Tufts College Library GIFT OF ALUMNI Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/costumedesignill00trap_0 THE WILEY TECHNICAL SERIES FOR VOCATIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS EDITED BY J. M. JAMESON GIRAKO COLLEGE THE WILEY TECHNICAL SERIES EDITED BY JOSEPH M. JAMESON Girard College TEXTBOOKS IN DRAFTING AND DESIGN Decorative Design. A Textijook of Practical Methods. By Joseph Cummings Chase, Instructor in Decorative Design at the College of the City of New York and at the Woman’s Art School, Cooper Union, vi + 73 pages, 8 by lOj, 340 figures. Cloth, $1.50 net. Agricultural Drafting. By Charles B. Howe, M.E. 8 by io|, viii+63 pages, 45 figures, 26 plates. Cloth, $1.25 net. Agricultural Drafting F*roblenis. A Manual to Supplement the tc.xt in .\gri- cultural Drafting. By Charles B. Howe, M.E. 26 plates, 8 by lo-P In [lapcr cover, 50 cents net. Architectural Drafting. By A. B. Greenberg, Stuyvcsant Technical High School , Ni vv York; and Charles 15 . Howe, Buslnvick Evening High Sthool, Brooklyn, viii+iio pages, 8 by 1O4, 53 figures, 12 jilates. Cloth, 51.50 net. The Orders of Architecture. A Manual to Supplement the te.xt in Architectural Drafting. By Benton Greenberg 20 plates, 8 by lo-E In paper cover, 50 cents net. Mechanical Drafting. By Charles B Howe, M.E., Bushwiik Evening High School, Brooklyn, x+147 pages, 8Xio| 105 figures, 38 plates. Cloth, Si. 73 net. Drawing for Builders. By R. Burdette Dale, Formerly Director of Vocational Courses, Iowa State College. v+i66 pages, 8 by lof, 69 figures, 50 plates. Cloth, Si. 50 net. Costume Design and Illustration. By Eihel II. Traphagen, Instructor and Eecturer at Cooper Union, etc. ix + 145 pages, 8 by lop Upwards of 200 illustrations, including several in color, and a Color Spectrum Chart. Cloth, $2.50 net. Mechanical Drafting .Manual. .V Series of Lessons and Exercises Based upon the Fundamental Principles of Drafting. By Charles 15 . Howe, M.E. Part I. General Princi[)les of Drafting and U'orking Drawings. 15 Lessons, with Illus- trations. Part 11 . Geometry of Drawing. 15 Exercises, accompanied by full- page plates. 8-1 liy 6.>. Printed in loose-leaf form, each Part in a separate envelope. (In Press, Ready Fall, igiQ.) (Part HI. Ma( liine Drafting: (u) Elementary Principles, (b) .\dvanced. Part I\'. Plan Drawing. Part V’. Plot and iMai) Drawing. In prcparalion). Student’s Manual of Fashion Drawing. Thirty Lessons with Conventional Charts. By Edith Young. Director of the Edith Young Art School, Newark, N. |. Formerly Art Director of the Albert Studio of F'ashion Drawing, Albert Business College, Newark, N. J., and Instructor of Fashion Drawing at the \'oung Women’s Christian Association Newark N. |. vii + 107 pages. 8 by loj. 30 full-page re[)rodiu tions of original drawings. Cloth, S2.00 net. For full announcement <:ee list folloivini index. • 4/ V •Hii & - Drawing hv Drian Frontispiece Courtesy of Harper’s Bazai COSTUME DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION ETHEL TRAPHAGEN Instructor and Lecturer at Cooper Union, The New York Evening School of Industrial Art, and Brooklyn Teachers’ Association Classes; formerly on the staff of Dress Magazine and The Ladies' Home Journal FIRST EDITION NewYork 1918 JOHN WILEY & SONS, Inc. C P ]M II li H A A X & A L L , i m i t e d London Copyright, 1918, by ETHEL TRAITIAGEN C C'l P II K S « OF II II A U N >V <> 11 T H A CO. PIMNTl2ItS AM> DOOKniNDRlt!* BUOOKX.TN. N. Xt THIS BOOK IS SINCERELY DEDI- CATED TO MY STUDENTS, WHOSE ENTHUSIASM .\ND SUCCESS HAVE BEEN ITS INCENTIVE AND INSPIRATION THE P R E FACE Costume Desigx and Costu:\ie Illustration are not always looked upon as distinctl^y ditterent branches of what is termed fashion work, but in truth there is a marked difference between them. In the former, one must consiiler the judging of color, and all that this includes by way of liannonies, contrasts, areas, etc.; the relation of sjiaces; proper proportions; and the beauty and effect of line, balance and scale arrangements for the jiroduction of a design that is dignified, fanciful, frivolous, dainty, formal, or sulitle, to express the designer’s conception of the purpose of the costume and its suitability to the wearer. The costume illustrator, on the other hand, has the privilege of representing the garment after it has been designed —he must be able to render the material with his pen, jiencil or brush in such a way that the actual design is not robbed of any of its charm. Of course, there are many ways of doing this, according to the technique and sensitiveness or temperament of the artist, as well as the different methods customary for