Importance of Sketches

In costume design class in college, I learned the importance of sketching out a costume before building/modifying it.  We always had to render our designs for production meetings in college.  It's a discipline I fall back on when I don't have the exact idea of what I'm building but I know the silhouette.

This is the rough design of the costume I'm building for November.  I knew what pieces I needed but I had to figure out how they needed to fit together.  I also needed to play with the colored pencils to determine what color would work best.  I need a rear view so I can figure out how the assels will work best while keeping the panty coverage necessary for some venues.

I did some drawing as a child, but I never managed to quickly whip out figures.  This was a handicap when I started designing because I was so worried about having correct figures what I would stall on the actual costume design.  That's when I learned about the joy of croquis.

Back in the olden days of the nineties, I had to rely on pattern books that were out of season and negotiated for at the local Wal-Mart.  When I was really desperate, I'd use the measurement sheets from the costume shop.  (They were a bit rough looking.)  Nowadays, some patterns include croquis (particularly the Simplicity Project Runway patterns).  The amazing internet has croquis galore.  I've used a few from this site.

By sitting down and sketching with croquis, I now know what exactly I have to build.  I know what color fabric to find and how the pieces need to fit together.  Stay tuned and I'll share as I build.