CREATIVES
Tori Orchard
Artist & Illustrator
If you’ve been reading this magazine for
the last few issues, you will be familiar
with Tori’s work as a fashion illustrator.
Her rich paintings of designer handbags
and heels, ranging from Michael Kors to Kate
Spade, have acted as an attention-drawing
frontispiece for Manner magazine.
However, Tori isn’t just a fashion illustrator but is also
making a name for herself as a versatile fine-artist. With
a base at Westmount Studios, her work ranges from her
bold, unusual fashion illustrations, to nature-inspired
colourscapes, and raw, expressive Indian Ink sketches.
“My work is really quite emotionally driven – what I
create depends on my mood at the time, which is why my
work varies so much. I’ve toyed with the idea of having a
‘theme’, but I just can’t do it, it feels too contrived.”
Tori’s journey as an artist really started to flourish a few
years back when she decided to keep a sketchbook with
her at all times, sitting in coffee shops sketching people or
places. Using only pen, no pencil and rubber, this formed
the basis of her confidence in creating art – commit to the
drawing and embrace the imperfections.
Building on that, Tori has studied with the London-based
‘Addictive Sketcher’ Adebanji Alade in London on several
occasions to really hone her craft.
“Adebanji really inspired me when I saw a piece he did on
the BBC’s The One Show, where he went out with just a pen
and paper and sketched people.
So, I got in touch and he’s been
an amazing mentor ever since –
he still is incredibly supportive of
me, I’m very lucky. Sketching is
still my true love and is the thing
I come back to as much as possible – it’s amazing to be able
to capture a moment in time, in a way that is truly unique
to you.”
While Tori enjoys a variety of styles, one thing that has
remained constant is her looseness of line. It’s evident in her
ink-sketches and minimal line drawings that her art often
manifests itself in an instance of expression.
“I enjoy keeping my lines loose for a number of reasons
– it’s a great combat for perfectionism, which I think can
totally ruin a piece of art, and it also gives the art a life of its
own. I find the unexpected direction of line can really speak
for itself in a way that I couldn’t possibly think up myself.” •
Keep up with Tori’s work at www.toriorchard.co.uk
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