ebook fashion illus. basic tech EISBN_final

Fashion
Illustrations Tips

46

Balance Line

Remember to drop the balance line from the middle of the neck.
That middle point, as you learned in earlier chapters, is called the
pit of the neck, which is in the centre of the base of the neck. As
you draw the balance line through the figure in this pose, notice
that it is parallel to the grid shown behind the model in this photo.
The balance line runs perpendicular to the floor creating an
inverted ' T ' shape that supports the figure on the page. That
support creates the balance for the line in your drawing in this and
any other pose.

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As Inspirations...

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The
most certain way to succeed is always to try

just one more time.”
– Thomas A. Edison

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll
never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is
always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re

always in the same place.”
– Nora Roberts

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3

9 Heads Technique

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INTRODUCTION: 9 HEADS TECHNIQUE

The height and width of the head are used as an index for the
dimensions of the rest of the body.
In this image, you can see how the body is broken up into 9 equal
sections from the top of the head to the ankle bone. The feet are
excluded because they can vary in height depending on the type of
shoes and heel height.
It’s helpful to use the head as a point of measure instead of an
actual measurement because your paper size can vary. From a tiny
piece of paper to a billboard, you can map out the size and
proportions of your figure by drawing 9 heads first.
If you are working with an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, you can have each
head be roughly 1” tall but this measurement will change depending
on your paper size.

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FIGURE ROAD MAP:
9 HEADS

Drawing a figure can be
difficult when you don't know
where to begin. Placement,
pose and proportions can be
overwhelming. Using a grid
to map out the different
elements takes away the
guesswork.

This grid serves its purpose by
teaching the static, standing
figure. With enough practice,
you will be able to draw a
figure that has movement
and which creates a shift of
balance in a pose.

After you have mastered the
basics proportions, you will
work independently of the
grid, learning to draw in your
own style. The grid is flexible.
Draw it in any length with
matching subdivisions and
you can create a figure to fit
any size of paper.

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STEP TO DRAW 9 HEADS TECHNIQUE

Step 1

Draw a line that is the desired
length of your figure. Next, draw
a short horizontal line at the top
and bottom of your long line.

Step 2

Divide the line evenly into five
sections and label each line
consecutively in even numbers
from 0 to 10. These are your
major sections.

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Step 3

Divide each section in half and
label consecutively in odd
numbers from 1 to 9. These are
your minor sections.

Step 4

The grid is now complete. The
sections that you have created
are called head lengths. You are
working on a figure that will be
approximately ten heads tall.

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Step 5

Draw the head in the first space.

Notice that you could actually

draw ten heads the same size on

the grid- hence 'heads tall'. Look

at the proportions. Place a dot

on the centre line of the grid

section for the figure

proportions.

Step 6

Now that figure proportions are
complete and you have a
headstall road map, you need to
determine heads wide. You
create the body systematically.
Each part correlates in size to
another. Again, use the space of
one grid, only this time draw the
head-length sideways.

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Step 7

In proportion, the three
major areas of concern are
the shoulder-line, waistline
and end of the torso hip-line
all of which build the torso.
The three lines that denote
these areas should be
drawn darker. The ratio most
often used is that the
shoulder-line is the widest
and the waist is the
narrowest. In between these
two widths is the end of the
torso. It is wider than the
waist but narrower than the
shoulder-line.

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Step 8

Fill in the torso outlines.

Step 9

After the body is finished in
contour, add the arms and legs.

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Step 10

Build the figure evenly from left
to right.

Step 11

Fill in some of the torso areas.
Add the bust and panty lines.

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After you become familiar with the grid proportions, you will be able
to use it to pose the figure as you build it. The skeleton and muscle
structure of the real human form are essential parts of figure drawing
because the idealized form is based on the real form. Beyond that,
the fashion figure stretches the truth and elongated the body. The
fashion life of that extra-long, extra-thin figure changes according to
accepted style. This style has little to do with the real human figure
outside of fashion.

