Laura Volpintesta, Fashion Educator, Illustrator, Designer, Author of the Language of Fashion Design and co-author of the Fashion Design Resource and Specification Book. Fashion Design Faculty Parsons the New School for Design since 1997.
contact: info@fashionillustrationtribe.com
Here are my TOP RESOURCES for FASHION STUDENTS!
Thi slist is based on 30 years of teaching (and before that, studying) Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design School of Fashion in NYC, and in their online degree program. I created their first online fashion design and illustration studio course in 2008.
MODEL DRAWING
is the foundational skill to be able to sketch out your ideas onto paper or tablet using believable figures. Model drawing puts us on the journey of discovering our style and techniques to communicate precise details, as well as textures, movement, aesthetics and mood.
Model Drawing Basic Lesson– 12 minute video
Begin your journey in this mini- course
ART SUPPLIES resource CARTS for fashion students:
Illustration and Design Sketching tools
Click for my Illustration Art Supply Cart at Utrecht.com for fashion illustration and sketching. You can pick and choose from items in the cart or just click around to see what’s there!
I have a second, similar art supplies cart here on Blick.com. Below, I’ll discuss art supplies individually so you know what you’re getting in there, and below that are more technical and creative must-haves!
I love gouache and pencils for fashion illustration and fashion design sketching!
My favorite gouache boxes:
GOUACHE BOXES are portable and rich, excellent quality for fashion illustration! I love these kits for sketching in full, lush color anywhere, and on the go.
Use gouache wash informally on sketch paper in a croquis book, or on drawing paper which is heavier. But on Bristol Vellum or watercolor paper, it takes on the rich, velvety texture it’s famous for for final illustrations and presentations.
The gouache boxes I recommend for fashion sketching and illustration also include ideal selections of colors for mixing skin tones easily which is always needed excellent for fashion art, right? We’re sketching on PEOPLE.
Skin tone brings our sketches to LIFE.
THE GOUACHE BOX LINK LIST
- Pelikan Gouache (or OPAQUE WATERCOLORS)Get the 24 pan set- it comes with perfect, deep palette wells for color mixing, plus a tube of white.
- Caran D’ache box, (get the set with 15) is more expensive but my all time favorite, excellent pigments and quality and comes with a good brush too in the box too, but you’ll want an external palette with deeper wells for mixing.
- Grumbacher Box is nice but the pans feel “drier” and the colors also more subdues. perhaps a better choice for more subtle and soft sketches.
- Inktense blocks set of 12 are also an incredible, rich beautiful quality pigment for fashion illustration. The set of 12 includes two colors that mix perfectly into a full range of skintone. However, the palette space for mixing is TEENY TINY so you’ll need an extra palette on the side for your fashion illustrations.
- Kuretake Gansai Tombi gouache boxes are watercolors but much creamier than most, which makes them “gouachey”.
BRUSHES FOR GOUACHE ILLUSTRATIONS
Fantastic, affordable fashion illustration brushes are right here: Van Gogh set of 3 only $10, tested and true. I LOVE THESE BRUSHES and the price can’t be beat.
GOUACHE IN TUBES: GOOD BRANDS
Daler and Rowney designer gouache
Winsor and Newton DESIGNER Gouache
Fashion Design BOOK resources for fashion students
FIRST,
DRAWING, SKETCHING AND DESIGN DEVELOPMENT BOOKS!
Because these are obviously my favorites. As fashion design is an art form, so is sketching, sketchbooking, and developing your unique way of working out ideas on paper as well as in 3D.
This video shows you all of my fave books for fashion students!
Fashion Design Course by Steven Faerm is affordable and covers just about everything we do in my Soulful Fashion Foundation Program. I FULLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE!
Draping , drafting, and fashion technical design Books:
Basic Foundations, (this is the book I had at home to help me through my first year of draping class, this is a good reference without any distractions.
It’s not EXACTLY what i teach in my Patternmaking Demystified pattern and draping class but is as close as you’ll get.
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- the Art of Fashion Draping by Connie Amaden Crawford
For creative, vivid photos, exploring fashion’s ethnic roots and as well as modern styles with step by step draping, this is the DRAPING book I WISH I had when I was a student. It covers all basic shapes you can build from, a total gem.
