Toned Paper for Fashion Sketchbooks and Illustrations

Croquis books using Toned Paper make fashion illustrations "POP!"

Whether a men’s fashion design sketchbook (video enclosed below), womens, costume/ eveningwear fashion illustrations (video enclosed below), sketching on brown paper bags (examples below) or children’s fashion illustration croquis, …if you love fashion design, fashion art, and / or sketchbooks in general, you are in for a treat today.

If you’re a fashion student, especially, you know how exciting and inspiring it is to see other peoples’ sketches and sketchbooks.

Menswear Fashion Illustration and Croquis Sketchbook example using toned papers

Today I’ll share one of my many fashion croquis books from my STUDENT years at Parsons School of Design in the Menswear fashion sketchbook but it’s useful for any fashion student or designer, Even for any lover of SKETCHBOOKS!

So first let’s look at my croquis book of menswear design sketch fashion illustrations from my student days at Parsons School of Design that I used toned paper for.

In other articles and videos, I share small sketchbooks, digital and analog fashion sketchbooks, etc.

But let’s talk about

LARGE FORMAT SKETCHBOOK FOR FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS AND DESIGN CROQUIS

This particular croquis book/ fashion sketchbook for the menswear project is HUGE!! 18×24″ in size, It’s the largest size I ever used for fashion sketches (but NOT the ONLY TIME i used this size).

I really do recommend playing around with different sizes and orientations (portrait versus landscape) of fashion sketchbook, as well as different paper weights, textures, surfaces, and even toned papers. I recommend neutral tones in general though.

If you choose to work huge like this, don’t forget that you don’t have to fill the WHOLE PAGE WITH HUGE FIGURES like I did here. You can, but working large can feel slower, especially when painting.

The best benefit of a large book is that you could include many elements: sketches, swatches, and /or mood images across the two-page spread and be able to see all of your sketches at once!
This helps, because I usually find that when I turn the page, my sketches always seem to veer off into a new direction. One big design space helps me stay cohesive in design and style.

I always find that individual clients have different sizes that they sketch best or most comfortably in. If you experiment, you’ll realize what size looks or feels best for you.

Variety is a spice…

I also try fashion sketching with different page layouts and art supplies like digital apps, markers or watercolors and gouache.

Every time I use a different type of media, the experience feels fresh and I get to know a new aspect of myself as an artist! This never ends.

Using a huge sketchbook can be an excellent opportunity to include flats, notes, sketches, fabric swatches, trims and more ALL ON THE SAME PAGE!

In the menswear sketchbook video I talk about why that can be so helpful for you to see all of your work at one single glance….and a huge book helps with that, because all of your sketches are visible at once if you use the space with smaller scale sketches.

THERES A GREAT POWER TO BEING ABLE TO SEE ALL OF YOUR SKETCHES AT ONCE without turning the page.
Personally, it helps me stay more cohesive in designing a collection because I can visually stay plugged in to the concept the whole time while I am sketching and seeing/feeling it all at once in immediacy. Otherwise, every time i turn a page, I disconnect a bit from what I’ve done so far

"Fashion Pad" paper

I decided for the Men’s fashion design/ illustration sketchbook above to try out the Bee paper/ Aquabee “FASHION PAD”/ “recycled sketch” (I think they changed the name since the 90s).

It was a unique experience to use this highly absorbent, mid-toned and extra gritty textured paper with graphite and gouache.

Farther down this page i show this more thoroughly in a video.

Here’s another example of the fashion pad paper but in the digital version wiyhin Tayasui sketches.

BROWN PAPER BAG FASHION ILLUSTRATION paper

Brown paper bags can also be a great way to jump into using a midtoned paper for fashion drawing …. I had a Parsons Fashion student this semester who did most of their work on toned paper this semester- BEAUTIFUL WORK. At the end of the semester they confessed that they had run out of work and done it ALL ON PAPER BAGS.

Gouache and Pencil on tinted or toned paper fashion illustration

Most likely I used Winsor &Newtown tube gouache though I also love many palette gouache sets for my croquis / fashion sketchbooks).

Ebony pencil is the soft, thick graphite pencil I use for these expressive, dynamic lines and line quality in my drawings.

Another way to tap into that is to work with a MENTOR like me, in the Mentorship Year program!

Costume design/ eveningwear design concept on tinted paper-DIGITAL fashion illustration

While vector sketches can be zoomed inot infinitely, this tutorial video shows my process using Tayasui sketches app which is pixel based. This allows for more gritty, organic feeling art which i love for fashion illustration, and I’m sure you can see what I mean inside the video above.

