Illustrated Fashion Cut-Outs Turn the World into Dress Patterns

Using negative space, Shamekh Al-Bluwi transforms natural settings and architectural sites into stunning dress designs.

July 31, 2016, 11:55am

Images courtesy the artist

With more than 270,000 followers on Instagram, Shamekh Al-Bluwi has definitely captured the attention of users with a thirst for creative visual projects. He uses the platform as a way to share his work with a large audience, and also to take viewers on a journey to places around the world through clever paper cut-outs. Using his background in architecture as a jumping-off point, he began examining the similarities between architecture and fashion. “Back then, I had to deal with different architectural styles, mixing and matching several layers and structures,” Al-Bluwi tells The Creators Project. “Apart from that, I always used to sketch ladies and dress them with interesting patterns and cityscapes.” His two areas of interest come together in a series of photographs that feature him holding drawings of women with their dress designs cut out. The empty portion is filled with the building or landscape in the background, which becomes the unique pattern of the dress.

Before choosing a location, Al-Bluwi thinks about the subject he is depicting. “I start by researching the model's posture, then after sketching a suitable one, I add the outfit design putting into consideration the parts I could cut,” explains Al-Bluwi. “I do the illustration as line art on Photoshop using a Wacom tablet. I make sure to keep it very simple, for the surroundings to pop when it's time to take a photo.”

Once he creates the design for the dress and cuts out the negative space, he looks for the right setting to bring the dress pattern to life. The patterns are created from a variety of backgrounds: an insteresting facade, a cluster of flowers, and the setting sun are just a few examples.

“When I decide on locations, I try to play with contradictions,” says Al-Bluwi. “A busy background or a chaotic landscape versus the simple sketch. In fact, my eyes are always observing my surroundings, and I try to spot interesting textures to add them against my sketches. It gets really fun when I'm travelling, as I can take photos of sketches while exploring new cities.”

The series started as an experiment, but has snowballed to include a number of dress design and background combinations. The artist is able to find a way to channel his creativity and interest in two seemingly disparate fields to make something memorable. He encourages others to get crafty and push their own methods of creating to see what they might discover.

“No matter what your talent is, artistic or not, always try new techniques, and don't limit yourself to the norm,” writes Al-Bluwi. “Even if you don't think people would receive your work well, just do it for yourself; you'll learn a lot along the way. Also, I'd like to tell all budding talents to post their work online and share it with others. It's always great to hear feedback from others, to know what you're good at and what you can work on to improve.”