ANIMAL’s feature Artist’s Notebook asks artists to show us their original “idea sketch” next to a finished piece. This week, New York graffiti bomber turned fashion designer CLAW talks about her process for designing and installing the window displays at Lord and Taylor on Fifth Avenue.

Usually I never work with a sketch or a completely planned out idea, but for this Lord and Taylor window project, I did.

I usually have a color scheme. I’m time crunching. For this project, I cleared my schedule so I had no other pressing issues to distract me. From start to finish, it took three weeks.

Week 1: I sketched it out, then vectorized it and made it into cads. L&T approved the concepts and then we began to construct the walls, to order paint and stretch canvas over 12-foot boards which became the walls. Week 2: I began to paint very methodically and kept to schedule, even if I had to work late. I had two from my crew helping me, so we had the luxury of extra hands. Week 3: We finished the art and connected the walls together, painted the floor and merchandised the clothing and accessories.

And voila! From now on, I’m always working with a sketch and cleared schedule because I think it only benefits me. And I hope to do more public art very, very soon.

(Photos: Yossera Bouchtia/ANIMALNewYork)

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