Abstract
Sketching is a vital form of communication across creative industries. As an essential part of the filmmaking process, costume illustration functions as a mediating design practice where sketching translates concept art into wearable garments. Historically rooted in hand-drawn fashion illustration, contemporary costume sketching has evolved into a globalised digital practice that bridges artistic vision and physical construction. Through this lens of design mediation and embodied expertise, the study draws on industry interviews and reflective practice to examine the costume illustrator’s changing role as translator between the digital concept and physical costume. Costume sketching solves practical challenges based on knowledge of tangible garment construction, however, the hierarchical dominance of visual development departments within film production presents increasing challenges to translating fantastical concept art into wearable clothes. While visual development artists often prioritise aesthetic and narrative spectacle, costume illustrators reinterpret these designs through tacit, material knowledge of fabrics, fit, and movement.
Keywords
costume, costume illustration, film, film sketching
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1873
Citation
Fretwell, S., and Burgess, J. (2026) How does costume illustration sketching mediate between visual development concept art and the practical construction of film costumes?, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1873
Creative Commons License
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Included in
How does costume illustration sketching mediate between visual development concept art and the practical construction of film costumes?
Sketching is a vital form of communication across creative industries. As an essential part of the filmmaking process, costume illustration functions as a mediating design practice where sketching translates concept art into wearable garments. Historically rooted in hand-drawn fashion illustration, contemporary costume sketching has evolved into a globalised digital practice that bridges artistic vision and physical construction. Through this lens of design mediation and embodied expertise, the study draws on industry interviews and reflective practice to examine the costume illustrator’s changing role as translator between the digital concept and physical costume. Costume sketching solves practical challenges based on knowledge of tangible garment construction, however, the hierarchical dominance of visual development departments within film production presents increasing challenges to translating fantastical concept art into wearable clothes. While visual development artists often prioritise aesthetic and narrative spectacle, costume illustrators reinterpret these designs through tacit, material knowledge of fabrics, fit, and movement.