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. 

Illustration Weekly, Styling 'Street Etiquette'

Street Etiquette- Travis Gumbs and Joshua Kissi. These two kings of fashion will never let you forget to pay close mind to the styles on the street.

This series captures the fashion icons of our day  and re-styles them through illustration. Who do you think should be styled next?

(Read more about this article at TheFollowFashion.com)

-Sunflowerman

instagram- @sunflowerman

twitter- @sunflowermatt

Illustration Weekly, Styling Mike

Illustration Weekly 5

For the second week of the new illustration series at The Follow Fashion I give you Mike. Mike is one of the minds behind the success of The Follow Fashion Online Magazine which provides daily inspiration with links to designers and clothiers all over the web and the world.

This new series will be capturing the fashion icons of our day such as Patrick Grant and  Scott Schumann and re-styling them through illustration. Submissions/suggestions of who you think should be included are welcome.

(Read more about this article at  TheFollowFashion.com)

-Sunflowerman

instagram- @sunflowerman

twitter- @sunflowermatt

High Cotton Fabric Paintings

High Cotton is a new, local North Carolina high fashion attire company. James, one of the spokesmen (and son of the artisan who hand sews the bow ties) contacted me a while back about a possible collaboration for the brand. High Cotton makes amazing hand sewn, 100% cotton bow ties and cummerbunds. I particularly have my eye on the corduroy. When I tell you that James is one of the most passionate and genuine salesmen I have ever met I am telling you that I look forward to every phone conversation. One time his mother even joined in on a call. High Cotton to me has been the hospitality of the South and the sincere ambition of creating beautiful things.

You will find this following phrase on their website and it captures High Cotton for me.

'It is our hope that High Cotton Ties will be able to extend itself to our customers as a helping hand to properly reflect their individuality, in good conscience and in good style.'

We have a lot of plans in the works that make me giddy but I couldn't help but to share what has been produced to this point. We are focusing initially on the large Fashion Fabric Paintings (like the ones from the H.Stockton show) and some smaller book page illustrations.

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My Look at the Matthew Miller Collection...

I didn't have the foresight to see all of the London Collections for Men as it was happening this year, but looking back upon the collections I stopped with the Matthew Miller Collection. Admittedly I was drawn to his work because I follow him on twitter (@Studio_M_Miller) and there was no end of Matthew Miller this and Matthew Miller that. When the collection made its way to my browser it caught me off guard. I was spending time with the Hackett and E. Tautz Collections which were giving me much more of what I would have expected, and giving well.

I took to understanding this Black Collection by doing what I do best. See my thoughts in these five illustrations.

I didn't quite capture the darkness in the collection with these brush drawings, but the essence of the movement and mood are present in each.

Enjoy

A Sneak Peak… Fashion Forward

I was sketching out some looks from the weeks' London Collections: Men. E. Tautz caught my attention to the greatest degree. While becoming intimate with the Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection I had an idea. Later, in my studio I started to work out the idea. Research is still to be done before I leap into this, and as far as I am aware fashion illustration has not been approached in quite this way. I can't say what the idea is yet, but here is a sneak peak into my mind. [gallery type="square" ids="2128,2129,2132,2133,2131,2134,2130"]

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.

Illustration Weekly…2

January is here!

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The cold is with us and from it there is no escape. We must defend ourselves against the cold winds and icy precipitation. Days define themselves with the tremors of cold and the burn of red on every face. Evenings are filled with huddled blankets, craning around the hearth and the haste of sipping on hot chocolate (or if you are more like myself- hot tea).

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In the midst of the season there is joy. Winter is the time for Layers! Nestle in to your favorite shirt. Slip the socks around your feet and consider the colors and patterns for the day’s tie. Should it be silk or knitted? Patterned or plain? Don that Trench or that Pea Coat or one of those many seasonal sweaters. And I admonish you to not forget about the accents. Perhaps it is a tie-clip or some sort of lapel pin. As always, be creative, look great and during the winter season please stay warm.

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-Sunflowerman

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Instagram @sunflowerman

twitter @sunflowermatt

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See this article on TheFollowFashion.com

And check back every week on theFollowFashion.com and Sunflowerman.com for more on this fashion series.

Fashion Animals...

The animals want to look good too. This is just a look into one of my sketchbooks.

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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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Sunflowerman Fashion Illustration...

For all of your Illustration needs...

Special Commissions.

Book Page Watercolors.

Fashion Portraits.

Advertising Illustration.

…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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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jJX4qDK9ck&w=560&h=315]

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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…Suave

I was recently invited to be a featured artist at an event by Zero Gravity Concept Salon. I relished the opportunity and created the following piece to show at the event.

Below is the evolution of the painting.

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.