Techniques to master Fashion Illustration Drawing

Fashion Illustration drawing is a way of portraying fashion designs in the form of drawings and art. The fashion illustrators draw the designs based on their imagination, creativity or the designs made by other fashion designers. This is a work of patience and detailing, you need to work with fine hands in every fold, drapes and poses. Here are a few tricks and techniques to perfectly draw an illustration, and master the art of it.

Techniques to draw clothing folds

There are 6 different types to illustrate clothing folds:

Pipe Fold

Pipe folds give an appearance like waves, specially like in the curtains and skirts. The ends of the dress are free-falling usually. To draw a pipe fold simply draw cylindrical shapes from the point of origin and while stroking down increase the width of the folds. To give a three-dimensional effect in the folds, reverse the cylinders upwards.

ZigZag Folds

These folds are usually illustrated in the bottom of the trousers like jeans, where there are folds and the material compresses. To start with a zigzag fold, draw uneven and natural zigzag lines, make it look free hand and natural. The more natural it is, the more real it looks, so keep it simple. Close the ends of the lines with each other to complete the illustration.

Spiral Fold

Spiral folds are drawn for the arms and legs. Often drawn on the rolled up sleeves, wrapped around the arm. Begin with curved lines around the arm, wrap in a round form. Widen the folds and leave some space in between the folds. Do not imitate the lines and shapes regularly, try to give each fold a different pattern. Creatively illustrate and arrange every line.

Half Lock Fold

This is an uneven abrupt fold commonly seen in the pants on the side, when the person has bent his knees. The sitting position of the person causes a change in the direction of the fold and pops out,  making it abrupt. Make a sharp and angular lock at the right angle, to make it look more prominent. Keep the turns simple and decent, make the edges more round and dissolve while turning. Make sure about the positioning of your model, if you are drawing a seated person, then increase the number of angles, so it flows with the direction of it.

Diaper Fold

Diaper folds are drawn to show sagging of the material between two points. The volume of sag is defined by the amount of material and the space between the originating points. Such folds are usually seen in scarves and handkerchiefs. Drawing a diaper fold is a tricky task, keep in mind the patterns and the ups and downs of the fold so that it just does not look like simple lines drawn. Start up with the cross contours. Keep the edges of the folds tighter and compressed in the centre and while they go towards the middle loosen them.

Drop Fold

These are the folds which usually appear in a free hanging or falling material, like a towel or scarf hanging on a hook. These folds are completely in the direction of the gravity. Draw the folds downward and to the outside, starting from the support point. Take the help of a hook to get the perfect pattern.

Techniques to make a Fashion Illustration Drawing for different poses 

Here is a 10 step guide on mastering poses in your Fashion Illustration Drawing - 

1. Draw a vertical midline in your paper, starting from the head and ending at the toe. This line acts as the centre of gravity for your drawing.
2. Make 9 equal sections in the paper. Each section will include the head, busts, waist, hips, thighs, calves, ankles and feet of the figure.
3. Draw a square in the midline, this will be the pelvis of your fashion figure. You can tilt or rotate it as you want, according to your pose.
4. To make the torso, draw 2 lines starting from the pelvis square, moving upwards. Curve lines inwards and out to draw the waist. Create shoulders of the same width as of the pelvis, and round it according to the pose you want.
5. While making the neck, make sure it is one third of the shoulder width, and the length is half that of the head. Head is the easiest of all, just a circle according to the body proportion.
6. Make the legs 4 times of what length the head is. There are 2 components of legs: thighs and calves. The proximal part of the thigh should be of the same length as that of the head, pull down the line till the knee and again extend till the ankle.
7. The arms are drawn by drawing lines first till the elbow and then wrist. You can position the hands as you wish, depending upon the pose of the model. Give a clean finish with hands and fingers.
8. Make the feet of similar length as that of the head.
9. Once you are done with the pose, you can now start creating your design on it. Draw folds, and designs you want to.
10. Give colors to your fashion illustration drawing, by applying shades and contours.

4 basic steps for beginners to keep in mind, when beginning their career in fashion illustration drawing-

1. Study body Anatomy- understand the proportions of the body of your figure. This helps in making the illustration look realistic.
2. Define the poses- work on the curves and shapes of the body. It gives life to the clothes.
3. Put on clothes- this is the most creative part of the drawing, sketching clothes. Pay attention to the fabric you are using and the folds of the material. Draw the patterns in detail. 
4. Trial and error is the key for a perfect fashion illustration drawing, keep trying on different designs.

These techniques will definitely help you with your drawing and make you the master of all poses, folds and everything you need in a fashion illustration drawing. Find out more about fashion illustration drawing, only on Fashinza.