FASHION SKETCHING FOR BEGINNERS

In the past two years I have designed four dress collections (Time flies!). Each time I’ve shared a collection here we have received tons of requests for a how-to post about fashion sketching. I am self-taught (and still learning!), but I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about my process. I hope that some of you feel inspired to pull out your pens and pencils and notebooks today. Fashion sketching isn’t nearly as intimidating as I once thought it would be.

1. Create a good croquis. A croquis is the basic drawing of a model pose that you can trace over and over again while sketching your fashion ideas. You can find croquis to use online or in books, or you can create your own. I created my first croquis years ago by tracing a pose on a vintage pattern. Typically, croquis are exaggerated tall model forms. But what if you want to design for someone else, say a child or a plus sized woman? Make your own! Here’s how I do it…

1. Print a photo that has a good pose and body form that you want to design for. I chose a couple photo with my husband because sometimes I enjoy designing “his and her” looks. 2. Using window light, trace the basic body shape on a new piece of paper. 3. Use your new croquis, by tracing over it with a fresh sheet of paper, to sketch your own new designs over and over again. Fun, right?!

2. Don’t stress, just practice. Instead of stressing over getting the perfect sketches, just start where you are and practice. Before I shared any of my sketches (even with my friends) I was sketching for a whole year in secret notebooks. Each time a notebook was full I would rip out my favorite designs and start a new one, throwing the rest out. Nothing can replace quality practice time. It’s the only way to grow and develop. You’ll gain confidence as you go!

Embroidery sketches

Embroidery sketches for beginners  who is learning fashion designing.

Anarkalli suites

The Anarkali suit is made up of a long, frock-style top and features a slim fitted bottom. The Anarkali suit varies in many different lengths and embroideries including floor-lengthAnarkali styles. ... The word Anarkaliliterally means the 'delicate bud of the pomegranate flower/ tree'.

What Is Creativity?

Creativity focuses on the process of forming original ideas through exploration and discovery. In children, creativity develops from their experiences with the process, rather than concern for the finished product. Creativity is not to be confused with talent, skill, or intelligence. Creativity is not about doing something better than others, it is about thinking, exploring, discovering, and imagining. Creativity is found in the obvious art and music, but can also be found in science and play.

Because we think of art, music, dance, and drama as examples of creative ideas, we may have forgotten that creative thought is found in all aspects of a growing child’s life and can be learned from daily. Just look at how creativity shows itself when a scientist discovers a cure for a disease, how a business owner decides to increase sales, how the grocery clerk bags the groceries, or how a parent finds a way to entice a reluctant child to head off to bed.

Getting Started: Inviting Creativity

Providing the opportunity for creativity is as easy as allowing children to draw with crayons on blank paper, to bang a pot with a wooden spoon in time to music, to build an inviting reading area with blankets and cushions, or to hop and bop to a favorite children’s recordings. Something as easy as drawing on a blank surface is surprisingly important. Research shows that children who draw frequently do better in reading and math and will shine at focusing on learning tasks. Choosing their own drawing materials empowers children and opens their eyes to the world around them.

What can we do as teachers to help creativity take hold? When a child presents you with a drawing and says, “Look at what I made!”, respond by saying, “Tell me about your drawing,” or ask, “What do you like about your  drawing?” These open-ended responses let the child evaluate his own creativity while initiating conversation about the work at hand. Try not to guess what that gooey green glob of paint is supposed to be because it may only be a gooey green glob of paint. By not assuming anything about the child’s work of art, the door to self-evaluation and communication opens.

How Can Teachers Encourage Creativity?

Encouraging creativity in young children is a process where teachers must open their own channels of allowing, accepting, and turning over some control to the children themselves. James D. Moran III, Dean of the College of Human Ecology at the University of Tennessee, suggests that teachers:

• Emphasize process rather than product.
• Provide a classroom environment that allows children to explore and play without undue restraints.
• Adapt to children’s ideas rather than trying to structure the children’s ideas to fit the adult’s.
• Accept unusual ideas from children by suspending judgement of children’s divergent problem solving.
• Use creative problem solving in all parts of the curriculum. Use the problems that naturally occur in everyday life.
• Allow time for children to explore all possibilities, moving from popular to more original ideas.

