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OK, so I need to vent… Just because you find it on line doesn’t mean it’s any good! This goes for brushes, fonts, and most of all, FLATS. There is just sooo much crap out there. That’s why I started Flat Factory, to offer you a tool to help learn the difference between professional and amateur flats. |
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There is more to drawing flats than learning Adobe Illustrator
If you are new to fashion and are trying to learn Adobe Illustrator- Great! There are lots of options out there. But there are also courses that are putting out misinformation. It breaks my heart when students who don't know any better waste money on a course that teaches bad habits or unprofessional techniques. It's so much harder to unlearn a bad habit than to just learn it the correct way from the start. |
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Tracing a photo of a garment with the pen tool is NOT drawing a flat!
It can’t be used for anything legit because a flat has to be accurate. It must show construction details and other technical information. And yes you do need to be able to draw flats by hand before you can draw them in illustrator. That's what separates a fashion designer from a graphic designer, understanding garment construction. |
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So how can you recognize a professional quality flat?
First download those free flats. Here's what you need to look for:
Now download some flats from my website and do the same. How do they stack up? Is there a difference?
What type of professional do you want to be?
Because accurate flats = job security. But bad flats cost the company $$$ and will likely cost you your job.
First download those free flats. Here's what you need to look for:
- Are both fronts and backs included? Because you need both. Is the pattern-maker supposed to guess what the back looks like?
- Is it made of closed shapes that can be filled or is it made up of a bunch of open paths?
- Look at the layers panel, does it make sense, is it organized, are the layers labeled?
- Are the line weights consistent?
- Are the construction details there? If you are looking at a woven shirt (not stretch) that comes in at the waist, does it have darts? Are the buttons in the right place? Can you tell if it has a convertible collar or a stand collar? Would a pattern-maker have the information they need to make a pattern?
- Do the flats stack? Meaning do they all fit the same size body. Is the jacket bigger than the shirt? (Because it should be) If a template was used they will stack, but if random photos of garments were traced- they won’t.
Now download some flats from my website and do the same. How do they stack up? Is there a difference?
What type of professional do you want to be?
Because accurate flats = job security. But bad flats cost the company $$$ and will likely cost you your job.