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Fashion
Illustrations Tips

60

Stylize To Optimize

When you do stylize your figure, after having learned basic
anatomy, you’ll want to do so to bring more focus to a particular
element of design. For instance, fashion figures are often long-
legged and much taller than the average human. In average human
proportions, a figure is six to seven heads tall, whereas a fashion
figure is eight or even nine heads tall, with most of that additional
length being taken up in the legs. This is often used to bring the
viewer’s attention to the length of a dress or give the artist more
space in which to create folds, movement, or texture within the
fabric itself.
Exaggerate features of the figure or face of the figure to
accentuate the designs being displayed. A tiny waist or large hips
can show off the curves within a dress. Few facial features will
keep the focus on the clothes or body itself. If the focus is on
accessories or hair, make the hair big or understate the clothing.
Much like caricatures or cartoons, exaggerations within the
drawing will diminish some features or make others more
prominent. Use stylization to tell a story with your fashion
illustration.

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As Inspirations...

“Success consists of going from failure to
failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
– Winston Churchill

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You
have exactly the same number of hours per
day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur,
Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da
Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

– H. Jackson Brown Jr

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4

Croquis Technique

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INTRODUCTION: CROQUIS TECHNIQUE

cro·quis keez keenoun, plural
[kroh- ; French kraw- ], means a rough

preliminary drawing; sketch.

Croquis means “sketch” in French. In the world of fashion design, a
croquis is a quick sketch of a fashion figure. The word can also refer
to the practice of drawing live models. Croquis drawings are
minimalist in style and serve as a blank canvas for drawing clothing.

A quick and sketchy drawing, often of a live model. Croquis drawings
are usually made in a few minutes, after which the model changes
pose and another croquis is drawn. Croquis drawing can then be
used as a foundation for another work of art such as a painting or as
a work of art itself.

THE PROPORTIONS OF A FASHION CROQUIS

The standard croquis is an elongated figure with long legs, a larger
head and thinner hips than the average woman. The croquis is 9
heads tall from the top of the head to the ankles.

The point of view is that a fashion model's length and simplicity of
form help to display clothing with a dramatic effect. The design
intent of the garment is exaggerated when displayed on an
elongated scale, and this elongated scale helps to portray a fantasy
or is based on the theme of fashion design provided.

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Feel free to evolve your croquis to be any shape, style and size. The
next page will show you how to create the standard croquis with the
proportions. Then you can adjust the proportions to get the best fit
for your design aesthetic.

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STEP TO DRAW CROQUIS TECHNIQUE

Step 1

Begin your sketch with the lines of action in your pose. Those action
angles of the shoulders, waist and hiplines will be in proportionate
distance to one another. Next, swing a line through the middle of
the action angles of your pose down to the floor. The middle line will
become your centre front.

Step 2

Fill in the volume of the chest and the hips. Leave space for an
imaginary waistline. Get a foot shape started so that your figure will
a grounded.

Step 3

In this pose, notice that the front has a near and a far side. This
directly affects how many chests and hip-width you place on the
left and right of your centre front line. The near side will be fuller
while the far side (the part that turns away from view) will be smaller
than the side that swings towards you. Next fill in the thigh area.

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Step 4

After complete the thigh, roll your contour line down over the calf
area into the heel location. After completing the first leg of any
pose, proceed with the second leg before beginning the arms.

Step 5

Connect the second leg for this pose onto the base of the centre
front line at the point that will become the end of the torso on this
figure. Remember to complete the foot on the first leg centre.

Step 6

After drawing, the thigh of the second leg, place it over or on the
top of or what appears to be in front of the other leg. To make it
less confusing, pencil in some shadow on the thigh of the leg that is
now behind the second leg's thigh. Only part of that covered thigh
will be visible in the pose.

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Step 7

When you have completed the thigh and the calf of the second leg,
map in the location and length for the top of the arms for this pose.
With the chest in a near and far position, the arms are going to be
both on the chest and behind it. The arm on the near side can have
a shoulder cap.

