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Tips to Draw Clothes
One question that we get frequently here at learning2draw.com is how to draw clothes on the figure. Many artists struggle with drawing clothes on the human form.
Drawing clothes on people can be a very difficult task. In fact, if you are interested in doing it correctly, it can be very difficult. There are some strategies and techniques that will help you to draw clothes more accurately. Let’s take a look at some of them.
First, drawing clothes on a person will never be accurate or good if the drawing underneath is inaccurate or sloppy. So, the most important thing you can learn when drawing clothes on people is to know how to draw the human figure anatomically correct. Make sure that you have your proportions drawn correctly to start. If you don’t, your drawing will begin and end the same, incorrect. Let me restate, drawing clothes on a person will never look good if what’s underneath is drawn poorly.
Clothes naturally flow over the body. There are a few factors that make this happen, namely gravity and kinetic force. These are two forces that you will want to consider when you clothe your drawings. Depending on the pose and these factors, how the clothes fall on your subject will vary between person to person.
For instance, if you have a right leg that is positioned forward, that will pull the fabric tight over the upper leg and create a flow of the fabric in the direction of the motion.
What makes clothing look right when drawing them on the figure is how natural and lively it flows and folds with the body in any position, whether sitting, standing or moving. How the fabric or clothing flows with the body and naturally folds in any kind of position is the artists objective.
Now let’s talk a little more about movement of the form and what affects the clothing and wrinkles and folds of the clothing. An important thing to remember when drawing clothes on the figure is careful observation. I know I say this a lot, but careful observation is the key to a lot of the challenges artists face and drawing clothes is no exception. For instance, notice if the clothing is smooth and taught over areas that are pushing against the fabric. Are your fold lines radiating out and away from the bends? Are you considering gravity? Lots of things to think about, careful observation is not to be overlooked.
In Burne Hogarth’s book called Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery, he talks about different types of wrinkles. Direct thrust wrinkles are created when the body extends and pulls on the clothing. Bend wrinkles are seen when the body bends and twists, especially on the arms and legs. Crossing wrinkles are those in a zig zag pattern and come from two different directions, these are often seen in loose clothing. Compression wrinkles are outward pulling wrinkles that are created by crushing or squeezing of fabric. Fragmentation wrinkles are seen on older, more worn fabrics as lasting impressions in the fabric. Swag or hanging wrinkles are seen in flowy heavy dresses, roman clothing, capes, drapery, etc. Trap and closure wrinkles happen when a crossing wrinkle traps or blocks off another wrinkle flowing in a different direction. Flying wrinkles are termed so by wrinkles affected by air or wind movement and passive wrinkles are flowing wrinkles on non-moving fabric.
These terms may help you clarify certain wrinkle to observe when drawing clothes on people.
Back to the movement, there are certain factors to consider when drawing clothes. Four basic movements should be carefully observed as to how they affect clothing’s wrinkles and folds. Stretching is the movement that is explained as extended or outstretched such as an arm extended or a figure standing straight and tall with next extended. Bending is explained as an arm bending or a figure bending at the waist. Twisting iof the body is seen when the head turns from one side to another or the same motion at the waist. Why are these important?
All of these motions and movements create different dynamics of folds and wrinkles in clothing over the figure. These are drawn correctly when the artist learns to observe them correctly. This is the key to drawing the figure well and how to clothe the figure well. Observing correctly will help you understand how fabric flows with the body and help you draw natural folds and wrinkles in any pose.
The www.learning2draw.com website is all about helping people enhance their artistic capabilities. We want to help you improve upon your ability to draw clothes on people realistically as well as learn to draw the figure better. Our articles, downloadable e-books and other information can help you refine your current techniques and really become the best artist you can be.
With just a few short lessons, you will find that Learning 2 Draw is the best thing that ever happened to your drawing skills! If you would like more information about how we can help you draw better, don’t hesitate to contact us at www.learning2draw.com at your earliest convenience.
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