Clothing Wrinkles - Bane of my Existence

[KingOfChaos]

Can any of you wonderfully talented artists give me a clue on how to develop a skill in drawing clothing that looks...normal. I can never seem to get the wrinkles in clothing correct, and because they change with each new pose, its hard to develop any skill at doing it.

[absinthe]

hey shawn...i know this is going to sound dumb...but do it the way i learned...just look at your own shirt, pants and whatever...and draw that...take photos...get a blanket...lay it on a couch or throw it in the corner....you cant get any more natural wrinkles than that! it takes some time...and once you draw them from life a bunch you sort of get accustomed to making up your own wrinkles that look natural!

hope that helps man!

[daarken]

one thing everyone tries to do is draw every wrinkle. just look at the model and then simply them. just draw the important ones. important meaning stretch and squeeze folds. whenever a part of the body is bent, it creates both stretch and squeeze folds. also lately i have been really loose with clothing, always keeping my hand moving and trying to give them a more natural feel to them. here are two examples, not the greatest but oh well. first is like a 2 minute gesture, other is 5 min. i think.

http://www.daarken.com/boards/im001452.jpg

http://www.daarken.com/boards/im001451.jpg

[Anthony]

Also cloth tends to flow over the body like water, from the point of tension outwards. So pick out where its held in place for whatever reason, and visualize how it would pull from there.

[redehlert]

Just like learning human anatomy to better your life drawing skills, there is an anatomy of drapery:

Drawing the Draped Figure
George_Brant_Bridgman

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2U66JONQJM&isbn=0486418022&itm=1

"Seven different kinds of folds and how to render them, including pipe, zigzag, spiral, half-lock, diaper pattern, drop, and inert folds."

Knowing the folds may help you to render them better in conjunction with the anatomy or inert objects you are hanging the material on.

You can also take a pattern-free cloth (e.g. white bed sheet) and tack it up to a wall. Don't have it taut, but think of letting the center sag a bit to get the drop fold in there, or let it hit the ground to see the neat pipe folds leading to the inert folds on the ground. Set up your lighting so you get good contrast and render away.

Good luck and post your results!

D

[BadMange]

See if your local library has a book by Jeneo Barcsay, "Drapery and the Human Form." There's no ISBN number and Amazon or Barnes & Noble won't have it (it was published in Hungary, 1958). It's all drawings of different drapery, both isolated and on figures. It's worth a look to see how folds are rendered.

-Bad Mange

[Kortez]

You should check out that book by Bridgman, redehlert mentioned or check out Drawing dynamic wrinkles and drapery (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0823015874/qid=1054254086/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-2098245-4481403?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) . Just to get you started on the nature of folds, you should check out this tutorial (http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/clothes/clothes1.htm) by Patrick Shettlesworth of Polycarbon.com (http://www.polycarbon.com) . Hope it helps :)

[Drunken Monkey]

Hey, just an observation i kind of discovered lately that helped me understand drapery a little bit better - its to draw thick drapes. Blankets, rugs - they create much simpler folds and its easier to later apply that to thinner drapery - which requires more detail - like silk or whatever...

[dustbomb]

Just do what i do- give all you character spandex! JK, I've been trying to learn as well. That Burne Hogarth book is a big help as well...