Quote:
Requested by sharpie5332.
The number one best way to learn how to do folds is to keep your eyes open when going about your day to day business. It is perfectly fine to sit there in class and stare at the hot guy in front of you's shirt. If you ever find yourself stuck in how fabric should fall, go stand in front of a mirror for a while. That being said, here's some pointers as to how I do things. I'm not perfect, am still learning, but it's a start.
I'm doing three styles of folds. Subtle, large, and many. First, draw what you want to put folds in, use whatever style you prefer. As you can see, I like to sketch something in, color it in, and then clean up the edges later on.
Add the first layer of shadows. For skirts, lines are your friends. Work moving up and down with the exception of the subtle folds. Those tend to be a little bit more side to side. But for the most part, dramatic folds in skirts are up and down.
Add the second layer of shadows. Again, up and down, reserved for the deepest darkest parts of the fabric.
If you're using Photoshop, this is where the smudge tool becomes your friend. Otherwise, be a little more precise with your shading than I am. Again, work up to down, and use only the barest minimum. You just want to smooth out your lines, no more.
First layer of highlights. You're going to take up big chunks of fabric with this stage. Where the folds fade out blend. Where they are sharp, put light right next to the darkest shadows. Don't be afraid to overrun your shadows at this stage! If you want a tiny fold to stand out you'll have to have light right on top of dark with no transition. Go pinch a piece of your shirt to see what I mean.
Last layer of highlights. This is reserved for the lightest areas where the cloth peaks the most. For these, less is more. Also, since skirts tend to fold out to one level near the bottom (unless you have a super drapey skirt) start to connect the folds as you reach the hem. If you notice, I didn't like how dark the shadow was in the first skirt so I went over it.
Shirts. Draw in your shirt in whatever manner you prefer. Again, the folds are subtle, medium, and dramatic.
For shirts, I prefer to work side to side. For girls, emphasize the boobs. Folds will curve down around the edge of the breasts and then up again into the little hollow between, unless you have a slightly baggier shirt. Then they just trail off into a straight line and don't really connect. Guys... guys are a pain. There's a reason I don't like drawing guys. A lot of folds in shirts will be triangles. Zig-zag your strokes.
Second layer of shadows. Same as before. Also, add some folds to the middle of the fabric as well. Folds don't rest only near the edges. For super-drapey fabric you'll want to use a lot of curved folds, for sharper fabric you'll want to use more of straight lines. For falling sleeves, use ovals. An important thing to note altough I didn't show it here - if a girl is wearing a really tight shirt you'll have a little series of folds right between her boobs where the fabric is being pulled tight.
First layer of highlights. Again, you'll be covering big swatches of fabric, but only in areas where it rests relatively flat. This can include stomach, chest, portions of the arm. Wherever the body bends frequently there will be wrinkles. Like with the skirt, put light right next to dark. Think triangles, zig-zags, and straight lines.
Last layer of highlights. Only for the very edges of the wrinkles.
And the finished product! Huzzah.
There's a LOT of ways to do wrinkles in fabric. These are just the methods I am best at and feel most comfortable teaching. If you look at some of Lucca's edits you'll see she tends to do folds in swoops on the skirts while I favor lines. (it's cause of the SCA. Most of my garb is paneled and pleated skirts so everything falls in straight lines) There's just so much variation in cut and fabric hang that you can find a lot of different styles in folds. Keep your eyes open. It's the best way to learn.
The number one best way to learn how to do folds is to keep your eyes open when going about your day to day business. It is perfectly fine to sit there in class and stare at the hot guy in front of you's shirt. If you ever find yourself stuck in how fabric should fall, go stand in front of a mirror for a while. That being said, here's some pointers as to how I do things. I'm not perfect, am still learning, but it's a start.
I'm doing three styles of folds. Subtle, large, and many. First, draw what you want to put folds in, use whatever style you prefer. As you can see, I like to sketch something in, color it in, and then clean up the edges later on.
Add the first layer of shadows. For skirts, lines are your friends. Work moving up and down with the exception of the subtle folds. Those tend to be a little bit more side to side. But for the most part, dramatic folds in skirts are up and down.
Add the second layer of shadows. Again, up and down, reserved for the deepest darkest parts of the fabric.
If you're using Photoshop, this is where the smudge tool becomes your friend. Otherwise, be a little more precise with your shading than I am. Again, work up to down, and use only the barest minimum. You just want to smooth out your lines, no more.
First layer of highlights. You're going to take up big chunks of fabric with this stage. Where the folds fade out blend. Where they are sharp, put light right next to the darkest shadows. Don't be afraid to overrun your shadows at this stage! If you want a tiny fold to stand out you'll have to have light right on top of dark with no transition. Go pinch a piece of your shirt to see what I mean.
Last layer of highlights. This is reserved for the lightest areas where the cloth peaks the most. For these, less is more. Also, since skirts tend to fold out to one level near the bottom (unless you have a super drapey skirt) start to connect the folds as you reach the hem. If you notice, I didn't like how dark the shadow was in the first skirt so I went over it.
Shirts. Draw in your shirt in whatever manner you prefer. Again, the folds are subtle, medium, and dramatic.
For shirts, I prefer to work side to side. For girls, emphasize the boobs. Folds will curve down around the edge of the breasts and then up again into the little hollow between, unless you have a slightly baggier shirt. Then they just trail off into a straight line and don't really connect. Guys... guys are a pain. There's a reason I don't like drawing guys. A lot of folds in shirts will be triangles. Zig-zag your strokes.
Second layer of shadows. Same as before. Also, add some folds to the middle of the fabric as well. Folds don't rest only near the edges. For super-drapey fabric you'll want to use a lot of curved folds, for sharper fabric you'll want to use more of straight lines. For falling sleeves, use ovals. An important thing to note altough I didn't show it here - if a girl is wearing a really tight shirt you'll have a little series of folds right between her boobs where the fabric is being pulled tight.
First layer of highlights. Again, you'll be covering big swatches of fabric, but only in areas where it rests relatively flat. This can include stomach, chest, portions of the arm. Wherever the body bends frequently there will be wrinkles. Like with the skirt, put light right next to dark. Think triangles, zig-zags, and straight lines.
Last layer of highlights. Only for the very edges of the wrinkles.
And the finished product! Huzzah.
There's a LOT of ways to do wrinkles in fabric. These are just the methods I am best at and feel most comfortable teaching. If you look at some of Lucca's edits you'll see she tends to do folds in swoops on the skirts while I favor lines. (it's cause of the SCA. Most of my garb is paneled and pleated skirts so everything falls in straight lines) There's just so much variation in cut and fabric hang that you can find a lot of different styles in folds. Keep your eyes open. It's the best way to learn.
