Accessories, especially shoes, play a crucial role in successful fashion sketches. This step-by-step tutorial will guide you through the process of drawing high heels and various shoe styles from a front view perspective – the most preferred pose in fashion illustrations. Follow along and enjoy the art of creating beautiful footwear for your models!
Time, Tools, and Difficulty:
- Time to complete the tutorial: 7 minutes
- Tools you’ll need: drawing paper, a pencil, an eraser, markers or color pens, a white gel pen
- Difficulty level: 6.5/10
How to Draw Shoes from the Front in 8 Steps:
Step 1: Accurate Measurements
Before you start drawing the shoes, ensure they are the correct size for your fashion figure. As seen in the “Drawing Front View Pose” tutorial, the feet of the model should match the size of the head. Measure the head of your model and maintain the same distance from the ankles to the ground. Begin the line in the middle of the leg and extend it downward.
Step 2: Creating Base Shapes
Divide the centerline into three equal parts. In the first two sections, draw two slanted lines starting from the ankles. In the lowest section, add a slightly wider horizontal ellipse. Pay attention to the proportions of these base shapes – the feet should be only slightly wider than the ankles.
Step 3: Adding Toe Details
Refine the line for the toes. Draw a curved line that is sharper than the ellipse but fits within its boundaries. It is helpful to stop the line at the centerline. Ensure that this pointed arch is slightly wider than the rest of the foot, similar to the ellipse.
If you are drawing open-toe shoes, the thumb will occupy a significant portion of the inner half of the toe’s arch. Consequently, make the inner half of the arch more oval and less pointed.
Step 4: Drawing the Front View Shoe Curve
When drawing the front view shoe curve, avoid making it too deep or too flat and straight. Utilize the lower dividing line from Step 2 to determine the accurate placement for the shoe curve. It should be slightly higher than the dividing line at the ends and dip in at the centerline. As mentioned in the “How to Draw Clothes” tutorials, everything wrapped around the body has its own volume and thickness. Draw a thin, curving line around the foot, as shown below. Then, draw a smaller curve underneath the big one. This smaller curve represents the delicate bump of the toes and adds a touch of realism to the sketch.
Step 5: Drawing the Soles
It’s not just side view shoes that require attention to detail on the heels and soles. Different shoe designs have varying styles of soles, but they all follow a similar principle. The sole appears longer in the center and shorter at the ends. There is also a small section parallel to the ground in the middle.
Step 6: Adding Shoe Straps
Certain designs, like Roman sandals or ballet flats, feature straps wrapped around the foot and leg. Remember to draw these straps slightly curved, as the body underneath has some volume that should be reflected in your fashion illustration.
Step 7: Coloring
Add color to your shoes and create a highlight on the bump of the toes. The highlight should be a few shades lighter than the base color. To achieve a nice and shiny sole, leave a few white lines on the sole.
Step 8: Adding Shadow Details
Drawing shadows enhances the overall design of the footwear. Use a darker shade of your base color and blend it from the outer parts inward. Don’t forget to add shadows to the straps as well.
I hope this step-by-step tutorial has given you a better understanding of how to easily draw front view shoes. What will you sketch next with these newfound skills?
Explore Variations of Front View Shoes:
Pointed Shoes:
Extend the pointed curve slightly downward instead of fitting it into the toe ellipse. The tip of the shoe should be centered and a little closer to the thumb. This model features delicate soles.
Sandals:
Draw the thumb and the remaining toes. Remember that the thumb is positioned on the inner part of the foot and occupies a significant portion of the space toward the centerline.
Open Toe Shoes:
To draw open toe shoes, add a curved line at the bottom to reveal the entire thumb and a small part of the second toe.
Boots:
Leave some space between the leg and the boot to indicate thickness and prevent it from sticking to the body. You can exaggerate the bump of the toes in boots and sneakers.
Common Errors:
- Mistake 1: Placing the toes bump too low. Draw it slightly lower than the shoe curve.
- Mistake 2: Making the shoe curve either too deep or too high. Utilize the guidelines from Step 2 to determine the correct placement.
- Mistake 3: Misaligning the sole of the shoe. The sole should be centered, longer in the middle, and shorter at the ends. Additionally, make the outer lines slightly slanted toward the center.
Avoid these common errors to ensure your shoe drawings look accurate and stylish.
