Fashion Illustration has been around for nearly 500 years. Serving in the design industry as a means of translation, communication and expression of ideas and design image into a finished garment. Fashion illustrations are a way of showcasing clothing and accessories designs and the croquis is the Designer’s tool.

The word croquis comes from the French croquer meaning simply to sketch, rough out, literally, to crunch.  In the fashion industry it has come to refer to a quick sketch of a figure. Clothing designs are loosely drawn and combined to create a cohesive, finished look. These drawings can be flushed out further later on to serve as art.

When designing a collection it can be time consuming to draw every croquis from Scratch. Designers will use a croquis tracing templates for figures and poses on which to quickly sketch their designs. Over time you can build up your own library of fashion images to work from. These templates for fashion design offer endless illustration possibilities.

There are croquis for Fashion illustrations as well as a croquis used for Technical Flat sketches. Each serving it particular purpose.

Fashion Illustration and Flat Sketch Croquis

In Part II I will show you how the croquis is draw and point you towards some resources. But to wet your appetite you might want to check out the quintessential reference for Fashion Illustration. 

 Nine Heads and its lovely companion

 Colors for Modern Fashion