Design techniques- Sketching over Photos

As a costume designer showing your design sketches can be a really daunting prospect. After all, to start with, the sketch is all you have to clearly show your ideas. They have to be detailed, good quality, full of character and able to give everyone a clear idea about what you intend the costume to look like. That's a LOT of pressure for a little sketch. Especially if someone else has the responsibility of realising your design you need your sketch to communicate everything.

Over the years i have experimented with a few different techniques on how to really show your ideas as you intend them.

This first one is a technique that i developed whilst i was studying Theatre Design at Rose Bruford College. It seriously got me through my final year! I traweled through photography books finding any full length photos of people that i could find. I photocopied them all so i had a good stock. Then i got out my watercolours, acrylics and drawing pens and built up my design with various mediums over the top of the photos. This was really successful because it instantly gave my costumes a really humanity and character. Here are some examples...

Costume Sketches for Peter Grimes, an Opera by Benjamin Britten-

Also, here is another example from a site specific piece i design called 'Convictions'-