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Illustrations : Nicole Jarecz

Nicole Jarecz shares some of her latest illustrations for event evenings where she draws live, silhouettes of catwalks from Fashion Week and the Oscars.

Nicole Jarecz, American illustrator in love with fashion, shares with us her illustrations of fashion accessories for Saks Fifth Avenue, and for London Fashion week, then two editorials for the online platform Pix wine.

Nicole Jarecz, American illustrator living in Detroit has been selected to appear in The Fible, this book brings together a selection of world fashion artists. And, we present you her latest fashion creations. Nicole loves editorial, advertising, web and social media campaigns for fashion or beauty brands.

Nicole Jarecz, illustrated a gift bag and a makeup clutch for the American cosmetics brand The Lipstick Journey. And, she unveils an illustration for Hour Detroit magazine on the theme of Miss America's and a new illustration for the Arletti brand in Paris.

American illustrator Nicole Jarecz makes us travel and dream with her illustrations for Hour Detroit magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, and for the French brand Arletti.

A few months ago, Arlettie, who organizes private sales of luxury and premium brands in Paris, asked Colagene for illustrations that reflect the world of each brand.  These illustrations were used for their event invitations and website. Nicole Jarecz lent herself to the game and now it's online on their website!

These creations are by Nicole Jarecz, an American illustrator who lived several years in Paris. Nicole, a young mom, adores fashion and is passionate about her career as an illustrator.

Here are some creations by Nicole Jarecz, an American illustrator who lived several years in Paris. Nicole, a young mom, adores fashion and is passionate about her illustrator job.

This is our sixteenth Creative Capsule. This month, we invite you to meet Nicole Jarecz who lives in Detroit spending a year in Paris. Her delicate and feminine illustrations are the result of a subtle blend of graphite, ink, watercolor and digital textures. She finds inspiration in everyday events and fashion. Nicole has the elegance of her characters and she's passionate about fashion and all that attracts the field of beauty. Advertising, showcases, packaging, dlive drawing, contact us for any project.

Describe your creative lab quickly?
My studio space is an extension of myself. It is the place where I love to begin and end my day. The walls are covered with mood boards of my work and other artists who inspire me. My space never looks the same. The art on the walls are constantly changing depending on my mood. The only thing that stays the same are my tools: a large desk, a multitude of mixed media art supplies (I use everything from gouache, ink, pastels, colored pencil, charcoal and colored pencils), IMac, Wacom tablet and tons of paper. 

In two sentences, how would you describe your work technique?
I am very traditional and digital artist. I always start with a pencil sketch for the overall figure but I like to ink my faces on a large scale so that there is a lot of detail when I size it back down. I put the drawings of faces into Photoshop to clean up the line work and print it on my final paper. I go to color with watercolor, gouache or any other supply I see fit for the rest of the figure. I always end in Photoshop to clean up the illustration, to exaggerate proportions or tweak the color. 

What is the project you are most proud of?
The project I am most proud of were three illustrations I created for Roger Vivier. They chose me to make three digital cards. It was an honor to work for such a prestige luxury Parisian brand. It wasn't just about the client but I was proud of the execution of the project as well. 

What are your favorite colors to create?
I have always used very feminine and soft colors for my illustrations. Recently, I like working with touches of bright red on a white background. I always preferred black to any other color! I really enjoy black line work to create bold contours around color or when creating face and hair.

Why did you become an artist?
Since I was a child I always excelled in the arts. I was meticulous with art projects in school. I never thought about pursuing a career as an illustrator until a high school art teacher told me I should pursue art school. I'm so happy I took her advice. I can't imagine doing any other job!

In four words, how would you describe your style of illustration?
Feminine, vibrant, whimsical, detailed

What is the project you dream about?
It's always been my dream to work with luxury Parisian brands but if I could pick one brand in particular it would be Dior. Dior makes my heart skip a beat which is motivation enough for me. I would also love to see my work on posters in Paris, especially for Galleries Lafayette or Printemps. Another goal of mine is to do live fashion sketching at PFW or NYFW. Illustrating for a magazine or advertising project is a completely different experience than sketching on site. I love both but with live sketching there is so much more freedom. I feel in my element when creating gestural fashion figure sketches. I really want to do more of this type of work.

What does a typical day look like in Nicole Jarecz's life?
Busy and unpredictable. Not only am I a full time freelance illustrator but I am a stay at home mom. Both require a lot of time and attention. My days start early preparing my oldest daughter for school. I stay at home with my little one so I usually don't have much time to work during the day. When I really need to work my youngest will come into my office and play games or draw and watch me draw! My kids definitely see me drawing a lot and tell others that mama's job is to "draw people". Most of my work is done at night time when my kids are in bed. So, on a typical day I will really begin working at 8:00 in the evening. Honestly, I hate working at night time. My favorite time to work is early in the morning with a big cappuccino on my desk. That's when I produce the best work. I think that being a stay at home mom has really taught me how to manage my time and be more efficient in my work. My style has evolved because of that. It's helped me be the illustrator that I am today.

What inspires you?
I am always very inspired by traveling. I grew up in Detroit and hardly ever moved anywhere until I finished my studies. After, I lived in Paris for six years. Everything around me was beautiful. I fell in love with the city, the people, the food and the fashion. I am living in Detroit again but continue to travel to Europe every year and across the United States. I think it's important for artists to see the world and how others think and live differently from them. It definitely keeps me going. 

As for artists, my favorite fashion illustrator is Rene Gruau. He is the original master in this field. I recently started collected some of his books for my office and they are my favorite pieces. I always look to him for inspiration whether it's composition, line work or color...everything he does is beautiful! I hope to be a tiny percentage as good as he was one day!

