How to Draw Bodies in Fashion Illustrations

Fashion illustration typically employs a highly stylistic and elegant way of drawing the human figure. The human body is elongated and presented in such a way as to provide a sense of fantasy and surrealism. Learning how to draw the human body anatomically is hard enough, but drawing the perfect version of the fashion figure can be even more tough. Follow these some steps to draw bodies in fashion illustration.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Flip through the pages of your favorite fashion magazine to get a general feel for how the human body works in a fashion template. Trace some of the general forms to help you get a feel for how the body stands in fashion photography.

2. Buy a book on human anatomy to see how the body is structured. Look at how the bones and muscles play into the general construction of the form. Learn the basics of this construction and draw a proper anatomical form before attempting to draw a stylized one.

3. Use a soft lead pencil to help you make light sketch marks on a sketch pad. Draw a line down the center, which will be the center of gravity for your form. Draw an oval for the head and make hash marks in relative distance to where the collar bone, pelvic bone and knees would be to help you with proportion.

4. Sketch your fashion form using the general rules of anatomy but considerably lengthening the body to create a more elegant and thinner silhouette. Feel free to elongate the limbs, especially the legs, to create a longer line.

5. Draw impressions of body parts but don't spend too much time on detail. Give the general impression of the human form. Make the clothing the focus of the illustration. Utilize a more expressive style, using your lines and anatomical hash marks as a guide.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay special attention to the pose that you give your form, since fashion templates usually use certain poses. Shifted weight and hands on the hips are typical in fashion illustrations.
• Visit an art class that focuses on human form to get a feel for how the body presents in real life.

Resources

• Find some great fashion illustration examples.