The Bending Body

As an artist primarily concerned with conveying how a garment will look before it is actually crafted, it is often important to capture the body in nontraditional poses to express how a fabric's folds and drapes will behave.  It is one thing to draw a semi transparent layer of fabric, but another thing entirely to show that it is soft and fluttering vs stiff and starched. This is especially important when proof drawing for theatre and dance where motion is not only implied, but a large part of the aesthetic.

Before one learns how to draw fabric that reacts to its environment and gravity (topics for later posts), one must learn how to draw the flexible bending frame on which fabric is hung.  It is not important to be perfect at this -- God knows I certainly am not! What is important is to give the correct impression.  Most design proofs are far from photo realistic, especially where the body frame is concerned, so don't be too precious about it while learning -- you will develop a style that works well for you and, more likely than not, it won't be photo realistic.



The three blocks of the body: Head, Chest, and Pelvis

The main moving portions of the human body are the head, the chest, and the pelvis.  Lets focus for now on the relationship between chest and pelvis.  When the body bends, these two blocks move in opposite directions in order to maintain balance.  When you bend over to touch your toes, your shoulders bend forward, and your pelvis top tilts backwards.  When you stretch to the left side, the chest tilts to the left and the pelvis tilts to the right.

If it helps to visualize this, you can cut out two paper trapezoids (one for the chest, one for the pelvis) and tape them to a string that will function as your spine.  Make sure the two trapezoids are roughly 1/2 head-height apart on the string.  Now bend and move them -- study how they look and how the string spine curves.  Pick up the paper trapezoids and move them in 3 dimensions, bending the figure forward and back. 




The basic proportion skeleton we drew in yesterday's post is exactly the same for bent figures -- the trapezoids are just moved in space. Adding thickness to the frame allows you to see better where different areas attach. The front right rib to front right hip, no matter where the two blocks are bent, and so on.  (Subtle dotted lines connect the major corners). Even in a complex twisting frame (J), the same holds true. Drawing the head in front or partially obscured makes the figure face a particular direction. Figures C and F are nearly identical, the only difference being the head/face being fully visible, or partially hidden by the neck/shoulders. 

Heads can be drawn in many more rotations and positions than the chest and pelvis blocks are capable of moving naturally, however it is drawn in only 2 basic shapes: the egg, and the tilted teardrop. To show a head in profile, it is important to give an impression of the jawline and chin which is the point of the teardrop.  Look at figures B through J and you will see that the head is the same shape, with the tip of the teardrop the only part that changes position.


Next: Movement and Balance Points: Where to draw legs on a complex figure.

Standard Proportions for Sketching

Throughout cultures, very slight differences appear in what is considered "the ideal" for proportions in the adult human body, but we will focus on drawing them for artistic rendering purposes, or what the art world calls "ideal".

Normal humans are usually 7-8 times the height of their heads, meaning you can use the height of the head as a unit of measurement to give you "lay lines" for the major parts of the body.  "Ideal" humans in the art world are 8 heads tall, giving them longer more graceful lines. The adult figures to the left are labeled for 7.5 heads tall. Feel free to use whichever you prefer. I will detail where the "leylines" should go for a figure 8 heads tall for simplicity.

It takes many steps to explain, but once you have done it once or twice, it feels much more natural and you can quickly begin to play with different positions for legs, arms, and rotation of the body.

Step 1: draw a scale along the side of your paper split into "head height" sections.
Step 2: Draw lightweight horizontal lines at each "head unit" from the edge of your paper all the way across the page. You should have 9 lines, and 8 head-height spaces.

Step 3:  Label each line from top to bottom as follows (noted in green), along the side of the page for later reference.

1. From the top of the head to the chin 
2. from previous position to the armpit
3. from previous position to the navel (and elbow joint)
4. from previous position to the crotch
5. from previous position to mid-thigh (and the tips of the fingers)
6. from previous position to just below the kneecaps
7. from previous position to the middle of the shinbone
8. from previous position to the heels or floor

For a more general guide, the following should still be true:

• Crotch should be half way up the body.
• Kneecap is at 1/2 the length of the leg (minus the foot).
• Elbow is at 1/2 the length of the arm (minus the hand).
• Ribcage ends just above the elbow.
• Hipbones start just below the elbow.
• Widest part of hips starts just above the wrist.

Now we add a few more lines and dots for the widths of shoulders, ribcage, waist, and hips.

If I can draw this, you certainly can!

1. Draw a vertical line in the center of the page to represent the mid line of the body.
2. Draw an egg shape to represent the head, with the "small end" of the egg pointing downward (for the chin).
3. 1.5 head-length from the top = shoulder bones. These should be 2 head widths wide for a woman, and 2.5 head widths wide for a man. Mark the width with a dot.
4. Between 1 and 1.5 heads, mark the center line and draw a slope from here to the shoulder bone ends.  This new line is the slope of the shoulders.
5. At the line labeled "armpit", measure outward from the center just shy of one head-width.  This is the widest part of the ribcage, on each side.
6. If you are drawing a woman, locate the line labeled "armpit" and go downward 1/4 head-length. This is where the nipple line should fall, and each nipple should be roughly 1/2 head width from the center line.  For men, the nipple line is slightly higher, close to the armpit in height.
7. Find the line marked "navel" and go up 1/4 head-length. This is where the bottom of the ribcage stops, and should be roughly 1 head-width wide.  
8. Connect the wide and narrow points of the ribcage with a line. 

