Fashion sketching, fashion illustration, whatever you want to call it is an extremely valuable skill to possess. Whether you want to start designing clothes, learn more about fashion or just love to draw, fashion sketching is for you. The reason I love sketching clothes is because it allows me to bring my ideas to life and make those ideas seem more tangible and possible.
Getting started in fashion sketching is a very nonlinear process. Believe me I should know. Use the designs on this blog for example. Some of them are pretty good while others still haunt me till this day. This is totally okay though. The vision is still there.
To start designing all you really need is a pencil and paper. That’s really it. To begin, first try to learn how to draw a croquis. Croquis(kroh-kee) is a French word that means rough sketch or rough draft, and is the base/body of your design. To tell the truth, I can’t really draw a croquis, but I will not stop trying until I get it. I hope you all don’t either. Until you perfect it though, I recommend purchasing a set of traceable croquis on Etsy.
After working with a pencil and paper, you’ll want to start slowly purchasing materials. I say slowly because these materials can be a little pricey so pace yourselves.
- A plain sketchbook for drafting large sketches: This one from Michael’s is pretty affordable and great for different types of media
- Drawing materials such as colored pencils, markers, and watercolors
- Blending pencil for blending colors together
- A lightboard for tracing-You can use it for tracing a croquis or transferring designs.
- Erasers
- Pencils with a B or H lead for initial sketching
- Small mini notebooks for sketching on the go
When it comes to actually sketching, I don’t really have any tips except to keep sketching. With time you’ll improve through repetition. One teacher I really like though is Zoe Hong on Youtube. She does a really great job at breaking down different aspects of fashion illustration like shading, drawing embellishments, and designing a collection.
Even though not everyone of you may not want to immediately start sketching clothes, I hope you learned a little more about fashion illustration. If you’re on the fence of learning how to sketch, take it from me. I’ve been sketching for years, and though some of my designs need some work, I find it to be a really rewarding process.