Skip to main content
Portrait of Lamont A. O'Neal

Adjunct Professor

Lamont A. O'Neal

  • School of Art and Design
  • Fashion Design

Illustrated Men
Drawing and Rendering the Male Fashion Figure

Illustrated Men is a how-to-guide in the drawing and rendering of the male fashion figure. The book includes chapters on the use of watercolor, marker, pencil and digital tools in creating professional art. With over 300 illustrations from some of the most accomplished menswear artists today, plus histories of fashionable men and menswear illustration, Illustrated Men was written as a resource and guide to students and professionals alike.

Cover of Illustrated Men

How did you first come up with the idea for this work?
The book was an outgrowth of the menswear art classes that I teach at FIT. I couldn’t at the time find any textbooks on menswear illustrations.

What was your research process like?
Daunting. My initial view of the work was as a how-to-book on drawing and rendering. I soon realized I needed to contextualize and broaden the scope of the book to include a brief history of menswear and a brief history of menswear illustration. So, in addition to conceptualizing the fundamentals of drawing—line, color, perspective, anatomy, proportion, balance etc.—I also had to research both histories and find away to make it all work. The research was long and arduous, and took quite a long time.

How long did you work on this before it was published?
My first discussion with an editor was in May 2018. I went on year long sabbatical which lasted even longer due to the Covid pandemic.

Does this work relate to your role at FIT? If so, how?
I couldn’t have written the book without the experience of teaching my FIT menswear art classes. As I mention in my preface, the book is really distillation of my experiences as an artist and a teacher. My classes informed my book.

What was your biggest challenge? What was most rewarding?
My biggest challenge was overcoming my fear, fear of failing. I’d never written a book before, and have a great respect for writers. One of my dearest friends, a mentor really, was an accomplished writer and critic. He gave me the necessary encouragement to do it. Also, luckily for me, in 2015 I went back to school—I was 27 credits short of my BFA and needed the degree to teach. At the time I took four writing classes.

Have you published any other books or have any upcoming publications?
Oddly enough, I do have another book in the pipeline. I’ve been signed by Macmillan Publishers to illustrate a children’s book on the life of Andre LeonTalley, the fashion editor. The offer came just as I was putting the finishing touches to Illustrated Men.

  • Professor at FIT since Spring 2010
  • Book published in March 2023