Carty Sewill has devised an ingenious way to render clothing within pictures: just leave the space blank and illustrate around it. Not only does this method end up saving artists’ time in the long run, it also produces a visually appealing effect. By implementing this technique, Sewill gets more time to focus on rendering faces, hair and limbs within his moleskin notebook, leaving the tedious task of painting clothing for art projects that actually require them in the compositions.
As with most Carty Sewill creations, the values in his pictures are segmented into layered shapes rather than blended in. It gives his images a kind of Adobe Illustrator look despite being made entirely by hand. It seems he largely practises in grayscale in his notebook paintings, though his celebrity renderings are notorious for being prismatic.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Blank Space Illustration
- The trend of omitting clothing from illustrations creates visually appealing effects with less time and effort required.
- Segmented Shape Art
- Creating art with layered shapes rather than blended in produces a distinct Adobe Illustrator look and opens room for experimentation with other materials.
- Grayscale Iconography
- The minimalist look of grayscale illustrations allows opportunities for variations and simplifications that increase brand recognition and scalability.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Fashion and Apparel
- The blank space illustration technique could be applied to clothing designs to create stylish, minimalist pieces suitable for casual and formal wear.
- Art Supplies and Materials
- Art supply companies could offer segmented shapes tools or stencils that create designs for beginners, creating greater accessibility and affordability.
- Graphic Design
- Grayscale iconography could be used to elevate brands, easily recognizable from logos to web designs, and creating an image of sleek professionalism.
