After graduating, Tracy Turnbull worked in fashion design for several years and along the way began accepting illustration commissions for fashion books. Later editorial clients came knocking and it turned into a full-time thing. She combines her career in fashion illustration with teaching the subject at Northumbria University. At her home in Newcastle she has a husband, and a dog called Dave. She’s scared of fish, used to be a goth and has performed at Glastonbury.
Training
Tracy graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University) with a BA Hons in Fashion Design.Approach
Initial drawings are done either on paper, or on screen using her Wacom Cintiq. Tracy then colours her work digitally using Photoshop.Styles
Just as fashion is always evolving and changing, Tracy likes to keep her work fresh and contemporary. Her style changes a lot, influenced by what’s current in illustration as well as what’s on the catwalk. When she gets bored with one style, she experiments and adapts. Lately, she’s been working in pencil and mixing it with strong colour.
She likes to draw strong characters with unusual features, and her training in fashion design certainly comes in handy when she renders garments. She understands clothing construction, proportions, and how draped fabrics look, which comes across in her work.