drawing the draped figure

PUBLISHER’SNOTE

GeorgeBridgmanisconsideredbysometohavebeenthegreatestteacheroffiguredrawingofhisday.AninspirationtogenerationsofstudentsinhisclassesattheArtStudentsLeagueinNewYork,hetaughtthousandsmorethroughhismanybooks,ofwhichDrawingtheDrapedFigureisthesixthtobepublishedbyDover.Thesebooksareprovingaspopularnowaswhentheywerefirstpublished.Readtogether,theymakeacompletecourseintherepresentationofthehumanforminclassicalstyle.

PublishedintheUnitedKingdombyDavid&Charles,BrunelHouse,FordeClose,NewtonAbbot,DevonTQ124PU.

BibliographicalNote

ThisDoveredition,firstpublishedin2001,isanunabridgedrepublicationoftheoriginaleditionpublishedbyBridgmanPublishers,Inc.,Pelham,NewYork,underthetitleTheSevenLawsofFoldsin1942.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Bridgman,GeorgeBrant,1864–1943.

Drawingthedrapedfigure:Thesevenlawsoffolds/GeorgeB.Bridgman.

p.cm.

Originallypublished:Thesevenlawsoffolds.1sted.Pelham,N.Y.:BridgmanPublishers,1942.

9780486138121

1.Draperyinart.2.Figuredrawing—Technique.I.Title:Sevenlawsoffolds.II.Bridgman,GeorgeBrant,1864–1943.Sevenlawsoffolds.III.Title.NC775.B72001743.5—dc21

2001028649

ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaDoverPublications,Inc.,31East2ndStreet,Mineola,N.Y.11501

FOREWORD

CLOTHINGisnoneotherthandraperyarrangedaroundabodythatisbeneathit.Toexpressthemultitudinousformsittakes,oneshouldlearntoexpressinadirectwaythedifferentcharactersoffolds,foreachoneplaysitsindividualpartasdistinctlyapartasactorsplaytheirdifferentcharactersuponthestage.

Foldsaretotallydifferent.Therearethosewhichpassaroundandradiatefromthepointsofsupport,claspingthefigurethere-byreducingtherecedingsurfacetoaminimumortheymayzigzaginanirregularmannerfromsidetoside.Therearefoldswhicharestraight,festoonedandVshaped;foldswhichfall,crossorpassaroundthefigure.Therearematerialswhichhaveconcaveandconvexformsaswellascord-likeedges.Allfoldshavelawsuntothemselves.Somefoldsrunintotheiropponentsanddieawaywhilethereareotherswhichterminateabruptly.Eachindividualfoldhasitsownmanner,itstemperamentandalmostitsreligion.Eachpursuesitsfunctionsothateachmustbestudiedapartasafixedlaw,athingentirelyapart,withoutconnection,yetheldthroughoutbytheunforeseenlawsofrhythm.

Asyouwouldstudythesurfaceoranarmandforearm,orathighandalegandtheirconnectionattheelboworatthekneejoints,thesefoldsmustcometogether,linkedastheypassaroundorintooneanother.Todoso,anameindicatingafunctionmustbegiventoeach.1. PIPE2. ZIGZAG3. SPIRAL4. HALF-LOCK5. DIAPERPATTERN6. DROP7. INERT

Inthefollowingpagesitishopedthattheirmeaningwillbemadeclear.

DEDICATEDTO

ELEANORBLAIR

TableofContents

TitlePageCopyrightPageFOREWORDDedicationRHYTHMTHESEVENLAWSOFFOLDSDRAPERYTHEDIFFERENTCHARACTERSOFFOLDSPIPEORDROPFOLDSZIGZAGFOLDSSPIRALARRANGEMENTDIAPERPATTERNHALF-LOCKFOLDDIAPERDROP-FOLDINERTLOCKFOLDKNEEVOLUMEDROPANDFLYINGFOLDSHALF-LOCKARRANGEMENTOFFOLDSARMANDFOREARMDRAPEDFIGURE

RHYTHM

THEarrangementoflineandvolumeoffoldsisnotcompleteorharmoniouswithoutahiddenandsubtleflowofsymmetry.Naturehassuppliedbothlineandformthataresymmetricalandharmonious.Theselawsofrhythmexistandarerecognizedasundefinedlaws.