Step 8

The arm on the near side of the pose with the shoulder cap is the
first one to draw. Bring the under armpit area into the chest. The
other arm on the far side will be partially hidden by the chest. Pencil
in some shadow on that partial upper arm so it will remind you of
how the thigh is also hidden.

Step 9

Here is where you sketch in the tapered lines of the waist that
connect the chest to the hips. You might also want to add in some
dotted lines to help you see the hidden sections of the limbs in this
pose.

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Step 10

For the final step in the sketch, some of the draft structure lines can
be erased. Next, shape and outline the figure contour. Notice that in
step 9, the hidden thigh was moved off from the centre front and
onto the outside of the hip. This is another step to draw out the
figure in this specific pose. The hands are the final body parts to be
finished.

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Fashion
Illustrations Tips

75

Move With Purpose

A static fashion figure can be all right to draw, but you’ll find that
it’s often a boring piece. Unless you’re telling a story about the
serenity of design, you’ll want your figure to move within the space
you set it. When you pose a figure dynamically, you create action
for the clothing, hair, accessories or whatever else you’re drawing.
You’ll also instantly aid your storytelling within your illustration. Is a
figure dancing, walking, or flying through your picture plane?
Answer such questions with your drawing. Illustrations tell stories
through imagery.

Movement can also help the viewer understand what makes up the
clothing you’re drawing or painting. We’ll discuss texture and
weight within textiles more fully below, but understand that if a
fabric is light and flowy or heavy and stiff, one of the best ways to
show that is through how it moves when placed on a body or when
the body itself is in motion.

A good way to understand how bodies, clothing, and various
fabrics move is to watch models walk down a runway. They’re
constantly in motion and often make a point to really show how
their garment moves through exaggerated motions and turns.

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As Inspirations...

"The hardest thing in fashion is not to be
known for a logo, but to be known for a

silhouette." —Giambattista Valli
"Style is something each of us already has,

all we need to do is find it." —Diane von
Furstenberg

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5

Grid Method

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INTRODUCTION: THE GRID METHOD

A good way to start drawing is by sketching the main segment of the
body, the torso, which has two units, the chest and the hips.
Anatomically, these two units would be called the rib cage and the
pelvis. The connective middle of your gesture sketch of the torso
would be the centre front running from the shoulder line down to the
crotchline. This centre front mimics the line of the centre back, that is
the spine.

The grid method is an inexpensive, low-tech way to reproduce
and/or enlarge an image that you want to paint or draw. The grid
method can be a fairly time-intensive process, depending on how
large and detailed your painting will be. While the process is not as
quick as using a projector or transfer paper, it does have the added
benefit of helping to improve your drawing and observational skills.

In a nutshell, the grid method involves drawing a grid over your
reference photo and then drawing a grid of equal ratio on your work
surface (paper, canvas, wood panel, etc). Then you draw the image
on your canvas, focusing on one square at a time until the entire
image has been transferred. Once you're finished, you simply erase
or paint over the grid lines, and start working on your painting, which
will now be in perfect proportion.

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STEP TO DRAW THE GRID METHOD

HOW TO MAKE A GRID TRADITIONALLY

Sometimes you have the perfect image to draw or paint but it's too
small. An easy way to transfer the image to your drawing paper or
canvas and increase its size to what you want, you can use a grid. In
this tutorial, I'm going to show you two easy ways to blow up an
image and get it ready for the final art-making process.
The tools that you will need is paper, a ruler, a pencil, a pen and an
eraser.

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Step 1

Print out your photograph at a
reasonable size. It doesn't have
to be gigantic but you need to
be able to see the details so
you can copy them. I prefer to
print it out in black and white so
that it's easier to see the edges.
My portrait is 5" x 7".

Step 2

Figure out an appropriate size of the grid spacing. For most images, I
prefer 1/2" between each line but sometimes 1/4" or 3/4" works
best. Here I'm going to use 1/2".

