About this tutorial

Introducing the tutorial “Polish your illustrations! How to Master Folds in Cloth and Clothing” by illustrator Nasuko (ナス子).

In this tutorial, Nasuko explains how folds appear in clothing, as well as how they vary depending on the item’s material.

Let's explore how folds are created, improving the overall perfection of an illustration.

 

How folds appear and their types

First, I will explain how folds appear, and their types.

When considering the folds of clothing, it is good to know their structure in advance.

 

An article of clothing is made up of parts sewn into multiple patterns to fit the body. The places where parts of a pattern joins is called the seam.

Let’s take a white button-down shirt for example. You can see that there are a couple of seams. We will be using these seams as a starting point for drawing fold lines.

Drawing the seams of an article of clothing helps clothing folds to look more convincing. Instead of drawing in random places, find clear starting points for folds, such as seams.

 

Folds vary in strength and depth — this important to keep in mind as you draw.

Folds that are too loose or soft or drawing heavy folds on people in the distance can result in a loss in three-dimensionality.

Start by drawing heavy folds concentrated near stress points, such as the elbows, shoulders, etc. Keep in mind that clothing wraps around the body.

 

Folds appear on clothing as it wraps around the body which is why keeping in mind the shape of the body is so important.

Drawing folds according to the shape of the body allows you to express the hidden parts of the body.

You can choose to draw strong folds to show the shape of the body even if there shouldn't be any folds there.

Sometimes it’s difficult to find the perfect balance of folds over the whole body. Additionally, they can make the body look small. One way to compensate for this is by hiding them with overlapping parts of clothing.

 

By the way, did you know that there are different types of folds?

Common folds include “folds made from the cloth being pulled,” “folds made from leftover cloth,” and “folds made from overlapping cloth.”

 

●　Folds made from cloth being pulled

These kinds of folds generally appear in places where stress is applied, such as the joints of arms and the upper parts of the knees. Make sure to draw these with straight lines.

 

● Folds made from leftover cloth

These folds appear when you tuck your clothes into your pants, or around the sleeves.

These kinds of folds have a lot of space in them as there isn't much stress applied to them.

Use loose lines to draw them.

 

● Folds made from overlapping cloth

These kinds of folds are made from cloth overlapping more cloth. Use them when drawing overlapping sleeves, or to add a natural feel to the clothing.

Avoid using straight lines since these also don't have a lot of stress applied to them.

 

I introduced the most common kinds of folds, but there are even more types.

It might help to observe some real clothing.

 

Folds of clothing

Next, I will be explaining clothing folds.

This time, I will be using two different shirts as examples: a white button-down shirt and a T-shirt.

 

● Button-down shirts

Thin fabrics, such as the ones used in button-down shirts, have thin folds with sharp shadows.

With thinner fabrics stress also tends to show more linearly.

Drawing in the seams of clothing and more folds where the fabric is dense increases how natural it looks.

 

● T-shirts

Thick fabrics, such as T-shirts, don't have obvious folds.

It’s better only to add folds that complement the line of the body. Furthermore, blurring them gives them a softer feel and makes them look like they are wrapping around the shape of the body.

 

Changing the way you draw folds for different materials better expresses the characteristics of various clothing items.

 

4. Folds on bags

Finally, I will be explaining the folds on different kinds of bags. When drawing bags, try to think about what kind of material it has and how it might fold as you draw.

How tough is the material? Make sure to draw in the seams and the contrast of the folds as well.

This time, I will introduce three types of bags that have clear differences; nylon bags, cloth bags, and leather bags.

 

● Nylon Bags

Nylon is a material that tends to make a lot of folds so be sure to draw many small folds.

Rather than drawing the same kinds of folds everywhere, keep in mind the shadows the folds may make and be sure to balance the number of folds in groups.

 

● Cloth Bags

Since cloth gives a soft impression, you should draw these folds with a loose line.

Additionally, make puckered seams, just like in clothing.

 

● Leather Bags

Add strong highlights to express its texture. Leather is a tough material, so there will be no small folds.

I think you can express leather clearly by drawing the seams near the edges with a thick line.

 

Palmie’s Video Tutorial

This is the end of my tutorial.

Folds are an essential aspect of a drawing, just like the faces of characters.

Even if it’s not an entirely accurate rendering, just bearing in mind that cloth covers and wraps around the body would make a significant difference.

I hope that this tutorial will help improve the overall quality of your work.

 

Be sure to check out the video of this lesson below!

 

Over 100 free lessons are available on the drawing course website Palmie! Please do check it out!

 

Artist profile: Nasuko

Hi, my name is Nasuko. This time I drew a tutorial based on folds in clothing and bags.

This tutorial helped me review my art, and was a good experience for me too. I also enjoyed being able to draw whatever I liked.

I hope you will view this tutorial as just one way of drawing. And I would be delighted if it was of any help to you!