Illustrator Richard Haines was formally trained by Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Perry Ellis, and Sean Combs in the fashion sense - but has always had a knack for his talented penciled creations. Taking his love of people watching to the next level, Haines began sketching people who caught his eye in different settings in and around New York City.

The graduate student walking to class, the club kids standing outside smoking, the tourist roaming the streets aimlessly, the fashion show circuit crew… and it goes on. Haines felt he was being categorized as one of those individuals who was oblivisous of the creativity going on around him, so he launched WHAT I SAW TODAY to help break the confines he felt he was subjected to.

Haines launched WHAT I SAW TODAY and hasnt looked back since, and has gained devoted followers of his sketches along the way. With recent collaborations with J.Crew (and others in the works) - I chatted with Haines (after seeing him sketch live at the J.Crew Broadway mens store opening last month) and had to find out more about this talented New York City creative resident.

Why did you decide to start WHAT I SAW TODAY? Was it something you set out to do? Or did it happen randomly?

It was a total random thing. I was thinking of ways to market myself as a fashion designer. I felt that because I worked for big companies, I was being categorized as someone who wasn’t aware of the creativity going on around me. I figured if I started a blog of sketches of stylish guys, I could break out of that mold.

It has been stated that your “design eye” has been trained by working with such influential individual as Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Perry Ellis and Sean Combs. What is one lesson you learned from each of these individuals that has had a profound effect on where your career stands today?

From Calvin Klein, I learned about the importance of branding. And Calvin knew how to make simplicity sexy-he never believed in tricking something up just for the sake of it. I loved that about him.

From Perry Ellis, I learned to never settle for second best. Perry always expected-demanded-the best, whether it was in people, fabric or quality. He never skimped, never settled.

From Sean John, I learned about keeping the focus on what’s important, and always getting 100% behind something. It’s a really valuable lesson that I use all the time.

From Bill Blass, I learned to be true to my American roots in terms of design. I’ll never forget when he put sweaters with ball gowns-the juxtaposition of casual and formal is what’s great about american design.

Were you always someone who felt the need to express yourself through illustrative means? What is it about illustration that you find so appealing?

I’ve been drawing as long as i could hold a pencil. As a kid, I think it was a way of escape. I could create my own fantasy world. As an adult, I love the immediacy of it. The speed of being able to put to paper what I see around me; the way a person stands, a gesture, or the way someone wears something. When I was about 12, I remember seeing fashion drawings in the New York Times and I couldn’t believe that so much information was being conveyed through so few lines. I loved it!

Your drawings have become synonymous with New York City street style. What does it take to catch your eye?

New York is filled with beautiful people, but it’s a person’s style I find eye-catching, rather than a pretty face. The way something is worn is just as important, even more important than the object itself. It can also be the way a person stands, or holds himself. Some of my favorite sketches are from people hanging out in front of clubs, talking, preening, smoking. They are so expressive and free.

Studying fine art as a student - your desire to study Fashion at Parsons was dismissed by your parents. Do you think you missed out on a Fashion education? Or do you think you are a self-taught learner who has mastered the ropes?

I’m self-taught, and have done well by it. I can always get the feel of how a garment should hang, and what looks right. I breathe it!  There are technical things I was behind the eight ball on because I hadn’t studied it…things in pattern making and sewing. I sometimes wonder if I had taken fashion illustration and design courses, how it all would have worked out. But it’s just speculation. I do know that I would not have been ready to handle living in NYC at 18 or 19, so it’s just as well that I came here later.

What are you currently working on? Where do you see yourself and your career in 10 years?

The past year has brought so many new opportunities through my illustration. Working with J crew has been fantastic. I’ve just had my first gallery show, and am currently working on a project for a women’s European brand. I would love to put my illustrations together as a book, and start sketching in other cities…

In 10 years my daughter will be 22 and graduating from college. I see myself in a huge loft painting, preparing for a show of my new work.

Tell us something about Richard Haines that we don’t already know….

I lived in Iceland for a couple of years as a teenager, and it completely changed my life. I went from a bland suburban town to a place where everyone wanted to look like Mick Jagger…I loved it and there was no turning back!