Holly Nichols is a fashion illustrator known for her whimsical and emotive sketches of high fashion runways. She runs her studio, H. Nichols Illustration, out of Braintree, Massachusetts. Nichols gained popularity through Instagram where she shares her illustrations, and now has over 200,000 followers. She earns a living through commissioned work and selling prints, phone cases, and other merchandise featuring her illustrations. Nichols is inspired by couture designers like Elie Saab and draws to recreate luxurious outfits she cannot afford.

1. BY NOELLE BARBOSA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSEMARY TUFANKJIAN

2. ashion illustrator Holly Nichols is known for her ability to reinterpret the
couture runways of New York, Paris and Milan as whimsical works of
art. Her original fashion sketches are laden with emotion and style and
her Braintree art studio, H. Nichols Illustration, has an inner sanctum of
all that’s ludic and lovey in the flourishing world of fashion illustration.
Inside her studio, whitewashed walls are illuminated by framed photography and
canvas sketches. A slate colored area rug is arranged with twin leopard print chairs and
a white table adorned with a gold sequin runner. A brass bar cart invites guests to soak
up the scene with a chilled cocktail and the warm air is perfumed by spearmint and
green tea. Her adjoining workshop is besieged by a bank of elongated windows where
sunlight dances on a desktop and Nichols breathes new life into ordinary forms.
“Light was important when I was looking for studio space,” says Nichols.
A Quincy native who graduated from North Quincy High School in 2009, Nichols
has been drawing her entire life. As a young girl, her parents enrolled her in private
art lessons at Frantic Framers in Quincy. At just 25 years old, this rising social me-
dia superstar has amassed an impressive cortège of more than 200,000 followers on
Instagram.
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3. After earning a BFA in studio art from Endicott College in 2013, Nichols worked in a third
grade classroom while accumulating a robust collection of original fashion sketches. One day,
she decided to create an Instagram account for her work and within one month she gained nearly
1,000 followers. “It grew quickly,” says Nichols. “People who love art and fashion are drawn to
fashion illustrators.”
Not long after showcasing her work online, fans began asking Nichols if they could purchase
prints. Requests for commissioned projects also began arriving. Nichols left her job at the elemen-
tary school in May of 2014 and rented studio space in Abington that summer, intent on forging
fashion illustration into a lucrative career. Eventually, Nichols relocated her studio to Braintree
and next month will mark her one year anniversary at her River Street studio.
For this contemporary artist, fashion illustration is a visual realm of opulent fabrics, luxurious
textures and dynamic colors. Although Nichols cannot make clothing by hand, with her breezy
brushstrokes she holds the ability to seamlessly assemble daytime outfits and evening looks– espe-
cially high-end garments that often carry hefty price
tags. “I love couture gowns and sketching gives me
the ability to put together outfits I can’t afford,” says
Nichols who is inspired by the designer houses of
Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad.
This “It-girl” illustrator has also collaborated with
a number of influential brands. She sketched a cou-
ture gown for Elie Saab that was featured on the de-
signer’s website last August. In February 2015, hair-
care line TRESemmé commissioned her to sketch
hair and make-up backstage at New York Fashion
Week. Earlier this year, she partnered with British
luxury retailer Ted Baker on a social media cam-
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4. paign. In addition, Nichols has aligned with Disney and Apple.
Nichols is inspired by the world around her and often chan-
nels her current mood into her drawings. She has drawers
overflowing with original art, but not all pieces become prints.
“I don’t usually create a sketch intentionally to be turned into
a print,” admits Nichols. “Typically, when I find inspiration, I
sketch it out. It ends up in my shop as a print if I am satisfied or
if a customer requests to purchase it as a print. My followers play
a huge part in curating my selection of products.”
One of Nichols’ favorite and best-selling prints is “The Fine
Art of Staying In” which depicts a girl with her head buried in
a book and a steaming beverage sitting atop a pile of books by
her side.
“When I made this print [The Fine Art of Staying In], I was
home one night and just so comfortable,” confesses Nichols.
“Whenever I draw, I think about a mood or a feeling, so in the
winter, you’ll see girls bundled up in turtlenecks and with their
hair tucked into their shirts. It’s a cozy feeling.”
Nichols credits leading fashion illustrator David Downton
with influencing her work. “His brushstrokes are really expres-
sive and his garments are created by these abstract brushstrokes,”
says Nichols, who likes to draw with Copic markers – using the
brush tip to mimic the motion used in watercolor painting.
In addition to shopping for prints in her online Etsy shop, en-
thusiasts can select from an assortment of cards and mugs that
feature her signature illustrations. For the tech savvy, an assort-
ment of darling iPhone and iPod Touch cases are available at
Casetify.com.
For spring, this budding entrepreneur is designing items
admirers can carry such as tote bags and pouches perfect for
make-up or art supplies. “I’m thinking of ways people can enjoy
my work not just on a wall because eventually they’ll run out of
space,” laughs Nichols.
Giving her sketches unique names is another important part
of Nichols’ business. She recently drew “Millennium” – a statu-
esque figure with ombré locks and a futuristic blue gown that
depicts Boston’s new 60-story skyscraper, Millennium Tower.
“The paneling mimics the actual tower and the girl represents
the columns,” describes Nichols who listed the drawing in her
online Etsy shop as a one-of-a-kind.
Those fancying high fashion for their “girl cave” or walk-in
closet will adore “Couture Crew” – a 30 x 40-inch canvas of nine
models wearing designer gowns from various fall 2015 collec-
tions including Schiaparelli, Versace and the illustrator’s person-
al favorites Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad.
Nichols, who continues to build her corporate client portfolio,
dreams of sketching behind the scenes at Paris Fashion Week.
“I’d love to see the world and create this art in different places,”
says Nichols.
To see more examples of Holly Nichols’ art, visit hnicholsil-
lustration.com.
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