Artist Grace Ciao sure has a way of transforming the beautiful into the exquisite. The 22-year-old Singaporean-based artist has created a series of fashion illustrations using real flower petals. Instead of taking the traditional route of fashion drawing (which is the use of water colours and colour pencils), Ciao has used these real flower petals to illustrate the form and colour of the dress. In some designs, cleverly assembles these petals such that the bodices and flowing skirts are seamlessly connected, creating a form that resembles that of the flower the petals originate from. This idea was inspired by her personal observations of nature and life. She says that she started using petals purely by accident, when she noticed a red rose dying. “I remembered how beautiful it used to be and wanted to ‘preserve’ this beauty. So I made fashion illustrations out of them,” says Grace Ciao. After which, she started gaining more inspiration from different types of flowers and began experimenting with different colours and textures. “They (the petals) help me create prints which I otherwise couldn’t have thought of,” Ciao explains. “I think petals work really well for illustration also because their delicacy and exquisiteness mimic those of a soft fabric.” With her eye for detail and meticulous craftsmanship, Grace Ciao’s illustrations become a work of art on their own. The artist is currently in business school in Singapore but does freelance fashion illustrations ranging from casual wear to haute couture. 

See more of Grace Ciao’s work here 

Images via mymodernmet