Thereisrhythminthemovementoftheseaandtides,instarsandplanets,intreesandgrasses,cloudsandthistledown.Itisapartofallanimalandplantlife.Itisthemovementofutteredwordsexpressedintheiraccentedandunaccentedsyllablesandinthegroupingandpausesofspeech.Bothpoetryandmusicaretheembodimentinappropriaterhythmicalsound;ofbeautifulthought;imaginationoremotion.Withoutrhythmtherecouldbenopoetryormusic.Indrawingandpaintingthereisrhythminoutline,color,lightandshade.Sotoexpressrhythmindrawingafigurewehaveinthebalanceofmasses,asubordinationofthepassiveorinactiveside,tothemoreforcefulandangularsideinaction,keepingconstantlyinmindthehidden,subtleflowofsymmetrythroughout.

THESEVENLAWSOFFOLDS

MANYteachersandartstudentsshouldbegladtohavesomedefiniteknowledgeoffoldsandshouldbepleasedtohavesomeideathatexplainstheprincipleswhichunderliethevariousformsthattakeplaceonthedrapedfigure.Tomakethisclearandassimpleaspossible,diagramsareshownbywayofillustrationsthatarefoundeduponimportanttruths.Theseprimaryprinciplesarebuiltuponthetheorythateachfoldhasadifferentfunctionandcharacter.

Therehasbeenagreatlackofconciseandsimpleunderstandingonthesubject.Muchthathasheretoforebeenwritten,hasforthemostpart,beenvagueandoflittleeducationalvalue.

Thediagramsonpageseightandninecomeundertheheadofgeometricorworkingdrawingsandrepresentsevendistinctcharactersoffolds,eachplayingitsindividualroleinthestoryofthedrapedhumanbody.

Onecanmakeacodeoflawstobegovernedby,buteveryoneofthesecanbechangedoreliminated,stilloneshouldknowtheselawssothattheymaybeusedassuchordeliberatelybroken.

PIPE

ZIGZAG

SPIRAL

DIAPER

HALFLOCK

DROP

INERT

DRAPERY

DRESSmaterialsinthemselveshavenoform.Whenlyingonthefloortheyconformtothefloor;thrownoverachairtheytakethecontourofthechaironwhichtheyrest;ifonahangerorhook,thefoldsdescendfromtheirsupport.Draperytherefore,isnothingdefiniteinitselfasitdependsentirelyuponthatwhichliesbeneath.Draperymayencircle,itmayfalloritmaybedrawnupward.Torealizethisisthefirststeptotheunderstandingofdrapery.Thereisnosameness,nomonotony,everyfoldhasadistinctcharacterofitsown.ToshowthisvastdifferenceinfoldstakethefigureofVictoryasanexample.First,thediaperpatternwhichinthiscasefallsfromitsfixedpointsofsupportattheshouldersisthesimplestofallfoldstounderstand.Next,aspiralfoldisdrawnaroundtherecedinghips;opposedtothisspiralisafoldofatotallydifferentcharacter.Itisirregularandzigzagsfromsidetoside.Belowthisanother

distincttypeoffoldappears,knownasthepipeorcordfold.Beneaththisanothertypeemerges,calledahalf-lock.Thisinturnsharesitsformwiththatwhichliesproneuponthefloorandisknownbythename,inert.Thereisalsothefoldthatiscarriedawayfromthebodybyitsmovementorbytheairandisknownasthedropfoldorapieceofflyingdrapery.

THEDIFFERENTCHARACTERSOFFOLDS

EACHfoldhasacharacterofitsown.Ifbutoneformationwasused,thedesignwouldbemonotonousandinsipid.Ifdraperyisdrawnupwarditcausesonekindoffold;ifallowedtofall,anotherformoffoldiscreated.Foldspassingfromonepointofsupporttoanothermakedistinctarrangementssuchaszigzagsandhalf-locks,whileothersastheymeet,dieawayandareknownasthediaperpattern.Oneisangularinformation,theotherspiralorrhythmic.Theformationoffoldsmustberecognizedasalaw,asfoldsareofsuchcomplexcharacteritisdifficulttoobservethesefacts.

