The clothed figure and folds
Sessions on the clothed figure: where the fabric is pulled tight, where it hangs loose, and how to draw drapery without losing the form underneath. Marathon live stream recordings and sketch reviews.
Lessons in this category come with the Basic plan — $12 a month. Choose a plan
Lessons in “The clothed figure and folds”
subscribers only1:34:11Color and value in the clothed figure — a marathon session
Hi! This video lesson is the third online session I ran for students on the course tier of the marathon “Sketching the Clothed Figure”. I talk through and show how to paint a clothed figure properly, with the focus on modeling, value and color. You can also paint your own lady, but I’d suggest working through the drawing with me first — you’ll end up with a finished, solid piece! 😉
subscribers only1:18:15Drawing drapery on the figure: a session from the "Sketching the Clothed Figure" marathon
Hi! This video lesson is the second online session I ran for participants on the course plan of the "Sketching the Clothed Figure" marathon. In the last lesson I drew drapery on its own; now it’s time to put it on the figure. First we’ll talk about the figure itself — the ribcage, the pelvis, and how they’re built — and then we’ll draw the fabric on it together, taking all its folds and bends into account. If there’s a lot of work and a lot of interest, I’ll run a special feedback stream 🙂✨
subscribers only1:36:57Drawing drapery: a session from the “Sketching the clothed figure” marathon
Hi! This video lesson is the first online session I ran for the course-tier participants of the "Sketching the clothed figure" marathon. As promised, I’m publishing the recordings for subscribers at the top tier. In the lesson I break down drawing drapery, the physics of folds, and finding the rhythm in a simple hanging piece of drapery with two points of support — and of course I draw it. Drawing drapery is the basic exercise for getting complex organic form into an artist’s head. It leads on into anatomy, into portrait and figure drawing.
subscribers only1:02:47Final stream recording. Marathon “Sketching the Clothed Figure”
Hi! Congratulations to everyone on finishing another figure drawing marathon. On Friday I ran the final stream, we went through your brilliant work and had a good talk — posting the recording here for anyone who couldn’t join live or wants to rewatch 🙂 The marathon may be over, but let’s not be sad: there’s plenty more to do together ahead! On the intensive we’ll draw a lot together, work on color, anatomy and proportions, and I’ll share all kinds of little secrets and show techniques in digital painting. For busy people an intensive is a great format for getting into one narrow but very interesting topic, and for anyone who hasn’t studied with us yet it’s a good excuse to try. See you soon, friends! Stay in touch ✨
subscribers only1:15:41Feedback stream recording. "Sketching the Clothed Figure" marathon. Week 3: The clothed figure
Hi everyone! Here’s the recording of yesterday’s feedback stream, if you couldn’t watch live. I’m waiting for your work on the assignment for the third and final week of the marathon, until 23:59 today. I’ll share all the details about the closing stream in the next few days. Good luck 🙂✨
subscribers only2:14:28Stream recording. Marathon “Sketching the Clothed Figure”. Week 3: The clothed figure
Hi! Yesterday I ran the last teaching stream of our summer marathon — here’s the recording for anyone who didn’t catch it live. On Friday I’ll hold the session for students on the course tier, and on Saturday the feedback stream. Good luck!
subscribers only1:15:52Feedback stream recording. "Sketching the Clothed Figure" marathon. Week 2: The figure in drapery
subscribers only2:21:59Live stream recording. "Sketching the Clothed Figure" marathon. Week 2: The figure in drapery
Hi to everyone taking part in our summer marathon! Sharing the recording of yesterday’s stream, where I first go through the theory of how drapery works on the figure and then draw a sketch from one of the refs. And I muse about the point of drawing, about rest, and much else — that’s the huge value of these streams, that we can not only make beautiful things but also chat 😎✨
subscribers only1:09:15Feedback stream recording. "Sketching the Clothed Figure" marathon. Week 1: The figure with minimal clothing
Hi again! Posting the recording of the feedback stream, and I really do recommend everyone join live next time 😎 I’m expecting you all at today’s stream on the new topic, and I wish you a productive week!
