[A] Introduction

Hi~ and welcome to this tutorial!! I’m Mira and in this tutorial I will demonstrate how to create your own Fashion Design using Clip Studio Paint! (^▽^)/

[B] General information

Algeria has been introduced to lots of civilizations since the dawn of time, and that has enriched its culture with all sorts of traditions. And due to the diversity of people's clothing tastes, so many styles have emerged from various areas.

Today I was inspired by this great diversity to Update and Reimagine some of the most unique Algerian dresses! As well as to share with you useful Tips on Designing and Fabric materials by using Clip Studio Paint in preparing my designs.

And now Let's introduce the Algerian folk clothing~

1. "El-Lhaf" "اللحاف"

This dress is worn in the Aures region and its environs.

It is a two-layered dress, the inner one (1) is usually transparent with long sleeves. While the second one (2) is distinguished by its unique style of tailoring!

The Top dress is formed from two pieces of Silk cloth that is longer than the length of the body, they're sewed at the sides and the excess part is folded on top.

The front and back sides are bunched up and held on both sides of the neck by gold or silver Brooches.

Various accessories are worn with this dress, mainly Silver or gold Jewelry.

A multicolored wool threads are woven together to form a belt, which is an important part of this outfit.

The Silk dress (2) is decorated with folk symbols and colors!

2. "Karako" "كاراكو"

The "Karako" dress is an iconic design that's really popular in the capital Algiers and its suburbs.

It consists of a slim jacket (1) embroidered in golden or silver floral designs along with a matching color Skirt/Trousers hybrid (2)

The pants are basically formed from a long skirt with two slits for leg openings, then fabric between is sewn at the bottom.

Another part of this outfit is the also matching color headband, along with silver head accessories!

3. "Fergani" "فرقاني"

The "Fergani" is a truly Impressive dress worn especially in the city of Constantine.

It is a long dress of Velour cloth, often in Burgundy.

Densely embroidered with golden Gorgeous Floral designs! The "Fergani" is my Favourite!! (☆▽☆)

Anyway, It also comes with short sleeves of the same material (1) As well as Long transparent sleeves (2)

As I said, the Embroidery on this dress is a sight to behold! it covers the nearly the entire dress and it's actually all Handmade!! How cool is that? hehe

It also comes with a Pearl necklace and an actual gold belt!

4. "Warhrani" "وهراني"

This dress is most common in the city of Oran.

It is a long dress consisting of two layers, the bottom one is the base (1) and comes in a variety of colors, the second layer on top (2) is a transparent and embroidered cloth.

The top as well as the waist area of the dress are Elastic!

The "Wahrani" style is distinguishes by the belt and neck decorations used, as they are handcrafted from Crystal stones and beads.

This dress is also worn with Gold Jewelry!

5. "Kabylie" "قبايلي"

the "Kabylie" dress is a very famous style worn in the Algerian east especially by the Berbers.

It is a white silk dress with a square neck (1), which is then decorated with ornate strings (2) placed at each other to form a unique form of colors, these decorations are placed on the neck, sleeves and the bottom of the dress.

A colorful silk cloth to be used as a belt (3) by wrapping it around the waist and it goes very well with this dress!

This dress is also worn with colorful Silver Jewelry, mainly a Necklace and head accessory "Kabylie Jbin" that's decorated according to folk designs!

6. "Tlemsani" "تلمساني"

It is a western Algerian dress that Tlemcen brides wear on their weddings.

And it is a bit similar to the "Karako" as it consists of a long densely embroidered jacket (1) with a matching color long skirt (2)

But what characterizes this dress and sets it apart is the impressive Pearl jewelry that covers most of the garment, and is even used as part of the garment to ensure complete coverage of neck and head!

In addition to scarves, this dress includes a semi transparent Veil.

[C] Drawing process

First Launch CSP and create a new canvas!

We'll start with drawing the model's body following the industry's standard of 9 heads in length, I like to call it the Alien rule lol

I recommend you sketch out few poses changing the flow of the character each time; This will ensure a lively feeling to the model as well as emphasizing the shapes of our designs!

Once you decide upon a pose, it is time to sketch our design on top. A big imagination is really helpful here but luckily I have the aforementioned Folk designs as references.

It is very important to understand how the layers of cloth are sewn and how fabric interacts together. In addition to avoid mixing clothes or fabric types from different seasons.

Thus, before I start drawing I usually sketch the layout of the garment to help me understand the design better!

Anyway, After that we fill in the base colors for both the body and the dress on top.

Please keep in mind that we can't use lines or lineart as it's only for shapes references!

[D] Useful tips

1. When painting "Velour" cloth:

Velour doesn't reflect other colors, meaning the highlights are a slightly brighter base color.

this fabric is also textured so use a textured brush for best results!

2. Using Decoration brushes:

Clip Studio Paint offers a variety of decoration brushes that are so useful for painting Sparkly fabrics, Sequin fabrics and much more.. I even used the Pearl brush to make custom Jewelry!

3. Symmetry rulers:

Creating gorgeous ornaments might seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools its actually a fun process! Start by placing a "Symmetrical ruler" on a new layer then draw from either sides to have perfectly mirrored lines, I used them for custom Embroidery designs!

[E] Designs Showcase

After following the same procedure for every dress now we have these!

I used a transparent lace embroidered with white floral designs. That on skin color fabric keeping the original cut with a semi-transparent cape, and to make it glow I used sparkly silver Rhinestones.

For this outfit I kept the uniquely designed Skirt/Trousers for and authentic and original look, then added custom embroidery designs!

I changed the dress to a Royal/Navy blue Velvet jumpsuit with gold embroidery. The legs are wider to look similar to the original dress!

I’ve kept the Over-shoulder top part, but changed the dress to a similarly-shaped jumpsuit

with a flowy dark lacey cape.

Haute couture neckline white a big white silk dress, and using colorful flowers to match the ornaments design of the original dress!

In my design I liked the idea of two pieces dress with a modern style using Sequin fabric and Ostrich Feathers for the bottom. I also kept the jewelry and the crown!

1. "El-Lhaf" "اللحاف"

2. "Karako" "كاراكو"

3. "Fergani" "فرقاني"

4. "Warhrani" "وهراني"

5. "Kabylie" "قبايلي"

6. "Tlemsani" "تلمساني"

[F] Final word

Thank you for reading till the end! It a pleasure sharing some of our country's garments and culture, which I am really proud of! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

I hope you liked this article and learned a thing or two! Thanks again and have a nice day~