Drawing Drapery

To draw fabric well, you have to understand fabric. Fabric is unique in its characteristics because it is between the states of fluid and solid. Some textiles move more like a liquid, while some may resemble faceted mountains. Learn the "anatomy" of drapery and its visual behavior.

In this 6-week course, you will master drawing of folds by looking at the artwork of the Great Masters: Bernini, Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer, and Michelangelo to understand the technique behind their mastery. These artists brilliantly depicted cloth draped over different objects. You will produce several studies that will help you grasp the geometry of the fold and how its shape changes depending on the surface it is in contact with. 

If you’ve ever struggled with expressing movement and action in your art, drapery can help with that! Drapery is not an “old-fashioned subject”; it is relevant to any project that involves people or interiors. When you learn how to make drapery live, move, breath, and hug, it will bring your drawings to life. Notice the human terms used to describe fabrics! That’s why we say that we study its behavior. 

Benefits From This Course

• Build your skills of realistic drawing of drapery
• Understand the shape and structure of the fold
• Step-by-step drawing of various fabrics
• Study how the Masters expressed drapery
• Learn how to give your art more dimension and expressive power

Appropriate for all levels.