Pencil, Pigment and Pixel: Drawing the Fashion Face my new course launching soon!

Have you ever struggled with drawing the face? Then my new course Pencil, Pigment and Pixel: Drawing the Face is just for you! Sign up to get on the waiting list now, and for an early-bird discount. This course will be launching later this year, so just click the link below to stay up to date on the launch:

https://www.waitlistcourse.com/jessillustrator

A little bit about this course I am creating is I am taking a highly requested subject and creating an in depth course that will be over 6 hours of content! You will learn to paint the fashion face with expression, color, and a little beautiful chaos added in ;)

My upcoming course, Pencil, Pigment & Pixel: Drawing the Fashion Face, is for anyone who wants to loosen their line, fall in love with watercolor, and create fashion illustrations that feel alive.

I’ll walk you through my full process, from the first graphite sketch to a finished piece showing how I capture a figure, build color, let paint bloom and drip, and add the details that give an illustration its mood. It will be a recorded course, so you can watch at your own convenience.

This course will teach you the fundamentals of drawing the face, plus I will be sharing how I create my emotive fashion illustrations layering mixed media. For a beautiful final product. So if you’ve been asking for this, I am finally bringing it ;)

If you have any questions just email jessillustration@gmail.com

Thank you for the support!

Jess

Some of my personal favorite Live Event Fashion Sketches and Events this last year!

For over a decade now, I have been doing live fashion illustration sketching in spots like Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago, allover Florida and to far off places like the South of France. I’ve even done this on cruise ships!

Working events as a fashion illustrator can be such a thrill, and they always get amazing feedback from clients like Amazon, Ferragamo, Burberry to wedding guests!

Here are some of my personal favorite fashion sketches I have created for beautiful people around the country.

Sometimes I sketch people, that I feel like I have seen somewhere. This woman I knew from something. It wasn’t until a couple of days later I realized she is a national NBC news anchor Morgan Radford! She waiting in line like everyone else, and was so excited for her sketch. This wedding had a theme of all black attire, so it made for a chic guest party favor.

I love when I can see a woman, and know that she is going to really appreciate a sketch! I adored her look and the color she was wearing for this VIP party in Atlanta. Adding her purse at the end was the fun final touch. The hope is the sketch brings them a smile long after the night is over.

Another fun sketch for a fashionable lady. I really get excited when I can find the right colors and tiny details I can add in, from a small line tattoo, to a bandana. She LOVED it. And it’s night like those, that I feel so fulfilled when I walk away from an event.

Every event can vary. When I’m lucky enough to have attentive guests sit with me and watch me create from start to finish a lively, colorful sketch of them and they are SO into it, that makes me so happy. This woman just adored the entire process. And she made me feel so good. I def have encounters with people who are a bit aloof of what I am doing. And that energy I try to pay no mind to. I can’t let it effect the job I have to do, and the work I want to create. So I love these types of moments. Where we both have such a WIN WIN with the experience of live sketching.

I love fashion. I love seeing women put together. And I love to honor their beauty and their fits! This woman’s entire look was so fun, and I had just gotten new colors in my kit that I could use. These sketches take about 5 minutes to create, so they are usually just a fun likeness. But as I said before, it’s about the tiny details I try to squeeze in. Oftentimes it’s the jewelry or shoe ;)

When I can illustrate a group of girlfriends, and make them feel beautiful I ADORE IT. This event was at Neiman Marcus here in Atlanta, and it included a fashion show. So I was a happy girl to be apart of it. Aren’t they all stunning? Fashion sketching is so perfect for luxury events, it adds a perfect special and handcrafted/artisanal touch.

Here is a classy look, of silver and black with a little touch of Prada. Sometimes I get so excited by a sketch, that I cannot wait to see their reaction. As many people aren’t used to seeing this type of thing in person or have ever even heard of it. They don’t realize how special, and fun it truly is until they get theirs! No one forgets this experience.

This reaction photo makes me so happy. We often get SO BUSY as fashion illustrators when we working events, that you can’t process the fact that you are making countless people happy & buzzing for hours. And if you’re lucky enough to get photos back like this, it feels amazing. Their faces say it all.

This woman was so elegant and it was so fun to get her tattoos & Valentino clutch in her sketch. She adored the process and the result. I am so thankful for all the live fashion sketching events I have been able to do. It’s not an easy world for artist’s right now with Ai, but I will look to the bright & human side of this. And I will continue to draw and put as many smiles on people’s faces as possible.

If you’re interested in booking sketching at your next special event email jessillustration@gmail.com

Thank you!!