the special use for which the design is intended. It can easily be seen how advantageous it is to any fashion artist, whether designer or illustrator, to have an understanding of both branches to get the best out of either, for they have much in common. The designer and the illustrator should both have a knowledge and a keen appreciation of the beautiful lines of the human form, to know what lines are important to emphasize and what to conceal in a figure which may not be perfect. Drawing from the nude is of great advantage to the student, and no serious costume illustrator should be without this valuable training. There are .some books which may help the ambitious student in the life class to observe and imjiress on the mind fundamental facts which it is believed most life-class teachers will agree in thinking extremely useful. Among these are Dunlop's Anatomical Diagrams, Figure Drawing by Ilatton, Anatomy in Art by J. S. Hartley, Richter, Marshall or Duval, and Drawing the Human Figure by J. II. Vanderjioel. If the student is studying without an instructor, Practical Drawing, by Lutz, will be found helpful. Ethel II. TrapiiageNo New York, 1018. THE C O N E N T S CHAPTER PAGE I. Sketching 1 II. Drawing without Models .... 13 III. Methods 27 IV. Color C3 V. Design 75 VI. The Fashion Silhouette 83 VII. Period Fabric Design 91 VIII. Outline of Historic Costume ... 99 IX. Bibliography 127 X. A Heading and Reference List of Costume:, Arranged xVlphabetic- ALLY 137 XI. Artists whose Work Has Bearing ON Period Fabrics or Costume . 185 XII. Index 199 SKETCHING CHAPTER ONE . IJ COSTUME DESIGN AND JLLUSTRATION CHAPTER ONE ' SKETCHING 1. Forms.—In both lines of fashion farthest point out of the other oval, to work it is necessary to be able to con- represent the skirt. Connect these and struct quickly a form on which to sketch you have a form. See Fig. 1. The bust or design a dress, and, like the forms in and hip should be on a line, and for the Fig. 1. —First steps in constructing a dress form. store windows, this should be constructed present-day silhouette the connecting lines to enhance the good -lines of the garment. should be but slightly curved. Care must be taken, however, never to Next, extend the two lines for the confuse this with the human figure, the sleeves, add the collar and put in the structure of which is entirely different. centre line, which, in the front, follows The simplest way of obtaining this the outside line of the waist and goes form is by drawing two ovals. First, straight in the skirt. See Fig. 'i. (Of make a straight line for the shoulders, course, the proportions differ according then swing an oval, somewhat foreshort- to fashion; i.e., the normal waist would ened, from the shoulder line, to repre- go but twice into the short skirt of the sent the waist. Next, swing another summer of 1916.) It is interesting to more elongated oval, from near the end- note how the reverse of this straight line ing points of the first oval, having the and curve forms the back. In making the farthest part out always opposite the back, connect the ovals in the same man- Page Two SKETCHING ner, Ixit note that the centre line goes the straight full front view, because of straight in the waist and curves in the the advantage of showing the side of the skirt. See Fig. 3. dress as well as the front. An examina- The waist and collar lines curve up. tion of fashion publications will prove The normal waist goes into the skirt about how general is this preference. two and a half times, and the sleeves 2. Summary.—The main points to be bend at the waist line or a little above. remembered are that the bust and hips, The supporting points at the shoulder, for the present silhouette, should be on a elbow, and hips should be marked, for line, that the arms bend at the waist line it is these points that most affect the or a little above, and that the normal drapery. waist goes into the instep length skirt ^Yith a little api)lication, these forms about two and a half times. may soon be mastered, and the practice In the front view remember that the of doing them rapidly and turning them centre line follows the outside line in both ways makes for proficiency. See the waist and goes straight in the skirt, Fig. 4. Observe that three-quarter front that in the back the centre line goes and back views are used in preference to straight in the waist and curves in the SKETCHING A GARMENT Page Three skirt. (The centre line is the centre of have the centre line of your sketch cor- the actual figure, not of the sketch.) respond with the centre line of the gar- The collar and waist lines curve up in ment.