Costume Simplification

Welcome back. In one class, my students are assigned their final project on the first day of class and that assignment is to conceptualize and bring to finish two characters which fit into what I call the "Dynamic Duo" two characters who are either 'lovers', 'buddies' or 'arch nemesis'. In the process of designing characters, we discuss the fundamentals of figure drawing, cloth, staging and so forth (many notes of which are posted throughout this blog). In a recent class we discussed simplifying the details of their characters. I am a big proponent of K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid and so, help my students find a low detail approach to their characters. In doing so I get to do the part I love which is drawing the students' characters in class for them. I have provided notes below as broken down by Gesture, Construction (with anatomy) and technique in this case, costume. This is also a good opportunity for me to ask them questions about their characters which they not have given thought. Two students' examples are below.
Everything begins with gesture so we discuss that as shown above.
Then we discuss construction from the standpoint of how it is utilized in their character(s). Above we have a student's "Dr. Jekyll". This version is that of a gentleman-by-day-evil-genius-who-hope-to-destroy-the-world-at-night kind of fellow. This is a very tall and thin character so I suggested we use cylinders as the main forms with the head and top hat (circa 1850) actually being a single connected shape. The nose is the one feature that counters this thought by being large, square and hawk-like. Here is my final version of his character. The ascot, jacket, vest and even trousers are brought down to their simplest level.

The arch nemesis here, is Mr. Hyde who apparently bumbles his way through Jekyll's lab smashing the inventions of destruction or something like that. Hyde is built like a gorilla. Did I tell you I love gorillas? The gesture above was soooo easy because, well I love to draw gorillas.Construction next. Large forearms and straight back with a large head just like a gorilla...I love drawing gorillas.
My final version above. Hydes legs get so short that the trouser legs flops behind but not a whole lot of detail in the tight clothes, just a wrinkle under the shoulder, shortened sleeves etc. KISS.
Another student chose to work on lovers and in this concept she decided to have two characters, one from the mid 1600's and the other from 1700's who own painting of the other. the owners of the paintings are madly in love with each other but, alas will never see each other because they separated by a hundred years in time. (I'm sure it's nothing that Marty and Doc Brown couldn't fix). Anyway the girl is a large bottomed lass with a short torso whose gesture is above.
Work into a pear shaped torso or a torso made up of a large sphere with a box shaped bucket thingy for the chest.



A dress from the 1700's is beautiful, but too freaking complex to act as an animated character especially from beginning student. So we toss away a lot of fringe ( A LOT OF FRINGE) to get the simplest details in but still enough so we can see the time period of the costume. After all is said and done, I almost wonder why the big bottom under that dress but....Here's her man (Whom this student always draw in that "creepy uncle" kind of pose. I don't' know what she means by doing so, but I don't really want to ask. I just drew him holding his sword. Guys liked swords back then, heck guys like sword now too but we don't get carry them around in public.

This guy is big and round, belly and chest are one with a small pelvis (just like that creepy uncle).
Guys, especially those gentlemanly types wore those crazy pantaloons back then which actually looked like swim trucks full of air in the pool, you know what I mean? All costume needs to be thought of a shape to be controlled easily.Here's my final version. Notice that I took off the lace (yes, guys wore a lot of lace in those times, both around the wrists and around the thighs...there is that creepy uncle factor there) I broke the costume down to the simplest forms. Yes, you could add stripes and such to the pantaloons but I'm just trying to get the overall shape across. Made the cape shorter to emphasize the belly.

So my point here is to simplify the costume. Lapels and the like need to stay because they really give an idea of the piece of dress, however embroidery, jewelry, excess lace or other accoutrements can be simplified or discarded because they will get complicated in an animated sequence. Hope that explains some things. Thanks for stopping by.