Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (2024)

Learning to draw Fashion Flats for design is an essential part of the fashion design process, and you can learn the ABCs with me!

I’m excited to tell you about my Fashion Drawing andDesign course on Craftsy.com “Designing Fashion Flats”. You can click ANY IMAGE on this page to view the trailer for the online class and/ or sign up now! (For a COMPLETE program from flats to patternmaking to draping to illustration and research, etc… visit my FREEDOM FASHION page.)

I’ve worked many times as a sketch artist and as a technical designer, designing fashion in the New York fashion industry using flats. It’s a skill that’s ALWAYS in demand. Even if it wasn’t in demand “out there”, I couldn’t live without it here in my own studio!

Fashion Flats are design sketches that happen “OFF THE MODEL”…

. Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (1)Usually black-and-white line drawings, fashion flats show the shape and details of garments in a fashion line, and as a group they can form a “LINE SHEET” which shows the whole collection being offered by a designer. When designing fashion, we usually think of a “line of clothing”…a collection of pieces.

Drawing Fashion Flats for design, you can focus on the details of each piece

as well as pick and choose which pieces to include in or edit out of your line! Keeping the color and pattern off, fashion flats make it easy to see and consider the other specifics of a garment’s design, and are used to record and experiment with changes and ideas for a specific piece.

When you subscribe to my site, you get a downloadable croquis template and sketchbook /guidebook with your video model sketching lessons, so you can get off on the right foot:0)

Design and choose fine details like pockets, buttons, zippers:Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (2)

Specify theoverall shape, fit and length of the fashion garment:Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (3)

Designing through Drawing Fashion Flats may look “dry” to you, but to me….

I just adore any kind of drawing fashion flats for design!

To me, every garment has a “life”, a “personality”, and a “spirit”, a soul….like a person does! Whenever I draw, I strive to capture that personality. You can do that too when you sign up for my course!!!

Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (4)

What was it like working with Craftsy studios?

The course was designed for sewers…as beginner friendly as can be! Craftsy was so friendly, so helpful, creative, so organized. We worked for months to build the perfect course, then they flew me out to Denver, Colorado to film in their beautiful studios. It was a totally fantastic experience. We had so much FUN and laughter creating this class. I think you’ll feel that.

I get emails every week from students telling me they love the class. This is the benefit of working with a company with such a wide reach. My goal is to see as many people as possible empowered to express their fashion ideas and moods through creating images and designing fashion too. Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (5) I’ll give you all of the tips that I use day in, day out, when teaching, illustrating, or design sketching for studios in this class. It will give you the tools to be creative and sketch your ideas! Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (6) Also check out:

Adobe Illustrator Flats and Line Sheets, Prints etc….

Adobe Illustrator can be used to create vector-flats, but I create all of my flats by hand and strongly believe that developing your hand skill willalways“feed” your digital drawing skill into something more lively and beautiful. I use pencils, mechanical pencil sometimes, and ink pens. I’ll tell you everything in the course so you can start creating your own fashion flats! (TO LEARN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR FOR FASHION DESIGN PLEASE VISIT: the Fashion Professor. Learn flats, line sheets, tech packs and more.) View their trailer.Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (7)

I hope you found this information helpful!

Keep browsing…there is so much for you here! Or join me inside our online classroom communities. We draw every week in sketchgroup on zoom!

Love, Laura

Drawing Fashion Flats for Design | LAURA VOLPINTESTA (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to be good at drawing for fashion design? ›

The question is: Do I need to know how to draw to start a clothing brand? The short direct answer is No, you can start and run a successful brand without knowing how to draw, but for your sake and in the end, for the brand – yes it would help a lot if you could visualize your ideas.

What are flats in fashion design? ›

Technical fashion flats. A flat sketch is a two-dimensional technical drawing that illustrates a garment with basic solid lines. It's like a "blueprint" of your fashion design —much like an architect's blueprint for a house before they can begin to construct it.

Can I study fashion design if I can't draw? ›

Table of Contents. Yes, you can work in fashion, even if you can't draw! I worked in-house and as a freelance fashion designer for 15+ years, and I do not know how to draw. Many other fashion designers I know don't know how to draw either.

Do you need to be good at math for fashion design? ›

Math is a crucial element of fashion design.

It is used to measure sample garments for fitting as well as to keep sizes consistent. In addition, an understanding of geometry is needed when mapping a two-dimensional pattern that has to be designed to fit on a three-dimensional body.

Why are flat sketches important? ›

A flat sketch shows the person who makes your garments, such as the manufacturer or sample maker, exactly how you want your final garments to look. Meaning the pattern makers and machinist understand every design detail clearly.

Are flats still fashionable? ›

They've never gone dormant, but their resurgence on the Spring 2024 runways has also awarded flat lovers with multiple styles to choose from. Pointed-toe flat versions appeared at Gabriela Hearst in New York and peppered the catwalks at Tove in London.

What software do fashion designers use? ›

Some create a 2D pattern in Procreate and then jump into 3D fashion design software, while others only use 2D fashion software like Illustrator and create a tech-pack from there. Some designers also create a vector sketch in Illustrator and then jump into 3D.

What pencils are best for fashion sketching? ›

A range of pencils from B to H grades help you to make a well-drawn, well presented Sketch/Illustration of the garment design. 9H is the hardest and 9B is the softest among all grades, with F for fine, and HB in the middle range. The lighter B class pencil is more suitable for smoother texture works.

How to improve drawing skills quickly? ›

How To Improve Drawing Skills?
  1. Warm-up. Before you begin drawing, consider performing some warm-up exercises. ...
  2. Draw straight lines and curves on a piece of paper. ...
  3. Set a timer. ...
  4. Sketch with different line qualities. ...
  5. Add shading. ...
  6. Make continuous strokes. ...
  7. Use different mediums.
Apr 18, 2024

Do you need to be good at drawing for design? ›

If you are thinking about becoming a graphic designer and are concerned about not being able to draw, then fear not. You definitely do not need to know how to draw to be a good graphic designer. Like many other skillsets, graphic design can be learned through a course or practicing over time.

Do you have to be good at art to study fashion? ›

Having the ability to draw will no doubt be an added advantage in this pursuit. Moreover, it is never too late to pick up a new skill, and in almost all cases, it is very rewarding to do so. Some institutes have courses designed to help such students hone their skills and teach ways to improve their drawing abilities.

Can you be a designer without drawing? ›

What is graphic design? a message. Graphic Designers do not need to draw but instead need to create appealing designs using assets such as images, typography, illustrations. In contrast, an Illustrator will focus on drawing to communicate a message.

What skills do I need to be a fashion designer? ›

You'll need:
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things.
  • design skills and knowledge.
  • the ability to use your initiative.
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail.
  • thinking and reasoning skills.
  • the ability to work well with your hands.
  • excellent verbal communication skills.
  • to be flexible and open to change.

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