An afternoon with Fashion Illustrator Megan Hess

For as long as I remember I have always loved to draw, at the age of 5 I sketched a portrait of my grandparents, at the age of 13 I won a national art competition in Brazil and I now enjoy painting when I have the time.

Over the years I’ve come to admire great contemporary artists, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh are among my favourites.  In recent times I’ve been admiring Fashion Illustration (what could be better, combining my love for Fashion and art) and with the easy accessibility of social media and the likes of instagram I came to know and follow a number of amazing Fashion Illustrators, my favourites are the Australian Fashion Illustrators, sisters, Megan Hess (@meganhess_official) & Kerrie Hess (@kerriehessillustration).  Both are so amazingly talented and have their own unique signature styles.

Megan Hess has illustrated for a number of Internationally renown brands including Dior, Tiffany & Co, Cartier & Louis Vuitton.

Megan Hess’ illustration for Tiffany & Co

Megan Hess’ illustration for Ovarian Cancer Research

And who doesn’t love Megan’s fun & quirky Monday Coffee illustrations?

When I found out that Megan Hess was coming to Sydney last week and was performing an illustration to a live audience, I was so excited I was going to be able to see her.  I had been lucky enough to meet her beautiful & talented sister Kerrie Hess at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week earlier this year, I couldn’t believe I would also have the chance to meet Megan, but also see her paint too.  Megan was painting a portrait of model Cara Devigne, as part of Tag Heuer’s campaign “Don’t Crack under Pressure”.  Not only was she to paint to a live audience, but she had to complete the painting in an hour and paint using a Tag Heuer ball point ink pen.  As keen as a groupie, I was one of the first to arrive at the location outside the Tag Heuer store in Westfield Sydney’s Pitt St Mall.  It was a slightly windy day, and as it was lunchtime on a Friday, very busy with pedestrians passing by.

Megan arrived looking stunning in a white top and cape, and black pants (monochrome classic, so chic!).  She was so friendly and I had a chance to say hello & introduce myself to her before she started painting.  It was amazing watching this artist create a masterpiece with an ink pen. I was also so impressed that she was able to paint so ‘neatly’ with an ink pen, no smudges, no mess on a windy day and all.. and keeping her beautiful white cape pristine from beginning to end.

Below: From her first ‘pen stroke’ to finishing touches.

Occasionally she would step back to look at the picture as a whole and then go back to painting.

Watching Megan painting was so serene, she was in her element, calm & composed.  Although she was constantly interrupted by photographers she would just calmly say, “it is almost finished”, and go back and take her time to get the finishing touches to the painting.

Et voila, after an hour of constant interruptions, pedestrians passing by, the perfectly poised Megan Hess finishes her masterpiece and smiles at the cameras.

I’m so inspired by this beautiful & talented lady.  She’s a mother of two and travels around the world doing what she loves, and always looking so calm and content.  Watching her for that hour, passionately painting each ‘pen stroke’ as gracefully & effortlessly as a ballet dancer performing the swan lake on stage.  Megan certainly lives and breathes the moto “Don’t Crack Under Pressure”.

I’m inspired to follow her ways and walk through life as effortlessly as she did, remembering to always remain calm & composed, take the time to step back, look at the bigger picture and never crack under pressure.