Fashion Design Drawing

The exact form and position of the ear, in the living figure, varies considerably, but -in fashion work the feature does not

receive much attention. Some degree of character may be suggested by the shape, and the mode of the day conveyed by depicting the ear covered or exposed.

EYE

The main difficulty with the eyes is to place them, but if the masses of the forehead, nose, and cheek are first fixed this difficulty very largely disappears. The artist must focus the eyes correctly; also observe that the distance between them is approximately the width of one eye. The upper lid always partly screens the top of the iris, and sometimes the lower lid also cuts across it. An open eye has the qualities of nobility and beauty, whilst a closed one is the more characterful. For the maid and the child the open eye is needed; for the sophisticated woman the narrow eye is more effective. There is a great deal in the drawing of the eyes in a good fashion sketch, and the examples on pages 1,6 and 50 should be carefully studied.

FACE

The face may be divided roughly into three equal parts, the dividing lines lying across the brows and the tip of the nose. In woman the space above the brows is greater than in man, giving her a more candid expression. Both in woman and the child the relatively smaller features give the eyes the appearance of being wider apart than in man. The emotions of pleasure, surprise, and so forth, are chiefly conveyed by facial expression, but are also reflected in pose and the position of fingers and toes.

HAIR

Hair may be represented either by lines following the direction of individual hairs, or by tone. In fashion drawings, as a rule, hair is not given very detailed treatment, but the line of the hair is important, since it is a great aid in conveying character and atmosphere.

HEAD

The secret of drawing a convincing head is to aim at the form, and not to concentrate on the features. If the student views the head not as a flat oval but as a cube, the sense of mass, the effects of perspective and foreshortening, and the position of the principal planes, will be more readily achieved.

In profile the line of the hair from ear to forehead roughly bisects the head; whilst in full face the eyes perform a similar function. The three-quarter pose of the head brings the near eye into full view, and in this position the off* eye requires very careful drawing.

A feature of the head of a child is the rather projecting forehead; other points being the smallish face and chin, and the short and slender neck.

LEGS AND FEET