The History of Drapery in American Illustration
$125
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Full course
Learn the basics for how to draw a variety of clothing and drapery. Master the 7 basic folds and understand how fabric interacts with the human figure.
$125
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Educator, painter, and art historian. Author of Figure Drawing: Design and Invention and Gesture Drawing: Dynamic Movement and Form.
LESSON NOTES
What's in Premium?
I am taking you through the history of American illustration to show you why iconic character designs look the way they do. We usually focus on the technical side of drawing, like anatomy and drapery. In this lesson, we look at the cultural and social reasons behind shape design. I break down figures like the Gibson Girl, the Flapper, and Rosie the Riveter. You will see how advertising, class competition, and societal shifts dictated their proportions. You will learn how to look beyond just copying a silhouette and start understanding the motivations behind stylization. This context will enrich how you design your own characters and help you make deliberate choices in your art.
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the-history-of-drapery-in-american-illustration.mp4
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the-history-of-drapery-in-american-illustration-transcript-english.txt
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the-history-of-drapery-in-american-illustration-transcript-spanish.txt
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the-history-of-drapery-in-american-illustration-captions-english.srt
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the-history-of-drapery-in-american-illustration-captions-spanish.srt
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Every silhouette carries a hidden history.
We often copy famous styles without asking why they look that way. This lesson explores how culture shapes the human figure. Knowing this history will change how you design characters.
I loved listening to this. I’ll be seeking out more of your content and lectures. Very much appreciated!
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4d
I'm so glad to hear that. It's always a gamble, sneaking a history lecture into a technique video.
Thank you. I especially appreciate the comparison between Illustrator and Fine Artist. I always found that to be arbitrary. The Illustrator has a more difficult job. Through the medium, they must make a clear statement. They must do so using obtuse, often very culturally specific inferences that we, abstracted from that time and place, do not understand. So smoke your Lucky Strikes; your doctor does...
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4d
My pleasure! Ya, that separation in the arts has fascinated/troubled me for decades.
This was so fascinating, especially as a woman who is interested in politics, propaganda, and history. It covered so many of my interests. If you made an entire art history course about this on here, I’d sign up.
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9d
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This Christie guy writing books on how women should behave sounded like an OG mansplainer to me 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
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18d
Pretty bizarre stuff.
This was a very cool lesson and really inspiring! Since i am italian it makes me want to look up to Italy history of drapery in illustrations! There is a lot to learn about for sure! :)
Timeline maps like this are very interesting and exciting!
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27d
Very glad you found it of interest, Daniele. Agreed! A parallel study of Italian fashions would be fascinating.
I took an Art Center, Carmean class. Our assignments were working in different historical styles, e.g., elongated drawing/painting like modigliani. It was very cool.
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27d
How fun!
A very inspiring video. I actually bought the course because I just wanted to develop my drawing skills, mainly for fun, without thinking too much about design. I'm not particularly into art, and I never really thought about diving deeper into it. But maybe I'll discover some “new lands!”
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27d
I always felt learning some history was a fun way to break up too much technique. Creates a little balance.
I never really thought about how we dress can be shaped by many reasons. It's interesting to know. I think we can use these concerts and understanding to build our own characters or even a world building.
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1mo
Oh, totally! I think that would be an awesome way to use this information.
As a Spanish student, I really appreciate you including this kind of historical and cultural context in the course. For those of us outside the US, it’s really interesting to learn about the evolution of fashion from an American perspective and better understand the context behind each period. Really interesting video!
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1mo
So glad you enjoyed it!
Damn this was actually super interesting. Seeing how a lot of conscious design choices were made based on the material condition of the time is kinda crazy. I hope we get to see more about the topic :)
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1mo
If you want more history, Mr Hampton has these Youtube videos as well!
Part 1: The Rise of the Illustrator https://youtu.be/FQ-LkJanUZc?si=l-cMAnCxD_N-B4Om
Part 2: The Power of the Illustrator https://youtu.be/sLlIn2vNET0?si=W9EqNFNf2CfGb0rF
Part 3: Propaganda and the Illustrator https://youtu.be/pBXXRGZVNN4?si=NXXBV6A7S0k3IjOr
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1mo
So glad you found it interesting!