Sparking creativity is enjoyable and easy through common classroom activities. For example, go for a slow walk with your children outdoors and notice the world at hand. Talk about the many colors and precious details of nature. Come back to the classroom and give the children crayons, chalk, or paints to express what they remember seeing. On another day, take drawing materials along with you to a park or out into the schoolyard. Encourage the children to notice something that they might have overlooked before. Drawing is an excellent way for children to see in detail. The creative benefits are immense, and you will have fun, too.

FASHION SKETCHING FOR BEGINNERS

 FASHION SKETCHING FOR BEGINNERS

In the past two years I have designed four dress collections (Time flies!). Each time I’ve shared a collection here we have received tons of requests for a how-to post about fashion sketching. I am self-taught (and still learning!), but I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about my process. I hope that some of you feel inspired to pull out your pens and pencils and notebooks today. Fashion sketching isn’t nearly as intimidating as I once thought it would be.

1. Create a good croquis. A croquis is the basic drawing of a model pose that you can trace over and over again while sketching your fashion ideas. You can find croquis to use online or in books, or you can create your own. I created my first croquis years ago by tracing a pose on a vintage pattern. Typically, croquis are exaggerated tall model forms. But what if you want to design for someone else, say a child or a plus sized woman? Make your own! Here’s how I do it…

1. Print a photo that has a good pose and body form that you want to design for. I chose a couple photo with my husband because sometimes I enjoy designing “his and her” looks. 2. Using window light, trace the basic body shape on a new piece of paper. 3. Use your new croquis, by tracing over it with a fresh sheet of paper, to sketch your own new designs over and over again. Fun, right?!

2. Don’t stress, just practice. Instead of stressing over getting the perfect sketches, just start where you are and practice. Before I shared any of my sketches (even with my friends) I was sketching for a whole year in secret notebooks. Each time a notebook was full I would rip out my favorite designs and start a new one, throwing the rest out. Nothing can replace quality practice time. It’s the only way to grow and develop. You’ll gain confidence as you go!

How to create fashion sketches

In the fashion world, new designs are presented in the form of hand-drawn sketches before they’re actually cut and sewn. First you draw a croquis, the model-shaped figure that serves as the base of the sketch. The point is not to draw a realistic-looking figure, but a blank canvas of sorts on which to display illustrations of dresses, skirts, blouses, accessories and the rest of your creations. Adding color and details like ruffles, seams and buttons helps to bring your ideas to life.

 line. This is a the first line of your sketch, and it represents your model’s center of gravity. Draw it from the top of the head to the tip of the toes, along the backbone of your croquis. Now draw an oval to represent the head. This is the base of your croquis, and from this, a proportional drawing can be made. You can think of the croquis as the skeleton of the model.The balance line should be a straight vertical line, even if you want the model to pose in a leaning position. For example, if you want the the model to be posed with her hips tilted slightly to her left, draw a straight balance line in the middle of the page. You want this line to extend from the top of the model's head to the ground that she is standing on.Note that when you’re designing clothes, a proportional model isn't required, because the clothing is what is being showcased, not your figure drawing skills. Don’t worry too much about creating an accurate looking model or adding features to the face.



2

Start drawing the pelvic area first.Draw a square with equal side lengths on the balance line just below the middle, where the pelvis is naturally positioned on the body. Size the square according to how wide you want your model to be. A thinner model would have a smaller square width than a plus-sized model.Keeping your desired pose in mind, tilt this pelvic square either left or right. For example, if you want your model’s hips slanted to the left, tilt the square slightly to the left. If you want a normal standing model, just draw the square upright without any angles left or right.



