I used to think you had to sketch everything by hand first... now I just start with the fabric.

For years, I'd spend hours on a detailed sketch before I ever touched a swatch, convinced that was the 'proper' way. The change happened about 8 months ago after a client brought me this amazing, heavy silk from a trip to Kyoto. I draped it on a mannequin on a whim, and the way it fell gave me a better design in 10 minutes than my planned sketch. Now I let the material tell me the shape first, then I draw. Anyone else find that starting with the physical stuff gets you further than the paper?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ruby3mo ago

Totally get it, @brooke71. Fabric first changed my whole process too.

gavinm8922d ago

@the_ruby you're spot on about fabric first, but I think you might be mixing up what I do with something else. I don't let the material tell me the shape, I let it tell me the weight and how it moves. There is a difference. For me it's all about feeling the fabric in my hands before I even touch the form. I'll hold it up, let it hang, and see how it falls. Then I start draping, but it's really just about understanding the material's personality first.

brooke713mo ago

That moment with the silk from Kyoto is so interesting. When you say you let the material tell you the shape, what does that look like now? Do you just play with draping, or are you feeling the weight and stretch in your hands first before you even put it on the form? I'm trying to move away from my own sketch-first habit.