Lingerie is Art – no doubt about it.

Everything that goes into creative process of making lingerie from the sketching of ideas to the selection and cutting of fabrics has a creative hand (or hands) behind it.

We feature a lot of the artists behind lingerie brands and for this month’s designer feature we wanted to do something different and feature an artist inspired by the world of Lingerie – Xavier Garza, Pin-Up artist.

Born and raised in Texas, Xavier is working on a variety of projects and is looking to work with lingerie companies on their designs for lingerie and marketing. We sat down with him for a short Q&A to talk about his work and creative process. Please comment on Xavier’s art. I’m sure he would love to get opinions from those of us in the industry.

TLJ: Xavier, we’re big fans of your Pin-Up Art. Could you tell our readers, who haven’t seen your work yet, what you do?

Xavier: Sure Luis, I’d love to, and thank you for the nice comments. For those of you who don’t know my work and what I do, I’m a Pin-Up Artist. I paint beautiful, glamorous Women in the style of retro-vintage Pin-ups, with slightly a modern twist. My goal is to keep Pin-Up and Glamour Art alive for the next Generation.

TLJ: How long have you been doing Pin-Up Art?

Xavier: My interest in Pin-up surfaced in 2004-2005. I was doing a lot of fantasy-Amazon women, dragons, and mermaids. I came across some images of Vargas and Olivia and I was smitten. I had to master Pin-Up. I slowly transitioned into Pin-Ups by the end of 2005 and haven’t stopped since.

TLJ: What Mediums do you work in?

Xavier: For sketches and drawing out ideas, I doodle with either mechanical pencil or a ball-point pen. My finished paintings are completed in watercolors.

TLJ: Obviously, lingerie is a big part of your art, do you base the lingerie in your artwork on what real life models sitting in front of you are wearing, what they are wearing in photos or are they your own designs?

Xavier: Oh yes. Lingerie is a very big part of my Art. The designs I come up with are my own and since my Art is part fantasy why not let the lingerie be part fantasy as well? I enjoy designing very much. I never use live models though, only reference photos. So, when I have a photo picked out, the model’s own lingerie will be changed to my liking. One pose can develop many lingerie designs. The possibilities are endless.

TLJ: You mentioned that you were toying with the idea of creating your own lingerie line, could you tell us a little bit more? What would the line be like? What kind of woman would it be aimed at?

Xavier: To see my designs come to life has always been a dream of mine. In High School, I would sketch designs of Lingerie or Haute couture and day dream (instead of concentrating on class work) of how extravagant my fashion shows could be. I never had the courage to take up sewing because since I paint a lot it can be time consuming. Though the option to pick up the skills of sewing is never far from my mind. When working on a painting, I’m always wondering, “What would this look like in real life?”

Now, if I did develop a Lingerie line, I would definitely want it to be very Hollywood Glam. Flowing, satiny, robes. Feathers, beads, and crystal embellished bras, panties, garters and high heals. Over the top Boudoir wear – think Jayne Mansfield or Jean Harlow in “Dinner at 8.”

My ideal clientele would have to be simply, every Woman. From the Women who dress casual, modern, and cute but want a simple, sexy bra and panty set to the Gals who dress from head to toe in Vintage with tilted baby-doll hats perched high on their pretty little heads. Covering their skin with delicate lace. I believe every Woman deserves to have precious, sweet Lingerie, caressing their body. Hugging them perfectly as they dream that nobody knows their curves better than a perfect piece of Lingerie.

TLJ: Who has been your biggest Artistic inspiration?

Xavier: Luis, that’s a tough one. I’m going to be honest, this maybe the toughest Question to answer. There have been so many wonderful people, past and present who have been inspiring to me artistically. Since the question is Who I’d narrow it down to, I would have to say the two important artists in my life are Alberto Vargas and Olivia De Berardinis. Olivia has followed in Vargas’ footsteps to Playboy. When I started Pin-up, I wanted to follow in Olivia’s footsteps along after Vargas’. If I’m lead elsewhere because of my talents and interest in Pin-up it will be okay because it will be a path that they helped inspire me to do and to go down and not give up. I will be painting beautiful women till I’m 100 years old.

