Although flats can be drawn with the aid of software programs,
when starting out they are best drawn by hand. Use a pencil or pen
to trace over a realistically proportioned eight-heads template/croquis
figure. You can either refer to an existing figure or create your own by
tracing over a standing pose in a magazine and refining the pose to
a simple outline of realistic proportions. Use the same template or
croquis figure for all your flats within the same presentation to
achieve visual consistency and scale. Hand-drawn flats can also
be drawn larger than their intended scale and reduced down to the
required size. This is a good way to get started and allows for an
enhanced level of detailing, such as topstitching. While flats should
be drawn with a high level of clarity, there are a number of views on
whether a flat should be drawn symmetrically or not. It is good to
practise drawing a symmetrical garment by hand: draw half the
garment and fold it over to trace off the other half. However, perfect
symmetry is not essential: one sleeve could be folded at the elbow,
for example, to show more detail or simply to enhance the visual
effect. There are limits to taking a more relaxed approach when