Wednesday, May 06, 2009

I am not one of the elongated people


Apparently, in fashion illustration you aim to draw people with quite different body proportions than you would in other kinds of illustration. (This one was swiped from the Cornell University website - I hope they don't mind.)

You have to admit they are hardly realistic, but I can see why they'd do it - to sell clothes. Everyone knows that just about anything will look good on a 2-dimensional version of a flat-chested Barbie.

But what I don't understand is, why do sewing books and magazines - aimed at people just sewing for themselves and their families - tell you to draw the same way? Surely it is much more useful for 5' tall, cello-shaped woman with a bit of a tummy to draw all of her design ideas onto figure drawings that are also 5' tall, cello-shaped and with a bit of a tummy.

8 comments:

Watson Woodworth said...

I'm about shaped like Lou Costello but paler and more ginger'y.

Antoinette said...

I'm not sure if you are just musing or really want to know... I think that fashion illustrations like the one from Cornell are just fun to look at! But not everyone wants you to draw those elongated croquis for yourself when you sew for yourself. Threads has an article to draw your own personal croquis here: http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/th_125_051.asp

And a sewing blogger shared some sketches of her own personal croquis and common styles of clothing to see how those silhouettes and shapes looked on her. I saved the link but somehow have lost it but I try to find it if you want to see it. Fascinating and informative.

Anonymous said...

To be honest I'd be pretty scared if I saw that on the front of a pattern... it looks like the Bride of Chuckie!

Watson Woodworth said...

I really like that you have made your own paper doll.
Cartooning couldn't be that far off.

Kazzer said...

Violet, you don't look like that (your arms aren't that long).

Violet said...

nigel: I rest my case.

antoinette: I do want to know. The article that spurred me to wonder was in either a Sewing News, a Sew Stylish or a Threads - I don't remember which and I can't be bothered going to the bedroom to check. But I will check out your link, sounds interesting.

donnasoowho: that's not a very nice thing to say about my self portrait ;-)

nigel (again): I suspect there's more to cartooning than a line drawing of one's body issues...

kazzer: oh yes they are...

Antoinette said...

Here's the link to the sewing blogger who drew her own personal croquis and "tried on" a bunch of styles and trends. Really good reading:

http://sewblooms.blogspot.com/2009/01/dress-like-star.html

Violet said...

Thanks Antoinette - I'll have a read of it.