Do you have a website?
I am always on my Instagram page, @nicolejareczillustration. I try to update a few times a week. It's been quite a surprise to how it's turned out. The more I posted, the more followers I got. I've made some truly amazing connections through Instagram. It's a very important tool if you are an artist. Another website I always visit is Pinterest. It's easy to make lots of mood boards with different images that inspire me. It's another very valuable tool that I don't think I could live without!

Nicole Jarecz created the illustrations for two postcards distributed during a Chandon event.

Illustrated scenes for the monthly newsletter of the perfume brand Les Senteurs Tropéziennes, produced by Les Récidivistes; accompanied by two silhouettes inspired by the fashion shows and a product illustration for the Avantages magazine. All done by the talented and determined Nicole Jarecz.

Nicole Jarecz was selected to illustrate 3 digital cards (Thank you, Birthday and Mother's Day) for Roger Vivier.

Here are some creations by Nicole Jarecz, an American illustrator who lived several years in Paris. Nicole, a young mom, adores fashion and is passionate about her illustrator's job.

It's Spring season, Nicole is inspired by it and presents us two illustrations fashion where the pattern and the movement are honored. She mixes the ink, the watercolor and lines with markers for a bold effect. To see some more, visit the portfolio of Nicole Jarecz.

For a fresh start in 2017, Nicole Jarecz has decided to illustrate everything luxe. From Moët & Chandon fine champagne, to Dolce & Gabbana iconic sunglasses to Ladurée's famous Parisian store fronts. These pieces highlight Nicole's love of feminine color, simple composition and fashion.

Nicole Jarecz introduces us to her fashion searches for this end of autumn. To see her new searches, click here.

Always in her fashion world, Nicole Jarecz continues her researches for style and for technique. Concerning silhouettes above, she has worked the watercolor, the line and the transparency. To see other of her researches see her portfolio.

During an evening, Nicole Jarecz played fashion designers for Lord and Taylor by drawing live silhouettes of the new Fall/Winter 2016 collection.

Nicole Jarecz created these female face models used as professional training tools for Jouviance cosmetics, a Canadian company from Quebec province.

Last Spring, Laurence King publishing from London city gave to Nicole Jarecz the opportunity to work on a coloring book with stickers for young fashionistas! Nicole worked on this project for several weeks and illustrated dogs with their female masters in different environments.

How to adopt the best posture at your workstation? Here are some tricks for you not to have backache anymore. Discover the article illustrated by Nicole Jarecz in the magazine Women Health of May 2015.

Every year, Fashion Week launches the trends and influences numerous artists in their creations. Nicole Jarecz presents us here a part of her searches inspired by Parisian Fashion Week.

Nicole Jarecz, whose works endlessly evolve, is proud to share with you her last realizations. First of all, silhouettes realized in the magazine Commons&Sense in Japan for an article about Tiffany jewels . Then, a patchwork of clothes and accessories for gifts. A scene of a bike in spring, very smart and with pastel colors. And, last but least, an illustration created for Ford USA. To see more of her recent work, visit her portfolio.

Paris, Milan and London... these are the Fashion capitals Nicole Jarecz illustrated for the Fiat online Magazine.

For its Fall/Winter 2014 issue, Atlanta magazine asked Nicole to illustrate the Southbound publication. The subject: a map made of the most popular attractions around 5th Avenue South from Naples, Florida. For each of them, a representative icon has been drawn to help the Fashionistas to find tasty croissants or Tracy Negoshian’s flagship store.

Nicole created a splendid floral and enchanting interior design, by integrating 7 featured products, for the floral package of Marie Claire China Magazine.

Inspired by fashion week and luxury brands, Nicole Jarecz charms us with this all white illustration.

Discover, with this illustration by Nicole Jarecz, a few ideas for your Christmas gifts. Clin d'Œil Magazine is introducing, in their December issue, 6 fragrances to try out.

Nicole Jarecz got inspired by fashion weeks from here and there to introduce these trendy illustrations. To (re) discover the world of Nicole, visit her portfolio.

Nicole Jarecz produced 3 illustrations of sunscreens' packaging for the article : subject Solar Beauty for the May 2013 issue of Fémina Magazine.

Nicole Jarecz made the portraits of Midwives Magazine's contributors, with a young and fresh style and variations in textures. This series includes portraits of 3 female collaborators, involved in the midwives community, giving their opinion in different matters.

Nicole Jarecz has created this amazing project of fashion illustrations based on the Celine runway show for Tokyo-based magazine, Commons&Sense.

Nicole Jarecz illustrates 6 portraits of the most dedicated leaders of change from the fields of technology, business and even social activism, shaping a brighter future for the whole african continent, for the B Spirit! Magazine.

Nicole experiments and develops her book. She shares with us her approach:

"Being precise has always been a focus of mine when illustrating, but I'm trying to break down my boundaries and experiment with watercolor and other techniques to give my fashion illustrations a more sophisticated look. Hopefully this experimentation will bring my work to a new level." - Nicole Jarecz

Nicole was featured in Fashion issue of the automobile’s Apple® iPad application, for FIAT. She also had to fill a Q&A related to her fashion illustrations and her lifestyle in Paris. The project was realized by Union AdWorks agency.

Nicole Jarecz illustrates a feature on money and spending, explaining different behaviours, for Company Magazine.

13 horoscope illustrations for the January 2011 issue of the Glamour magazine in Germany.

Nicole Jarecz is a Detroit-native who graduated with a degree in illustration from the College for Creative Studies. Her delicate and feminine illustrations are a result of playing with graphite, ink, watercolor and found-textures digitally. She finds her inspiration from everyday events, fashion, traveling, people-watching and living in Paris.