Now for the hips:

1. Locate the line labeled "navel" and measure down 1/4 head-length. This is the top of the pelvis, and should be 1/2" head-width per side. 
2. Locate the line labeled "crotch" and mark a dot 1 head-width from the center for women, or slightly less than 1 head-width for men. (Mark each side of the center line)  This is the bottom of the pelvis where the leg bones attach.

Legs:

1. Find the line labeled kneecap and mark 1/2" head-width to either side of the center line. This point is the bottom of the kneecaps, or patellas.   Draw a line from your hip location to the new kneecaps.  This line is your sketch's femur.  
2. Find the line labeled "heels" and mark 1/4 head-width outward from the center line. 
3. Measure up 1/4 head-height from this dot and make a mark. Connect this mark to your kneecap. This is you figure's shin bone, and the mark below it is the bottom of your figure's heel. 

Arms:

1. Find the line labeled "navel" and measure outward 1+1/4 head widths. This point is your figure's elbow. Draw a line from the elbow to the end of your figure's shoulder bones to complete the upper arm.  
2. Find the line labeled "crotch" and measure down 1/4 head-height. This is where the wrist joint begins.  The wrist joint connects to the elbow for your figure's lower arm.
3. Find the line labeled "mid-thigh" Along this line is where the ends of the fingers touch.  Draw a simple hand (an elongated oval or a diamond shape will do) anywhere between the wrist joint and this line.

Now your wire skeleton is complete! Lightly sketch in the outline of the body around this skeleton remembering that muscle adds width to the widest part of the hips just below the hip joint, and that the widest part of the calves is roughly 1/3" of the way between knee and ankle.

What is Couture?

Couture is shorthand for "Haute Couture", which is French for "High Fashion".  In practice, it means the craft of making clothing items specifically for one individual. These items are usually designed, patterned, and constructed from scratch, and frequently include hand sewn details and expensive or unique fabrics and trims.

In contrast to "high fashion" where a designer draws something and it is constructed (usually by someone else) in a stock "size six" then a model is chosen who can fit into it to display it on a catwalk, true Couture houses make each item from a client's actual body measurements and tastes, no two garments ever alike. Because these items are not mass produced in any regard, they are more expensive and time consuming to craft.

While the term "Couture" is a fairly modern phrase evocative of 1950's Parisian fashion, clothing construction has been done in exactly this manner for centuries. It is not limited to western or even modern fashion. It happily encompasses all cultures and time periods, and even complete fantasy, theatre, and dance costume.

Coture Steps: Design, Drafting, Fitting, and Construction


1. Design Sketching

If a client knows exactly what they want, they will often bring photographs, sketches, literary descriptions, or still frames from movies to illustrate their ideals.  However, it usually necessary to provide many of the details yourself. Not everyone is as creative and artistic as you are, so being able to "see" what they are asking for takes practice and many questions such as: "Do you like the shape of this bodice, or just the fabrics used? Describe to me which parts of it are important to you."  A final sketch or artist's rendering is provided along with fabric swatches for approval.

2. Pattern Drafting

Drafting can be done with either flat-patterning from basic stock bases (if your client is average), from scratch, or from pure draping.

Pre-drawn bases can give you a decent starting point to work from, but require a fair amount of tweaking to fit your client's shape properly. Most "name brand" patterns fall under this category, but are frequently of poor quality.

Drafting a flat pattern from scratch requires a solid understanding of math, geometry, and ability to use printed guides for sizing. The benefit of flat-scratch patterns is that they need only basic alterations and are good for especially tall, round, or short frames.

Draping a pattern requires more time with your client, but much less time spent on alterations and drafting complex or unique pieces. Rectangular pieces of fabric are pinned loosely together and the "seams" are pinned together and clipped to conform exactly to your client's body. This method is highly accurate, but requires a good understanding of where seams should lay to give the best look/lines. Necklines, waist lines, and armholes are drawn directly onto the toile fabric. After fitting, the pieces are cut at the pinned seam lines to give you your very exact flat pattern pieces.

3. Toile Fitting

Once your pattern is constructed, a mock-up version of each piece should be made in a fabric that behaves similarly to your finished fabric (a floppy thin fabric for silks, a stiffer fabric for wool suitings, etc). The mock-up ("toile") is sewn together loosely and your client tries this on. Adjustments are made where necessary to ensure that all of the parts fit and the curves lay smoothly.  This is then cut apart and used as your final pattern. 

4. Construction by machine and finishing by hand.

Each part of the garment is constructed in such a way that it is either neatly lined, or all fabric edges are bound, pressed, and tidy. Fasteners are attached by hand, and can be zippers, buttons, lacing holes or loops, or ties.. Trims, beading, and decorations are also typically added by hand.