PIPEORDROPFOLDS

IFApieceofclothisheldupornailedbyonecornerandthenpulledfromtheothercorner,tubularformsradiatefromitsfixedpoint.Whethertheclothiswoolen,cottonorsilk;whetheritisthick,thin,oldornew,thesameradiation,thesametubeorpipe-likeformsarealwaysprevalent.Thisisadistinctfact,thereforeitmustberecognizedasalawasitissomethingthatrepeatsitselfoftenenoughtoberecognizedassuch,somethingtolookfor,somethingyouexpecttofind.

Theseradiatingcordsorsummitsastheydescendfromtheirpointsofsupportarethesimplestformsindraperyandarethefirsttobeunderstood.Asimplecordfoldwilldescendandthendivideintotwoorthreeothercords.Asthesedivergefromeachother,theoriginalcordsmaymakeroomfortwoormorewithinthem,thenthesemayagaindivide,makingtwoormoreuntiltheyflattenout.Thebreakingoutanddivergenceoftheseprimaryfoldsissimplebutofextremeimportance.Thepullaswellastheforceofthepullmustbeunderstood.Thisthoughtmakesthedrawingunderstandabletotheobserver.Radiatinglinesshouldnotbeabusedbutshouldbestudiedcarefully.Theselawsmaybestudiedapartfromthemodel,butitrequiresadrapedfigureforverification.Thenifthefoldstakedifferentform,itwillbefoundthatthesepipesorcordsofdrapery

radiatefromthepointsofsupportuntiltheyclasptheexposedpartsofthefigurewheretheyclingtotheformbeneath.

ZIGZAGFOLDS

ATUBULARfoldofclothmaybebent.Asitbendstheouterportionbecomesrigidandunderneathbecomesmoreslack.Thisexcessclothontheinnersidebucklesintoamoreorlessdefinitepatternwhichmustbefiguredoutandremembered.Thetwistingofthisfoldwhenbentgivesanentirelynewdesign,onewhichmightbecalledazigzagpattern.

Herethepullisunevenincharacter.Itisquickandjerky.Todemonstratethis,takesixsinglesheetsofnewspaper,rollthemintoatwoinchcylinder,bendtherollinthemiddle,nowgrasptherollneareachsideofthebendandgiveitasharptwistfromsidetoside.Notethepatternandthedesign.Youcanreasonoutwhythesebendingsandtwistingssoconsistentlyrepeatthemselves.Tryitoutonapieceofstiffclothandyouwillfindafamiliarresemblance.Itisthisrepetitionthatmustbestoredawayinyourmindsothatyoumaycheckyourknowledgewithwhatyouseeonthemodel.Rememberatalltimesthateachfoldhasacharacterapartfromeveryotherfold;rememberthatyouwillhaveapreferenceastofolds;thatsomefoldswillappealtoyoumorethanothers,makingyourdrawingsdifferentfromotherdrawings.Rememberthatthethingsyouknowandleaveout,arethethingsthatgivethepowerandsimplicitytoyourdrawings.

Studentsgainmuchbymakinganumberofdrawingsthatwilltellthestoryofaninterlockingzigzagfold.Donotcopythedrawingsontheoppositepage,start

withastraightorcurvedlineandtrytolocktheendswithotherlinesthatwillaccountforthebringingtogetherthetwoopposingforces.

CARPACCIO

SPIRAL

NoMATTERhowcomplicatedthefoldappears,itcanbetracedtoafewbasicprinciples.Thesefewprinciplesshouldbecataloguedandkeptasfarapartinthemindaspossible.Oneshouldbeabletodrawatalltimes,anyoneofthesesevendistinctivecharacterswithoutnotesoramodel.Thinkoftheparttheyplaysothatwhenconfrontedbythecostumedmodel,youarelessliabletogetlostindepictingtheseeverchangingfolds.Thearrangementofcurvedanddiagonallinesfittheroundedformsofthebodyasthematerialwrapsaroundthefigure.Inthesamemannerfoldswidenastheyleavetheirpointsofsupport.Itissafetosayastheyradiateawayfromthepointofsupporttheyseldomparallel.Toagreatextent,theseradiatingfoldsshouldhaveadecorativearrangementaswellasanunderstanding;(theknowledgethatthereistheartofknowingwhattoleaveout).Asasleeveenterstheshoulders,thedesigncallsforbothcurvedandstraightlines.Wheretheelbowisbent,thematerialradiatesoutwardanduptoencirclethewedgethatoccursontheoutersideoftheforearmjustabovethe

elbow.Thenumberoffoldsdependuponthetextureorweightofthefabricaswellasthenumberoftimesthegarmenthasbeenworn.Foldsshouldnotlookasiftheyparallelednorrepeatthemselvesindirectionorvolume,withallanunderstandingsenseofdesignandpattern.

