Lisa Arnold

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-28-2022

Fashion drawing is all about attitude, exaggeration, and style. As you develop your fashion illustration skills, infuse your work with personal flair — your signature — to create a look unlike any other. Start by observing the golden rules of fashion drawing, mastering the S curve and other figure drawing techniques, and putting a creative spin on the fashion drawings you create.

Step by Step / Updated 11-10-2021

When drawing fashion illustrations, you first create a rough sketch of the body, also referred to as a croquis. Then you draw the clothes that go on top. Grab your pencil, a black pen, some tracing paper, sketch paper, and a fashion magazine if you have one handy. Here’s how to begin drawing a front view croquis:

Step by Step / Updated 11-10-2021

Drawing a stick figure, or line figure, is a perfect way for beginners to get comfortable with basic figures for fashion drawing, and it serves as a refresher for people who’ve done figure drawing before.

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

When you’re drawing a dude’s arms, don’t aim for muscle beach in fashion drawing. Male arms can look toned and terrific without making people’s heads swivel in disbelief at their size and shape. Keep in mind that men’s shoulders are wider. To draw attention-getting arms on a man, follow these easy steps:

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

Eyes really are the windows to the soul. The expression in the eyes is the first thing that people look at in real life as well as in fashion illustration. Eyes instantly express a person’s mood and can convey a haughty, happy, or distant look. There’s no end to the looks you can give your fashion creations through their eyes. Eyes should never be boring!

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

Ah, the T-shirt! The tee is easy to draw, and it lends itself to all kinds of fun prints. Throughout the years, the T-shirt has made its way from the gym teacher’s wardrobe to the high-fashion runway and back again! Guys, women, and kids practically live in them.

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

The button-down shirt hangs in everyone’s closet these days. For guys, it’s standard dress in many offices, and it’s a staple in nearly every woman’s wardrobe. Little boys wear a button-down with a tie on dress-up occasions, and little girls may wear one under a dressy jumper or with a skirt.

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

Women’s pants are fun to draw, and the varieties are endless. The waistlines, length, and fit are constantly changing. Designing pants can be such fun when you think about the placement of pockets and topstitching, along with the height of the waistline and length of the hem.

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

Most fashion illustrators love to draw fancy dresses and create a glamorous mood. With gowns for women, just about anything goes, and as a fashion artist, you get to go to new and exciting places with your pencil.

Step by Step / Updated 11-09-2021

Drawing the waistband and belt loops on a pair of fashion pants takes just a few simple steps. The complication factor comes from the variety of ways you can design the look. You can alter the number of belt loops, the location of the topstitching, the placement of the button, how many buttons you use — the options are endless!