EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS OF CREATIVE FASHION DRAWING

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QUICK OVERVIEW:
Ask any designer what materials and equipment they need to draw and design and you will get a range of different answers.

EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS OF CREATIVE FASHION DRAWING:-

Ask any designer what materials and equipment they need to draw and design and you will get a range of different answers. However, many will suggest that you start with a few simple pencils and some ordinary paper. This is fine initially but, as any designer will soon confirm, you will soon begin to favor certain types and brands, both for the way they perform and the marks they make and also how they feel in your hand. The size and shape of your hand, the speed and size at which you draw, and how hard you press all have an influence on your choice of implementation, and this is before we even begin to consider the effect you wish to achieve in the actual drawing. Similarly, designers often prefer particular sketchbooks, whether they are large or small, landscape or portrait, spiral-bound or sewn, or zigzag or concertina types. This section aims to reveal the choices on offer and the attributes and benefits of the different types.

YOUR WORKSPACE:-

While a sketchbook is something you probably use anywhere, including out and about, it is also a good idea to have a dedicated work area – somewhere organized to suit your needs and promote efficiency. It should also have a good natural light source, if possible by a window, and ideally, have a movable work lamp fitted with a daylight bulb (full spectrum light) for more accurate colorwork. This space should offer you a place in which you can concentrate, where you have everything you need to hand, and where you can safely leave projects out without them being disturbed.

A desk or table that is steady and a comfortable chair with good back support is very important. Many designers like to draw on an angled surface. This does not need to be a sophisticated system – it could simply be a drawing board propped up at the back on a block or a small pile of books or magazines. A wooden A2 drawing board is generally best as it is manageable but has a sufficiently large surface area. The minimum size is A3.

BASIC EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS:-

While a designer may be perfectly happy with little more than an average pen or pencil and a stack of bulk paper, that is rarely enough for a good illustrator, who will usually carry a range of lead and colored pencils, various pens, lots of types of paper and several adhesives. All the following usage descriptions are based on manufacturers’ guidelines, but you can and should experiment, mixing as many together as you like.

HOLDING A PEN OR PENCIL:-

Before we look at the different types of materials, it is vital that a distinction is made between the right and wrong ways to hold a pencil or pen. It may sound dogmatic, but thousands of years of experience have shown that holding a drawing implement in a certain way does produce better results, so it is worth persevering to correct your technique and, if necessary, relearn altogether.

BASIC EQUIPMENT:-

• Pencils are graded from hard to soft, with H being hard and B soft. Both types are graded by number, with the highest being the hardest and the lowest the softest in the H range and vice versa in the B range. Choose a few different types and experiment. Automatic and clutch pencils, which contain an internal lead core that can be wound up and down, are also available with different grades of lead. These are very useful for getting ideas down quickly and cleanly, as well as being easy to use and maintain as you don’t need a pencil sharpener. They are a little more expensive than standard pencils but are invaluable when you are out and about.

• Coloured pencil crayons come in a good selection of hues, and are either plain or

water-soluble, with the latter giving a softer, more smudgy effect. As with anything, the quality varies and you get what you pay for, but a good start would be a basic selection box or carton of around 20 or so colors that you can add to as required. You need to look after pencil crayons – try not to drop them or shake them about too much as the leads will break inside. If you plan to carry them about with you, keep them in the box they came in or in a snug-fitting container.

• Ballpoint and rollerball pens are available in an ever-greater range, including those with gel inks, which are easy to obtain and use. As with all drawing implements, choose ones that are comfortable to hold and work with. It is worth trying out a few in an art store before purchasing one.

• Fine fibre-tipped or fine-liner pens range from the finest 0.05 mm nib to a thick 0.8 mm nib and are great for drawing technical ‘flats’ as well as for general drawing. The variety is huge, and your decision will be based on the effect you are hoping to achieve. Some give a very clean graphic look while others are more fluid, and different brands can vary too. They are either water-or spirit-based.

• Brush pens enable an illustrator to create very fluid lines in a variety of thicknesses, giving the swift, deft, expressive line you get from a paintbrush, but with the cleanness and convenience of a fiber-tipped pen. Both brush and fiber-tipped pens are useful for adding texture to fashion drawings when trying to depict different fabrics.

• A stapler and adhesives such as masking tape, clear tape, and double-sided tape are required for masking areas of drawings, joining and fixing layers, and combining materials.

• Stick glue is useful for adding elements such as scraps of materials and so on to sketchbooks.

• Bulk paper is available cheaply in different qualities, mostly graded according to weight. A4 size at 80 gsm (grams per square meter) or 90 gsm is a good basic paper. Sketchbooks vary according to paper quality and size; a standard A4-size sketchbook of cartridge paper will generally suffice, although those who prefer more space should go for A3. An A5 pad is a must for your pocket when traveling about. For more about the paper see here.

 

BUILDING UP YOUR KIT, EXPERIMENTAL, AND SPECIALIST:-

Once you have got the hang of some basic skills and are more confident you can build your range of techniques by experimenting with a broader spectrum of specialist implements. These are termed ‘dry’ or ‘wet’. In addition, there are numerous types of paper that can be explored, producing a range of different finishes.

DRY MATERIALS:-

• Graphite pencils come in a huge range, from hard leads that give a very fine, faint line, to dark and soft leads that can be smudged with a finger and produce a rougher, more fluid line.

