Character Costume Figure Drawing ― Step-by-step Drawing Methods for Theatre Costume Designers

Character Costume Figure Drawing is an essential guide that will improve your drawing skills and costume renderings. Step-by-step visuals illustrate the how-tos of drawing body parts, costumes, accessories, faces, children, and different character archetypes, such as maternal, elderly, sassy, sexy, and evil. By focusing on the foundations of drawing bodies, including body proportion, bone structure, body masses, facial expressions, and appendages, this guide shows you how to develop sketches from stick figures to full-blown characters.

The third edition features a new chapter, Digital Mixed Media Costume Rendering. This chapter introduces the basic usages of Photoshop tools to enhance and improve costume designs, in order to provide easy delivery design ideas to the director and design team, provide easy changes and alterations during the design process, virtually apply actual fabric swatches over costume sketches, and help visualize lighting effects.

Tan Huaixiang is a Professor in Costume & Makeup Design and Technology in the Theatre Department, School of Performing Arts, at the University of Central Florida, USA. She holds an M.F.A. degree in costume design from Utah State University, USA, and a B.F.A. degree from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, China. Tan has received costume design awards including the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National First Runner-up, Kennedy Center ACTF Meritorious Achievement Awards, Regional Outstanding Teaching Artist, and Distinguished Achievement awards. She was recognized by Central Washington University, USA, for her teaching excellence and was a recipient of Teaching Incentive Program Awards from the University of Central Florida. Tan was a USITT Golden Pen Award nominee for her first edition of Character Costume Figure Drawing. Tan is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829.