Fashion Drawing Studio: A Guide to Sketching Stylish Fashions

Gr 5 Up—In this solid overview of clothing styles, past and present, tweens and teens who love to draw and create their own fashions will find a variety of styles, plenty of bling, and a few unique drawing tips, though not much depth. Each design is presented in four steps. The illustrations are colorful and fun, and the book is clearly organized, with pages depicting a wide variety of casual and formal styles, including "At the Park," which shows the addition of high-top boots to a skate-park outfit, and "Short and Sweet," which emphasizes a rocking New Year's Eve party dress. Among the other styles are fashion basics such as "Lacy Layers" and newer fashion ideas like "Visual-Kei," a Japanese style-to-song crossover meaning "visual music style." Most of the designs are for women, with the exception of a few simple ones for men. Bolte's entertaining and useful tips are the highlight of the book, for example, using eye shadow as a tool to create soft lines in fashion drawing. Readers will enjoy flipping through and picking up drawing advice; however, compared with similar books, this title is fairly broad and lacks step-by-step fashion character design tips that beginners would find helpful. For fashionistas looking for more detailed information on each style, explore Bolte's specific fashion sketch books, including Girly Girl Style and Skater Chic Style (both Capstone, 2013).—Paige Bentley-Flannery, Deschutes Public Library, Bend, OR