pinklikeme:

HELLO FRIENDS, AND WELCOME.

So, you’re making a character! Cool! Does that character wear clothes? Well, unless you’re A) Writing about animals, B) Writing a porno) or B) Some other reason, your characters are more than likely gonna wear clothes. This makes you a fashion designer! FANCY! So, what should your character wear?

Here’s the deal, Lucile. Imma put down some steps. And while I’m no super expert, these are some things that have made clothing design fun and challenging for me! This is Part 1: HISTORICAL FASHION!

1. Who is Your Character?
Sometimes, and I’ve been guilty of this, too, I’ve decided on my character’s clothing long before I even have a personality formed. People look over and say, “Who are you drawing?” and I might say, “A Lolita.” Now, that’s not good! Anyone who knows about the Lolita fashion knows that each girl wears Lolita completely differently than the next. So to think of a character as their clothing is to think of an egg by its shell. We don’t even really care about the shell, we care about the yummy stuff inside! So first, think of your character as a person. Not simply a “punk,” or a “goth” or any number of fashions. Now. Instead of “What will ____ wear, it turns into what will “Anon” wear? (I’m using Anon as a fill in, so I don’t have to write “your character” umpteen times.)

2. Where is Your Character?
Where are they? When are they? If you’ve done the first step, then this should be easy to answer. Anon might be in, say, 1820s Britain. Alrighty. Cool beans. What did they do? Where were they in the world? Are they warm? Cold? A princess? A Pauper? Now comes the SUPER FUN PART OH BOY.

3. Research. FOREVER.
Now, as a bibliophile, this makes me giddy, because it means I get to go roll in my books. That’s right, books! The internet is useful for many, many things. But you can google all day and not find something you pick up one book and find. (Believe me, I’ve done it!)

There’s not much I can say to do except use every resource- books, internet, everything. Hoard images like a squirrel hoards nuts. Keep folders just for each fashion piece. Don’t forget accessories like shoes, hats, bags, and other items.

Here’s some cool places to find references!

Dover:
http://store.doverpublications.com/
Dover books are not only accurate, made from fashion plates of the time, they’re also very affordable! These are absolutely great to have around. Also, some come with CDs so you can have the books right on your computer, too! Any era, any time.

Tumblr:
If you’re here, obviously you see Tumblr as a great reference! Tumblr is also great because often it links back to the source so you can find more information!
For Historical Fashion, I recommend:
http://whattheywore.tumblr.com/
http://historicalfashion.tumblr.com/
http://fuckyeahcostumedrama.tumblr.com/
But there are bunches out there!

4. Silhouette
Now that you’ve done some research, there might be a few items that stick out to you. See if you can figure out why that is. It’s probably because you like the silhouette! A gown may seem interesting because of lots of frills and fobs, but a stronger silhouette will work out every time!

Draw your character naked! Or, at least in their underwear. You might want to save this drawing for later for the underwear test. Often character designers will draw their cast lined up in underoos, to be sure that they’re still recognisable, even without clothing to differentiate them. Example of an Underwear test by the delightful Yuko of the AMAZING Johnny Wander comic. (Over here!)

See how they’re still extremely different, even without their clothes? Now, try out different silhouettes on this character. Remember paper dolls? It’s like that. Here’s some I did, for my girl Nayana.

Whee! When you decide on one, try the same test you did with their body shape, and black them out to be sure the silhouette is strong. NOW…

5. Drawing Garments!
Clothes are, essentially, weird shapes in cloth sewn into different shapes. To draw clothing, it’s important to understand how garments are put together.  For convenience’s sake, animators and cartoonists will often leave out a number of seams in their designs. Some seams can make a drawing have simply too many lines and too busy. However, a few seams can really make a garment believable and pop. Even a heavily fantasy garment needs some stability, or the reader will spend too long pondering how your character’s top is staying up rather than the issue at hand.

SSSEEEEEEEEEAMS

Look at your own clothes for examples! Pants have seams on the inside and outside of your legs, pockets, flies, zips, buttons, and seams! These are a great place to start.

Different fabrics move different ways. A velvet, for example, is heavy and drags, and would hang entirely differently than a cotton, which is far lighter. A Chiffon is light and airy, and drifts far more than a starched twill would. A good way to familiarise yourself with fabrics is to invade a fabric store and just start groping the bolts. (If people look at you funny, tell them I sent you.) When you look at a costume, think: What might this be made of, how would it lie? Does it wrinkle? Does it stretch? Does it fold? Is it a thick fabric for winter or a light fabric for summer?

Now, there are plenty of tutorials online for drawing folds, so I won’t get into that. Here’s a link to a good one, though!

So, in conclusion.

RESEARCH EVERYTHING FOREVER.

NOW. PART TWO, CONTEMPORARY AND FUTURISTIC FASHION. OH BOY!