8 Ways Fashion Designers Improve Their Drawing Skills

Being able to take your ideas and dreams and put them on paper (or screen!) is imperative to those going into the world of fashion design. But if this isn’t a skill that you’re used to flexing and want to get better at it, what can do you to make your drawings go from in your head to on paper?

The 8 ways fashion designers improve their drawing skills are:

  1. Learn the basics. 
  2. Take a drawing course. 
  3. Study human anatomy. 
  4. Start with templates. 
  5. Use photo editing software. 
  6. Draw dynamically—add interest to your drawings through poses or how the fabric moves. 
  7. Add interest through the fabric in colors, textures, and patterns. 
  8. Don’t be afraid to experiment. 

Whether you’re just starting out or are well into your career, you can always work on your sketching. But why is it important? Read on to find out more how you can improve your croquis— or your clothing sketches.

Why is Drawing Important to Fashion Design

8 Ways Fashion Designers Improve their Drawing Skills

If you’re just starting out, you’ll soon learn that knowing how to draw is one of the most important skills in fashion designing. By opening yourself up to creating art, you can experiment with all the different ways you can create a piece, whether it’s by fabric, color, or design. 

It also can promote better communication between you and the person you’re working with. By having a well-proportioned, straight-forward artistic design, you can show your clients exactly what you’re intending to create. In the meantime, being able to create the perfect item that you have in your head will also save you money—many of which cannot be drawn will pay a freelancer to do so. 

It also can help keep those details at the forefront of your creation. Make sure you add patterns and even jewelry to really sell your fashion plate. 

The best kind of drawings also help outline your personal style. Show off what you know and how your art looks by creating fashion plates that represent you. 

Learn the basics

You may feel like you’ve already got this down, but make sure you can draw basic shapes—ovals, triangles, squares, etc. Practice this art to make sure you can draw them consistently every time. You should also work on these basic shapes to create 3D versions—knowing how to fold shapes over themselves and how to shade for 3D drawing will help you in the long run on creating the best fashion plates that you can. 

Take a drawing course

If you’re still not sure about how you look in terms of creating your art, consider taking an art course. There are plenty on the market—even some online—that you can learn from. There are also free tutorials online, like on YouTube. Furthermore, there are plenty of resources you can use to help guide you through the learning process. 

Study human anatomy

While many of your clothing sketches may be stylized or exaggerated based on your drawing style, it’s also important to understand the proper proportions of a person’s body. Like most skills, it’s best if you learn how to do it properly before you start to add your personal touch to it. Being able to draw a well-balanced and well-proportioned figure in your art can help you develop that eye, and then you can start to draw your figures the way you want to. 

8 Ways Fashion Designers Improve their Drawing Skills

In many cases, fashion art is exaggerated—figures are almost too thin and too tall, along with having nonspecific facial features. While it’s up to you whether you stick with this stylistic approach, it tends to be the industry standard. 

What’s the practical application? Practice. Look up figures online or use a figure book and start practice your sketching. Consider how fabric folds around the body and where it would drape, and consider even using a mannequin or model to get the right image that you need. Use what you have around you to improve your anatomy drawing. 

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Start with templates

If human anatomy evades you, don’t worry—you can use those forms and figures to help yourself start out. There are so many poses and images out there on the Internet that you can source and trace to help start your fashion drawing. In many cases, this can help you to learn how to draw them yourself. 

Try searching online for the figure you’re looking for, and once you find one that you like, consider taking it to a photo editing software where you can trace it, or even print it out to trace it freehanded. Try to make the drawing your own and experiment with different figures and types. 

Use a photo editing software

If you’re not used to drawing and are more apt to use a computer software, there are ways to create your drawings without putting pen to paper. Don’t be afraid to use something like Gimp, Adobe Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator. 

In many cases, you can attach a tablet and a pen to your computer to add your drawings to the editing app. A great way to utilize these programs is simply by practicing and understanding all the features they can provide, like cutting away full areas of the drawing or highlighting a specific section. 

Draw dynamically—add interest to your drawings through poses or how the fabric moves

8 Ways Fashion Designers Improve their Drawing Skills

Once you’ve really started to test the waters with how you draw, it comes down to what you draw. Your figures may look boring or disinterested, which means you have to add that interest—consider how your fabric is moving, or even how your figure is moving. How does the outfit shift? How does it move with their movements?

A practical application includes using physical, real-life models. Study how the fabric shifts against their bodies when they stand still and when they move. Use different fabrics—chiffon is going to move differently from damask, and tulle will be different than satin. The more you can experience, the better you can draw it on paper. 

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Add interest through the fabric in colors, textures, and patterns

Because you’re designing your own clothing, it’s important to include what you envision the fabric to look like. There are dozens of fabric types on the market, and each one can be represented differently in your art. 

You can also work with patterns. Many fabrics are created with patterns woven in, and knowing how to use them and how their draw is key. Patterns don’t just stay static on a person’s clothing—the shift and wrinkle and move. 

Test out drawing different fabrics by using, again, physical models. Make sure you’re attempting to capture the shine of satin or the netting type nature of the tulle so it’s easier to differentiate in your fashion drawings. The same with patterns—the more you can see, the better. Find fabrics that are patterned to use as references so you can learn how to draw the wrinkles and folds better on paper. 

Don’t be afraid to experiment

While you might think your art doesn’t stack up to other fashion plates on the market, remember that ever person has their own personal style. You might not have a drawing that looks like the next person, but that’s okay—lean into what makes you unique and create your brand around it. Make sure your art is functional, though, and can be taken to a manufacturer for creation. Knowing that fine line is up to you, your art, and your manufacturer. 

8 Ways Fashion Designers Improve their Drawing Skills

All in all, fashion design is a creative art and will always have an element of personalization. Don’t be afraid to lean into that. 

When it comes down to learning or improving your artistic schools for your fashion designing, it really comes down to one thing—practice. Whether you find your art good or not, the more you do it, the better it will become. Use references, try to learn off of different templates, and continue to work with different fabrics to really improve what you’re trying to draw. In the end, the more you practice, the better off your drawings will become. 

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Related Questions

Is fashion design stable as an occupation?

While it depends on where in the fashion industry that you’re employed, fashion design can be a stable position. If you’re working through a fashion house with an established salary, you are much more stable than a freelance fashion designer. 

How does a fashion designer gain customers?

When you’re trying to find work as a fashion designer, it’s important to know your audience and have consistent branding. Connect everything to your website and your social media so it’s easier to find you, and show off on your social media and blog posts your bestselling pieces. You can also work with influencers online, along with creating social media ads so people can purchase directly from their app. Make sure you network and stay on top of trends to gain the most customers. 

To learn more about how to start your own fashion clothing line check out my startup documents here

Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.