drawing the draped figure
TRANSCRIPT
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.