Petra Dufkova — Watercolour Fashion Illustrator, Munich

From flowers and fragrances to high fashion and hairstyles, Petra Dufkova’s illustrations overflow with glamour and beauty. Based in Munich, the artist is originally from the Czech Republic and is trusted by major clients around the globe.

Her influences come from a range of fashion designers and artists, but one of her favourites is the Swedish illustrator Daniel Egneus. “His technique is very distinctive and full of spirit,” she says. Funnily enough, the same can be said of her own work. When she’s not painting, Petra enjoys travelling, keeping fit and cooking. Petra studied applied arts at a technical college and later focused on fashion, graduating as a stylist from the ESMOD International Fashion School in Munich.

Approach

After looking for ideas and inspiration by researching her subject, Petra plans her composition and then starts drawing or painting. She loves the aquarelle technique, where a watercolour painting is built up and enhanced through a series of semi-transparent washes. She also uses gouache.

Style

By using aquarelle, Petra gives her paintings a unique sense of depth and is able to vary intense detail and strong colour with moody swooshes of blur and fuzz that soften the overall effect. Her work is very much in the vein of fashion illustration – figurative, often gestural, and always focusing on beauty.

Awards

2008 China Fashion Week - Best in Illustration

Client list

Petra’s clients include Ministry of Sound, Coca-Cola, Cartier, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Escada, Guerlain, Hermes, Swarovski, Vanity Fair, Speedo, Volkswagen, the Sunday Times and Wella.