Unless you are writing a webcomic that doesn’t feature humanoid beings, you will have to figure out how to deal with clothing and fashion in your works. How you approach fashion can be dependent on a lot of factors, from the cultures you are trying to portray, to the personalities of your characters, to the time you are willing to put into details. Today we are going to talk about the ins and outs of fashion in webcomic and our own approach.

Things to keep in mind when looking for inspiration

So many places, but it’s very important to be responsible about where you’re getting inspirations from. You want to avoid cultural appropriation or stereotypes. A lot of inspiration comes from what you see everyday, and the media often doesn’t take as careful of consideration. So make sure to look deeper into what you’re seeing so you understand where it’s coming from and how accurate it is so you can portray it properly in your comic. Don’t rely on only your local sources. Find it from people that are actually part of the culture you want to represent, because they will provide the most accurate information.

Where do you get your inspirations from?

Fashion Blogs!! Paying attention to what people around you are wearing and how the clothes fit on them, looking at realistic body types and how clothes work on actual people. Architecture can give great ideas for patterns. Artbooks.

Reference authentic styles and fashions, especially if your webcomics are set in a historical era, you can look into art/photos/etc from that real life era for references.

How to get started designing “a look”; what questions are you asking yourself to get started?

1. What will the clothing be used for? Where will it be used?This can help set a framework of what the outfit requirements will be.

2. Think about aspects of the clothes themselves:

   • Weight: How heavy can the clothes be? Layers, fabrics used.

   • Comfort: How do the clothes feel to wear? Layers, clothing fit, fabrics used

   • Complexity: How elaborate/detailed can the outfit be? What am I drawing this for? (ie: Webcomic designs are drawn over and over so having an ultra-complex design may not be the best idea).

   • Functionality: What activities will be done in this outfit? (character/job/travel/etc) What vibe are they wanting to give off and would their outfit help with that?

   • Silhouette: How will the clothes fit? Clothing fit.

   • Practicality: What is available for this character to wear? Fabrics used, clothing fit.

How do you design specifically for use in a webcomic where you will be required to draw the same outfit over and over.

Make sure you can draw your designs a million or so times and not hurt yourself or burn yourself out. Focus more on the silhouette or overall look to keep it interesting without overdoing it.

Give your character a staple piece that goes with them from outfit to outfit, because it will keep the character consistent for readers and also give you a good starting point for designing a new outfit.

Work fashion into your world building. What type of clothing does each city/culture wear? How much do you want your characters to stand out from these characters?

Also consider your medium. If you’re a traditional artist, consider how you could fix the character’s outfit in the event you mess up. A form fitting outfit is often easier to recover than a baggier outfit.

Make sure you enjoy the outfits you’re drawing.

How do you use fashion to reinforce their personality and place in the world of your webcomic?

It can show how they stand out or try to blend in. Their outfit can add a new aspect to the personality your character is showing the reader, or it can reinforce personality aspects that the character has. A character’s fashion can convey their role in the world and their behavior.

What are some pitfalls to keep an eye out for when designing fashion?

You create a cool outfit, but it’s too hard to draw over and over so you have to redesign it. Design with webcomic friendliness in mind from the start. Save the fancy designs for one-off illustrations.

Not having references for your designs. Take the time to make references, ESPECIALLY if you’re going to be drawing it more than once.

Thinking you can’t draw fashion because you’re “not fashionable”. YOU CAN DO IT!

Bonus Links

• Siinlayth
• Samohsai
• Safifesse Tumblr
• Fashion-runways Tumblr
• Desifashion Tumblr
• Hanfugallery Tumblr
• Tokyo-fashion Tumblr
• Fashions from History Tumblr
• ‘Patterns in Art’ by Francesca Leoneschi
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Art Books
• Wisdom Kaye
• Ingress
• Kochab
• Phantomarine
• Obelisk
• Never Satisfied
• Alice and the Nightmare

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Episode Release Date: April 19, 2023

Episode Credits:

Megan Davison (@star-berrymint) - she/her, sorceryshenanigans.com

Phineas Klier (@tentacledeity) - they/them, heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de

Jacki (@crabbng) - they/them, kingsofsorts.com

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The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.