LESSON XVIII
TO PLACE A DRESS ON THE FIGURE
ILLUSTRATING A COSTUME
If the student is able to dress up the dummy form and understands the figure in the last lessons, he will have no difficulty in understanding this lesson. This figure is slightly different from the last one as it is walking. As the weight is divided equally between the feet, the line of support falls between them. The figure may have the legs crossed in walking and the weight be solely on one foot. Be careful to poise the figure correctly.
When drawing a figure with the legs crossed, do not draw the far foot straight across the paper; bring it slightly forward. Try to draw possible positions.
No matter whether you are designing a costume or illustrating one, the knowledge required to place it on the figure is the same.
So far nothing has been said about original designing. Lessons - XXIX and XXX are devoted to this subject.
An original drawing is one that has been made by using a picture as a guide and changing it enough to make it your own. On this figure may be placed any costume.
An illustration, which is an original drawing, is placing a given costume, which has been designed by someone else, on a suitable figure which will show the costume to the best advantage.
A house may have one designer who decides how the gowns are to be made, and many illustrators who put these designs on figures ready for reproduction. When illustrating a costume, you will have either the gown itself, or a sketch of it, to work from. In either case pick out
a suitable figure, one that will show the costume to the best advantage. In the beginning you will find it hard to render the costumes from the costumes themselves, but if you practice taking one figure and another dress from the fashion papers, putting them together understandingly, you will easily see how all principles apply. Pick out the dress first, then a proper figure on which to place it. If an evening-dress, find another evening dress figure in the same position (as nearly as possible).
For a suit, use a suit figure, etc. Use the lines of the suit on the figure, as they fit the figure, and place the given suit on these lines.