HOME | DD
iheartsendai — Tutorial: Draw Better Kimono
Published: 2011-06-20 21:09:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 98908; Favourites: 1724; Downloads: 617
Redirect to original
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
Thank God i didn't mention about kimonos anywhere in my *lame* manga O_O
>.> i am glad you posted this <.< or i surely would've made a mistake
Epic tutorial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
lol You are a wise one! Even with everything I know, I'd be nervous about drawing them constantly for a comic.
Thank you very much and good luck with your manga!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
;w; awwwwwwwwww
thanks a lot
btw
i have a dress design,but according to your tutorial,it's not a kimono >.>'' so i have no clue what to call it :v
will it be alright if i noted you with the design? cause i have no clue what to call it >>'''''''
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Sure, send it along.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
thank you so much ;w;
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
wow. thanks so muuch. this is great.! i made a few mistakes -.- . buut in the future, i'll know.^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome, and thank you!
Yes, that's how I think of it when I find out I've made a mistake on something: in the future it'll be helpful.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Very helpful and clearly understandable. Thanks for making it!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome, and thank you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
oh this will be soo helpful! thanks a lot!!!
i always felt uneasy when drawing kimonos, this will now come to an end. xD
but i have to admit the knots give me some harder times. haha sheesh... but i think my eyes are just getting old. x//D''
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome, and thank you!
If photos would help, search Google images for the names of the obi and there are some good, clear examples that will pop up.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
yes, thanks i should take my time and do so. After all it is the least i can do to draw them correctly. : )
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I've been making mistakes.>_<. Thank you for this nice and understandable tutorial.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome, and thank you!
(Also, don't worry about it! Think of it as helpful for next time.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thank you very much for this tutorial!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Amazing and helpful tutorial
Thanks for making it ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome, and thank you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Awesome!!! and thanks for the 'terms for further research'!!! I wish more people included similar info... thanks for the great tutorial! ^_^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! If you'd like more terms about anything in particular (men's wear, weddings, etc.), just drop me a note and I'll help if I can.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I defiantly will thanks so much for being so helpful! When I am again at my leisure to work on my kimono studies again I will let you know if I find any thing that needs asking ^_^ thanks again!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
"The ladies stay hidden..." Well, unless you're Matsumoto XXD Then all bets are off. Then again, a shihakushou isn't exactly a kimono, so many the rules are different? But it's the same basic style...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
While I love Matsumoto, she's a fictional character in a fantasy world. 
The shihakusho 死覇装, while made up of traditional, real-life components, doesn't exist as a ensemble form of clothing outside of Bleach. The actual "garment of the dead", if you wanted to try to match that idea in reality, would probably be the kyokatabira, what a corpse is dressed in pre-burial and what ghosts are often portrayed as wearing:
[link]
When it comes to Bleach (and a lot of other anime/manga with kimono), their standard outfit is based on reality so while they follow most of the usual rules (left over right, etc.) they take artistic liberties at times that would never fly in the real world walking down the street.
On a note about "the ladies", even the prostitutes of the old days didn't show any cleavage in public. Here's an example of a high-ranking one from the 1800s:
[link]
Anyway, pardon the rambling! Long story short, for cosplay prop the ladies on up and out. Otherwise keep them hidden.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
o.O <----- did not know any of that
Wow XD
Hey mom I learned something new today!! XD HAH SEE DA ISN'T A WASTE OF TIME AT ALL-
//bricked
lol dun mind me, just trollin'
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thank you. I'm glad I wasn't the only one irked by this issue. When I homestayed in Japan, my family was very, very adamant with teaching me how to wear kimono. It was quite fun and I have never seen them the same way since!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome! I understand proper kimono dress is a pretty esoteric thing for most Westerners, so I hoped something like this would help.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
thanks for the tutorial i'ts helpfull alot
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome, and glad to hear it!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You're welcome, and thank you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Brilliant job.
It is really hard to find an authentic kimono or kimono-related art in dA.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you very much!
Yeah, there's not a whole lot out there. If people want to do fantasy takes, I'm all for it, but when you see a really detailed, obviously historical work and they spent all that time and effort and messed up on a bunch of the details due to lack of knowledge I feel for them. That's why I don't draw traditional Chinese outfits: I wouldn't even know where to begin!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You know, i never felt like drawing a kimono before O_o now i do....
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ooh, this is very helpful! I have a geisha character and was about to make 60% of those mistakes in her kimono and hair. XD Kimono are so pretty, but I think some people (including myself) add in/get confused with Chinese and other Asian styled clothing.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! Glad to hear you found it useful.
Yeah, for people new to kimono it can be tough to distinguish sometimes. (The Japanese kimono actually evolved from a particular type of Chinese robe because the Japanese were huge China fanboys way back in ancient times, so that's why they can seem somewhat similar, especially the further back in time you go.)
You might also be interested in my other kimono tutorial here:
[link]
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
thanks for the tips ^^
I loled at "the ladies"
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome!
lol I heard a friend call them that a few years back and now it's my favorite nickname for them.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
hee I might steal it
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
*feeling guilty* ಠ_ಠ
Thank you for this
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome.
And don't feel guilty! It's not a topic most people know a lot about. (I've been collecting kimono for around 13 years and lived in Japan for nearly five, so I've been able to learn a lot in that time.)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow thank you very much for this information. It's incredibly helpful regarding drawing! Thank you so much.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
<= Prev | | Next =>