How to Draw Wrinkles in Clothes
Drawing wrinkles in cloth can be one of the most challenging things about learning how to draw. Knowing how to draw the wrinkles themselves is only a small part of the process. You will learn very quickly that knowing how shape and gravity creates wrinkles in cloth is of far greater importance than how the wrinkles look. Creating realistic wrinkles and folds in clothes will come naturally once you master the physics of how cloth moves and gathers on a model.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Ask a friend or family member to model clothing that you can draw from. Have them stand in a well-lit room and sit far enough away with your sketch pad so you can see their whole body. Flip to a fresh sheet of paper and begin by drawing the negative space around your model. This will give you a shape that will act as a guideline.
-
2
Observe where the creases in cloth occur on your model. Have your model turn, bend over, flex their arms and sit in a chair. Mark with a small "X" on your sketch where wrinkles and bunches occur the most. Take notes on when these wrinkles appear. You will notice that wrinkles most often show where joints are located: elbows, knees, the waist, below the butt and the curve of the back.
-
-
3
Mark with a small "O" on your sketch where bulges occur the most. Ask your model to repeat their movements and observe where bulges or smooth curves in the clothes appear. Bulges most often show where clothes are tucked in or folded back, in the groin and beneath the bustline.
-
4
Draw arrows on your sketch in the direction that the folds move. Make notes if a fold is sharp, curved, sweeping, jagged or crumpled. Sketch as many arrows as there are wrinkles. If a wrinkle is quite deep, shade the area a little to indicate a significant wrinkle. When you feel you understand how wrinkles form in clothes, flip to a fresh sheet of paper.
-
5
Move a little closer to your model and begin to lightly sketch the outline of an area with a significant wrinkle. Using the information from your last image, sketch out the look of the wrinkles themselves. If you get stuck, lightly draw an arrow in the direction of a fold before drawing the crease itself. Use very light, broad strokes when sketching the wrinkles. Finish off your sketches by adding shading and highlights.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Practice drawing cloth a little every day. Use a bed sheet draped across a chair or other objects to create interesting folds. Tie the sheet in a knot for further practice.
Experiment with models wearing different types of clothing made of different materials.
Don't put wrinkles in random areas or places that don't make sense.
Don't make your wrinkles rigid; they should be loose and flowing.
References
- Photo Credit PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
