Richard Haines moved to New York City to be a fashion illustrator, but got side-tracked by a career designing clothes for companies like Calvin Klein and Bill Blass. His blog, What I Saw Today, started out as a place for Haines to explore his
Richard Haines moved to New York City to be a fashion illustrator, but got side-tracked by a career designing clothes for companies like Calvin Klein and Bill Blass. His blog, What I Saw Today, started out as a place for Haines to explore his passion for illustration and menswear. Now, things have comes full circle and Haines is fulfilling his original New York dream of being a professional fashion illustrator, having scored clients like J Crew and Max Mara through his blog. The blog itself is a mix of classic fashion illustration and up-to-date media and sits in delightful contrast to the endless street style blogs that dominate the fashion blogosphere.
There are so many blogs of photographs that people take in their daily life focusing on fashion, it's actually quite unusual to be drawing what you see – what made you start the blog?
I was a menswear fashion designer looking for new gigs. I figured a blog recording what guys wore would be another way of marketing myself. I'm a shitty photographer, and drawing is second nature to me, so that's how the blog started.
What do you feel you can do with an illustration blog that photography-based ones covering the same subject matter can't?
It's not a question of one medium taking away from another, there is more than enough room for photography and illustration. I feel like I can capture a moment, or an attitude in a different way from photography. My work is about line and gesture. A good drawing can tell the viewer a lot of information with very little detail and that's my goal as an artist. It becomes a question of editing as I draw to give the viewer the entire story in an effortless way.
Do you draw as and when you see things, or do you do it from memory or a photograph later on?
It depends. I love to draw on the spot. I went to a party a few months ago called Tumblr Wars; I knew almost everyone there and it's a crew of people I completely love, so I started taking them in groups into the bathroom and doing portraits. I was in heaven.
When I see people on the street that I think are interesting I usually approach them, take a few pics with my iPhone, then go home and draw them. I'd say about 95% of the people I approach love the attention. New Yorkers want to know they're appreciated.
Has having the blog lead to more interesting or unusual work for you?
Having the blog has changed my life completely. I am talking to people about a book, and animation based on the blog, and I have done some cool projects for companies like J Crew and Max Mara. I've also gotten into fine arts and had a couple of gallery shows of my work.
What is your favourite post?
That's impossible to answer. That's like asking a parent which child they love the most. I just won't go there. I would say recently the Tumblr Wars party I mentioned is one of my favourite recent posts. I think I captured the moment of the party, and I adore the people I sketched so there was a lot of love put into it.
