How to Draw & Paint Fashion & Costume Design: Artistic inspiration and instruction from the vintage Walter Foster archives (Walter Foster Collectibles)

I read some of the reviews already posted before buying this book. I'm glad I didn't listen. Though there was validity in those reviews, this is still a worthy and worthwhile book. If I remember correctly, some of the others said that this book doesn't teach you how to draw. It’s true that this isn’t an in-depth teaching tool for fashion illustration, but it does give step-by-step illustrated instructions for drawing. Consider this not a semesters’-long schooling but a crash course in fashion illustration.It starts off with equipment, then moves on into discussing color. Next comes Drawing 101, which briefly touches on form, value, shading, and how to draw with basic pencil, colored pencils, and oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels. Then the last part of the first section is on “People in Perspective.” Again, none is greatly detailed, but the lessons, cursory as they may be, are still there.The next section, Chapter 2, is entitled “1920s–1930s Male and Female Fashions with Walter T. Foster,” in which the body is dissected, starting with heads, then hands and feet, then goes on to male figures, female figures, then ends by showing you how to take what you’ve learned and turn it into a theme: “The Urban Sophisticate” (male) and “The Modern Woman” (female).Chapter 3: “1940s Female Fashions with Walter T. Foster”: This section is devoted to various female types, generally one page each: “The Bombshell,” “The Siren,” “Ladies of Leisure” (2 pages), “The Professional” (4 pages), “The Starlet,” “The Icon,” then comes “Beauty in Action” (2 pages).Chapter 4: “1950s Female Fashions with Viola French”: This breaks down the face, fashion proportions, how to draw the figure in rough sketch, then there’s a section about drawing from sources, even drawing yourself, then how to draw popular styles, folds and patterns, then comes “Rendering Fashions,” which breaks down how to draw various textures, millinery, daywear, eveningwear, lingerie, activewear, then ends with turning your rough black-and-white pencil sketch into watercolor.Chapter 5: “Early 1960s Female Fashions with Viola French”: This starts with the facial look common to the Sixties, then hands and feet, then “Sources to Draw From,” which covers folds, fabric, and patterns, then comes “Poses,” then comes daywear, suits, coats, eveningwear, bridal, lingerie, activewear, and accessories.Chapter 6: “The Art of Costume Designs with Marilyn Sotto”: Because the title of this book is How to Draw and Paint Fashion and Costume Design, the last chapter touches on “Period Costumes” (“Tudor Man/Woman,” “Louis VXI Man/Woman,” “Julius Caesar” and “Roman Woman”) and gives both black-and-white and color renderings, then comes “Performing Arts,” “Television and Film” (black-and-white rendering only), “Showgirls,” (color only), and ends with “Costume Couture” (color only).Again, this book is NOT an exhaustive paperback on drawing (for that, I’d try  Fashion Drawing For Dummies , which Amazon sells and I also own), so, if you’re hoping for a comprehensive work, this isn’t that book. It only gives hasty tutorials on drawing. However, as I said, this book is a Worthy if you’re truly into fashion simply because it’s a blast-from-the-past pictorial of Fashion’s greatest eras. The drawings, themselves, are worthwhile for the historic aspect alone. I grew up not IN these eras but ON them, thanks to my mother who’s a fan of Old Hollywood and of fashion from the Twenties through the Sixties. I cut my eye teeth on these eras, fashion-wise, so I’m thankful I bought this book because it covers these eras and quite nicely. Also, if you, as I, are interested in building up your Fashion library, this really isn’t such a bad book to own. If you’re truly into fashion, you’ll enjoy it, even if you don’t get a design-school-worthy education on illustration.(Regarding the pics: the first is an example from Chapter 1: Introduction. The next two are from Chapter 2: 1920s-1930s and exemplify my statements that this book's a cursory "step-by-step" course, not an in-depth one. The fourth picture is from Chapter 3: 1940s. The fifth is from Chapter 4: 1950s. The sixth is from Chapter 5: Early 1960s. And, finally, the seventh and eighth are from Chapter 6: The Art of Costume Design. My apologies for the amateurish photography, but I hope the photos help you see just what the book offers. Also, my apologies that the pics uploaded sideways and upside-down. I'm new to this and couldn't figure out how to get them right-side-up. I think, however, you can still get a feel for the book despite my wonky photog skills. 😊 )

I love the illustrations in this book, that is were the love affair ends. For inspiration this book deserves a 5, BUT its lacks majorly in how to actually draw the fashions,what it does present you with is some figure drawing. Even in Viola's section with the faces of fashion-it is really a bunch of drawn sections,there is no break-down on how to illustrate fashion.Chapter 1:Introduction-which goes over things like tools&materials,color theory etc, basic design things you would find in an illustration book.Chapter 2: (1920's-1930's Male & Female Fashions with Walter T. Foster), This is the section which starts to breakdown how to draw the figure.Chapter 3: (1940's Female Fashions with Walter T. Foster), Walter does an excellent section with this and the breakdown of the female body in drawing.Chapter 4: (1950's Female Fashions with Viola French) she has a section on the face of fashion which includes faces,eyes, noses and lips-Shes goes over fashions of the 1950's with a bit of figure drawing as well.Chapter 5:(Early 1960's Female Fashion with Viola French)-I did not find this section useful as it really is just a lookbook. As pretty as this section is, you can locate very similar photos on old sewing patterns, and patternmaking books. There was no breakdown of the illustrations in this section.Chapter 6:(The Art Of Costume Design with Marilyn Sotto)-she shows you how to do six illustrations and there are 5 designs from her included afterwards.I adore Sotto's designs and would have liked if she had included the illustration breakdown for the 5 Designs of costumes, I would have been so happy!!Con'sDo not show you step by step how to complete some of the designs.The costume section was tiny, made even smaller because some are inspiration illustrations rather than guided illustrations.Pro'sVery pretty bookDesigns are correct for the Era'sThere are tip on how to achieve techniques throughout.I wouldn't say this book is not worth buying, I think it would be okay to have in your collection if you really wanted but I would look elsewhere on the technical breakdown of how to draw clothing, a lot of the actual designs could be found on patterns or an online search so nothing spectacular wasgiven.

These are nice garments that were created during this time, vivid color and illustrations, the drawings are informative. Watching some of the old movies of the actors and actresses on cable TV really made me want to know more about the illustration work that they did to create these garments so that I could learn to create my own, so I am glad to have found this book. Thank you.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in fashion. It is very useful for fashion design students as reference material. Marilyn Sotto was a costume designer for Hollywood motion picture productions. One of the productions Marilyn Sotto worked on was the 1957 film, "Man of a Thousand Faces", as costume designer for James Cagney. After Hollywood, Marilyn Sotto was costume designer at Disneyland Paris and Disney World in Florida. To see the designs and illustrations of Marilyn Sotto is reason enough to have this book. I highly recommend it.

Great little book, lots of good instructions. Dated but retro & fun. Good for artists interested in fashion design.

I chose this book as a gift for a young costume & set designer. I did not open the box, it went directly to the recipient however, she said she loved the book & I feel confident she wasn't just saying that because it was a gift.

walter foster books are the bomb

It's ok. But it's hard to learn from it.

Bought it for a 12 year old. She enjoys it very much............