1. Chapter 9 Drapery

2. Objectives
Understand the role of drapery in the composition of a still life.
Accurately draw the form of a fold of fabric and shade it to give the illusion of volume.
Render the tones of fabrics of a variety of local colors, adding any patterns in the fabric as details.
Use patterns of light and shadow to render the textures of various kinds of fabric.

3. Drapery When fabric hangs from a stress point, folds are created.
Most folds are conical. When the fabric is creased, the fold has a sharp edge.

4. Volume in Drapery Folds rise and fall like hills and valleys.
Prominent folds have light and shadow areas, (subtle) highlights, and cast shadows.

5. Drawing Drapery (1 of 2) Squint to see the conical shape of each fold.
Start with the largest fold or work left-to-right.
Simplify the bottom edges into their basic shapes.

6. Drawing Drapery (2 of 2)
Establish “landmarks”—e.g., a particularly large, light fold.
Keep your line drawing simple.

7. Volume in Folds (1 of 2)
Block in large shadow areas first—landmarks to keep you from getting confused among many folds.
Block in the background if it has a dark local color.

8. Volume in Folds (2 of 2) Next, build up tones in shadow areas.
Count folds near stress point to keep from getting lost.
Subtle gradations of tone suggest the softness of the fabric.

9. Colored Fabric
Block in a tone lighter than the actual local color of the fabric.
Make your line drawing on top of that tone.
Darken shadow areas.

10. Patterned Fabric
Stripes follow the shape of the fold, creating ellipses.
The stripe always has the same local color, but the value changes as it runs across the fold from light to shadow areas.

11. Textured Fabric
Reflective fabric (e.g. some leather) creates distinctive light and dark areas with less gradation of tone.

12. Summary (1 of 2)
Drapery
The artistic arrangement of fabric or clothing
Stress points in the fabric create the folds in drapery.
Unless the fabric is creased, the folds are basically coned-shaped.
Create the softness of fabric using subtle gradations of tone.

13. Summary (2 of 2)
Establish landmarks in a complicated piece of drapery.
Treat any pattern in the fabric as detail work.
Texture
Reflective texture shows sharp edges between light and shadow areas instead of subtle gradations.