How to Draw Girls in Medieval Dresses

Medieval dresses are beautiful and fascinating clothes to draw. But though the middle ages were full of varying fashions, the basics of medieval dresses are similar. Chemises, bodices and hoop skirts everywhere.

Things You'll Need

• Drawing pencil
• Drawing paper
• or
• Graphics tablet
• Graphics program

Instructions

Undergarments

1. Draw a chemise. Draw lines that travel vertically and wave. Few lines have to follow the form of the body, since the chemise is very loose fitting. Add many folds.

2. Draw a hoop skirt. When drawing a hoop skirt, think of a wrinkled cone. Three horizontal lines separate the hoop skirt into different sections.

3. 

   Add a cincher. Cinchers are used to tighten the waist of women. Draw a cincher by drawing for curving lines curving towards each other that are connected by vertical lines. The vertical lines in the middle are connected by small X's.

Corsets and Bodices

1. Determine if your character will be wearing a corset or bodice. Bodices are usually tied in the front and are looser than corsets. Corsets really squeeze the waist.

2. If the woman is wearing a corset or tight bodice, the sleeves of the chemise will often bunch up, making them appear very puffy.

3. Draw the lower part of the dress with plenty of folds. As the cloth of the dress touches the floor, draw curving horizontal lines near the bottom of the dress to indicate that the fabric is folding as it meets the resistance of the floor. Add an apron.

Robes

1. Decide if you want your character's robe to have long or short sleeves. Short medieval sleeves are usually puffy when they are short. Long sleeves open up wider than the rest of each sleeve and often have extra fabric that hang from the sleeves. Some dresses also lack sleeves, exposing the chemise undergarment.

2. Draw designs on the clothing. Embroidery is very common with medieval clothing.

3. Add trimming on the sleeves and collar. Do this by drawing parallel lines that run along the sleeves and collar.

Drawing a Female Figure with Tablets

1. Choose a tablet. A tablet is a flat surface upon which you can draw images using a tool called a stylus or pen. The stylus is shaped like a pen, allowing artists to more easily draw images on their computer. If you prefer drawing directly on your monitor, you can purchase a tablet PC. Otherwise, consider getting the less expensive Wacom or Bamboo tablets.

2. Press the tip of the stylus down on the surface of the tablet. If you increase or decrease the pressure that you place on the tablet using the stylus, your tablet will create thicker lines. Draw just as you would on a piece of paper. However, you will have to get used to seeing the motions that you make on the stylus with the pen appear on the screen.

3. Draw your female figure with a longer neck than the male figure. Depending on the weight of the female figure, draw a thicker or thinner hourglass-shaped body. Due to the corsets and bodices that women wore, waists were often much thinner than usual. Medieval dresses also tend to push the chest up. Different time periods and different geographic regions had different attitudes towards modesty. Some medieval dresses were very modest, while other medieval dresses showed off more of the female form.

Tips & Warnings

• Laces and buttons are very common on medieval dresses. However, buttons are expensive and often only sported by the wealthy.

• For peasant characters, avoid bright colors. Brighter dyes were only available for the absolute wealthiest.

Resources

• Medieval Clothes Store