About
Tracey Smith
Tracey Smith is self taught fashion and event illustrator/artist based in Hackney, London, who specialises in expressive hand drawn illustrations using watercolour inks, charcoal and pastel.
Originally trained as a fashion designer, Tracey spent over 15 years in the industry building a successful career as a commercial designer before the pandemic became the catalyst for her to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion illustrator.
Since then, she has illustrated Catwalk Shows for Showstudio, T Magazine China, and COLD magazine amongst others. She won the Artistic Award in the 5th Fida Worldwide Fashion Illustration Awards (2022) and was named Live Event Artist of the Year in 2023.
Her work has been published in various publications, most recently in the book 'Schiaparelli Anglomania', 2026.
She is currently developing a growing portfolio of live event work, and has also created workshops to teach Inky Faces skills, and techniques to clients such as Vogue College of Fashion.
Over the last 2 years she has developed an ongoing series of 'Inky Portraits'. These developed out of experiments with Inky techniques and have grown into a full blown series of 30 faces and counting. The faces are always rooted in Tracey's fashion background and are inspired by Fashion Tribes through the ages, whether that be Elizabethan Nobility, 80's club kids, 1920's Bright Young Things or 70's Punks. Inky Faces cards and prints are available in the Shop and at selected London Stockists.
Press
Clients, exhibitions, events and publications
Live portraits at Gather Festival, Peligoni, Greece.
Inky Faces workshop at Peligoni, Greece.
Inky Face Applique tee shirts at Edy and Bridge.
Illustration featured on Pantone website, credited to Tracey Smith.
Nick Knight Photo Shoot December 2024 - Live Illustration at Showstudio for their Advent Calendar.
TMagazine China - Illustrated coverage of Paris Fashion Week A/W24.
Created illustrations for the Pantoneview Colourplanner #53 forecasting colours for A/W25/26 in collaboration with Studio Boddy.
2 Works selected for the London College of Fashion Exhibition 'Unseen Fashion Faces and Figures' October 2024.
Inky Faces Ilustration Workshop April 2025
Showstudio Contributor. Illustrated coverage of the Milan Womenswear Shows S/S24.
Contributed to the Showstudio Group Exhibition "Flowers" December 23 to Feb 24
Winner of Live Event Artist of the Year 2023 at the 8th Fida Awards
Several images featured in the Fible 4, Annual book of Fashion Illustration.
Published in the Fible III
In Store Live Drawing
Live Sketching at London Fashion Week
Fida Exhibition
Fida x FashionScout
The Fible
Fida Art in Fashion
Schiaparelli Instagram
Fida x Miami Exhibition
Awards & exhibitions
- February 2025 - Showed 2 works as part of the group show ‘Body Adorned II’ at Felstead Arts , Hackney Wick, London.
- Commended in the Drawing From Life Category in 10th Fida Awards, November 2024.
- Two works selected for the Group Exhibition ‘Unseen Fashion Faces and Figures’ at London College of Fashion, October 2024.
- Winner of the Live Event Artist of the Year at the 8th Fida Awards, November 2023.
- Contributor to the Showstudio Exhibition Flowers, December 2023
- Shortlisted in the 8th Fida Awards 2023
- Published in the Fible Edition 3, 2023.
- Shortlisted for the Fida x Jeetinder Sandhu project July 2023
- Finalist and Commended in the 7th Fida Awards 2023
- Finalist and winner of the Artistic Award in the 5th Fida Awards 2022
- Published in the Fible Edition 2, 2021-22
- Longlisted and shortlisted for the Fida 2021 Awards
- Chosen to exhibit work in the Fida x IMM virtual fashion illustration exhibition as part of Miami fashion week 2021
- June 2025 - Showed my Inky portraits series as part of the E8 Art and Craft Trail , Dalston, London.
- March 2025 - Showed 4 drawings as part of the group show ‘Drawing Humans’ at XYZ Gallery, Grays Inn Road, London.
- October 2024 - Showed 2 works as part of the London College of Fashion group show ‘Unseen Fashion Faces and Figures’.
- December 2023 - Contributor to the Showstudio Exhibition “Flowers”.
- September 2023 - Showstudio contributor. Illustrated the Milan Fashion Week SS24 Womenswear Shows for Showstudio.
- July 2023 - Published in the Fible , edition 3.
- July 2023 - Shortlisted in the Fida x Jeetinder Sandhu Project
- May 2023 - Submitted work was Commended in the 7th Fida Worldwide Fashion Illustration Awards
- May 2023 - Work published in Lazin Magazine
- November 2022 - Selected to show work in Miami for the Fida X Tiffany collaboration with the Halston Foundation as part of Miami Fashion Week.
