Drapes, Clothing & Folds
We are finished with the nude. The real difficulty consisted in proportioning, constructing, and perfectly modeling the body, and in studying its anatomy, its movements, and its essential and visible parts in detail. What will follow now, that is to say clothing, is another matter entirely; if the previous notions have been acquired, this problem should not be difficult.
It goes without saying that knowing how to represent a clothed character is absolutely indispensable to the artist. If you draw from a model, and even more so if you do it from memory, you will often have to render the look of a drape on one or more characters; you will have to solve the problem of texture, folds, gathers, adaptation to the body, etc. It often happens, for example, when an artist is drawing or painting a portrait, that they see very precise folds on the model's sleeve one day; the next day, during a more advanced session, these folds present a different form, so the artist must then rely on their memory and their knowledge of drapes and clothing to solve the problem. The case of the advertising illustrator is even more common, as they must very often solve and invent the construction of drapes or folds on the clothing of their characters.
Learning the subject that occupies us relies on direct observation from nature, and on a few rules that we are about to see.
Practical exercises for the study of fabrics and drapes in general
Our study of fabrics and drapes will consist of drawing several fabrics of different natures, arranged in equally different ways, placed on a table, a chair, or hung on a wall.
Drawing these fabrics will first force you to solve the considerable problem of volume and modeling; it is a problem that, although ancient, is nonetheless interesting: the fact that all the great masters have studied it proves this well. At the same time, this will allow you to study the look or the texture of the drawn fabric, and to reproduce this look so faithfully that one can guess, just by looking at your study, whether it is cotton, heavy wool, shiny silk, etc. Lastly, this study will provide you with valuable practice for the formation and organization of folds and gathers, which you will then apply when you draw or paint a clothed character.
Are you willing to work? If so, go in search of your models, the fabrics that I am going to indicate to you; prepare a chair or a table on which to arrange them; find the most adequate lighting. Finally, take into account the following recommendations:
— Choose light-colored fabrics where the shadow-light play will be more visible.
— Work preferably with artificial, lateral light, so as to obtain maximum relief.
— Choose, if possible, fabrics of distinctly different natures, for example, those that I allow myself to suggest to you:
a) a cotton sheet;
b) a thick, plush wool blanket;
c) a piece of satin or silk, of shiny fabric. (If you do not have this piece of shiny fabric on hand, use a woman's garment that can replace it).
— Make sure that the indicated fabrics have been ironed beforehand, if possible, in order to avoid inopportune folds.
— Use different methods to carry out these exercises. Draw, for example, one of the fabrics with a lead pencil, another with sanguine, another with charcoal, etc.
On figures no. 29 and no. 30, I drew a sheet and a blanket, the first with a lead pencil and the second with charcoal.
As you will see, the exercise is extremely interesting. Setting it up is neither easier nor more difficult than for another subject; you just have to know how to look at the overall line, the most characteristic folds, which will serve as reference points for the master lines of the initial setup. Modeling requires taking into account the existence of bumps and reflections, since it is the contrast and the texture that determine the surface quality. But the exercise assumes, above all, a serious and indispensable study of the characteristic form of folds, of the drape in general. You must see and learn, for example, that a fold breaks when the fabric loses its tension or when there is a protruding form underneath; this fold then changes direction and multiplies into a series of secondary folds; you must see that these breaks and these folds are more or less sharp, soft, or dull, depending on whether the fabric is more or less rigid, thin, or thick. Draw these fabrics in a fairly large format; work on "full-sheet" paper, with charcoal for example; fill the surfaces quickly, darken them while letting the whites and the highlights stand out, as if you were painting. It is fun and very profitable, you will see.
CLOTHING ON THE HUMAN BODY
The model, now, is the clothing... with the body underneath. You are well aware of the form of the body, its proportions, for example the length and diameter of an arm relative to the torso, of a leg, etc. But can you say the same about clothing, about a man's suit or a woman's dress? Do you remember, right now, the exact shape, dimensions, and proportions of a lapel; the raglan armhole of a gabardine; the modern cut of a shirt collar; the shape, length, and placement of darts that tighten pants at the waist?
—You aren't going to tell me that to learn to draw, I must also learn tailoring and sewing!
You will see; it is not exactly about tailoring and sewing. But I told you, to begin with, that your model is now clothing, and I repeat here this phrase by Delacroix:
"Know your model before drawing it."
Remember what Lawson, the American illustrator, said: "Before drawing a stool, you must weigh it, lift it, look at it as if you had to actually make it, with the same wood." Remember also Leonardo da Vinci who practiced dissection to better know the form of living things. All this can be applied to drawing human clothing, with the difference that you must not only know it, but also keep up with it day by day, stay informed to be sure of drawing costumes and dresses of today, in style.
Do as many exercises as possible. Draw all the necessary studies for yourself—drawing constantly is the best weapon to study and remember the proportions of a man's suit, a classic woman's dress, etc. Then study each detail separately. And above all, if for some reason you have to draw a clothed character from memory, do not try to invent, to create shapes and models by pretending you remember them! That is not your job. Always document yourself from nature; better yet, consult fashion or news magazines, provided they are not too old.