3

Draw the torso and shoulders. Extend the torso lines upward from the two corners of the pelvic square. The torso should extend upwards, bending in midway at the waist and extending out again at the shoulder. As with a real human body, the shoulders should be the same width as the hips, or the top of the pelvic box.When you’re finished, the torso should look like a normal torso you would see on a body. Refer to pictures of models in magazines or advertisements for reference. Notice how the waist is smaller than the lower portion of the body and hips. The torso should measure about two heads in length.It’s common to sketch the shoulders and hips tilted in opposite directions, in a position called contrapposto, or counterpose. This gives the impression of movement. Draw the waist as a horizontal line that’s shorter than the shoulder and hips lines.Pay attention to bend lines (the curve of the rib cage, etc.) as those angles and lines are crucial to creating a figure that doesn't look like it has dislocated body parts.



4

Sketch the neck and head. The model's neck should be a third the width of the shoulder and half the length of a head. After drawing this, sketch in the head, which should be in proportion to the body. The bigger the head, the more juvenile or younger the model looks.You can erase the initial oval you drew to represent the head.Draw the head so that it looks natural with the pose you have selected. You can tilt it slightly up or down, or to the right or left.



5

Fill in the legs. The legs should be the longest part of the body, the length of about four heads. The legs are also portioned into two pieces, the thighs (from the bottom of the pelvic box to the top of knees) and calves (from the bottom of knees to beginning of ankles). Keep in mind that fashion illustrators usually exaggerate the model's height by making her legs longer than her torsoThe top of each thigh should be approximately the same width as the head. Taper the width of each leg from the
head. Taper the width of each leg from the thigh to the knee. By the time you reach the
knee, the leg should be one third the width of the bigger portion of the thigh.To draw the calves, taper down to the ankles. Each ankle should be about one fourth the width of the head.



6

Finish with the feet and arms. The feet are relatively narrow. Draw them like elongated triangles that are about the same length as the head. Construct the arms like the legs, tapered toward the wrists. Make them longer in proportion to the torso than a real person’s arms would be, since this gives a more stylized impression. Add the hands and fingers last.

Part Three of Three:
Drawing Clothes and Accessories



1

Illustrate your original design. Think about what look you’re trying to create, and represent it down to the last detail. If you’re designing a dress, for example, add patterns, ruffles, text, bows, and so on to create a beautiful piece. Focus on the elements of your design that are unique, and include appropriate accessories so that the style you’re going for is clear.[1] If you need some fresh ideas or don't know where to start, look up fashion trends on the internet or in magazines for inspiration.



2

Sketch the clothes boldly. Since the purpose of a fashion drawing is to showcase your design ideas, use a bolder hand when you’re drawing the clothing. Sketch the clothes so that they appear to hang on the croquis in a realistic way. There should be creases around the elbows and at the waist, as well as near the shoulders, ankles and wrists. Think about how clothing hangs on a person and replicate that on your model.Remember that different fabrics and structures lie on the body in different ways. If the fabric is thin and silky, it will rest on the body and drift away, almost billowing. If the fabric is thick like denim or wool, it will be boxier and will show less shape of the body (think denim jackets).Try to illustrate the texture of the fabric you’re drawing, whether it’s smooth, coarse, stiff or soft. Add details like sequins and buttons to make the drawing look more realistic.[2]



3

Learn how to draw folds, wrinkles and pleats. Use different types of lines to create different creases in the fabric you're drawing. Knowing how to draw folds, wrinkles and pleats will help you illustrate the structure of the garment.[3]Folds can be drawn using loose, wavy lines.Use circular patterns to show wrinkles.Take out a straight edge to draw exact pleats.



4

Illustrate patterns and prints. If your design includes a patterned or printed fabric, it's important to accurately illustrate how it will look on a model. Start by drawing the outline of the patterned garment, such as a skirt or blouse. Divide it into a grid with different sections. Fill in the sections one at a time with the pattern on the fabric.Pay attention to how folds, pleats and wrinkles change the appearance of a pattern. It may need to bend or be cut off at certain points to look accurate.Take the time to draw the pattern in detail and make sure it looks the same across the entire grid.



5

Finalize the drawing with shading, ink and color. Use thick black ink or paint on the lines that you want to keep. You can erase the body shaping lines and any stray pencil marks at this point. Finally, carefully color in the clothing using hues you want your designs to have.You can color in the clothing with markers, ink or paint. Mix colors and use a variety of shades to illustrate your designs.Really imagine the design moving towards you under spotlights on a runway when you’re working on shading and texture. Deeper folds in fabric will result in darker shades of the color you're using. Where fabric is hit by the light, the colors should appear lighter.Adding features like hair, sunglasses and makeup is a nice final touch that will make your fashion sketch come to life.



