Local Illustrator Anna Lehmann | The Fashion Addict

Author // Shannon Edwards, Place New Farm

Tucked away in her Teneriffe apartment, fashion Illustrator, Anna Lehmann, is transported to another world as soon as her brush touches paper.

Nestled amongst her inks, paints and brushes Anna creates illustrations from runways to fashion trends or from everyday life.

We caught up with Anna, and amongst gossiping about this season's fashions, she shared her love for fashion illustrating.

Tell us about your background?

I’ve always loved art and fashion.

When I was younger I was always drawing fashion garments and thought I wanted to be a fashion designer.

My dad was an engineer and would travel away to conferences and bring me back his conference notebooks.

I would fill the blank sides of the page with little drawings and fashion sketches.

I worked as a makeup artist and in fashion on and off for many years and it was during this time I realised my interest was more focused to fashion illustration.

I discovered the works of David Downtown for the first time and thought, "I want to do that!" I just connected straight away.

How did this all begin?

At first, I wasn’t sure how to make a career out of illustrating or if I was any good.

Overtime I built up a collection of images and started an Instagram page anonymously.

Once I got a few followers I thought, “maybe I could do this”, so I started to invest more time into my illustrating.

I met the amazing Aaron Favaloro at an event and we had a little chat about fashion illustration.

He said to me that it’s important to draw your natural style and not to force anything that isn’t.

That helped me to allow my natural instincts and ideas take over when illustrating and create a unique style of my own.

What inspires you?

I’ve always been inspired by fashion and women - their strength and individual beauty.

I'm inspired by the runway shows and fashion editorials too.

I may see a really beautiful garment and think "wow that's gorgeous, I would love to own that" and other times I may think "wow that's gorgeous, I have to draw that!"

It may be the fabric, the movement, the design - and I know that it will transfer well into an illustration.

What are you doing now?

At the moment I do a lot of custom illustrations for birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.

I think they’re a really special and unique gift.

I love to illustrate from fashion weeks around the world and am very excited to be heading to Sydney Fashion Week in May.

It was a big goal of mine as I think it’ll be fantastic opportunity to see the fashion show's first hand and to capture the excitement and creativity from the runway.

What do you think an illustration provides that a photograph may not?

I think there’s something really beautiful about an illustration – they’re a little bit whimsical with a little bit of magic.

An illustration captures the movement and energy of the design in a unique way.

When I illustrate I never try to replicate an image, rather I recreate it from my point of view.

For example, sometimes I may pick up on a small detail in the design and focus on that, I might add splashes of colour, or leave an element out.

It brings a garment to life in a different way.