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iheartsendai — Tutorial: Draw Better Kimono
Published: 2011-06-20 21:09:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 98898; Favourites: 1724; Downloads: 617
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Description
A quick, very messy guide that I hope is helpful anyway!
Those of you who know a lot about kimono will notice I glossed over a few things, but this is meant as an overview of the most common mistakes I see artists making when drawing people in kimono/geisha/etc. Cosplayers might find it handy too. Feel free to share your own kimono art or ask questions, and I'll help if I can.
Also! If you like kimono/traditional Japanese things, please check out my blog:
[link]
EDIT: Wow! O_O I had no idea people would like this tutorial this much. Thank you very much to everyone who has favorited it!
EDIT 2: NEW TUTORIAL! If you liked this one, please check out
"Tutorial: Real or Fake Kimono". (Only #1 is repeated information from this tutorial, but I figured it was important.)
[link]
Related content
Comments: 300
You have a tutorial for battle kimono?? You know, for martial arts, and other kinds of war arts, like the Keiseikan?? I used to be on Aikido, japanese martial art, and, personally, I feel more attracted of them.... Even if I'm a girl
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Thank you very much, and no worries! Think of it as inspiration for next time.
Also, go check out the link to geisha photographer Onihide's photostream if you have the chance: there's a ton of beautiful pictures there to inspire you.
[link]
(Maiko = apprentice geisha)
I don't have any for martial arts stuff, sorry!
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I saw some of them... They're really eye-catching!!
(I did a investigation and I founded that male Geishas exist! I readed it on wikipedia... But I can't find more information than the concept... TT___TT)
Aww... Well, thanks anyways
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Yep!
The very, very first geisha were men actually, back in the 1700s, but it's mostly all women now. If you search for "taikomochi", their technical name, you can find more about them.
Here's the homepage of one of the very few around today:
[link]
You're welcome!
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Why is it the womens Kimonos open at the back of the sleeve, but not the mens? :3
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Good question. If I had to guess, I would say it gives men less to get their clothes hung up on as traditionally they were more active and out and about outside the home.
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Sorry about the last comment! I was adding a comment to the wrong window and then accidentally hit enter! You can ignore it. XD
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It's also very helpful when you're making the
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It's a pet peeve of mine to see kimono drawn improperly...
This little tutorial is wonderful!
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Also EXTREMELY helpful and thanks again. A lot of my 'manga' characters wear kimono (and though I tweak some of them greatly) I feel this will really come in handy <3
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Thank you!
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You're welcome~ and Thank YOU.
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This is so helpful, and easy to understand~!^^
orz||
Thankyousomuch ; = ;
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You're welcome, and thank you!
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You're welcome and---
Thatalmostlookedexactlylikeyourcomment owo;
Yayayayyaa
orz||
~^^
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Wow! Thank you for making this! I've never drawn kimonos in full because I knew I'd get it wrong, regardless of my research. This tutorial has demystified it enough for me to think I may be able to try drawing it someday.
Also, the info is given patiently and clearly without making me feel stupid for not knowing already. Good job!
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Thank you very much! One of my hopes was that this would help take the intimidation factor out of accurately drawing kimono.
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Haha, I've made a lot of these
In fact, I used both directions from the first rule (coincidentally, the European wearing the kimono was the only one doing it wrong)
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Hey, there you go! Just tell people you did that intentionally to show she didn't know that detail when she got dressed.
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Haha, yeah
It was actually a he by the way
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lol Whoops! Then make that a "he".
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Thanks a lot again!! My next kimono girl will be to thank you for tutorial X3
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You're welcome, and thanks! Best of luck.
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This is a really good tutorial!
It is really helpful, cuz I really don't like drawing kimonos, because I fear doing it wrong...(I used to do it wrong. SO wrong, now that I see this >D)
This saves a lot of time of research, thank you so much
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Thank you very much, and you're welcome!
Think of it as improvement for the future.
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I see ^^
But I like kimonos. they are so gorgeous. But know that I know how it goes right, it motivates me to draw more kimonos!
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Go for it! Just don't start buying them... they're like Pringles. Or tattoos. Once you get your first you start getting more. >_>;
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Hahaha. xDD I like your comparisons >D
I will take my time with buying them. I am not sure if I really want to wear one yet...I like drawing and designing them for now a lot. ^^
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What an amazing tutorial! I've never tried to draw kimonos because they looks so difficult and I wasn't sure if there was a certain way they worked. After reading this tutorial and your "Real or Fake Kimono" tutorial, I learned a lot!
Thank you for the wealth of information! Now it won't be so terrifying for me to attempt to draw one ;D
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Thank you!
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You're very welcome! I just looked them up and I wouldn't know where to start either XD
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This will totally help me in the future. Great tutorial! Really covers a lot of important stuff
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Thank you, and good luck with your art!
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You're welcome and thanks to you too!
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Daw ;A; Is there a good reason behind the "no chopsticks in hair"? I have a character (who isn't really Japanese) that likes to wear them in her hair, but I want to stop that if it's some kind of horrible faux pas. See, the thing is, her adoptive father is fake Japanese; he's got Japanese blood but he knows absolutely nothing about the culture, he just fakes his way though while pretending to know everything. She, on the other hand, knows nothing about the culture, but doesn't try to pretend she does. The only thing even slightly Japanese she was supposed to be into was the chopsticks she liked wearing in her hair (because it looks cool on her). Is that, in this case, a really bad idea?
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Well, it sort of fits into your world because no, a Japanese person would never do this. I've seen this explained several ways, but the easiest is: "Would you wear a fork in your hair?"
Chopsticks are tools for eating, so they would never be worn. Hairsticks are a different matter, but even these are never worn in that "X" shape you see in American "geisha" Halloween costumes. Here's an example of a traditional one:
[link]
Now, as your characters don't really know much about real Japan, you could leave her wearing the chopsticks as she has no idea she's making a mistake. Maybe at some point a Japanese person could give her grief about it or a really dirty look, to show that you as the author know what your character is doing is wrong?
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Hmmm, no. I'll have to find something else for her hair then (dang, I suck at that), because even though she doesn't know, I don't want her to be seen as the one making something viewed as an obvious mistake. Minor ones, maybe, but nothing that a real Japanese person would feel annoyed enough about to bother with a dirty look. She's supposed to be the one who, admittedly, doesn't know a thing, but knows enough to realize and be disgusted by her father's fraudulent Japanese act. I don't want her to be a part of that. 
Oh, one more question, if that's ok... do you know anything about the Japanese language itself? As a part of her father's annoying "I am Japanese, hear me roar" act, he changed his American sounding last name to something he invented that (to him) sounds Japanese. I was thinking "Tsutsuko" because it sounds cool, but I'd like to be sure that doesn't actually mean anything, or if it does mean something, that it's not a swear word, or an actually acceptable last name
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No problem, glad to help!
I'm at an intermediate level of Japanese.
The only reference to any kind of "tsutsuko" I can find in Japanese is the name of one small, local festival where rice is made into mochi cakes and given out at the local shrine.
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Awesome, thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much! I've been putting off finding this stuff out for sure because I didn't know where to look
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You're welcome! Good luck.
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