If you don’t have the right type of pencil, you can do a sketch with a number 2. Remember to make very light marks, rather than pressing hard on the page. Drawing in pen is not advisable since you won’t be able to erase it. You will also need colored markers, inks, or paints to illustrate your clothing designs.
Download one online, where you’ll find them in a range of shapes and sizes. For instance, you can download a croquis in the shape of a child, a man, a petite woman, and so on. Make a croquis by tracing the outline of a model from a magazine ad or another picture. Just place a piece of tracing paper over the model you like and lightly created an outline.
Since you want to illustrate your designs in a way that makes them look professional and appealing, it’s important to model them on croquis that is well-proportioned and well-drawn. Many fashion illustrators practice drawing hundreds of croquis to perfect their ability to create a variety of poses.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
The top of each thigh should be approximately the same width as 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.
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.
Folds can be drawn using loose, wavy lines. Use circular patterns to show wrinkles. Take out a straight edge to draw exact pleats.
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.
You can color the clothing with markers, ink, or paint. Mix colors and use a variety of shades to illustrate your designs. imagine the design moving towards you under spotlights on a runway when you’re working on shading and texture. Deeper folds in a 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.
Flats should be drawn to scale. Make an effort to create illustrations that look as exact as possible. You should include a back view of your flats as well, especially if the back of the design includes unique details. [3] X Research source
