When a person begins to comprehend the basics of drawing, then he encounters many difficulties. And since people begin to learn by mastering the rules for constructing a still life, the first problems will be associated with this. But what is the difficulty? Everything seems to be simple, sketch out geometric shapes, apples and vases. But no, all these objects are on fabrics, which are sometimes very difficult to draw. You will learn how to draw draperies in pencil in this article.
Draw a simple drapery
Before you begin complex work, you need to acquire basic skills. Let's figure out how to draw a drapery with pleats in pencil. First you need to understand that it is always better to copy from nature, and not from the monitor screen. Therefore, it is worthwhile to find a cloth at home and hang it on a wall or table. You also need to think through lighting. In the summer, natural light may well suffice, but in winter it is better to turn on a table lamp. Moreover, it should stand on the same side from which the light from the window falls.
We proceed to the image of drapery in pencil. First you need to set the dimensions of the picture so that the fabric is not crowded on the sheet. To do this, step back 5 cm from the bottom and 3 cm from the top. When the circuit is ready, we outline the folds. If you are just learning, then do not create complex compositions for yourself. For beginning artists it will be enough to sketch 2-3 folds. After they are outlined, we begin to give them volume. To begin with, along the edge of the folds we go through a pencil. Put strokes in shape. When the fold is defined, we begin to give it a shadow. When this is done, proceed to shading. But you need to do this not with cotton, but with strokes. We achieve a smooth transition from light to shadow. When this stage of work has been completed, we give clarity to the contour and draw on the pins with which the fabric was attached to the wall.
Multi-pleat drapery
By learning to draw simple compositions, you can move on to more complex ones. Now let's try to depict drapery with a pencil in a more difficult angle. We sit down so that the folds of fabric look directly at us. First of all, we compose the drawing again, outline the main creases. Now again you need to go along the contour of the folds with a strip of strokes. But this time we are not limited to this. Not only fabric has light and shadow. Such a game is inherent in every crease. This is what we will try to show. We break each fold into smaller parts and draw shadow and light on them. But remember that all strokes should lie in the shape of the fabric. If the fold is wrapped, then the hatching should do it too.
After the drapery is ready, we separate the fabric from the wall. We will also achieve this effect by hatching. Here you need to know that the falling shadow from objects will always be darker than the one that is on the fabric. Be sure to consider this in the figure.
We draw a complex drapery with folds
When you get comfortable with the image of the fabric by various methods, you can proceed to the artwork. Draw a drapery with a pencil can be very beautiful. To do this, you need to choose a good angle and, of course, convey diversity. How to achieve this? Those folds that are closer to the artist and which are lit should have clear, contrasting shadows. And those that are in the background should not be faded, just not so saturated. In order not to distract the viewer's attention from the drapery, it is better to leave the background white, and also not go into details and not depict buttons that pinned the fabric.
Drapery in a still life
The fabric lying on the surface is drawn in exactly the same way as the canvas hanging vertically. Drawing a drapery with a pencil should begin with the layout. But remember that we are depicting a still life, and not just fabric, so all the things that will look out from under the folds must be brought forward. This does not mean that if the fabric is in the foreground, and the jug is in the background, then the drapery should be painted faded. You just need to select objects so that they are not lost in tone. In such a composition, you must definitely make a dark background. On it light fabrics and objects will look more advantageous, and most importantly, brighter. But when drawing a still life, again it’s worth remembering the shadows. You can’t get lost in them. The darkest will always be a falling shadow, then the background should go, and then the shadow on the drapery, and only last, the shadow on the objects.
Knotted drapery
Typically, this decoration acts as a background and therefore does not need a detailed study. But still we will tell you how to draw a knot from the drapery with a pencil in stages.
- First of all, we outline the dimensions of the fabric.
- Now you need to outline the folds on it, and here they will lie immediately in two planes in horizontal and vertical. And what does this give us? It must be borne in mind that everything that hangs is always darker than what lies.
- Draw a node. It needs to be emphasized. The logic of constructing it will be similar to drawing any fold. We outline a strip of shadow and shade it with strokes to the light. A series of such stripes will create the illusion of wrapped fabric.
- Well, now you need to deal with hanging and lying folds. Here we must not forget the fact that any object in a still life will cast a shadow. And she will lie on the drapery. Therefore, you should pay attention to this, and do not forget to portray it.
Creases on the towel
All rag things are drawn the same way. Therefore, when thinking about how to draw a towel, remember how to draw a drapery with a pencil. The analogy of construction will be the same. If you draw a technical drawing, then it does not require a detailed study. And why do such sketches at all, if you can perform a full-fledged art work? This is necessary so that the artist can quickly draw any object. This skill will be useful to the person in the future when he will remember all the objects that are in the interior and try to depict them from memory.
We draw curtains
All textiles that you can find in the interior are depicted on the same principle. Creating a drapery drawing with folds in pencil (pinned to the wall) is a preparatory work for the artist, who plans to draw really worthwhile paintings in the future. So how do you portray curtains? First you need to master perfectly the skill of depicting complex draperies. When this stage is completed, you can start drawing window dressing from nature. If the curtains are complex, with a large number of folds and a lambrequin, then work should be done in stages. For example, first draw all the vertical folds, and then go to the curved lines. And lastly, depict decor in the form of ties, lace, etc. If you look at our example, you can be surprised. How is it that the figure shows two different types of curtains, but do you need to draw them together? Yes exactly. After all, the difference in the tone of the tulle and the night curtain can only be achieved in contrast. Therefore, work should be done on the vertical folds of the transparent material and on the wide waves of dense fabric at the same time.
Draw a blanket
Folds on the material will not always be apparent. If the fabric is dense, then the creases on it will be large and rough. But still, an artist who wants to master drawing perfectly must know how to draw drapery with a pencil. After all, the blanket will be depicted on the same principle, with the difference that the play of chiaroscuro will not be pronounced. Basically, on such material, creases are transmitted by a sharp shadow, and a semitone fills not the space between light and shadow, but the distance between the folds. Of course, this all applies to a dense blanket, for example, down or synthetic winterizer. Light silk sheets will be drawn by analogy with classic draperies.
When you draw the interior, you need to monitor which of the fabrics will be the most saturated in tone. Indeed, in addition to bedspreads, pillows and curtains, a carpet is often present in the room.
We portray clothes
You probably already understood that we are faced with the image of drapery everywhere. They are found in still lifes, interiors and even in clothes. Let's draw a pencil drape skirt. First you need to depict the figure of a girl. Once she is ready, she can be worn. Consider the folds of two types: which the wind blows and which are at rest. What happens to the skirt under the influence of the wind? She starts to flutter. The folds are transformed from straight to undulating. We already know how to draw such creases. In the paragraph about complex draperies, the process of construction was discussed. And here we just say that drawing clothes is much more complicated than fabric hanging on a wall. It is especially difficult to do this when the wind is outside. The skirt will not flutter along the same path all the time, so you need to grasp the moment, photograph the folds in your memory, and draw them according to your imagination. To portray a skirt at rest is much easier. Here the folds do not sway, and most often fall down in even stripes. Of course, this is only true if the girl is standing.
But how to draw jeans on the figure? Here we have to remember how we drew a blanket. Dense fabric folds into rough folds in which the shadow can be considered conditional. Typically, artists leave a white stripe in the center of the leg and from it begin to depict massive folds. It is worth remembering that all creases will go at an angle, and not horizontally.