Drawing can be described as a process that is evolutionary and one that is very fundamental to the communication of ideas. This is just as true when it comes to fashion designing as the diversity of the constitution of fashion drawing today leads to the creative visions of designers and illustrators alike.
Drawing in fashion provides a visual introduction to different styles. Most of the time, fashion drawings are characterized by movement and gesture and both of these are suited for exploring the fashion figure from life. Part of the drawings allure is the effortless style and at times, it is usually the result of a very careful selection of lines as well as what’s left for the viewers’ imagination. In regards to this, it is of utmost importance to note the value of drawing in the fashion industry as well as that of drawing quality lines.
Coloring and rendering
Textured fabrics- Woolen as well as textured fabrics make a good starting point. Here, a fashion designer uses marker pens of gouache in order to lay the base color down then color pencils can be used to show texture or to show a brushed appearance. Tweeds are drawn with added cross hatchings or flecks while wool plaids are building up in layers. Darker colors are then added later on in the end with finer lines using pencils.
Shiny fabrics– Rendering shiny fabrics can be very hard for the first timer because they reflect light. Shiny fabrics like satins ought to be drawn using a combination of light, medium and dark tone values and one has to leave some white space to show the pronunciation of the light. Watercolor paints, marker pens as well as Indian inks are also very important when it comes to drawing shiny fabrics. They can also be combined with accents and color pencils.
Sheer fabrics– Sheer fabrics like fine voiles and chiffons are characterized through transparency and the body could be visible beneath the fabric. These fabrics come with their own unique challenges when it comes to drawing. This presents the use of many different colors depending on whether the fabric is layered or is worn over the skin. Generally, the appearance needs to be light without hard edges and fashion designers draw these with media like marker pens, watercolors or blendable pastel chalks. Color pencils are mixed with other media in order to come up with a transparency effect look.
Knitted fabrics- Knitted fabrics are usually drawn to convey the surface structure as well as texture. Fashion designers use base color wash in gouache or even marker pens and they are effective and work very well together with pencil lines to make knitted fabric drawings. Using dry brush effects, they are able to create courser yarns including jerseys knits which normally take more of a fluid appearance.
Collage- Collage is used to describe the technique as well as the process of assembling different things to come up with something new. In fashion designing, collage is known as a mixed media and could be creations that include fabrics, buttons, photographs, threads, ribbons, variety of papers as well as other objects that could supplement the drawing.
Conclusion
These are some of the things involved in fashion drawing and a fashion designer has to know them in order to succeed. How is your pursuit of greatness in the fashion industry and how you`ve tackled drawing and sketching so far? We would love to hear from you !