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Step 3

Draw the grid out on your
printed photo. I prefer to use
a pen here so that it's easier
to see on top of the
photograph.

Step 4

Label the boxes on the sides of
the grid. I prefer to go A, B, C,
etc. on the left and right sides
and 1, 2, 3 on the top and
bottom. Labelling the boxes
makes it much easier when you
get into the middle of the grid
and you start getting lost.

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PREPARE YOUR DRAWING PAPER

Step 1

Determine the final size of your drawing. Here you'll have to do some
quick calculations. Are you doubling the photograph? Quadrupling?
One and a half?

Step 2

Measure and draw out the outer
rectangle /square of your final
drawing. Here I'm making the final
drawing twice as big as my
original 5" x 7" photograph so my
outer box is 10" x 14".

Step 3

Use your ruler to determine the
new size of the grid. If you're
doubling the size of the
photograph and your grid squares
are 1/4" by 1/4", then your new
grid squares will be 1/2" by 1/2".
Since my original grid was 1/2"
boxes, my final grid will be 1"
boxes.

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Step 4

Draw out your final grid on your
drawing paper.

Step 5

Label your new grid

identical to the smaller grid

on the photograph.

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BEGIN DRAWING

Step 1

Pick where to start.

I like to start at a

recognizable point.

Perhaps it's the

bottom of a chin or

the part in

someone's hair.

Here I'm starting at

the bottom left of

the chin.

Step 2

Look at the box that

contains your

starting point and

find the

corresponding box

on the bigger

paper. For me,

that's box J4. Copy

the outlined line in

that box that I drew

in the curve of the

chin in box J4.

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Step 3

Follow the outline from box to box, using the grid labels to help you
know where you are. I usually work left to right and slowly make my
way around the head first. A good tip is to look at where the outline
starts and ends in each box. Is it touching the middle of the outer
grid box line or the corner? It becomes a bit more mathematical
when you do it this way but you won't get lost and you'll be closer to
the actual image.

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DRAW ALL THE LARGE SHAPES
Step 1

Continue drawing until you have all of the big shapes pencilled in. If
your lines don't meet up in the end, go back to the labels on the
boxes and double-check yourself box by box. By big shapes, I mean
the outlines of the people or landscape or animal that you're
drawing.

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BEGIN ADDING THE DETAILS

Step 1

Now that you have all the big
shapes drawn in, begin to
pencil in the smaller details like
hairlines, eyes, ears, etc.

Step 2

Keep looking at the grid labels
to check that you're making the
details in the right boxes.
Generally, if you're going to get
lost, you'll do it here.

CHECK BOX BY BOX

Step 1

Now that your drawing is
finished, check over the
drawing box by box. This is the
boring part but you want to
catch any mistakes now and
not once you start painting or
inking.

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ERASER THE GRID

Step 1

Go in with an eraser and begin to erase the grid lines as well as you
can. This may take a very small eraser in some parts.
You're Ready to Now Create Your Masterpiece!
Now that you have your image at its final size, you can start painting,
inking, or pencilling it into a finished piece of artwork.

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Fashion
Illustrations Tips

93

Marking The Squares

When you choose the grid method to start your first drawing, this is
the best method and safer. why? because sometimes easier to
keep track of where I am amongst all those little squares by
marking them numerically and alphabetically along the edges of
the paper and canvas. This way if I get lost, especially within a
much larger painting with many more squares, I can easily locate
where I want to be. I write the numbers and letters really small and
light so that they can be easily erased.
So now your task is to transfer what you see in the reference photo,
block by block, onto your canvas or paper. When I use the grid
method, I always start at the top left corner and work my way
across and down. for example, Square A1 is blank in the reference
photo, we'll move on to A2. Draw in A2 exactly as you see it at A1.
The grid basically divides the original image into smaller blocks so
that you can more easily see what belongs to where.

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