The best way to do this is by breaking down the intricacies of a piece of clothing into manageable lines and shapes.
The Basics of Drawing Drapery
There are five basic shapes and lines that make up most clothing, which are the J shape, the S shape, the curved line, the V shapes and the U shape. These shapes are demonstrated in the first image, below. (Note: Click on images to make them larger.)
Tip: To help remember these shapes the artist can recall the mnemonic, “Jane Swung Upon the Curved Vine”.
Now, take a look at the shapes demo, below. The artists used all of the five basic shapes to draw the robe.
Here is how it was done:
- Sharp folds or creases are drawn with the V shape. You will find this shape in areas where there is a lot of tension in the fabric, such as jeans pulling across the hip joint or where the fabric is crunched.
- Soft, shallow folds are drawn with the U shape.
- S shapes and curved lines are used to denote draping or deep folds, usually indicating curves of the figure underneath.
- J shapes are used to convey the look of cloth when it gently folds onto itself or folds around the body wearing it.
Drawing Clothing on a Body
When fitting a garment onto a body, the number one rule an artist should remember is that the garment should fold around the body. Novice artists often draw clothing that looks like paper doll clothing. It has no depth.
Each of the five shapes can be used to make clothing look like it is hanging from a 3-dimensional body.
Go back and look at the drawing of the robe. Notice how the robe curves around the body. Because the lines are properly placed, even though you can’t see a body, you know where the body parts are. This is because the curved and S shaped lines curve outward over protruding body parts.
Clothing should always curve outward from the body part it encompasses. Take a look at third picture, below. Notice how the sleeve wraps around the arm with a J and V shape. This makes the sleeve look like a separate object instead of part of the arm.
The forth drawing, below, shows how the shirt’s collar should drape around the neck. Once again, J shapes are used to show how the collar is wrapping around the body.
These concepts can be used on any garment that is made of cloth to create realistic figure drawings or fashon designs.
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