Jess

July's Paint Club Fashion Icon is Grace Kelly!

Hello hello!

This month we continue with our new Fashion Icon series in Paint Club with the beautiful Grace Kelly. What an icon of beauty and sophistication. I love her looks in particular from Rear Window and To Catch a Thief.

Our classes will be held July 22nd at 3PM ET and July 23rd at 7PM ET. You can get your tickets linked below:

https://jessicadurrant.com/new-shop?category=Paint+Club

Bring your watercolors, pens and paper for class. The class will be recorded and sent to all students after airing.

You can find my favorite supplies here in my Amazon storefront:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/jessillustrator/list/2SXE16EEL4GF4?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d&ccs_id=cd79c6e0-f9e2-4856-a779-f5ac174996c

I look forward to creating watercolor fashion illustrations of Grace Kelly later this month!

Jess

My 15th Annual Flash Sale returns Tuesday, August 25th 2026!

I’m so excited to announce my 15th Annual Flash Sale will be Tuesday, August 25th starting at Midnight EST in my shop linked below:

https://jessicadurrant.com/new-shop

My Flash Sale is my most popular sale of the year, and it’s my informal way of celebrating my career’s anniversary. I will be adding new fashion illustration originals, and prints in various sizes. It also includes educational content like past Paint Club classes you can watch, my popular Webinar recordings & PDF downloads, as well as Artist Coaching packages.

I am so grateful to still be doing what I love all these years later. I still vividly remember my first sale. I didn’t know what to expect, or that I even had the thought I would do it more than once. I def had consistent sales at that point in my Etsy but no social media, no email campaigns to promote it. I just put a banner in my shop about the sale, and low and behold I had SO many orders in such a short amount of time! It turned into a frenzy of figuring out how I was going to handle shipping them all. And in a timely manner. Luckily my bestie Ashleigh offered to come help me, and she was a lifesaver :)

At that time in my shop I was mainly selling fashion illustrations and travel related watercolor pieces, many of which had gone viral on Pinterest or made the front page of Etsy. Hence I was very grateful to have that foot traffic in my shop and the support early on! It changed my life.

All these years later it’s still a day I truly look forward to all year. It can vary year to year what I am able to output as far as new artwork vs. educational content and what people want to purchase from me. I have noticed more and more that my audience loves to learn and connect with me off of social media. I have really valued being able to connect and paint with my supporters each month during Paint Club. I have many new works from this last year that I created as I plan lessons each month for Paint Club, so I’m excited to add some of my favorites to my shop. So stay tuned for my shop to get a bit of an overhaul in selection & reorganization.

So mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 25th for Flash Sale 2026 at jessicadurrant.com! Look for more updates on my IG: @jessillustrator too

Thank you in advance for your continued support.

Jess

Live Sketching at Boka Chicago for an intimate wedding reception

Over the weekend I got the chance to live fashion sketch in Chicago, for an intimate wedding reception for a lovely couple: Mark & Debbie! It was held at the beautiful Boka restaurant in Lincoln Park. I was so excited because this restaurant is stunning and a Michelin star ;) So events like this always feel extra special and elevated.

It was 75 and sunny, just the perfect day for a wedding. And I adored the flowers.

We created full color sketches on 5 x 7” for guests to take home. They LOVED them. It was so fun to make their guests something super memorable.

I was able to make a lot of people smile, and that always is a pleasure. Live sketching guests fashion fits is always so rewarding. I understand how much time and effort guests put into what they wear for a wedding…so being able to create a keepsake of their look in a handmade piece of art seems fitting.

A side note: some weddings & events I do not capture every photo of guests with their artwork, and this event I did that. I have over 93K followers on Instagram and when I post on social, I am becoming more aware of protecting guest’s & client’s privacy. It’s something I am currently figuring out. If you are interested in booking and want your event to be private, please let me know so I can create the experience you feel most comfortable with.

My couple emailed the next morning, and it put a huge smile on my face :)

Mark & Debbie were kind enough to let me try out the food & drinks at the event. The Korean fried chicken sliders & pasta were SO GOOD! I felt very taken care of and appreciated. Thank you again to Mark, Debbie and the Boka team!

If you’re interested in booking the live fashion sketching experience at your next event just email: jessillustration@gmail.com

Jess

Wine Label Watercolor Fashion Illustration creations for Rúakh Wines

Some clients get me 100%. Some clients you just align with on all aesthetics and vibes. Rúakh Wines is one of the clients. This winery in Northern California is owned and run by one badass woman, Samantha Mogull.

