KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI, GHANA Developing Digital Techniques for Fashion Illustration by Emmanuel Amos Yaw (B A. Industrial Art, Textiles) A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN ART EDUCATION FEBRUARY, 2013 © 2013, DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL ART STUDIES DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work towards the Master of Arts in Art Education degree and that to the best of my knowledge, it contains no material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of the university, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Emmanuel Amos Yaw (PG4420710) (Student Name and ID) ………………..……………… Signature ….……………………………. Date Certified by: Dr. Patrick Osei-Poku (Supervisor) ………………..……………… Signature ….……………………………. Date Certified by: Dr. Patrick Osei-Poku (Head of Department) ………………..……………… Signature ….……………………………. Date ii ABSTRACT Fashion illustration has the potential to attract the attention of its viewers by way of communicating fashion design ideas through various presentable media. But in situations where fashion designers have challenges in fashion illustration, creativity tends to become an imitation of others‟ works. In the case of the Fashion Design and Textiles studies Department of the Kumasi Polytechnic, students are admitted from diverse background with basic requirements. Most of these students often have little or no background in the visual arts and for this reason, their output in fashion illustration and creative design tend to be low. Again, the fashion industry, in its quest for new opportunities and better ways of production is now employing the assistance of new technologies into the production system. It is for these reasons that this research sought to develop digital techniques to solve fashion illustration problems in the Fashion Design and Textiles studies Department of Kumasi Polytechnic. Action Research processes were used with selected students to address the concerns of the department and by so doing Qualitative and experimental research methods were employed as the case maybe. The project focused on the development of digital techniques in the form of sourcing for inspiration, drawing techniques, colour combination techniques and fabric selection techniques with the CorelDraw software. Students were trained systematically to use the techniques for fashion illustrations in more than one semester. In order to demonstrate the level of skills acquired, the selected students produced samples of works with the techniques in various outfits. These works were assessed critically according to the expected results. Finally, the study recommends that more research into new technological ways of solving problems with artistic software should be encouraged for the fashion industry to progress. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page DECLARATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii ABSTRACT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------- iv LIST OF TABLE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ vii LIST OF FIGURES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- viii LIST OF APPENDICES ----------------------------------------------------------------------- x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------ xi CHAPTER ONE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 1.1 Background to the Study ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2 1.3 Objectives ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 1.4 Research questions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 1.5 Delimitation (scope) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 1.6 Importance of the study ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 1.7 Definition of terms ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1.8 Abbreviations Used ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 1.9 Arrangement of the rest of text ----------------------------------------------------------- 4 CHAPTER TWO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 LITERATURE REVIEW ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 2.0 Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 2.1 Background---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 2.2 Trends of Fashion -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 2.3 Transformation of Illustration Techniques --------------------------------------------- 7 2.3.1 Illustration --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 2.3.2 Fashion Illustration ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 2.3.3 Fashion Illustration and Fashion Design ---------------------------------------------- 8 2.4 Computer Aided Design (CAD)--------------------------------------------------------- 10 2.4.1 Arguments against Overreliance on Computer ------------------------------------- 13 2.4.2 Computer Software --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 iv 2.4.3 Popular Illustration and Designing Software---------------------------------------- 15 2.4.4 Fashion Design Software -------------------------------------------------------------- 15 2.4.5 Digital Illustration ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 2.4.6 Digital Graphics Image Display ------------------------------------------------------ 17 2.7 Computer Design Skills ------------------------------------------------------------------ 18 CHAPTER THREE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 METHODOLOGY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 3.0 Overview ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 3.1 Research Design --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 3.2 Qualitative Research Method ------------------------------------------------------------ 20 3.3 Action research ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 3.4 Experimental Research Method --------------------------------------------------------- 22 3.5 Population ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 3.6 Target population -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 3.7 Accessible Population -------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 3.8 Sampling Techniques --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 3.9 Collection of Data ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 3.10 Instrumentation --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 CHAPTER FOUR ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 DEVELOPING DIGITAL TECHNIQUES ------------------------------------------------ 25 4.0 Overview ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 4.1 Computer Graphic Display--------------------------------------------------------------- 25 4.2 Launching CorelDraw X3 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 27 4.2 .1 Corel Draw Application Window ---------------------------------------------------- 27 4.2.2 Detail Description of CorelDraw Application Window --------------------------- 28 4.2.3 CorelDraw Toolbox --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 4.3.0 Developing Techniques ---------------------------------------------------------------- 30 4.3.1. Sourcing for inspiration --------------------------------------------------------------- 30 4.3.2. Drawing Techniques ------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 4.3.2.1 Tracing Technique -------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 4.3.2.2 Direct Drawing Technique ---------------------------------------------------------- 40 4.3.3 Colour Combination Technique------------------------------------------------------- 45 v 4.3.4.1 Fabric Selection Technique --------------------------------------------------------- 48 4.3.4.2 Manipulating Fabrics in Garment -------------------------------------------------- 51 4.4.0 Samples of Digital Illustration Techniques ------------------------------------------ 52 4.4.1 Straight Dress (Sourcing for ideas) --------------------------------------------------- 53 4.4.2 Bridal wear (Sourcing for ideas) ------------------------------------------------------ 53 4.4.3 Beach Wear – (Direct Drawing Technique) ----------------------------------------- 54 4.4.4 Sports wear (Direct Drawing Technique) ------------------------------------------- 55 4.4.5 Colour Combination -------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 4.4.6 Breaking colours ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 58 4.4.7 Working Gear (Fabric selection) ------------------------------------------------------ 59 4.4.8 Casual Wear (Fabric selection) ------------------------------------------------------- 60 CHAPTER FIVE.MENDATION ----------------------------------------------------------- 62 5.1 Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 62 5.2 Conclusions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63 5.3 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64 REFERENCES --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66 APPENDICES---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 vi LIST OF TABLE Table Page Table 4.1: Represents the public preference on the available CAD software for fashion illustration ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 4.1: CorelDraw application window ------------------------------------------------ 27 Figure 4.2: CorelDraw Flipped Tool Box -------------------------------------------------- 29 Figure 4.3a: Converting image to vector image ------------------------------------------- 31 Figure 4.3b: Preview of converted image -------------------------------------------------- 31 Figure 4.4: Selecting interesting features of the image ----------------------------------- 32 Figure 4.5: Drawing other parts with the „Freehand Tool‟ ------------------------------ 33 Figure 4.6: Drawn object with excess nodes ----------------------------------------------- 34 Figure 4.7 a: Re-shapping with the „shape tool‟ ------------------------------------------- 34 Figure 4.7 b: Adjusting the curves with the „shape tool‟ --------------------------------- 35 Figure 4.8: Drawn garment and the re-shaped garment ---------------------------------- 35 Figure 4.9: Scanned drawing (sketch) ------------------------------------------------------ 37 Figure 4.10: Preview of traced sketch ------------------------------------------------------ 38 Figure 4.11: Converted image (vector image) --------------------------------------------- 39 Figure 4.12: Manipulating scanned and converted image to complex design -------- 39 Figure 4.13: Locating the Bezier tool ------------------------------------------------------- 40 Figure 4.14: The use of grid as a guide ----------------------------------------------------- 42 Figure 4.15: The use of the human Figure as a guide to drawing ----------------------- 42 Figure 4.16: Making spots with the „Bezier tool‟ (Drawing with imagination) ------ 43 Figure 4.17 a: Converting straight lines to curves ---------------------------------------- 43 Figure 4.17 b: Straight lines converted to curved lines ----------------------------------- 44 Figure 4.18: Creating designs in dress ------------------------------------------------------ 44 Figure 4.19 a: Generating Colour combination from a bird(i) -------------------------- 47 Figure 4.19 b: Generating Colour combination from a bird(ii) ------------------------- 48 viii Figure 4.20: Generating already-made fabric in garment -------------------------------- 50 Figure 4.21: Illustrating already-made fabric in garment -------------------------------- 50 Figure 4.22: Manipulating already-made fabric in garment ----------------------------- 51 Figure 4.23: Idea Development process for a straight Dress (sample) ----------------- 53 Figure 4.24: Idea development process for Bridal wear (sample) ---------------------- 54 Figure 4.25: Beach wears --------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 Figure 4.26: Sports wear ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 Figure 4.27: Colour combination ------------------------------------------------------------ 57 Figure 4.28: Breaking Colours --------------------------------------------------------------- 59 Figure 4.29: Working gear with African print -------------------------------------------- 60 Figure 4.30: African prints designs in casual wear --------------------------------------- 61 ix LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page APPENDIX A: Sourcing for inspiration Technique -------------------------------------- 68 APPENDIX B: Direct Drawing Technique ------------------------------------------------ 70 APPENDIX C: Colour Combination Technique ------------------------------------------ 72 APPENDIX D: Fabric Selection Technique ----------------------------------------------- 75 x