Gouache and Pencil Fashion Illustration Techniques

DRAMA AND MOOD in Fashion Illustration

If you LOVE capturing the drama in fashion illustration, the more yout understand the fine details in the clothing,

and the more we understand how to render prints and surface textures,

and the more we understand HOW CLOTHING IS MADE and put together,

and the more comfortable we are with capturing faces and hairstyles,

and the more we understand our art supplies and techniques and how color works,…

…and the way the human figure and body moves and functions.

THESE FOUNDATIONS ALL give us more and more freedom to express the drama and mood in fashion illustration.

CREATING Mood through TEXTURE in fashion illustration

The texture of the tafetta roses, gathered and flared skirt, as well as the volume of the jacket in this evening dress below (or carnaval costume), are all expressed dramatically here through CONTOUR LINES.

Notice how the lines veer off of the colored shapes of the clothing in the fashion illustration below.

#1 PRO SKETCHING TIP:
Line quality is much more visible when it has distance from the base color OR when it is contrasting (dark color over a light base or a light line drawn over a dark garment to show seams, etc)

#2 PRO SKETCHING TIP:
Notice deep shadows on the pink base or green base above.
Also notice the white areas in the midst of the pink shapes, near the lines, or highlights on her green tights. HIGHLIGHTS and DEEP SHADOWS work together to create the feeling of shiny fabrics.

CREATING FASHION MOOD THROUGH CONTRAST

As we just discussed, high contrasts catch attention. Above I used a bold, black brush tip pen versus a fine line felt tip pen to creata more jarring mood.

Not only is there a contrast in the light and dark values of colors, but also in the thick versus thin lines.

I used a very dry chisel tipped marker contrasting with very wet, loaded brush tip markers.

PRO SKETCHING TIP #3
Contrasts give a lot of visual interest on the page that keeps the viewer engaged and interested- and you, too.

CREATING DRAMA THROUGH THE POSE AND LAYOUT

PRO FASHION SKETCHING TIP#4 COMPOSITION and PROPORTION:
Pay attention to how WIDE the pose truly is (if drawing from observation) versus how tall it is. USE THE WHOLE PAGE! The figure’s pose, the volume of the garment (if applicable) and background elements like shadows, horizon lines or plants etc) can engage you with the WHOLE width of the page, not only the center vertical.

SOFTNESS as drama in Fashion Illustrations

While being LOUD can attract attention, isn’t it so interesting how softness attracts in another way?

Notice how this very soft sketch can make us slow down and linger a moment to take a closer look.

Here is used a very soft colored beige pencil to map out the proportions, movement, and features of the pantsuit.

PRO FASHION SKETCHING TIP #5
The colored pencil was too soft to be effective, so I came in at the last few seconds of the drawing with a crisp pencil line to give her definition

I’m considering how her body is moving at the same time I’m paying attention to how the clothing fits closely and where it releases into soft drapes. (CONTRAST, again).

I also loved the BALANCE in this look: while the spiraling rosettes are on the right side of the fashion silhouette , the volume of her hair is off to the opposite side!

Similarly, a fitted waist is playing off of a more loosely draped bodice and pant in the garment silhouette.

PRO SKETCHING TIP #6:
Working from research and inspiration images that strongly remind you what you love, help you capture that kind of mood that is so exciting.

MOOD AND MODELS IN FASHION DRAWING:

Getting comfortable with model drawing and figure drawing is your superpower in fashion drawing.

And isn’t it wonderful that model drawing is not only just that, but it’s the most engaging way to learn drawing, PERIOD!

I can’t imagine a subject more compelling than the human. The human form itself is so beautiful, and its expressions are the language that we are most affected by emotionally and psychologically as SOCIAL CREATURES that we are!

DIVE INTO THE DRAMA OF FASHION DRAWING AND DESIGNING

I’ve linked my fashion drawing , design and illustrations courses throughout this page to set you on your way.

There are also resource pages, tutorials and lessons linked all over this page to additional articles to get you going!

If you consider starting your journey now, and can’t decide which course to begin with, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG.

PRO FASHION SKETCHING TIP#7:
The key is to START, to BEGIN, and to embody and EXPERIENCE these new discoveries and literacies through ENGAGING WITH THEM.

This is why I am such a proponent of self-motivated and PROJECT BASED experiential learning to get you where you want to go.

BASED ON almost THREE DECADES teaching in one of the worlds most reknowned fashion design programs during its golden era of high standards in craftsmanship and techniques, I am here to pass it all on to you with all of the love and passion that I feel for this subject .

Fashion will not die as long as we take care of it. It will only get better

Fashion, textiles, needle arts and clothing have come so far with our ancestors and they were always making, crafting beautiful clothing and home goods, generation after generation, for the functional qualities as well as the art, culture and spirit that fashion has always played in our lives.

Movement and Flow are Magical

PRO FASHION SKETCHING TIP #8:

Allow yourself to be absolutely swept away by the immediate feeling you get when you look at something, touch it, or think of it, before THOUGHT takes over..

You can move forward analyzing and planning, but not without having immersed yourself in the realm of imagination and emotion FIRST.

This energy and flow is what makes your designs and sketches LIVE AND BREATHE with meaning and relevance.