Supported Folds: More Class Notes For You

Yesterday we began our discussion on supported folds beginning with bend folds. These folds show activity and compression in joints. Bend folds are found at the elbow and knee, obviously, and also pelvis/leg insertion, arm/chest insertion and sometimes the ankles and wrists as well as the neck.
The tighter or thinner the material, the smaller the bend fold. More material means a larger bend fold. Here are some lecture notes. We continued the discussion with pull or tension folds. These are folds that stretch across the form or figure usually having several origins but all meet at one point of tension. I encourage all of you to find those folds that best describe the action or gesture of the cloth and simplify the rest. If you draw every fold you'll be copying and the drawing will become too complicated and appear stiff.

Next we covered my favorite type of fold, the zig zag fold. This type of fold describes a sense of compression as the material begins to pile on itself, usually at the floor or on top of forms. It's easy to get carried away when these folds, so again, pay attention to the intended look of your folds. Otherwise the folds will stop looking solid. Go and practice drawing folds!
Here are some stunningly beautiful examples of folds from Ver meer, Caravaggio and Velazquez respectively.

Had the above been painted today, it probably would have been titled "Damn, dude..."