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- Draping: the Complete Course by Kathryn Kissl you will not regret purchasing this book.
images from my Patternmaking and Drqping Demystified programPatternmaking for Fashion Design, this book includes wonderful illustrations that show variations, plus clear design DRAWINGS showing details and shadows. For informing your own sketches as well as total vocabulary of pattern techniques:
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- PATTERNMAKING FOR FASHION DESIGN by Helen Joseph Armstrong. I like the artwork much better in the older editions.
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- Couture Sewing Book- Couture Sewing by Claire Shaeffer
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- Basic Sewing Book essential resource for fashion students!
Sewing for Fashion Design by Connie Amaden Crawford, also Advanced Sewing for Fashion Design.
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- FABRIC FOR FASHION Swatch book:
(the swatches are all white but the quality and description are excellent)
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- Fabric for Fashion TEXT book -learn the truth about the difference between natural and synthetic fabrics and fibers, and how they come to be and impact the environment.
Fabric Pattern/Print Design for fashion students
An excellent COLOR theory book for fashion students, artists and designers
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- Color: How to Use It by Marcie Cooperman (COLOR THEORY LECTURE)
Books by Laura Volpintesta
the Language of Fashion Design: 26 Principles Every Fashion Designer Should Know:
The Fashion Designers Reference and Specification Book
YOUTUBE RESOURCES for fashion students
Zoe Hong is an awesome channel for learning fashion student learning school stuff! She’s amazing!
Check out my Youtube channel for illustration and design sketching,, model drawing, Language of Fashion Design masterclasseses, digital illustration and technical design tutorials and more.
CROQUIS TEMPLATES
for sketching fashion design students can use a ready-body to sketch over called a croquis
Childrens , Tweens -Menswear croquis- Womens-Plus Size – Maternity croquis pages on my site
Explore this whole Fashion Illustration Tribe.com website BLOG for articles and resources!
iPad/ Digital DEVICE APPS: top resources for fashion students
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- Pret a template croquis templates: download/ print bodies -app for template sketching on iPad or tablet/Google Play – I love the templates but I DON’T RECOMMEND THIS APP FOR SKETCHING. The apps listed below are infinitely better- just use the templates from P.A.T and pull them into the other apps.
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- Tayasui Sketches App for iPad or Google Play
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- Photo Collaging apps to use in tablet or phone, ipad.
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- Adobe Capture app for pulling out COLOR PALETTES/ color stories
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- Canva for easy graphic design and mood boards, collaging, etc
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- Pinterest for design research, poses, fabrics, collections, everything!
Research/ trend sites/ Fashion forecasting: top resources for fashion students
First View.com is an incredible archive! Fashion calendar for all countries, archives all designers runway, beauty and backstage for every Fashion week! AMAZING! Search by designer, country, season, year, etc……
Premiere Vision THE fabric show Paris, New York
Li Edelkoort: Trend Union, Talking Textiles
Fashion United global fashion image design library
Promostyl
Pantone- colors
>>>>>>>>Pinterest for research. CHECK OUT MY FASHION MODEL DRAWING AND DESIGN DETAIL BOARDS
Instagram– stay connected!
image from my Patternmaking and Draping online programFABRIC, MUSLIN, scissors, swatches , trims, printing and notions: top resources for fashion students
DHARMA trading dying supplies, $20 dollar EXCELLENT swatch kit available! Only black and white but very worth it and educational too! Spend $45 for to get the color swatches of chiffon, habotai silk and crepe satin included in your kit.
THE NYC GARMENT CENTER:
FABRIC AND TRIM SHOPS:
M&J Trimming NYC //blog.mjtrim.com/category/fashion/
DRESS FORMS
Dress Forms for designers- Superior Mannequins.
PGM Dress Forms-affordable, quality dress forms in a range of sizes, muslin, forms, scissors, tapes and a few other goodies.
Sewing supplies, notions, trims, EVERYTHING- paper catalog as well as website, and great prices Wawak
Digital Printing: the Style Council
FLATS AND TECHNICAL DRAWING top resources for fashion students :
my Craftsy Class for hand sketching flats
Adobe Illustrator Flats sketching and design: the Fashion Professor
Shingo Sato amazing, brilliant patternmaking workshops, TR Cutting.
TOP RESOURCES FOR FASHION STUDENTS: ETHICAL FASHION
the True Cost of Fast Fashion- must-see movie
FASHION DESIGN COURSES and COACHING
Fashion Illustration Tribe Immersions, programs, courses, bundles and private coaching
