How to Draw Women in Cocktail Dresses

A cocktail dress is a close-fitting dress generally worn anywhere from the late afternoon to the evening. Cocktail dresses come in different lengths, but are usually shorter (hitting around the knee) and made of richer fabrics, such as silk, chiffon, satin and charmeuse. They are often called the "little black dress," which is considered a staple in many women's closets. Cocktail dresses can be worn to a number of occasions, from drinks to dinner, parties and other functions. Artwork and fashion designs often illustrate women wearing these elegant creations.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Pen
• Paint

Drawing the Woman

1. 

   Draw an egg shape for her head. Make two triangles overlapping at the narrow pointed ends underneath the head for the torso and lower body. There should be a small oval or line for the neck and an oval in the middle of the triangles for the waist.

2. 

   Create circles for the joints (knees and tops of thighs) and ovals for the legs (the thighs and calves). Make the legs at least as long as the torso is high.
   
   You do not need to be terribly fussy about the legs because most of them will be covered up by the dress.

3. 

   Do the same for the arms, making the elbow and shoulder joints out of circles and ovals for the arms. Add the ankles with two more small circles and the feet will be ovals.

4. 

   Smooth the outlines of the body and erase the inner lines. This is now a basic female figure with her weight on one foot.

Drawing the Dress

5. 

   Following the outline of the chest, draw a V-neck top and a basic dress shape flaring away from the hips. The hem of the dress should hit just below the knee.

6. 

   Once you are satisfied with the outline, erase the inner lines of the dress (the hips and thighs) and make the top a wrap top by extending one side of the V-neck to just below the bust. Add a band just below the bust to make an empire waist.

7. 

   Add wrinkles and tucks where the fabric should normally gather (the waist, the hem and at the top and bottom of the band).

8. 

   Draw a pair of high-heeled shoes on the woman.

Final Additions

9. 

   Draw the woman's hands (one is resting on her hip and the other is hanging down by her side).

10. 

    Add hair in your style of choice.

11. Draw facial features, if desired.

12. 

    Trace the drawing with a pen. Once the ink is completely dry, erase the pencil lines.

13. 

    Finish by adding your desired color in whatever medium you wish.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have the woman drawn, you can draw any dress on her you wish. Dresses are basic shapes and there are many varieties to choose. The V-neck empire waist cocktail dress is just an example. Different looks can be achieved by using different colors and drawing different shapes and types of dresses. If you are using water-soluble paints make sure to use a waterproof pen that won't run when the paint is applied.

References

• Cocktail dresses

Resources

• How to draw the human form
• How to draw the face
• How to draw hands
• How to draw hair
• Drawing wrinkles