Drapery
 

I wanted to ask you guys first before I went looking too far on my own in the wrong directions. I was wondering what a good resource for learning how to paint/draw clothing and fabric. I've gotten by well on the observations I make while creating a piece but I know that there are tricks and tips out there that can help me with this. I know many great artists of the past studied hard on painting/drawing clothing, which enabled them to achieve what we see today. Do you know of any good books or online tutorials that can offer good techniques?

Hello Jeremiah,

I found this:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/menu.htm

Perhaps it would be helpful for you, too.

Ciao!

That is a nice resource. However, I could not find anything there on drapery techniques.

I'm a beginner artist too and have found that the best way to learn to paint "something", is by forgeting what you're trying to paint and just try to reproduce the shapes, the values, the hues, the chroma and the temperature of what you have in front of you.

Leave painting from photographs to the seasoned artists. At the beginning, you should paint only from nature in order to learn to "see" like a painter. Remember that you can only paint what you see and if you don't see right, you can not paint right, and this applies to any subject.

Excellent advice, Tito.

Jeremiah, I've found that Bridgeman guides cover the properties of drapery extensively.

In painting anything one has to try to simplify, particularly when painting the number of folds found in drapery. There is no mystery in painting folds, they still have the shadow part, the light part, the half tone, the cast shadow, the highlights and the reflected light. The illusion of the type of fabric can be achieved by observing carefully the texture and the distribution of the highlights in the cloth you're painting. Painting folds of fabric should be no different than painting petals of flowers, or hair.

Hi,


Hhere are the direct links to cloths (silk,satin etc.):

(with some tips and examples from Virgil Elliot)

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/cloth1.htm

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/cloth2.htm

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Hagan/cloth3.htm

Bye,
Leslie.

I'm always surprised that in the minds of artists, drawing drapery is in a separate category from drawing anything else.

However, it is soooo easy to learn (and teach yourself) to do it. Simply crumple up or drape a piece of cloth in a slightly "artistic" manner and illuminate it with a single source of light. Either paint this from life or photograph it if you cannot leave the "set up" undisturbed for a while. In fact, using drapery as subject matter is a good way to sharpen both your drawing and your photographic skills.

I suggest that you learn to draw drapery before you paint it. Use soft vine charcoal only - no white.

Then do another study with a different type of cloth. Each fabric has its own characteristics: crisp cotton sheeting, soft heavy velvet, shiny slippery satin, etc.

I found that for study purposes white fabric makes it easier to observe the dance of light, halftone and shadow across the form.

I poked around my old studio storage rack and resurrected an old drapery study I'd done long ago that I never had the heart to toss out. I like to play with lettering and the "Nu Master's" school reference is a punny word because my teacher's name was Numael.

The following is a study of a linen napkin that I thumbtacked to a board.

I find that if you soak them overnight in Wisk, you can remove most dirt and grime.

I've practiced a lot already in the ways that you've all described. However, just as there are resources for drawing the figure, I know that there are good resources out there for drapery. There are "formulas," so to speak, on the ways that drapery behaves. Certain stress points will make the drapery behave differently and then there is the matter of the thickness and other qualities of the fabric. I recall seeing a book once on this and it was kind of helpful but not completely.

Leslie, the Wetcanvas links on drapery were a big help. This is more of the resource that I was looking for. Thanks.

I am still looking for other resources if any of you know of them. I plan to collect such things so I may post them on my website.