“…My favorite part of the process is working on her face. Doing her make-up, seeing her eyes come to life, that glint of light as she peaks at me from the paper, the tiny smirk, from the corner of her lips . . . she’s alive, for a brief moment I gave her life.” – Xavier Garza on the creative process

TLJ: We’re really interested: What lingerie brands do you find exciting and inspiring for your artwork?

Xavier: Truthfully, I only know of a few brands – Victoria’s Secret, Fredrick’s of Hollywood, Secrets in Lace, and Agent Provocateur. I love watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows every year on TV. I re-watch the 2005 show over and over when I need  rush of inspiration. It’s the first show I saw, and it really made me want to design one-of-kind lingerie. Works of Art.

TLJ: Tell us a bit about your creative process? Could you take us from start to finish on a piece?

Xavier: Sure thing. When starting a painting, I first go through my reference photo library which include many vintage pin-up girl photos, books with various vintage models or my collection of Playboy Magazines from the 60s. Once a photo catches my eye, I then begin to sketch in my book the many possibilities of what could come from this one particular photo. Various costume ideas fill the pages, themes play a role in a Pin-up painting too, like Holidays. Perhaps a Christmas pin-up? Maybe a Halloween gal, dressed as a kitty perched on a pumpkin? Once I’ve settled on an idea, I then begin the process of drawing the chosen design on my big paper, 22” x 30”. I finalize the sketch by detailing it with the final out-fit or lingerie, hair and make up, jewelery if any, and shoes – cant forget the shoes. When hours have passed, and the pencil drawing of the chosen Pin-Up is finished, I then transfer Her to watercolor paper with the aide of my trusty-light box.

Now the real fun begins – Painting. I begin to lightly apply her skin color, little by little, detailing her skin. While her skin is drying, I start her hair. Sometimes, always at the last minute, my taste for red-heads kicks in and I begin to change her hair color to any shade of red-hair I desire. Fun and flirty-fiery red, maybe a dark, maroon-blood red? Perhaps a sweet-strawberry blond? At this point, I work fast, so I alternate areas that are drying, or take a break and eat. I need fuel to keep going or else I could take a wrong turn and try something I didn’t want and it backfire on me. When I resume working, I’m now able to work on different parts of the piece, painting the lingerie, detailing the lace, painting in tiny flowers or bows.

I must share – other than working on the painting as a whole, my favorite part of the process is working on her face. Doing her make-up, seeing her eyes come to life, that glint of light as she peaks at me from the paper, the tiny smirk, from the corner of her lips . . . she’s alive, for a brief moment I gave her life.

TLJ: Would you like to work with Lingerie companies on their designs or catalogs? What could you bring with your artwork that will help them?

Xavier: I would love to work with companies on their catalogs or designs. I’ve always thought it would be nice to see in a catalog an artist’s depictions of Lingerie designs. Sort of like a vintage-advertisement throw back – way before photography and the highly photo-shopped digital age we live in where people can now develop ads with a mouse and screen.  I know I could bring something different, to have a portrait painted, or illustration, in the Vintage Ad style instead of a photo-ad of a model. It will be a hand painted work of art like Vargas and Erte did women’s Fashion designs and illustrations in Fashion Magazines. I think I could bring that back and I’d Love to follow in their footsteps. No doubt the ads could double sales with promotional Calendars of the pin-ups wearing lingerie that millions of women will wear, not to mention an old reminder that Pin-up will live on forever for the collectors, customers, and fans. . . as well as the Company.

TLJ: Could you give us a sneak peak at your latest project?

Xavier: A sneak peak? Sounds like a title for one of my paintings! My latest project is to create Portraits of some of the contestants on Ru-Paul’s Drag Race. No doubt that those beauties inspire my Art work. I love Old Hollywood dames, and those Beauty Queen-works of Art are perfect for me to depict and Glamorize for many years to come.

TLJ: Do you have a website or blog our readers can see more of your artwork?

Xavier: Yes I sure do, here is the link  http://garzapin-upsdesign.blogspot.com/ I hope your readers stop by for a peak at my Pin-ups. Thank you so much Luis

If you want to contact Xavier for questions or to commission some artwork please contact him here:

E-mail: xgarza88@gmail.com
Blog: http://garzapin-upsdesign.blogspot.com/ 
Twitter: @xgarza88