What do I do when I work on a laptop all day and need major respite from all the hodge podge of crap that gets posted online? I look at The Blake Wright – a simple blog of illustrations that portrays every day thoughts you’d never want to put down on paper. He’s one of my absolute favorite illustrators and bloggers with a knack for articulating high fashion, very honest, and sometimes not-so-safe-for-work ideas which is why I reached out to him to answer a couple of questions for us on Chictopia. Check out the interview below, and don’t forget to check out his awesome blog The Blake Wright.
For our readers who don’t know about you yet, can you give us a brief summary about you? Ie. where you’re from, how you got into design, your day job, etc.
I’m a Texas native who was into design at an early age. I attended the University of Texas design program and spent a few years in Atlanta at the Portfolio Center. Moved back home to Dallas, where I am now a full-time web designer. Web design doesn’t always require pen and ink, and drawing is something I’ve done since I was a child, so I just draw now at nights and weekends for me. It will always just be an itch I have to scratch.
You like to do satires on a number of things – penises, sex, politics, more penises, and fashion. What’s your thought process when you draw the illustrations for your blog?
I usually jot things down on scrap pieces of paper when they come to me (at work or a restaurant or someplace) so I don’t forget them and then just let the pile of paper build up and then I’ll sift through and find the ones I still think are worth doing. And I’ll plop down at my drafting table. As for content, it’s just the stuff that pops in my head. Unfortunately, that does mean a lot of penises, sex, fashion, sex with penises, politics, political sex, and shoes.
You seem pretty knowledgeable about high fashion amongst other things. How did your interests in fashion begin?
I just keep my eyes and ears open. Most of my best friends are actually employed in the fashion industry (and I don’t the mean the mall) so I get a lot of legit input and influence from them. I think fashion is just like anything else – people who are really (really) into it are obsessed – it’s just like sports fans, no? I’m in a fantasy fashion week league.
Do you wear any of the brands that you cover in your illustrations?
I’d be a goddamn liar if I said, why yes I wear all of them – I simply can’t get enough Dries van Noten. But I do tend to splurge. I’m more of a quality vs. quantity person so I repeat clothes. A lot. But it’s mostly just a bunch of (Marc by) Marc Jacobs. For Christmas some dear friends gave me my very own very first very trim Thom Brown shirt. It’s flawless. I drew them a penis. In retrospect that doesn’t seem quite even. Also, I find drawing things I want is a great way at tricking myself into thinking I own them. I’m rich on paper.
You did a blog post featuring some inked out illustrations. What’s the back story on that? Do you do tattoos too?
I’ve done a few of mine, yes (see last photo). And sometimes (rarely) someone will email asking if they can get one of my drawings tattooed on themselves. I always say ask you mother, not me. I love tattoos so it’s always great to see people take my art somewhere else. But when you really think about it, most of my work is just simple black and white line art, so tattoos are a pretty easy transition.
What are some of your daily must see blogs?
- Nick Wooster’s blog bible
- My friend, Angie’s blog, which follows her new shoe line.
- And the usual suspects: Sea of Shoes, Terrys Diary, Refinery 29, The Selby, Bears I’m Jealous Of
Do you have any favorite fashion designers?
Alexander Wang, Isabel Marant, Band of Outsiders, Rag and Bone, A.P.C., and Miu Miu (the only one I don’t buy).
How would you describe your personal style?
I strive to be preppy and put-together a lot of the time (I envy people who always look showered and ironed) but the fact is, I’m just a little bit trashy – this past summer I was on a mission to bring back the men’s crop top t-shirt. But I’d say I just wear a lot of denim. A lot. Head to toe. But with nice shoes.
I’ve noticed you’ve done collaborations with publications like Refinery 29 and Ginza. Are there any exciting projects that we can expect to see from you?
Ginza and I decided to continue our work with the horoscopes, which is great – they are such a joy to do (the descriptions they send over are a fantastic). And I’ve started to play around with the idea of perhaps venturing into paper-goods so keep an eye out for The Blake Wright greeting cards and the sort.
Finish this sentence. “Fashion is…”
A varsity sport.
_________________________________________________________________________________
For more information on Blake Wright, visit his blog The Blake Wright.
by Amethyst Wang
Images via The Blake Wright, Blake Wright, and Dustin Hollywood
