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Drapery Drawing (Folded Fabric Studies in Charcoal & Pencil)

Drapery drawing refers to the art of drawing and illustrating clothing, fabric, and other textiles in a realistic and detailed manner. It's a technique that is often used in fashion illustration, costume design, and other areas where the representation of fabrics and textiles is important.

Drapery drawing typically involves observing and studying the way that fabric drapes, hangs, and moves, and then using this knowledge to create detailed and accurate illustrations.

Below are a few of my favorite drapery drawings, some of which were completed from a live model who incorporated fabric into her poses.

"Art nouveau fashion drawing" Graphite pencil on art paper

I drew this dancing pose from my mind. I wanted her to be wearing a dress with long flowing pieces of fabric that mimicked her long flowy hair, art nouveau style.

"Girl on draped stool" Drapery and figure study

In this pose the model covered her stool with a large sheet and it created some beautiful folds. You can't see the stool underneath but you can tell how high it is because the fabric changes direction when it reaches the floor.

"Girl in wrap" Charcoal drawing of a figure with drapery

In this life drawing the model is wraped tightly in a sheet so the folds are stretched across her body.

"Girl sitting with drapery" Charcoal study

The lighting from the side in this pose creates some beautiful shadows in the folded fabric. It was so fun to add the white charcoal highlights, it really made the drawing pop.

"Drapery girl" Fabric covered model

In this pose the model was almost entirely covered in a sheet and there were so many beautiful folds and creases in the fabric.

I also spent a lot of time working on the chair.

"Girl with a flowy skirt" Character concept

This was a quick character study for a short graphic story I was working on.

Here is the final result:

Girl with a flowy skirt from my 'Soul Search' graphic story

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