now. The other day I needed to a place to shoot video for a painting and Joel was kind enough to share his space. The resulting image is the feature in each of the images below. Click on each to see what it is.
Sunflowerman and Atlanta Street Fashion...
Happened to be in the right place, wearing the right stuff, at the right time. Met Sir Adams, the administrator and creative mind behind the Atlanta Street Fashion blog and we hit it off. The day began as fabulous as one could imagine. I gave myself an extra hour of sleep and still awoke at 7 in the morn. The first order of business was a watercolor concept for some oven designs. Next came the technical work in that powerful adobe application, Illustrator.
By 9:30 I was off to wisp my beautiful girlfriend to Utrecht for a paper run. On my traversing the winding paths of Atlanta's roadways I made a pit stop at the bank and found my way to my favorite Coffee spot. Yet again Condesa Coffee served as a mystifying union for strategic meetings and creative energy.
It was at Condesa that I met up with John Cutrell, who magically configured my wordpress.com address to read as sunflowerman.com. Almost immediately after I met Cameron Adams. You can see the rest of what happened below.
Cuffs… A Fashion Illustration
My roommate made me download Pinnacle Studio for my iPad. It was a free download at the time and I didn't think it was going to be worth it, but I stand corrected. I shot the video, edited it, and uploaded it all using my iPad 3 and Pinnacle Studio. Below is the product of the day's work.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEFc6CgdV7g?rel=0&w=640&h=360]
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Bowties...
Watch how I make a bow tie! As a part of the fashion series this video is an entertaining diversion that will take you on a journey with me and the music of The Bamboos in the creation of a Book Page Fashion Illustration. .
Enjoy
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Sneak Peak…
Check out the sneak peak video of the collaboration between Chris Harrap and Matthew Miller. .
Photo and Video to be released soon!
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-kOpGk_fCs]
Fashion Illustrations… Dictionary Pages
Here are more men's fashion illustrations placed on dictionary pages. It just keeps getting better!
This new collection takes the mastery of the ink and brush and highlights the great qualities of men's fashion. Sometimes the focus is on the cut of the jacket and sometimes it is on the color of the shirt and tie.
My goal is to highlight and focus on the spirit of men's fashion in an innovative and creative manner.
Fashion Illustration… James Martin
Met this guy at Condesa the other day. He was dressed so well and I couldn't help myself so I introduced myself, shot a few pics, and this is the result.
enjoy