6

Consider making flats. In addition to making a fashion illustration, you may want to create a flat schematic. This is an illustration of your clothing design that shows the flat outline of the garment, as though it were laid out on a flat surface. It's helpful for people viewing the design to see the flat version as well as the way it would look modeled on a body.[4]Flats should be drawn to scale. Make an effort to create illustrations that look as exact as possible.[5]You should include a back view of your flats as well, especially of the back of the design includes unique details.[6]

How to Draw a Female Fashion Figure

How to Draw a Female Fashion Figure
Step #1

Draw a line. This is the balance line, a.k.a. the line which determines the body’s center of gravity. The balance line always extends from the base of the neck (where it meets the shoulders) straight to the ground.

Step #2

Draw a head with the middle of it on the line. To draw a head, sketch a large circle on top with a smaller circle below it. Connect these two on the sides with slightly rounded diagonal lines, as shown in the sketch below.



Step #3

Measure the head, either with your pencil or the ruler. Using this measurement, draw nine small dashes equal distance apart, then number them from the bottom of the chin (#1) down to the bottom of the feet (#10).

Step #4

For the top half of the body, draw lines extending from 1 1/2 heads, 2 1/4, 3, 3 1/2, and 4 1/4 heads, as outlined below. These marks are where the shoulders, bust, waist, high hip, and crotch are located, respectively. The elbows are also located with the waist at the 3 heads mark.



Step #5

Draw the features in, using straight lines: The shoulders on the woman fashion figure are 1 1/2 heads wide, the waist is a head’s width, while the hips should be about 1 1/4 heads wide. Therefore, the woman fashion figure should have an hourglass silhouette.

Step #6

For the lower half of the body, mark 6 1/2 heads as well as 9 for the knees and ankles, respectively.



Step #7

Draw the legs by making lines which curve and narrow as they go from the high hip to the knee for the thighs. For the calves, make a smaller cylindrical shape by curving the lines from the knees and then tapering them at the ankles, which jut out slightly on the inner half of each leg.

The thighs (from high hip to knee) and the calves (from knee to ankle) should be the same length.

Step #8

The last head is for the feet, which begin at the ankle to flare out in diagonal lines for 3/4 of the length of the head before they meet at a point.

Step #9

Draw the hands similarly. These begin with the wrist at the crotch. The fingers should end a little above the 5 heads mark.

Fashion Sketching 102: How to Draw Figure Movement

Once you get the proportions down, now it’s time to give the figure movement! There are three crucial components which all fashion figures require: abalance line, a high shoulder, and anopposing high hip.

Start by sketching a new figure. However, this time (after drawing the balance line and putting down the 10 head marks) tilt the shoulder line so that one side is higher. Tilt the high hip, too, but with the opposite side higher.



For example below, I made the right shoulder higher so the left hip would be higher in order to keep the figure balanced. Try it yourself: If you tilt your shoulders, what happens to your hips?

Additionally, by tilting parts of the body, the rest of the body will follow suit. Anything above the high hip will follow the tilt of the shoulders, while everything below will follow the tilt of the hips, however all of these tilts will not be as severe as the shoulders and hips.

There’s one more rule that fashion figures must follow: the leg which comes from the high hip cannot be bent and that foot must touch the balance line. This keeps the figure balanced. Again, you can try this by shifting your weight to one foot . When this happens, the leg supporting all the weight cannot be bent.

Example of a walking pose:

Notice the tilts including the subtle differences between the two knees.



Now you can have fun and try drawing your own fashion figures! To start, find poses to mimic by looking through magazines. To copy the pose, just remember to identify the balance line, the high shoulder, high hip, and the supporting leg (the one which touches the balance line).

What do you think?

Did you know about fashion proportions? Have you heard about measuring the body using heads? Did you find this tutorial helpful? Would you like to learn how to draw some basic poses? Tell me w