ARRANGEMENT

THEdesignofadrapedfiguremustfirstbegoodinproportionandeachportionberelevanttothewhole.Thedetailmusthavearelationtothemaindesignandnotbeplasteredoverwithmeaninglesszigzagsandsaggingfoldsthatdonotcontributetotherealformofthebodywhichmustbepreservedandnotbrokenupmyminutedetail.Toarrangethesedetailscomesundertheheadofcomposition.Incompositiontheremustberhythm,charm,andifthesubjectcallsforitevenbeauty,awordforwhichnoonecangiveasatisfactorydefinition,yetallthisentersintoacomposition.Thedrapedfiguremustbeacompletepatterninitself.

DIAPERPATTERN

THEmaterialthatdrapesafigurehasnoformnorshape.Itisthechangeofformunderthematerialthatgivesareasonforthedifferentcharacterthatafoldtakes.Everyfoldmusthaveitssupport.Iteitherpullsorisbeingpulled;itclingsoritfolds;itencirclesoritisfestooned,butineverycaseitmustbesupported.Itdoesnotbecomedraperyuntilitissupportedbysomething.Takeayardorsoofplainmaterialinbothhands;holditbythetwouppercornersandallowthecentertosag.Itshowshowthefoldsfestoonandlockintoeachothertowardthecenter.Trybothlightandheavymaterialsuntilyounotetherelationshipintheradiatinglines.Tracethefoldorcreasefromthepointofsupportbywhichitisbeingheld.Followtowherethetwosaggingopposingforcesmeetandstudycarefullyhowtheyinterlock.Stillholdingthetwocornersatarmslengthbringtheendsnearertogetherandnotethechangesthattakeplaceandinthewaytheyrepeatthemselves.Afteryouhavetheideaastohowthefestoonlocks,thegoodsmaybethumb-tackedtoaboardortothewallorplacedonalayfigure.Onthelatter,arrangethegoodsfirstandthenturnthefigureinthepositiondesired.

Thusthroughobservationyougaintheconstructionandsenseofanotherfoldthatisdistinctincharacterfromanyotherfold,andhasbeenknownforcenturiesastheDiaperPattern.

HALF-LOCKFOLD

THEhalf-locktakesplaceeverytimeatubularorflattenedpieceofmaterialabruptlychangesitsdirection.Whentheturnisatorneararightangle,thelockingismoresharpandangular;whentheyfallinsweepingcurves,thelocksaremoreroundedandareapttodissolveoneintothe.other.Foldsmustbemadetoexplainthemselveswithoutdifficulty,therefore,mustbedirectandsimple.Eachfoldmustappeartobeasfarapartincharacterasthelettersofthealphabetandasletterswhenbroughttogethertoformaword.Aseachletterseemstodissolveitselfintothatwordandthatagainintoasentence,soitiswithfolds,eachwithadistinctcharacter,yetwhenbroughttogetherthepipe,zigzag,spiral,half-lock,diaper,festoonanddropfoldsmustdissolveoneintotheothermakingoneharmoniouselementcalledthedrapedfigure.Eachhasitsownfunction.Eachissupportedfromorbytheformunderneath.Thehalf-lockismoreprevalentinasittingdownfigureduetothegreaternumberofanglescausingagreaterchangeinthedirectionofplanes.

DIAPER

HOLDthematerialatarms’length,droponecorneranditwillbeseenthattheradiationsarelongerandofgreatervolumeonthesidethatisheldhighandthatitlocksinamoreabruptmanneronthelowerside.Againbringthematerialtoahorizontallineanditwillbefoundthatthesystemofradiatinglinesandtheirlockingintooneanotherislesscomplicatedthanwhentheopposingforcesarenotequal.Theshiftingofthesetwopointsofsupportmustbestudiedandbroughttosomebasicformthatisunderstandable.