• Chinagraph pencils are waxy and make a bold mark on any surface.

• Conté pencils are very hard pastel crayons with which a variety of effects can be achieved, from very soft to dark and smudgy marks.

• Charcoal pencils are essentially charcoal in a pencil form, which means that they are not as messy to use as lump charcoal. Various grades of charcoal can be bought in this form. It is very fluid, and an extreme variety of lines and marks can be achieved – from the very soft and subtle to dark and bold scribbles – all of which can be easily smudged.

• Chalk pastels are either soft or hard. The pigment is bound together with clay and gum arabic and, as with paints, their price reflects the amount of pure pigment they contain. The first three saturations, containing the most pigment, are the most expensive, and as more white is added to make them paler, so the price reduces. Since they are expensive it is worth trying out just one or two to see if it is a medium you want to use. Soft and subtle effects can be achieved by overlaying, smudging, and blending colors.

• Oil pastels comprise pigment bound together with beeswax or mineral wax and non-drying petroleum jelly. They are very waxy and produce a bold, textured line that is excellent for quick life studies. Another feature of these pastels is they can be used to block in large areas of color and then blended to a flattering color using lighter fuel, white spirit, or turpentine.

WET MATERIALS:-

• Marker pens are spirit-based and are available in a fantastic range of colors. Each pen usually has two different-sized nibs, making them a versatile, clean and quick way of putting down flat color.

• Watercolours are blocks of pigment bound together with gum arabic, glycerine,

• Watercolours are blocks of pigment bound together with gum arabic, glycerine, resin, and sugar. Water is applied with a brush and the paint can then be transferred to paper to give bold washes of color, or to build up layers of color in a tonal way. Once dry, subsequent layers of color can be added on top.

• Coloured and black inks are essentially concentrated watercolors and are used in much the same way. They produce very intense colors, which is especially useful if illustrations are going to be reproduced. They can be applied with a brush to create washes of color or with a pen to produce a lively, scratchy line or to add finer details.

• Gouache, generally called designers’ gouache, is an opaque water-based paint that is used for laying down flat color.

• Fixative spray is used for fixing pencil, crayon, charcoal, and pastel once an illustration is complete.

• Spray Mount adhesive is essential for mounting work flat. Make sure you use it in a well-ventilated room to avoid a build-up of fumes.

PAPER:-

• Basic bulk paper is invaluable for working out ideas in rough. Printer paper is normally available in A4 and A3 sizes and often has a weight of around 80 gsm. The most economical way of buying it is in reams (packs of 500 sheets) from official suppliers.

• Layout paper is thinner than printer paper – about 45–55 gsm – and is semi-transparent. You can work through a series of roughs, amending an image by putting another sheet over the top and redrawing and adjusting it until you get your ‘finished rough’. The easiest way to do this is to buy the paper as a pad and begin at the back, working towards the front. Spirit-based pens and fiber-tipped pens will bleed through to the sheet underneath, so be aware of this. Many designers insert a sheet of heavier paper beneath their drawing page for protection.

• Cartridge paper is heavier and better quality than printer or layout paper and can be used with various mediums. It is an economical choice if you want to experiment with ways of putting down color. It is available in sketchbook form in many sizes and as separate sheets.

• Bleedproof paper (around 70 gsm) is for use with spirit-based pens (marker pens) and enables you to lay down flat color with a clean edge. Although you can use marker pens on any paper, they can appear dark and streaky, giving a soft, blurred edge, so bleed proof paper is the best choice if you want a crisp, reliable result. Alternatives include the heavier-weight Paris bleed proof paper, and Bristol board – a smooth, double-faced paper of about 250 gsm that can be used on either side. It is best to use heavier-weight paper if the finished drawing is for your portfolio as thinner types start to look shabby quite quickly. Thinner ones are fine for artwork that is going to print.

• Watercolour paper is generally used with watercolor paints and colored inks. It is available in three forms: ‘cold press’ (called NOT), which has a rough-textured surface and is good for transparent washes and inks; a still rougher version (called ROUGH); and ‘hot press’ (HP), which has a smoother finish and is better for use with opaque paints such as gouache. All watercolor paper comes in various textures and weights starting at around 160 gsm. Experiment to find the ones you like.

• Ingres paper is designed for pastel work, gouache, or collage. It is a beautiful, textured laid paper that takes its name from the neoclassical French painter who favored it.

• In addition to paper that you can buy, you can use scraps of paper torn from magazines or start a collection of textured and colored papers for collage work or more experimental drawings.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:-

• Lightboxes are useful but not always essential if you prefer to work directly on your drawing paper. If, however, you want to draw a rough first, you can then attach it to a lightbox, place a fresh sheet of paper over the top and trace the rough. You can easily see if this method works for you by attaching a rough drawing to a brightly lit window with masking tape, then placing another piece of paper over this and tracing the image.

• A computer, printer, and scanner, while not essential, do provide an extra scope and can be beneficial. There are many ways to enhance hand-drawn images, such as adding color and texture, changing the scale of a scanned drawing, combining multiple drawings, or creating collages by inserting photographs, images, and text. However, you should always bear in mind that: ‘… these methods do not improve creativity and should only be used as tools to extend ideas…’