( click for larger view.)
This past weekend I finished up yet another of my sketchbooks; this one I had been slowly filling since early Autumn. The beginning is peppered with scribbles about the wedding, lists and other things that were heavily on my mind six months ago. But as of late, I once again started to record garment details and create a visual wishlist of clothes I’d like to make one day. Recently, I had someone ask to take a peek into my sketchbooks, so I’ve pulled a few of my favorite pages from past books:
( click for larger view.)
Interestingly although I’ve taken numerous art classes in the past, I still tend to be very sketchy with my garment drawings. It’s a way for me to work an idea out on paper before it escapes my imagination forever, and things tend to get messy! I have literally a box full of these sketchbooks that I brought with me. Every few months I’ll go back and look through them, culling new ideas or rediscovering old ones. It’s fun to find some themes and motifs continue throughout several books as well; some of which eventually worked their way into a final project or garment design.
Do you like to sketch your ideas out? Or do you record your ideas and inspiration or prepare for a project another way? I’d love to hear how you keep your inspirations!
I love the sweetheart neckline! all of those dresses are beautiful!
I love being able to see other people’s sketches up close. They look awesome! I’m not a very talented artist at all, but I like to scribble down my ideas – they make a little bit of sense to me after all (even though they probably don’t to anybody else!). Mostly my drawings are on loose sheets of paper and tend to litter my bedroom floor – oops! Most of my recent sketches have been of historical garments modernised – a 1790s round robe transformed into a light cotton summer jacket for instance. It’s so much fun to turn vintage/historical pieces into something new!
And I adore your peplum dress in particular. Not usually one for peplums but that looks great. For some reason it makes me think of a blues singer singing torch songs in some boozy club in the late 40s – maybe a bit Billie Holliday.
I love the sweetheart neckline! all of those dresses are beautiful!
Sketching really works for me. I doodle too, which are usually the birth of an idea. Formalizing in sketch form really solidifies the design. Images from different sources are good too. As of recent I started gathering images from magazines, and putting them into folders. This process helps me form ideas for different types of sketching, be it for jewelry class, color class or printmaking.
Your sketches are inspiring!
Wow, these are lovely – i to have sketch books full of design ideas and what not but they are so messy, yours look like you can actually decipher what it was that inspired you in the first place
I used to do sewing at high school and they encouraged us all to record our ideas and so it has just stuck from there. They are one of those things i can’t bare the thought of getting rid of, even though some of my initial sketches i’d never wear now because my style is so entirely different 
I like to try to sketch out my wardrobe (and costume) ideas, but art just isn’t my strong suit so without a croquis/template to base the garments off of I’m horribly lost!
That said, you have gorgeous, inspiring sketches and of course all the designs look amazing!
these are really great! i’m very visual so i sketch all the time. however i’ve taken on a decidedly more edward gorey style. haha its pretty abstract. i’ve been meaning to post some of my sketches and i think i will thanks to your inspiration.
Oh, I love them! I love the jaunty gal in the trousers especially.
Omg I love your sketches! They’re so beautiful! I used to draw but I’m not good at all, so I wind up distorting the idea I had and getting frustrated. I want to print out all my ideas but there’s only so much ink I can afford. So I usually just keep everything in my head or my laptop. I’d love to see more of your sketches!!!
Oh gorgeous, thanks for the peek! I actually think your sketches aren’t messy at all– they’re very elegant and clean. I really like the idea of the dresses with huge patch pockets.
As for me, I’m terrible at filling sketchbooks– I’m always drawing on random pieces of paper and leaving them all over the place– but I’ve been trying to keep together some books! My sketches are always interspersed with lots of writing, though, because I love to make lists. I also enjoy collaging interesting pictures I find into my books.
I love these sketchbook images! They’re wonderful. It’s almost like you could cut out the outfits and put them onto your girl drawings like a paper doll… You’re such a good artist!
Love your sketches. I posted some little thoughts about the creation-way of my mom’s clothes at our blog!
I adore your sketches! It’s so funny that you have an Asian inspired dress in the first collection of sketches. I watched Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing over the weekend and was so inspired by Jennifer Jones’ Asian dresses, I’m conjuring up plans to make one.
I fill sketchbooks with vintage ideas, too although mine aren’t half as nice as yours. It’s really fun to go back and look through them, though!
These sketches are so inspiring. I have never sketched clothing, I am not sure I can, but maybe I should try.
Oooh, thanks for sharing some of your sketches! I have an “idea book” that houses scribbles, small sketches, and other ideas I have. Now I’m inspired!
Oooh, thanks for sharing some of your sketches! I have an “idea book” that houses scribbles, small sketches, and other ideas I have. Now I’m inspired!
these are lovely, im a doodler myself and doodle everyday its just relazing for me. thanks for sharing your work!
Wow, your sketches look really good, and such an inspiration for me, as I decided only a few days ago that I would start collecting all these random pieces of paper I’ve drawn my ideas on, into a folder or sketchbook. I also plan to add in inspirational pictures from the web/magazines to support my ideas and then maybe, maybe a few more of my ideas will actually be turned into something wearable. Do you also collect inspiring images from magazines etc? If so, how do you store them? Thank you for inspiring, again.
Wow Casey, you are really wonderful at drawing! Keeping a sketchbook works for me too, but I find I go through periods of keeping on regularly and then I’ll go a few months without doing anything in it (like now)… your sketches are making me really want to draw in mine again!
Sweetheart necklines and nipped in waists are my favourite!
I’ve kept sketchbooks for at least the last ten years since I was 13, but they are all just the clothes, I never drew them with figures inside them. But now I’m trying to sketch figures too.
That’s such a great idea to have a sketchbook. I’ve always sketched my clothing ideas out on random pieces of paper, which I always lose. I think I may need to buy a sketchbook.
You really do have such lovely ideas; I wish that I could draw! I’d love to be able to make a few sketches of outfits, but I’m not that talented…
Ciao Ciao!
M.
Wow, these are brilliant. You have a great talent! x
My goodness, your sketches are gorgeous. I’d love to be able to leaf through the whole book – your really have an amazing hand.