We’ve created a handful of artworks for her different wines she has made, and each one is a new favorite as they come out. Each one is quite personal to her. Samantha starts each new work with me by telling me the story behind each new creation. And then sends me a mood board, and pieces from my collection over the years she is captivated with. This allows me to really sit with what kind of vibe and emotion she wants to convey on her wine bottle.

This is one of those clients and projects where everything is so elegant and art forward, that I am so happy to share it when it’s completed. Please check out their website here to order and for more information:

https://www.ruakhwines.com/

I have created custom watercolor fashion illustrations which carry a somewhat emotive narration for the viewer to be drawn in by. That’s usually our aim when we make these artworks together. See below some of the custom designs we have created over the last few years together.

If you’re interested in collaborating together for artwork for your brand, or packaging & product design to elevate your work just email jessillustration@gmail.com and thank you!

June's Paint Club Fashion Icon is Audrey Hepburn

Happy June everyone! I hope your Summer is off to a wonderful start. I am leaning into the quieter first few weeks of the Summer, after a busy year so far.

This month we continue with our new Fashion Icon series with Audrey Hepburn! We will be creating fashion illustrations together of Audrey Hepburn in watercolor on paper.

The class will be recorded and sent to all students after airing. Class is June 24th at 3PM ET and June 25th at 7PM ET.

Link to get your tickets is right here:

https://jessicadurrant.com/new-shop?category=Paint+Club

You can find my favorite supplies here in my Amazon storefront:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/jessillustrator/list/2SXE16EEL4GF4?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d&ccs_id=cd79c6e0-f9e2-4856-a779-f5ac174996cb

Hope to see you there. And if you’re a yearly subscriber you’ll be getting the links emailed to you soon for class. If you’re interested in joining with a 12 month subscription just email me at jessillustration@gmail.com

Thank you!

Jess

May's Paint Club is all about Coco Chanel

Since I started my online Paint Club in 2024, we have been able to paint and create with many different mediums and subjects together. I look forward every month to getting together with other creatives and painting, chatting and recharging our batteries together. It always feels like a reset!

I am starting a new series called Fashion Icons for our classes, and this month we will be using watercolor to create fashion illustrations inspired by the one and only Coco Chanel!

If you can’t attend live, the recordings for class are always sent out after airing to our students.

Bring paper, watercolor, and pens! And your Je ne sais quoi And here is a link to purchase your tickets:

https://jessicadurrant.com/new-shop?category=Paint+Club

I love creating new works and pulling out artworks from my archives as I prepare each month for class. Coco Chanel is always so fun to paint in watercolor and mixed media. She is iconic!

Thank you as always to my students who support me in my efforts & show up each month. Hope to see you soon!

Live Fashion Sketching for The Atlanta Falcon's!

Last week I had the pleasure of live illustrating for The Atlanta Falcon’s employee gala, Football on the Front Porch at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. I got to work with another local and very talented live sketching artist, Raegan Rowland from The Painted Party! I loved being apart of a team for this event.

We worked in a faster pace for this event, since the client requested us to get as many captured for the evening as possible. So this means, we often limit the sketch to be just about the fashion and omit facial details. Events can be done with more or less details, and we tend to adapt to the client’s requests and needs.

The woman above I recognized because she used to work for Spanx, and I had illustrated her back in 2019 for their company party. She now works at the Falcon’s developing fashion products. How cool is that?!

The event had cheerleaders, coaches and even Matt Ryan! That was super cool.

Thank you to the Atlanta Falcon’s for having us come out and live fashion sketch for your gala. If you’re interested in having this crowd favorite activation at your latest event, just email jessillustration@gmail.com and thank you!

Jess

Paint Club new series: Fashion Icons and Coco Chanel

I’m excited to announce for Paint Club I am rolling out a new series called Fashion Icons. For the next few months we will be exploring different iconic style muses for our class lessons. We are starting our series with the ever stylish Coco Chanel! We will be using watercolors to create our fashion illustrations of Coco Chanel.

Each month I teach students (of every level) a start to finish piece that we create together via Zoom. The last 20 minutes of our 1.5 hour class run time is when students share their artworks. It is always such a lovely and supportive crowd.

If you’d like to join us for class you can purchase your monthly ticket or sign up for yearly subscription here:

https://jessicadurrant.com/new-shop?category=Paint+Club

Thank you to everyone who supports my Paint Club. It feels vital in this day and age that we continue to create with our hands and share that expereince with others

Hope to see you there!

Jess