Donotthinkofdraperyasapieceofstilllife;trytogetatthefactsandwhenthefactsareknown,thenitisamatterofgoodjudgment.Thiswhensummedup,meanstheartofknowingwhattoleaveout,puttinginonlytheimportantthingsthatgivethecharacterofeachseparateandindividualfold.Remembertokeeptheircharactersasfarapartaspossibleforeachfoldhasitsownmissionandduty.

Foldswhentheyturnatanangleeitherintersectorlockintoeachotherintheformofahookorbreak.Whentheyturn,andtakeagentlecurve,theyflatten

outtobroaderareas.Asthefoldturns,itisthekindthatisformedatthebreakthathastobecarefullystudiedindetail.Thecrispnessorthesoftnessofthematerialistheonlyvariationofafoldthatisbent,thegeneralstructureofthematerialremainsthesame.

HALFLOCK

DROP-FOLD

AsTHISparticularclassoffoldleavesitssupport,beingfree,ittakesaswingingrhythmicalmotiondownthewholelengthofthematerialtoitsselvageedge.Whenthesefoldshangstraighttheyadddignitytothefigurebutwhentheoutlineiscurvedsuchasinmovementandthelowerbordersaresuspendedinspace,theyusuallytwist,turnortakeaspiralformattheirinnerorouteredges.Thedrop-foldisadistinctoppositetoanyothercharacteroffold.Nootherfoldmustencroachuponitsterritory.Itisusedchieflyinfiguresthatrun,danceandotherdecorativemovements.Itsoutlineswaysinweavingcurveswhenthefigureisinmotionandyetwithdignitywheninrepose.Whetherinmovementorstatic,allfoldsfollowthelawsofgravitywhenawayfromafixedpoint.Onlythedetailsoftheselawsvary.Agreatdealdependsuponthematerialsusedwhentheyarecutstraightacrossorwarpways.Theythenbehavedifferentlyindetail.

INERT

ITisunderstood,ofcourse,thatclothnomatterhowthickorthinhasinitselfnogivenform.Apieceofclothwhenthrownordroppedontheflooreitherflattensoutorcrumplesupandtakesonacharacterdistinctfromanyotherform.Thiscrumpleduppieceofclothisnotstatic,itchangesasitkeepssettling,inanhour’stimeitsvigorousanglesbecomemoresubduedandflattened.Stillit

remainsafallenpieceofgoodswithacharacterdistinctandapartfromanyother,andthispositivecharactermustbetheabstractideabackofthedrawingtomakeitobvioustotheonlookerthatthisfallenpieceofclothisinertanddead.

LOCKFOLD

WHENdrawingfoldsthatoccuratthebendingofalimb,itmustbeunderstoodthatdraperyiseitherattachedto,orsupportedatsomefixedpoint.Ifthematerialislimitedastovolume,suchasthebendingattheknee,thefoldsradiateinsizeandnumberfromthefixedpointofattachmentaswellasapointofresistance.Thelowerlimbsvarygreatlyastoshape;belowthehipthethighisround,atthekneetheformissquarewithitssidesbeveledforwardandthebroaddoublebelliedcalfmusclecoverstheupperhalfoftheleg.

Whenthelegisbentuponthethighattheknee,thetwoopposingmassesthatareaboveandbelowthekneeneedlittledetail,butwhenbentatthejoint,thefoldsbecomebunchedupandtakeonbothspiralandacuteangles.Tomemorize

thedirectionandmeaningofoneortwoofthesefoldsgivesaplantoworkupon.Ittakesboththeoryandcloseobservationtofindafoldthatoccursagainandagain.

KNEE

INDRAWINGfoldslookoutforformsthathappenandthenhappenagain.Usingthisasabackground,onecanputinthereallyimportantthingsthatareessentialtothestoryandnotjustaseriesofstilllifestudiesdescribingthingsthatarenotworthdescribing.Instudyingthecharacterofthesedifferentfolds,thequalityofmaterialsshouldbetriedouttostudytheircomparativerelationship,suchas:thedifferenceofweightandtension;heaviermaterialsascomparedtolightormorepliantmaterials.Trytorememberthefoldsthathappenandthenhappenagainandyouwillfindafamilyresemblanceinallmaterialsnomatterwhattheweightortexture.

