This is a step by step tutorial for those designers who are inspired by the fabulous sequins fabrics and want to create some beautiful designs for the holidays! Using this easy technique you will make your fashion sketches more realistic and fun...enjoy!
Step 1 Base color
Start by laying down a flat color all over your design. You don’t need to make the color appear perfectly flat, just cover the whole area you are planning to draw the sequins.
Step 2 Drawing the sequins rows
Next draw the sequins. Find a pen in a little bit darker shade and cover like 1/2 of the fabric with interceding circles. Notice that the rows of sequins are not from the top of the dress to it’s hemline. Sequins are drawn here and there just to hint the impression of such fabric.

Step 3 Adding highlights
Now add with white gel pen (or gouache) the highlights. Use the same technique of building the sequins row as in the previous step.
Cover no more than 1/4 of the fabric with white sequins or it will look very unrealistic in the end.
Tip: Even if you are drawing a black sequin dress I would still recommend you to draw the highlights in pure white. Sequins have high contrast and using the pure white helps you represent it.

Step 4 Brighter!
Fill some of the white sequins. Maybe the first one or two of each row.
You can also draw some glittering stars to make the impressions of sequins fabric even stronger.

Step 5 Blend it
Using a white pencil try to blend some of the sequins rows. Pick rows that are already close to each other and concentrate only on one of the sides of the dress. Again – you don’t want to overwork it!

Step 6 Draw the shadows
Finally take a pencil that is a few tones darker than your base color and mark some random darker rows.
You can also use it to add volume to your design (e.g. under the breast and in the deepest folds usually)

I hope you liked this sequins tutorial and that many gorgeous party dresses are about to appear in your sketchbook!


Comments
Thank you for the comment !
I use markers for my illustrations. Thebrand is Copic. Color pencils are a great media for fashion sketches, but very few people know how to work with them. And this causes sometimes good sketches to look wrong.
You need to bring the gaps to minimum when using color pencils and this takes a lot of time and patience.
There will be a tutorial on the site for coloring :)
btw what kind of coloring tool do you use?is it ok to use faber castell's color pencil? thanks!
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