There’s a sense of urgency in Sella Molenaar’s fashion illustrations. Loose, dynamic, and very much in fashion, her illustrated characters take it in stride. “My style is still very defined by the early days where I used to draw on the streets, catwalks or at events so you always have to be quick,” Molenaar remarked in an interview with I Love Illustration. “Therefore, my drawings always have a sense of speed in them.”
Her dynamic process also means she doesn’t rely on sketches or erasers but rather goes “straight for the real deal.” “I often make several versions of one theme and add on tho earlier drawings or take different parts from others till it will emerge into something that feels right for me,” Molenaar explains. “I always try to balance technique with a bit of impulsiveness. It is often the little accidents, ‘faulty’ lines and even things that you don’t draw that make my illustrations come alive.”
Based in Amsterdam, Molenaar’s introduction to fashion illustration was by a sort of accident. “I always wanted to be a fashion designer so I went to the famous academy in Antwerp but stopped in the first year,” she says.
“After I moved to Amsterdam during my masters in Art History I just desperately needed a job and decided to go draw on festivals and weekend markets for voluntary donations. Just because I was already always drawing anyway and it seemed so much more fun than working in a cafe or coffee bar. This was in a time that nobody was doing live illustration yet, so I got picked up really quickly,” she explains.
Much like her spontaneous illustrations, Molenaar’s career intuition proved right and she soon caught the attention of brands like Dolce & Gabbana, L’Officiel, and H&M. Take a look at some of her work in the gallery below.