Sketching-People

Chapter Four
DRAPERY
Although clothing tends to cover up the forms we discussed
“So whether it’s the look of the person... the
clothes they wear, the mannerisms they have...
those are externals but... it helps give you a clue
as to maybe what’s going on beyond that.”
—Joe Mantegna
in the last chapter, those underlying forms are what dictate
the patterns of folds as the cloth is supported and suspended
over the figure.
Regardless of the sheerness or heaviness of the
cloth, garments follow the contours of the underlying
form in areas where the clothes are clinging to the
body, be it due to gravity or because the fabric is
being pulled and stretched against the figure.
Therefore, even when drawing a clothed figure,
you must first work out the volumes of the
body as if your subject were nude, then
you will have a framework on which
to convincingly hang the costume.
DRAPERY FOLLOWS FORM
Notice how in this sketch all the
fabric and folds of this woman’s
dress wrap around her figure,
giving the drawing a stronger
sense of dimension.