Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/468853
PHOTO BY MARTINA GRANOLIC An air of elegance and whimsy permeates artist Megan Hess' work. The timeless glamour of her illustrations is what continually draws commissions from the likes of Balenciaga, Fendi, Tiffany & Co., Dior, Vogue and other icons of the fashion world. We spoke to the Australian native about her sources of inspiration and where her career began. What steered your career toward fashion illustration? I studied graphic design because it felt like a "real" job in the art world. But I really always wanted to be an illustrator, I just didn't know that it was a possible career choice! After working as an art director at agencies for several years, I packed everything up and moved to London, where I worked in a million different creative jobs. In my final job there as art director at the department store Liberty, I realized that I had a burning desire to be an artist. I started to do very small illustrations for Liberty, and from there, other art directors saw my work and little commissions began to follow. After about a year, I found myself with nonstop work. I wasn't earning a fortune, but I'd never been happier. I knew I was going to do this forever. Today, I can probably only do about 20 percent of the projects that come my way. The biggest challenge for me is fitting it all in. But at the end of the day, it's my dream job, so I'm very grateful. You illustrate for the biggest fashion houses and publishers in the world. Is there a project that you consider your first big break? As my clients got bigger and better, I was able to be a little more selective and to work on briefs that I knew had great creative opportunity. Then in 2006, I got a call in the middle of the night from Candace Bushnell's publisher asking if I would illustrate her next novel, "One Fifth Avenue." This was when things took off at rapid speed. Her book became a New York Times best-seller. I met with Candace and she asked me to illustrate all of her previous books, including the cover of "Sex and The City." Once it was released, I was contacted by Time and Vanity Fair to create portraits for them. This was Fashion illustrator Megan Hess at work in her studio in Victoria, Australia; at left, Chanel Couture print, from The Couture Dresses collection. 86 BAL HARBOUR