How to Sketch Fashion Clothes

Use reference objects when sketching clothes.

Drawing clothes can be a challenging experience for novice and experienced artists alike, but there are some helpful hints that can make the process easier. In order to draw realistic garments, you should familiarize yourself with the weight and feel of as many fabrics as possible before trying to sketch them. Studying fashion photos to see how fabric hangs and folds is another essential practice that will enable you to draw different garments accurately. Drawing clothes is challenging, but with persistence and great reference materials it will gradually become easier.

Things You'll Need

• Medium-weight art paper
• Tracing paper
• Reference materials- fashion magazines or catalogs
• 2B Artist pencil
• 2H Artist pencil
• Eraser
• Template croquis drawing (optional)
• Optional art supplies- charcoal pencil, watercolor paints, felt pens, pencil crayons, pastels

Instructions

1. 

   Use artist's pencils for best results.

   Set up your drawing area on a hard surface, preferably on a desk or drafting table. Have your pencils, eraser and reference materials within easy reach. Art pencils will yield the best results, but regular HB pencils can also be used.

2. Practice drawing any problem areas that you may encounter before you begin your sketch. Find several reference images that will help you practice your problem garments and place them under your tracing paper. Trace the garments in as much detail as you can, noting how they sit on the models. Keep tracing the images until you feel confident to move onto the next step.

3. Create a fashion croquis using your 2H pencil. This is the body that your clothes will be shown on. If you have difficulty drawing human bodies freehand, simply use your tracing paper and trace a template croquis instead. Templates are readily available for download on the Internet, or you can trace one from a fashion book.

4. Mark all of the important areas on your croquis with your 2H pencil. Lightly mark the center line of symmetry, waistline, chest line, hip line, knees and elbows.

5. Estimate where you want your hemlines to fall and lightly draw in a reference point with your 2H pencil. At this stage, a simple line showing the neckline, sleeve length and trouser or skirt length will suffice.

6. Draw the rest of your garments with your 2B pencil, keeping the lines light and rounded. Sketch the garments in the same order that you would put them on in real life. For example, to draw a men's suit you would first sketch the shirt, followed by the tie, waistcoat and finally the jacket. It is not necessary to draw undergarments if they will not be visible in the final design. You will likely have many overlapping lines at this stage.

7. Erase the unnecessary overlapping lines from your drawing once all of the garments have been completed.

8. 

   Study photos to see how fabric drapes.

   Insert folds and crease marks at your reference points with your 2B pencil. This is where your fabric knowledge will come in handy. Lighter fabrics like chiffon will have much more fold lines that a thick tweed fabric. Each garment will require different strokes to make it look realistic. When in doubt, use your reference materials to see how the fabric moves.

9. Finish your drawing by adding details such as pockets, zippers, ruffles, or any other embellishment that is part of your design.

10. 

    Pencil crayons are often used to color clothing sketches.

    Stylize your clothing sketch by using color to make it come alive. Fashion sketches are usually colored with felt pens, pastels, watercolor paints or pencil crayons depending on the artist's preference, or they can purely be done in pencil or charcoal.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with simple garments and work your way up to complicated designs to minimize frustration.

• Use different pencils to add in highlighting and shadows. B pencils are soft, which make darker lines. H pencils are hard, which make sharper, lighter lines.

• Use only a hint of color in your sketches so that the garment designs are not overshadowed.

• Drawing clothes is not easy, so pace yourself and don't expect perfection on the first try.

• While tracing is a great way to learn how to draw certain garments, it is illegal to trace an image and call it your own work. Avoid copyright infringement by creating your own original designs.

References

• Learn To Draw Expressively: Drawing Clothes... A Sense Of Touch

Resources

• Drawing Clothes And Folds by Crysa on deviantART