Drawing and posing figures

Above is a general step-by-step guide to drawing a basic human figure (face omitted). Below are some ways to vary the basic idea to get different body types:

You can also have a column torso, an oval head, and stick-limbs with ball joints, if you're just making quick notes about how the figure is posed.

When I'm stuck on 'how should I position this person?' for figure-drawing practice or fashion illustration, I role a 20-sided die to randomly select one of these 20 basic poses.

Sewing Measurement Chart

I made a chart of which body parts to measure for fitted clothing, complete with a visual aid of where those spots are.

A tip I learned in sewing class is, instead of measuring all the way across the body for, say, torso or waist measurements, start in the centre and measure to the side.

If you’re drafting a shirt or pants pattern, you probably only need half measurements for the torso/waist in any case, because most patterns are made to fit half to torso or only one leg, with the expectation that it will be the same or “close enough” on both sides.

(It saves on materials to only use half the amount of tissue paper or canvas before making the ‘real’ garment.)

Another tip is to add at least 10 centimetres to the wrist measurement when drafting sleeves and 12 centimetres to the ankle measurement when drafting pants. This extra looseness or 'ease’ makes it easier to get clothing on or off and more comfortable to wear.

You can add the ease right away when recording your measurements, but I like to save that for the drafting stage so that, if I need to retake a measurement, I don’t have to remember how much I changed it and apply that to the new note.

In other news, because I do want this blog to be mostly tutorial-based, I've started a tumblr account to share my fashion illustrations on social media. [link] We'll see if I'm more diligent about updating that than I have been here! Every once in a while there will probably be overlap.

Scottish Textiles and How to Drawn Them

The most widely known tartan and popularly used at the time of posting is Royal Stewart tartan - bright red and dark red plaid with thin lines of white, gold and dark blue. This is the personal tartan of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Stab, Strangle, Gut - Basic Knitting

Ah, knitting. The old-fashioned practice; the cozy sweaters and blankets; the hours of work; the challenge of deciphering the patterns; the impossibility of selling the completed projects for their true money's worth.

Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity refers to being able to use each hand with an equal level of skill and fine motor control. It is often used to describe someone able to write legibly with either hand.

Colour Compositions

Thank you for bearing with me and being patient while I sort out my new image editing software. There may be only one post a week for a while. (Sorry - it took just over four months, but I did indeed break my New Year's Resolution.)

I do still have several princess overalls to share, but for now, please enjoy these angels.

Here's how colour composition, commonly called 'colour comps', works: once you have a drawing you like, you make a few copies of it in a smaller size. Then you colour each version in a different way. You take your favourite colours and features and combine them into a single image. If you like it, that will be how you colour the final version; if you don't care for it, try again.

French Toast

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it the best thing since sliced bread, but consider the obligatory joke to have been made.

Sharks and Squids

Dream of nautical adventure after adding a stripe of squid and sharks along your wallpaper. If you ever see a real hammerhead shark or giant squid, you're probably doomed, but in an adventure campaign, you can fight them for fantastic treasure.

Red Cake Dye Trick

This yummy idea is not just for red velvet cakes. I added it to the super-easy vanilla cake that I posted a recipe for back in September 2014, and it worked out deliciously.
Happy Family Day, fellow Ontario residents. Did you enjoy Flag Day yesterday?

Plush Stingray

Everyone needs a bit of marine wildlife in their toybox!

Zip-on Ruffle Cuffs

Who hasn't ever felt the random urge to zip ruffles onto their pant cuffs? Well, okay, probably a lot of people haven't. I got the idea from a bonus scene on my aunt's DVD of 'Mama Mia'.

Snakeskin Bracelet

One of the greatest things about Shrinky Dinks is that the designs look a lot more intricate once they've been shrunk.

Covered Buttons

The final tutorial of the month ... and the year. See you in 2015!

Gift Wrapping

It's a bit late for Hannukah and just barely in time for Christmas, but here it is.
Also, a funny note about the making of this blog post: I almost titled it 'Gift Warping'. That would have been something completely different!

Snowman Fingernails

It's Frosty the Manicure!

Getting Carded

I assume everyone who's ever heard of cards understands the basic principle of folding paper in half and writing on it, but here are a few more suggestions to help ... refine your technique.

Ragged Skirt

It's not just deceptively simple - it's actually simple! This pattern can make a fun and faux-elaborate party skirt, or you can use a drab, stained fabric to dress up as Cinderella while she was still a servant.

Squirrel Strategy

Of course, if you don't want squirrels, you could try doing the opposite of these things ... or move to Antarctica.

Glove-making

The long-awaited update! This took a lot longer than I expected it to take to compose and edit. Gloves are tricky, tricky things.

Making Mittens

Stay warm and cozy as the temperature drops!