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How to Draw Pale Silk: Colored Pencils

by Michaela Koleva

Kate Middleton's wedding dress is by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. It's a handmade fitted white v-neck gown with a long-sleeved lace overlay with a long train. The skirt is made of ivory and white satin gazar and covered with lace just like the bodice and the underskirt. The back of the dress was finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPPaVIT1JcA

I started with an ivory tone, but because the pencil's lead is quite oily, the color of the paper was showing through. Therefore I switched to a white soft pastel to lay on a base layer and then continued with the ivory on top of it. The technique I used was staring with the highlights first and leaving the shadows for the end.

Wedding dresses are tricky cause they are not always white in color, but most of them are pale enough to make them look flat or dull in illustrations. To avoid this problem, break down the pale color of the fabric to different tones. Which shades of color do you see? Which would be the best colors to make a white dress pop? My trick here is to choose a lilac-colored paper, instead of using a white background. The lilac shade will give the dress a cold undertone. In addition, I could use this effect as a transition to my shadows without adding any further colors to the drawing. Summarized, the colors used in the drawing are white and ivory for the high lighted areas, the lilac tone of the paper as mid-tone, and a copper tone for the shadows.

I consciously avoided using black, cause it would have added to much contrast in the drawing and I wanted to have soft falling silk, not a taffeta or satin looking dress. As I mentioned before, if you have white or very pale fabrics, stay away from high contrasting colors like pure white highlights and black shadows, especially if you draw a soft falling not very shiny fabrics. The copper added a warm feeling to the bluish tone of the paper and made the dress stand out against the cold background.

How would you draw in a white embroidery or a layer of white lace on top of white silk? Pay attention that the white gel pen pops on top of the ivory color and it's still visible.

I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. If you draw a wedding dress, what's the trick you use to make the illustration pop?

Thank you so much for reading, watching, and sharing so generously.

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Hey there!

I'm Michaela Koleva

I'm a girl who accidentally uploaded her fashion sketches on YouTube as a video collage, and turned it into an art business. I love yoga pants, coffee, and working from home. If you want to learn how to master freehand drawing, market yourself online as an artist, and use your talents and skills to go from side hustle to self-employed, you're in the right place!

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