STUDY OF FOLDS AND GATHERS IN CLOTHING
We must know how the most characteristic folds are generally arranged, what shape they take, for example on the sleeve when one bends the arm, on pants or on a skirt, when one bends at the waist or bends the legs, etc. Let us analyze the causes that provoke these folds:
a) THE NATURE OF THE FABRIC FROM WHICH THE CLOTHING IS MADE. Indeed, a thin fabric presents a greater number of folds than a thick fabric. Remember, for example, what happens with a shirt sleeve. A thicker fabric, like that of an overcoat, remains more rigid; the folds in it are thicker and less numerous. Figures 31 and 32 allow one to compare the examples given.
b) THE FORM OF THE BODY AND THE CUT OF THE CLOTHING. Even if its measurements are exact, natural folds always form on the clothing, which correspond to the shape of the body. Furthermore, the cut or the form of the clothing—especially for women's clothing—can provoke precise folds: this is the case with a shirt, which is generally loose, or a flared skirt.
This is the essential factor, the most direct cause. Logically, when the body moves, when one raises an arm or a leg, when one sits down or squats, this gives rise to series of folds caused by the adaptation of clothing to the movement of each limb.
Once these causes are known, our goal is to simplify their effects by trying to find a standard fold formation, that is to say, a schema that we can apply to all or almost all parts of the clothing when it presents folds. I told you that the last factor is the most important of the three. The movements of the body are, certainly, unlimited; but by looking at them closely, we could reduce them to a few, essential and simple ones, namely:
- a) the action of raising an arm or a leg;
- b) the action of bending an arm or a leg;
- c) the action of bending the waist.
We will analyze the effects that each movement produces on clothing; but beforehand, let me study with you the general schema of a series of folds.
SIMPLIFICATION OF A GROUP OF FOLDS
Let us examine, for example, the folds that the sleeve forms when one bends the arm. If one sticks to what the model "says," we will undoubtedly reach the conclusion that it is truly difficult to remember from memory this variable series of small or large folds, of gathers more or less marked (fig. 33). But let us try to interpret, to see only the essential lines, the folds that really explain the bending of the arm. You can see this simplified interpretation in figure 34: the complicated ensemble of the first image has been reduced to a few strokes on the second, but sufficiently expressive to make the form of the model understood in this part.
Starting from this simplification, it is possible to add more or less folds or gathers; but that is how you must see things in principle, without complications or useless details. The important thing is to grasp the mechanics, the reason for the folds, and to remember that...
THERE IS NO EFFECT WITHOUT A CAUSE
When you bend your arm, the fabric of your sleeve must logically bunch up and form folds on the inner side of the joint. The elbow must also, logically, pull the fabric covering the arm; because of this, transverse folds form on the arm and the forearm of the sleeve; likewise, the sleeve opening remains in an oblique position, as if it were being pulled from the elbow (fig. 35). Similar effects occur on the pant leg when the knee is bent.
When you stretch your arm out, the fabric is pulled, and it is logical for transverse folds to form, precisely in the direction opposite to the movement performed (fig. 36). This figure helps us understand that if one raises the arm, the jacket becomes distorted, one lapel sits higher than the other, and a large fold forms at the waist while the jacket is buttoned: all this being a consequence of the pulling that the sleeve underwent when the arm was raised.
Finally, when one bends at the waist, the fabric remains taut on the back, while it is loose in front; horizontal folds form at the waist itself, and transverse folds form on the sides, above and below, with a tendency to converge towards the button of the jacket. The same phenomenon occurs with a woman's bodice and skirt (figure 37).
Certainly, there is no effect without a cause. And as for the formation of folds, it is not difficult to find the cause for each case. Analyze this cause and its effects, and you will have solved a large part of the problem.
Strive to see, for each case, how the fabric behaves in relation to the body and its movements.
Ask yourself what forces are acting upon the fabric, pulling and tugging at it. Then, consider that in the area opposite these forces, a series of folds will always form, towards which other folds will converge.
FIG. 38
At that moment, simplify; transform the ensemble of folds into a schema similar to that of figures 33 and 34, and you will have completely solved your problem.
A TRICK: DRESS THE CHARACTER YOURSELF
One sometimes understands these problems of movement, of fabric tension, of clothing proportions more easily if one starts from the nude body. It is an old trick; many professionals do it when they have to draw a character from memory. Remember this possibility; it is simply enough to sketch the nude with the help of a few light strokes, then to dress it; you will thus be able to better study the folds that have formed on the clothes, under the action of the body's movements (fig. 39).
NO GENIUS WAS EVER ONE BY CHANCE
Whether or not you know how to draw from memory and from nature depends uniquely, exclusively, on you alone; everything depends on whether or not you are willing to work for many hours, until you perfectly master your subject. Here, as in many other things, it is not chance that plays a role; this "luck of being born an artist" that many speak of... these are just words.
Ultimately, there is no greater gift than perseverance in study and work.
