Today I wanted to spend some time talking about how to draw tops. These designs can stand alone as sweaters or blouses or they can be combined with a bottom to create a dress or romper. In the video below, I go over how to draw different necklines, waistlines, and sleeves to create a variety of looks. If you would like to follow along, I have a free croquis pack available for download in my shop.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you are designing.
Necklines can come in a ton of different shapes. Scoop neck and V-neck shapes are the most common, but you can experiment with some other shapes too. Personally, I'm a big fan of turtlenecks because I like to use them in layered looks.
You can also play with the width of the neckline by stretching out the shape. The wider the neckline, the more skin that is going to be showing.
You can also change the depth of your neckline. I usually see this done with the V-neck shape, but try experimenting with other shapes as well. When I design plunging necklines, I like to add a band at the waistline to show where the fabric will eventually connect.
I usually prefer to keep my waistline at the waist. I like to design dresses and prefer to attach my skirt here instead of the hips. If you are designing a shirt or a blouse, you might want to bring the waistline down to the hips unless you are going for something cropped. Don't be afraid to try out some different shapes; not all waistlines have to go straight across.
Ease is another important consideration when designing. Ease refers to how tight or loose a garment sits on the body. If something is super tight, it has no ease or negative ease. If something is loose, it has positive ease. If you want to create ease, draw the lines out and away from the croquis and erase any of the body lines that you no longer need.
Once you are happy with your neckline and waistline, you can start to think about adding sleeves. I will be making a more in depth tutorial for sleeves in the near future, but for now here are some ideas. Take time to experiment with different lengths and shapes and don't be afraid to add some volume.
Once you have a basic structure down, you can begin to add texture and pattern details to really liven up the design. If you gave this a try, I would love to see it! Tag @prettiestpear on Instagram or Tiktok.
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