I was super excited to get started on this project of re-creating a 1920s envelope because I really love the way that figures were drawn around this time. It’s quite different from how I learned to draw figures because in all the examples I saw the women depicted had longer and larger arms as well as super tiny feet. Another difference I saw from drawing modern figures is the awkwardness of their positions, so I tried to re-create that style in my artifact. I also saw many examples that feature two solid-colored garments and one patterned garment.
The dress I designed for this pattern is something very typical of the 1920s. It features a drop waist and a collar. The figures are also sporting short heels and short hair which was reminiscent of the time. A detail that I found interesting is how sizing in early printed patterns was based on ages and not measurements. My pattern envelope would contain a size 20 pattern, which would be the average size of a 20 year old woman.
I am really unhappy with how my project turned out. I had originally gone a different direction and that was quite time-consuming. I had originally intended to do this entire project in coloured pencils, but the colours I had did not look very accurate. On top of that, the examples that I saw look like watercolours, so I chose to start again in watercolour. I didn’t have enough time to execute my ideas as cleanly as I wanted to. In the version I handed in, I had lightly indicated some outlines with pencil to mimic my reference photos, but with the layers of watercolour they got covered up so I opted for a fine liner to outline instead; I think that also worked out really poorly. Due to restarting, I had poor time management; I’m honestly happy that I am handing in anything at all. If I would give myself a mark I would probably fail myself for this project. I think I’m also upset because this is the first project that I haven’t been able to complete to my personal standards, but I can learn from this experience and just try to do better next time.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/1920s_dress_pattern
https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/patterns/special-collections/vintage/