How to Draw a Costume Design
The design of a costume begins long before clothes are made or purchased. A costume designer must first research styles, select fabrics and produce a drawing of the finished costume. These drawings are often done on a fashion template, which is a drawn outline of the human form. These templates allow the designer to focus on the clothes and experiment with how they may hang on a body.
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Things You'll Need
- Research materials
- Fabric swatches
- Printed fashion templates
- Mechanical pencil
- Colored pencils
Instructions
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1
Research clothing that is similar in style and time period to the costume that you are designing. This research can be done online, or in costume and photography books.
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2
Visit a fabric store to view fabrics. Most stores will give you small swatches of fabrics that you are interested in. Collect several possibilities for each article of clothing.
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3
Download a body template from the internet and print several copies. These templates are simple line drawings, intended to be used as a basis for your design. There are links to a few templates in the Resources section.
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Sketch the outline of your costume using a mechanical pencil. Experiment with several variations on different sheets of paper. Erase as needed if you are unhappy with your design.
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Fill in the drawn clothing with color and texture using colored pencils. Use the fabric swatches that you have collected as a guide. Try different fabric designs to find appealing combinations.
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Add additional realism to your drawing by drawing natural highlights and shadows into the design. Decide where the light is coming from and shadow accordingly.
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Tips & Warnings
You will likely make many drawings that end up in the recycling bin before settling on a finished design. This is all part of the process.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
