An AVM Original: Black Tie Evening Gown + Purse

Black Tie Gala Dress Design by AVM Hawkins

I am very proud of this commissioned custom-painted black tie evening gown, for my dear friend, Family Law Attorney, Lauren Waddell. The was my first creative project after giving birth to my lovely Harry. I cannot adequately describe how excited I was to be chosen for this awesome idea, and to have full creative control and complete trust for the project.

I had a blast working on this dress.

I always wanted to be a mom, but it is truly a dream come true to be a mom and full-time artist.

Rocking and rolling on this dress was THE PERFECT project to get my creative juices flowing again and to step into the “new me.”

Below, check out the work in progress video of the entire process within 50 seconds:

The painted design was 100% free style.

AVM Hawkins’ Custom Painted Dress

I rarely like to “think” when I paint. I enjoy being able to “do my thing” and do what comes natural to me. To give myself this freedom, I used painter’s tape and brown paper to protect the other areas of the dress, so I could focus on painting freely without fear of paint accidentally falling on undesired areas of the dress.

In the video, you may notice that I first painted the design in white, before applying color. I learned over the years when painting on black or anything dark material, that it is best to first prime the area with white paint, especially when I am trying to paint with bright colors. This prevents the colors from being absorbed by the dark fabric.

Finally, I created a special edition to go perfectly with the dress, to complete the ensemble: A custom painted matching clutch.