Inventive Costume
In the figure drawing course Inventive Costume, Associate Professor Will Weston teaches Illustration students the basics of clothed figure drawing while introducing the history, techniques and purpose of costume design.
Observing live costumed art models, students not only learn how to draw drapery and folds, but also learn how to sketch manufactured folds, drapes, pleats and various types of pants, shirts and jackets worn in the past and present, and in different parts of the world. Students work on projects addressing the role of costuming as a critical aspect of character design in animation, film, illustration and theatrical design.
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“I love working directly from the models because you can practice so much. You can play a lot with expressions and poses. It’s really about not just depicting the figure as is, but pushing it to be as expressive as possible.”
Jacki Li Illustration student
“I tell the students that the models are assuming poses, and that you should change the pose you draw to suit your composition and narrative storytelling,” says Weston, who was an advertising illustrator before going into animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon and Sony, and has taught full-time at ArtCenter for a decade. “I’m teaching mechanics,” he adds. “How do you group figures effectively so that the eye can easily make its way through the composition? How does the costume further the storyline?”
Art Models Strike a Pose in Will Weston’s Inventive Costume Drawing Course