VOLUME

THEtreatmentofheavymaterialsismoreofaproblemthanthatoflighterweight,forthereasonthatitismoredifficulttopreservetherealformofthebodybeneathandmakeitapparentthatitrepresentsahumanfigureandnotjustamassofclothandfolds.Assumingthattheprincipalsupportsofasittingfigurearefromtheknees,andthatthesesupportsareonalevelhorizontallyandnottooclosetogether,thedescendingfoldswouldfestoontowardthecenterfollowingtheweightofthematerialcausingthelowerbordertofanoutandbecomemorepointedbelowandlowerdownthanatthesides.Shouldonefootberestingonastoolorcushionthenonesupportwouldbehigherthantheothercausingalargefestoonaboveandasmalleronebelowtointerlockmuchnearerthelowerkneethanatthecenter.Inthiscasethefoldswouldnotbecontinuousfromonesupporttotheotherbutwouldmeetatamoreacuteangle.

Whendraperyhangsinloosefoldstheopposingfestoonandconesdonotinterlockatacuteanglesbutintermingleandfadeintoeachother.Thethoughtmustbetocarrytheideathatafoldisdoingadefinitething.Itisyourunderstandingaswellascopyingthatmakesthedrawingofdraperypossible.

RUBENS

DROPANDFLYINGFOLDS

FOLDSmustbearrangedandregulatedtothelinesofthefigure.Foldsthatfallsomedistancefromthesourceofsupportshakeorwaveirregularlyastheyleavethefigure.Thesemaybeseenasconcaveorconvexaccordingtothewayitisconnectedtothecordageofthematerial.Theupperportionmayhavethesamewidthorbulk,buthavinglessspaceitgivesapipe-likeappearanceabove.Asitdescendsitwidensoutandbecomesmorefreeatthelowerborders.Thesedescendingfoldsmusthavetheappearanceoffallingfromtheirsupportabove,suchastheshoulder,sleeveorgirdle.Indrawingadroporflyingfoldonemustsenseandforceittodrop,nocameracangivethesequalities,theyarepersonal,individual.Aphotographmaybeusefulinstudyingthedetailsofparts,butcouldscarcelybeofuseinthearrangementof,wewillsay,twofiguresormore.Acameramaybeasaccurateasthehumaneye,butitcannotrenderthebeauty

oflineorthearrangementthatentersintotheexpressiondemandedbythemanyfactorsthatgotomakeacomposition.Aphotographdoesnoteliminatethepettydetailsthatgotomakefoldsconvincing.Thedifferentcharactersoffoldsthatarerepresentedheremustnotbelookedonasanovelty.Draperythatfallsfreeofthefiguremustgivetheimpressionofdescendingorflying,theideamustbetocarrythisimpressiontoothers,thatthispieceofdraperyisdoingadefinitething.Itisyourunderstandingofthesesimplelawsthatwillmakethedrawingofdraperypossibleandconvincing.

Togetanideaofdraperyinmotion,havesomeoneexpressthemovementyouhaveinmindbyswingingalengthorsoofthinorheavymaterialinabackward,aforwardorarhythmicalmovement.Atthesametime,holdapieceoftissuepaperinonehandandtwistorturnitwiththeotherhanduntilitisgivensomewhattheduplicatemotionyouwish,thenthumb-tackthetissuetoaboardandcopythedetails.Forheaviergoods,aheavierpieceofpapershouldbeused.

DROPFOLD

HALF-LOCK

DRAPERYwhenattachedtotheshoulderorgirdlefallsdownwardandradiatesfromthepointsofsupport.Iftheymeetastheydescendtheyfanoutandusuallydissolveintoonegracefulfoldbutwhenthematerialhastwoormorepointsofsupport,theyusuallymeetasanglesorzigzagsattheirpointsofintersection.Oncethesefactsareunderstoodbythestudent,foldshaveameaning,whiletothecasualobserverallfoldslookalike.

Allmaterialswhetherthickorthinfollowthelawsofgravity.Itmustbeunderstoodalso,thatitisthevariationofthesecommonlawsthatgivecharacterandcharmtoadrawing.Again,everylineandeveryformoffoldisdominatedbytheconstructionofthebodybeneath.

