While European clothing styles varied greatly during the 17th century, the most iconic fashion of the era came from the lavish court of France's Louis XIV, the Sun King. Enormously influential throughout Europe, the men and women of the Sun King's court became the model for ultra fashionable, luxuriant dress. Drawing the costumes of this period require only basic materials but can be rewarding whether you are drawing for pleasure or to get preliminary ideas for constructing a period costume.
Instructions
Model Template
1. Find a full body photograph of a person in your magazine. Celebrity and gossip magazines are ideal for finding models because they feature many shots of people standing straight on or at a ¾ turn, both ideal for use in costume design.
2. Place a sheet of drawing paper on the photograph.
3. Trace the silhouette of the model with the pencil.
Examine Historical Period
4. Courtly women's dresses consisted of an outer dress called a "manteau" worn over a bell-shaped skirt and topped with a stiff bodice called a "planchette." The neckline was very low and usually oval or square in shape. Corsets were tightly laced to create a tiny, v-shaped waistline. Ladies of rank accessorized with high, stiff linen caps called "frontages," fans, and beauty marks on their cheeks.
5. Men of the court would have worn long outer coats called "justaucorps" over tightly fitting knee breeches, stockings, and heeled shoes. They would have worn long, elaborate wigs and feathered felt hats. Many men accessorized with ceremonial swords and sashes.
6. Look at online galleries of painting and engravings from the reign of King Louis XIV. Doing so will give you a clear visual idea of what men's and women's fashions looked like.
Design the Costume
7. Sketch the basic contours of the costume on the model template. Keep playing with different silhouettes and shapes until you have reached the design you desire.
8. Trace over your final design with the fine-tip marker. Erase all the extra pencil marks.
9. Use your colored pencils, crayons, or water colors to color your costume.
