How to Draw Shoes in Fashion Illustration

An outfit is only as good as its shoes. The importance of shoes in fashion illustration cannot be denied. Fashionistas and their designers love shoes, and some illustrators focus solely on the shoes themselves. A Manolo Blahnik fashion illustration can cost millions of dollars, so it's safe to say that the shoes are essential. Learn how to draw shoes in fashion illustration and create a look from top to bottom.

Things You'll Need

• Soft lead pencils
• Sketch pad
• Fashion magazines

Instructions

1. Take some time to learn the construction of the human foot. Thumb through the pages of your favorite fashion magazine and pay special attention to the footwear. Notice the form of the foot, toes, how the shoe fits on the foot and the relative size of the foot in comparison to the rest of the body.

2. Get a piece of sketch pad paper and a soft lead pencil. Sketch some rough outlines of a foot without worrying about the shoe. Create an attractive looking foot that is anatomically correct, but don't focus too much on the detail since it is not the most important element in fashion illustration.

3. Spend some time drawing a foot with different types of shoes, like high heels, flats, tennis shoes, boots or sandals. Pay special attention to dimensions and a realistic rendering of what part of the shoe you would actually be seeing. For example, on a forward facing template, the heel would not be visible.

4. Draw a full male or female form, using a soft lead pencil. Create a fashion template in a style that you prefer. Make the legs elongated and the frame thin to create a stylistic sensibility. Leave enough room at the bottom of the page to draw a foot.

5. Sketch a pair of shoes, using the laws of perspective you learned from looking at a picture of an actual human foot. For beginners, trace or mimic the positioning of the photograph. Be creative but start out simple until you get a feel for how to properly compose the template.

6. Draw different types of heels and experiment with color and texture. Remember that fashion illustrations are dramatically thin and this rule applies to both the general form and the foot. Lengthen the foot to create an almost spade like shape to give your illustration real fashion authenticity.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice makes perfect. The more shoes you draw, the more adept you will become at drawing fabulous fashion illustration shoes.

• Ask a friend to model a pair of shoes for you. Experiment with different positions and poses. Capture the perspective as best you can in as few strokes as possible.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Visit this website of fashion illustrations for more inspiration.