- May 2022 - Won the Artistic Award at the 5th Fida Worldwide Fashion Illustration Awards.
- Winner of Live Event Artist of the Year 2023 at the 8th Fida Awards Click Here
- Showstudio Contributor. Milan Womenswear Shows Illustrated the Milan Womenswear Shows for Showstudio September 2023. Click Here
- Contributed to the Showstudio Group Exhibition "Flowers" December 23 to Feb 24 Click Here
- Published in the Fible III Published in the Fashion Illustration Bible - The Fible III, 2023 Click Here
- Fida Exhibition My artwork was used for the Fida Art in Fashion Summer Exhibition 2022 promotion
- Fida x Miami Exhibition Work selected for the Fida x Miami Ultramarine virtual exhibition as part of Miami Fashion Week 2021
Work & projects
- June 2025 - completed 2 commissions for private clients.
- May 2025 - Drew Live Inky portraits at N4 Makers market , Stoke Newington, London.
- April 2025 - Led an Inky Faces Illustration workshop at In-Residence lifestyle store , Islington London.
- April 2025 - Drew live at the Sabirah Official showroom open day at Somerset House , London.
- March 2025 - Drew live at the Lumen Magazine launch, London.
- Feb/March 2025 - Drew live both front and backstage at London Fashion Week with Drawing Cabaret Couture and Fida Worldwide, at shows including Tolu Coker, Yaku, Yuhan Ao, Edeline Lee , Fashion Scout Casting day.
- February 2025 - Took part in the N4 Makers Market , Stoke Newington, London.
- January 2025 - My Inky faces series was featured in Suboart Magazine #34.
- December 2024 - Drew the cast live at the Mildmay Club pantomime, Newington Green, London.
- December 2024 - I was invited to draw live on a Nick Knight photo shoot for Showstudio , as part of their Advent calendar.
- October 2024 - I produced 4 beauty illustrations for the Studio Boddy article for the Pantone Connect platform.
- October 2024 - Drew live at the Vidi Blak Studio sip and shop sample sale, Hackney Wick , London.
- September 2024 - Drew live at London Fashion Week with Fida Worldwide and Drawing Cabaret Couture, at shows including Buerlangma, and Jayne Pierson.
- July 2024 - Several works featured in the Fida Worldwide fourth annual book of Fashion Illustration - The Fible.
- March 2024 - I created 2 illustrations for the Studio Boddy colour forecasting story ‘Hugging’ for the Pantoneview Colourplanner #53.
- February 2024 - Collaborated with TMagazine China to illustrate their coverage of Paris Fashion Week A/W24.
- November 2023 - Created 2 illustrations for Jane Monington Boddy’s Colour Forecasting Story ‘Hugging’ featured in the 2024 Pantone Colour book.
- September 2023 - Artist in Residence at Fashion Scout with Fida Worldwide , London Fashion Week.
- June 2023 - Fida x Chapal Project
- May 2023 - Taught an Online Fashion Illustration Class for Fida Worldwide
- May 2023 - Private Portrait Commission
- February 2023 - Artist in Residence at Fashion Scout with Fida Worldwide , London Fashion Week .
- September 2022 - Live Event Illustration for a secret high end Bond Street client.
- September 2022 - Artist in Residence at Fashion Scout with Fida Worldwide, London fashion Week
- Inky Faces Ilustration Workshop April 2025 Taught an Inky Faces Illustration Workshop at this lifestyle store in Islington, London. Click Here
- Nick Knight Photo Shoot December 2024 Illustrated Live on a Nick Knight photo Shoot for the Showstudio Advent Calendar Click Here
- TMagazine China Illustrated T Magazine China's Paris Fashion Week Coverage Feb/March 2024 Click Here
- In Store Live Drawing In store live drawing event for a secret Bond Street client. Click Here
- Live Sketching at London Fashion Week One of the illustrators in residence with Fashion Scout/Fida at London Fashion Week September 22 and again at London Fashion Week February 23. Click Here
- Fida x FashionScout Catwalk sketches used in the Fida xFashionScout e-magazine 2022
- The Fible Listed in The Fible - Fida Worldwide’s definitive book of contemporary fashion illustrators 2022.
- Fida Art in Fashion Artwork used for the Fida art in Fashion 2022 promotion and e-book
- Schiaparelli Instagram My image for the DrawaDot X Schiaparelli Open Call was featured on the Schiaparelli Instagram page, August 2022. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChUyb8ttB5M/?img_index=9 Click Herehttps://www.instagram.com/p/ChUyb8ttB5M/?img_index=9