Hi! (sorry I'm on anon I'm just. Extremely shy) I've always admired your character outfit design but lately they've all been amazing (and the detail work, like the scalemail!). I was wondering if you have any advice or insights or resources about the outfit design process that you wouldn't mind sharing? If not, sorry for bothering!! and Thank you anyway!!
EAT FASHION
C O N S U M E
but really, thank you! i think as of late i’ve just been trying out a few new ways of illustrating small details (laces, glitter, etc.), and even small changes can make a HUGE difference in how an overall design looks
other than that, i may have been exaggerating for comedic effect but seriously. grab as many references as you can and TAKE NOTE on how they look. if you can find it in different lighting, save every one. if you find a particular detail you especially like? study like it’s your college exams and EXAMINE THE HELL OUT OF IT. making something look believably worn on a person’s body can be one of the most difficult parts of a design - something that a lot of mainstream media still has a huge problem with
(which is why you’ll notice a lot of the big comics are starting to hire people with backgrounds in doing some kind of clothing design - it matters)
for my part, i follow literally hundreds of fashion and fantasy blogs that i refer back to pretty frequently. checking my fashion and design tags or my sideblog ( @balimode) could give you a few places to check out if you’re not sure where to start!
i also have a dnd-specific one for my characters’ designs ( @sim-u-la-crum ) that i shove a lot of aesthetic and clothing into. though it needs to be updated, particularly with new characters…