How to Draw Clothes
Discover the naked truth – drawing clothes is all about correctly interpreting folds.
Up next in How to Draw for Beginners (40 videos)
Learn how to draw with the drawing lessons in this Howcast video series.
You Will Need
- A person wearing a T-shirt
- A graphite pencil
- Paper
- An eraser
Steps
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Step 1
Draw a shirt
Draw the outline of a basic T-shirt.
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Step 2
Add folds
Add folds to the sleeves, inside, and hem areas using v-shaped, curved, or hooked lines. Note shoulder areas tend to be flat while the body of shirt has a wavy appearance.
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The lower edge of clothing is usually depicted by a wavy line.
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Step 3
Add subtle folds
Add subtle folds. Notice where the body bends or bulges beneath the shirt, such as at breasts, elbows, waist, or back, and add these more subtle folds.
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Fabrics fold and wrinkle in unique ways with leather being the most resistant and silk creating the most folds.
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Step 4
Erase unwanted lines
Erase any unwanted lines you drew when outlining the shirt.
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Step 5
Add tones
Add light, medium and dark tones, making shadowed areas, such as the inside of folds where it's darkest.
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Step 6
Try other types of clothes
Try drawing more challenging clothes once you've mastered the T-shirt. With these tips under your belt, you can dress your figures in high style.
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U.S. law offers no copyright protection for garment design, allowing apparel manufacturers to produce "knock-offs" of popular styles.
