How to Draw a Purse
Fashion designers and aspiring designers alike absolutely must know how to draw any type of fashion they want to design, including accessories. If you are drawing a woman's design, a great accessory to include is a matching purse. If the pieces go into production, not only will a matching purse sell along with the outfit, but lots of women will want to buy the purse on its own. Even if you're not a stellar artist, you can draw a convincing and appealing purse design in a few simple steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Drawing pencil
- Sketchpad
- Translucent tracing paper
- Large eraser
- Light box
Instructions
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Pick a purse shape you would like to draw. Although you are most likely drawing an original design, it is helpful to find a purse shape similar to the one you'd like to draw, either a photo or in person, to use as an example.
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Recognize the shapes in the purse you would like to draw. In the purse pictured here, the bottom consists of a flat line, the middle is a circle, and the handle is a crescent moon shape. Draw these shapes very loosely and lightly onto your sketchpad. If you are choosing to draw a different purse shape, recognize the shapes in that purse and sketch them lightly.
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Make any changes between your ideal purse shape and the purse shape pictured. If you'd like a larger purse handle, a more oval body or a more rounded bottom, fill in the changes very lightly. If you continue to draw very lightly, you can always erase and change your mind as you sketch.
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Decide which details to include and which details to forget. When you are designing your own purse, there are some things that cannot be conveyed in the drawing (for example, what type of zipper you would like to use). Instead of focusing on each detail, try to give the viewer a general feeling of what your purse will look like. If you'd like your purse to be shiny and black, for instance, you do not have to fill in the entire purse with black pencil. You can leave some spaces unfilled to give the idea of a sheen on the purse. Most importantly, you are trying to capture the overall look of the purse concept you've created.
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Use tracing paper if all else fails. If you are having trouble accomplishing what you want, collect several images of purses that contain elements you like. Borrow the strap from one purse, the body of another purse, and the texture of one more purse. Trace these elements by placing tracing paper on top of the photos, and mix and match elements to create the style of purse you were envisioning. Use a light box to transfer your tracing paper image onto your sketchpad when you're finished.
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Add shadows. If you want a realistic look for your purse, shade just under the purse where it sits on the floor or table. If someone is holding the purse in your sketch, you do not need to shade as pictured above. You may want to add a small amount of shadow against the side of the person holding the purse, depending on where you imagine the sun hitting the subject. Remember to sketch very lightly when shadowing so that you can always go back and erase if you make a mistake.
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Tips & Warnings
Sketching can be difficult, so take your time if you are inexperienced.
If you're getting frustrated, come back to the drawing at the end of the day and try again with a clear head.
If you are submitting a purse sketch as an original design, do not borrow too much from existing purses.
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.sxc.hu/profile/weirdvis