LEBRUN

ARRANGEMENTOFFOLDS

THOUGHonecancopyapieceofdraperybynotingeveryfoldorcrease,itwillbeobservedthateverytimethemodelmoves,thefoldsseemtotakeonadifferentaspect.Therefore,someunderlyingprinciplemustbethoughtoutortherewillbelittleharmonyasawhole.

Clothrevolvesitselfintodraperybutthethoughtthatmustbecarriedoutistheideaofafiguredrapedwithabodyunderneath.Thisfactmustalwaysbeuppermost.Next,theartisinthearrangementwhichcomprisesline,rhythm,distributionandsubordination,groupingandbalance,andthejoiningofalltheseessentialsintoaharmoniouswhole.

Thecharacterofdraperyhasfollowedthedifferentperiodsinartaswellasdistinguishingtheworkofsomeparticularmaster.Therefore,itmustberealized

thattheobjectcouldnothavebeenaservileimitationoffolds.TheseperiodsvariedfromVshapedkinksatonetimetolongroundedfestoonsatanother.Thecostumesofclassictimesweremoresuitedtothestudyofthelawsoffoldsthanatthepresenttime.TheGreekpaintingsonpotterykepttolong,flowingorsweepinglinesthatterminatedinhook-likeforms;theGothicchangedfromroundtoangular;theRenaissanceperiodshowsaradiationoflinethatfollowsthefigureallowingtheplainsurfacestoclingorlieclosetotheformtherebyaccentuatingthefigurebeneath.

HALFLOCK

HALFLOCK

ARMANDFOREARM

FABRICSfollowthevariedshapesofthebody.Theychangeincharactereverytimeadifferentdirectionofthebodyorlimboccurs.Whenconsideringasleevedordrapedarm,themassesthatlieunderneathmustbeconsidered.Themassesofthearmandforearmarejoinedbywedgesandwedgingmovementsthatoverlapeachotheratvariousangles.Theshoulderslopesdownandout,itsbroadsidefacingoutward,theupperarmflattenedatthesides.Themassoftheforearmoverlapstheendofthearmontheoutsidebyawedgethatarisesathirdofthewayupandtaperstowardthewrist.Whetherthearmisstraightorbent,thiswedge,thisunderlyingformmustbekeptinmind.Thefoldspassoverandaroundit;thecreasesalternatingbetweenround,zigzagorlockedyetseldomparallelingoneanother.

Themassoftheupperhalfoftheforearmisovalinshapewhenthethumbisturnedawayfromthebodyandmoreroundwhenthethumbsideofthehandisreversed.Theforearmasitapproachesthewristbecomesflattenedouttoabouttwiceaswideasitisthick.Asmaterialhasnoforminitself,theseroundandwedgedformsmustbeshownorfeltunderthematerialthatcoversthearm.Thefoldsattheelbowundercertainconditionscanbelookeduponandcopiedasapieceofstilllife,butifthepointsofattachmentsandresistance,aswellastheirradiatinglinesareunderstood,thetranslationoftheformbeneathisclearerandbetterunderstood.

DRAPEDFIGURE

ITisunderstoodofcourse,thatafiguremustfirstbeoutlined,drawnorsuggestedbeforeitcanbeproperlyclothed.Clothesaresupportedfromtheshoulder,thewaist-bandandatthehipsinthecostumesofbothmenandwomen.Theprinciplesofsuspensionarethesame.Clothesaremadelooseenoughsothatthebodycanhavegreatfreedomofaction,allowingthelimbstomovefreelyineverypossibleway.Thesedifferentactionsindraperyarerepresentedbylinesradiatingfromthepointsofsupportterminatinginhooksorhangingfestoon-likefromoppositesystems.Incasethefoldsaredrawnupwardinplaceofbeingallowedtofall,thesurfacesofsupportchangefromanoutwardsupporttoastretchfromtheundersideofthemass.Fromancienttimesthedresswasbasedonthesimpleprincipleofsuspensionfromtheshouldersorfromawaistband.Stylesmaychangebutthebasicprinciplesremainthesame.Apieceofmaterialwhenheldupintheairdescendsbygravityanddependsentirelyuponitssupport.Whenthisistakenawayitfalls,flattensoutandbecomesinert.