Drawing The Croquis

The Female Croquis.

A croquis is a simple sketch of the figure used mostly for clothing design. The word "croquis" is French for "to sketch." The croquis is a means of communicating fashion and fashion concepts via an idealized fashion form. This form, which can be male or female measure nine to ten heads high. A normal human, measures seven to eight heads high. The legs are elongated for effect, but the proportions between the head the crotch retains realism with the human form. 

How to Sketch the Fashion Form Step-by-step

The proportions of the fashion figure are easy to remember and the instructions easy to follow, but practice will make perfect.

• Draw a straight line for the central axis of the figure.
• Divide the line into nine equal segments.
• Number each line from one to ten. 

The Croquis Head & Torso

• Draw an inverted egg shape for the head within the top segment.
• Draw the shoulder line halfway between lines two and three.
• Make the shoulder line two head lengths wide and centre it on the axis.

The Lower Abdomen & Crotch

• For the waist, draw a line at line fours.
• Make the waist one head length wide and centre it on the axis.
• Form an inverted triangle by brining it to just below line five.

The Arms

• Drape the upper arms (shoulder to elbow) from shoulder to waist.
• Bring the lower arms (elbow to wrist) from the waist to the crotch.
• The hands are three-quarters the head in length. Attach to the wrists so that they drape half way down the thigh.

The Legs & Feet

• Bring each leg from the edge of the lower triangle to line ten.
• The knees should be at line seven.
• The feet should be half a head in length as viewed from the front.

Fleshing out the Fashion Figure
Adding the curvy contours around the skeleton of the fashion form requires a little practice. Studying fashion figures in magazines will improve the drawing technique. This will help acquire a feel for this final process.

Masculinity can be suggested by slightly broader shoulders and a little narrowing of the hips. The facial features will be more angular than the female features. Facial features should remain simplistic and suggestive, but could provide a signature to the individual artist.

Postures of the Fashion Form Sketch
Arms and legs can be pivoted to suggest different postures, and the proportions will be retained, for example, standing legs akimbo, or legs apart. The angle of the shoulders and the hips can be angled to suggest jauntiness. However, the proportions will not apply if there is any foreshortening effect, for example if any of the limbs are pointing towards or away from the viewer.

Taken from http://suite101.com/article/the-croquis-template-for-fashion-illustrators-a108897

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