In it you can see how I:

start with an inspiration image
use toned paper/ tinted paper (digital)
sketch figures
choose a color palette based on the inspiration
present the color swatches
take design cues and motifs from the inspiration image
dress the figures creating original fashion design illustrations using the colors, motifs, and silhouettes
(needs fabric swatches)

DIGITAL FASHION ILLUSTRATION SAMPLES

Visually Textured Papers, or colored papers:

Repaper app ‘s “rice paper” in natural, or in black.

Tayasui Sketches Colored Paper/ Tinted paper: (with a textural appearance to the surface, too!)

Fringed Leotard by Brazilian fashion designer Fernando Cozendey illustrated by Laura Volpintesta, digital fashion illustration — TONED PAPER: Digital fashion illustration by Laura Volpintesta of fringed flamingo bodysuit designed by Fernando Cozendey, Brazil

ANALOG FASHION ILLUSTRATION SAMPLES

In all of the tinted and toned paper examples in this post, I want you to notice how the colored ground REALLY can create a base for the actual sketches to POP forward visually!

In this example, Oil pastels and pencil on Toned Paper (grey) by Strathmore... which also comes in brown. Laura Volpintesta. I love the peplum waist over the pegged, slit skirt. — In this example, Oil pastels and pencil on Toned Paper (grey) by Strathmore… which also comes in brown. Laura Volpintesta. I love the peplum waist over the pegged, slit skirt.

THIS IS A BASIC PREMISE OF COLOR THEORY, especially when the background is darker or lighter than the foreground (figure or sketch).

Gouache and colored pencils (the line and shadows) on tinted paper also sit beautifully apart from their background here on Strathmore grey TONED paper pad

BUT TAKE NOTE

a colored ground/ colored or tinted paper should be chosen very carefully if it isn’t s neutral tone, because we also understand from COLOR THEORY that this will change the way colors are perceived and the result could be undesired , unexpected or confusing. Consider your situation.

Strathmore's tinted papers are very smooth, even though they may LOOK textural, don't be fooled. — Strathmore’s tinted papers are very smooth, even though they may LOOK textural, don’t be fooled.

Fashion Pad/ toned paper for fashion illustrations and sketching — White oil pastel paper/ China Marker stands out starkly and boldly agains the Fashion Pad Toned paper background, which also has a gritty surface tooth to grab wet and dry media

Another thought regarding fashion design sketchbooks?

PAPER TYPES!

Texture, weight, surface, color, size, opacity, price, spiral or not, etc

Whether you use copy, sketch or marker paper for fashion illustration (all are slightly sheer but don’t hold water or wet media well without buckling) they have the benefit of allowing you to trace easily!

Using a Digital fashion sketchbook instead of paper? Fashion illustration apps gives the benefit of
erasing paint or duplicating sketches easily.

Fashion IIllustration: sequins, sparkle, texture and shine by Laura Volpinetsta — Texture and shine of large pailletes on an evening mini dress with angel sleeves, shine and dimenshion spring to life on toned paper by using China Marker in white

Watercolor paper adds texture and bulk, holds wet media well, and doesn’t wrinkle.

Brist0l paper has less texture than watercolor paper, and less thickness, but works so beautifully with gouache.

Include fabric swatches and mood boards in your sketchbooks too!
TEXT IN YOUR FASHION CROQUIS SKETCHBOOK

Write in all your thoughts, notes, dates, references and inspiration.

Why hold back?

THE SKETCHBOOK is YOUR process and inspiration book. this is YOUR treasure trove of fashion design and inspiration!
The more full you feel, the more your sketches will flow effortlessly from so much motivation

I hope today’s video and post helps inspire you to try new things with your fashion design sketchbook, whether a men’s fashion sketchbook or womens, childrenswear sketchbook, even accessories!

Here's another fashion illustration on toned paper, in my costume design sketchbook ... digital :0)

Let me know if this helped you, email me at info@fashionillustrationtribe for more info about private mentorship, visit my course shop linked in the header to start TODAY, and don’t forget to Check out the gifts in the pop-up menu!

and do NOT forget to keep fabric swatches in your book to accompany your sketches!

Laura Volpintesta oil pastel fashion illustration on toned brown paper — Bee’s Fashion Pad paper

happy creating, gonna go have some coffee…..

Much Love,

Laura