How to Sketch Prom Dresses

Prom dresses are an important part of many young women's early school experience. Having the perfect prom dress can seem almost as important as who you attend the prom with, and, in many cases, finding the right prom dress can be difficult. There is a solution. If you have a knack for sewing or know someone who does, you can have a prom dress custom-made to your specifications. Before you do this, you need a sketch that will lay out the details of the prom dress you want to make.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Draw a female figure. Make the sketch as detailed as possible. You don't have to be an artist, but the more realistic the human figure, the better idea you will have about the look of the prom dress.

2. Use a lead pencil and sketch the general shape of the prom dress over the female figure. Don't worry about the details of the prom dress just yet. You want to get the form of the dress arranged around the female sketch to see how it will fit the body.

3. Add details to the prom dress. Use light strokes to form and enhance the folds of the dress and to create as closely as you can the texture of the material you'll be using. Add any buttons or lace trim.

4. Color the design with color pencils, getting as close to the actual color you want the dress to be. Add more lines and shadows to enhance the texture of the dress and to render it as close to the finished look you're after as possible.

5. Take measurements of whomever you're making the dress for, then make a note of those measurements on your finished sketch. You'll use your sketch to make a pattern for the dress.

References

• Fashion Sketching for Untrained Artists
• Fashion Drawing Tutorials