subscribers only2:20:18Stream recording. The “Sketching the clothed figure” marathon. Week 1: the figure with minimal clothing
Hi! Yesterday we started the marathon on sketching the clothed figure, and here’s the recording of the stream on the week one topic. I’ll run the feedback stream on Saturday at 19:00; as always, I’ll leave the link here ✨
subscribers only45:26A high-contrast lady in clothes
Hi! This video is about drawing the clothed figure. For the reference I picked a high-contrast lady with bold forms. Where do we start? Those of you who watch and listen to my lessons closely know that the first thing to do is to understand and outline the silhouette, to land the forms. Only after that do we refine the proportions and work up the details — they’re exactly what makes a drawing interesting and expressive. You can follow along with me or, if you feel confident, take a different reference as your base.
About “The clothed figure and folds”
The section grew out of the marathon “Sketching the clothed figure” and runs in three steps: the figure with minimal clothing, the figure in drapery, the figure in clothes. Each week has a teaching stream of a little over two hours and a separate recording with a review of submitted work, about an hour and a quarter. Added to them are three classes at course level: drawing drapery apart from the figure, that same drapery on the body, color and value on a clothed figure. Eleven recordings in all, including the closing stream of the marathon.
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People stop drawing a fold as ornament. The eye first looks for the points by which the fabric holds onto the body: the shoulder, the elbow, the crest of the pelvis, the knee, the belt, and from them run the directions along which the material travels. In a sketch it becomes clear which two or three folds are the main ones, and everything else goes into a general mass. Underneath the clothes you keep constructing the figure: the form first, the fabric over it.
This breaks in two places. The first: folds are laid over a finished silhouette with no regard for the form underneath, and the figure immediately goes flat, the fabric lives separately and there is no volume. The second: every fold gets the same strength of line and the same value, the clothing turns into a net and smothers the gesture of the pose. The class on drapery apart from the figure trains precisely the second one: on a piece of cloth you look for one leading mass and subordinate the rest to it, and then carry that thinking over to the body. Hence the order of the weeks in the marathon.
Better watched in order, the marathon is put together as a course. The first stream is the figure with minimal clothing, where the gesture and the proportions are set, without which the folds are meaningless. The second is drapery and the logic of fabric. The third is the clothed figure as a whole, and it makes sense to add the class on color and value to it. The work review recordings are worth opening right after the corresponding stream, even if you submitted nothing: everyone’s mistakes in this topic are the same.
The section is not about costume. There is no history of fashion here, no pattern construction and no rundown of fabrics by name, and no rendering of textures for concept art. Eleven recordings are sketches and short studies of the clothed figure; a long drawing with every fold worked out is not to be found in the section. If you need the foundation in proportion and gesture, you take it in the section on figure and anatomy, and you come back here for the fabric.
FAQ
Do I need to learn to draw the figure first?
A basic grasp of proportion and axes is essential, otherwise the folds will land on the wrong form. Week one of the marathon is about the figure with minimal clothing and partly covers that gap. For more thorough preparation there is a separate section on figure and anatomy.
How is drapery different from folds in clothing?
Drapery is freely hanging fabric, its form is set by one or two points of suspension and by its own weight. Clothing is additionally stretched over a living form and changes along with the pose. That is why the marathon separates them into different weeks: first the logic of fabric in its pure form, then fabric on the body.
Can I draw from photographs rather than from life?
Yes, all the marathon classes were done from references, and they are attached to the recordings. Folds read more truthfully from life, but for a sketch a photograph works. Changing your sources matters more than sticking to one.
Eleven classes — is that enough for the topic?
For sketches of the clothed figure, yes: the topic is narrow and the logic of fabric repeats from subject to subject. There is enough material for several months of regular practice if you draw to the assignments. For a wider range of setups it makes sense to go to the sections on the figure and on sketching.
What do I need in order to open the classes?
A subscription on the Basic plan gives the archive with the marathon recordings and the assignments. The Club plan adds mini-courses, reference packs with references and a place in the current marathon.
The clothed figure and folds — how Azat draws it
Works by Azat Nurgaleev on the subject of this category: not an illustration to a lesson, but what the lessons lead to.
Woman with a skull 
Man on yellow 
Old man with a staff 
Gentleman with a cane