How to come up with a school uniform design for charcters?

[Hunterzero]

I find it easier to draw female characters so I need to especially work on how to draw males and clothes is the hardest part for me. Anatomy isn't perfect but I think it will improve over time does anyone want to help me come up with a design for male school uniforms? I'd be so thankful!

[SimeriDraws]

I think these look super cool!

[Wishjacked]

I use Land's End back-to-school catalogs, ha! Here's their school uniform online catalog. After having actually lived in a private boarding school, I find their stuff to be very well indicative of what most private school kids wear. If you want to see what actual schools pick out, you can go to uniform supplier websites like this one and find a school and see what pieces they require students to buy. Or you can just make up whatever you think is cool. That's what most schools do, anyways.

[Amymone]

When I read the title I thought that we were being invited to share our uniform making methods. Oddly I have a lot of experience with this because I've designed a lot of school clothing for Asian ball-jointed dolls. If you get a chance, you might want to google "BJD school uniforms" to see what unique designs other BJD designers have made for their dolls.

These are a few things I try to keep in mind while designing uniforms:
1. Age and body type? (A few of my dolls were child sized which made it easier to come up with unisex designs.)
2. How much do I want the male uniforms to match the female ones? (This can lead you anywhere from blazer uniforms to cardigan uniforms. If you're going for something like Serafuku for the girls then Gakuran is what typically is expected for the boys. If you're making a completely original design that isn't any of these than there maybe more flexibility).
3. Uniform changes per season? (An autumn/winter uniform would have long sleeves while a spring/summer uniform would have shorter sleeves. Uniform sweaters maybe abandoned for sweater vests or whatever suits your fancy)
4. Color scheme? (This is up to you, but bare in mind that it's more acceptable for older students to wear darker or duller natural colors, while young children are accepted in brighter more cheerful colors.)

Since you're thinking towards male characters, these are the typical parts of a male uniform:

1. Some kind of dress shirt. (long sleeve and or short sleeve)
2. Some kind of vest (some times sweater vest)
3. A blazer or sweater or both (Although it sounds like it would be too hot)
4. Some kind of pants (male children are excepted in shorts and the like)
5. Some kind of accessory (like a tie, but it's optional)
6. School emblem (optional)

My only comic advice is to not design an overly complicated uniform that will be hard to draw over and over and over again. I can't offer any example drawings right now because I'm about to leave for an appointment, but I hope this helps get you started down a path.

[Hunterzero]

When I read the title I thought that we were being invited to share our uniform making methods. Oddly I have a lot of experience with this because I've designed a lot of school clothing for Asian ball-jointed dolls. If you get a chance, you might want to google "BJD school uniforms" to see what unique designs other BJD designers have made for their dolls.

These are a few things I try to keep in mind while designing uniforms:
1. Age and body type? (A few of my dolls were child sized which made it easier to come up with unisex designs.)
2. How much do I want the male uniforms to match the female ones? (This can lead you anywhere from blazer uniforms to cardigan uniforms. If you're going for something like Serafuku for the girls then Gakuran is what typically is expected for the boys. If you're making a completely original design that isn't any of these than there maybe more flexibility).
3. Uniform changes per season? (An autumn/winter uniform would have long sleeves while a spring/summer uniform would have shorter sleeves. Uniform sweaters maybe abandoned for sweater vests or whatever suits your fancy)
4. Color scheme? (This is up to you, but bare in mind that it's more acceptable for older students to wear darker or duller natural colors, while young children are accepted in brighter more cheerful colors.)

Since you're thinking towards male characters, these are the typical parts of a male uniform:

1. Some kind of dress shirt. (long sleeve and or short sleeve)
2. Some kind of vest (some times sweater vest)
3. A blazer or sweater or both (Although it sounds like it would be too hot)
4. Some kind of pants (male children are excepted in shorts and the like)
5. Some kind of accessory (like a tie, but it's optional)
6. School emblem (optional)

My only comic advice is to not design an overly complicated uniform that will be hard to draw over and over and over again. I can't offer any example drawings right now because I'm about to leave for an appointment, but I hope this helps get you started down a path.

Thank you for all the help! Yes I almost did make one too complicated to redraw xD

[Hunterzero]

Thank you! I will have a look at it

[Hunterzero]

Thank you all very much I will decide on a uniform tonight and stay with that one -^_^-

[listerart]

GOOGLE. GOOGLE. GOOGLE. Reference for ANYTHING you ever need, EVER. Instantly.

[Hunterzero]

Thank you! I am not used to looking at reference as I have a bad habit of never trying to plagiarize anything even by accident. It was a silly habit I got years ago when I wanted to learn to draw :'D

[listerart]

Using photo reference isn't plagiarism. You use the photos for reference so you can draw your subject accurately and make your art look believable. If you're ever hired to draw a comic and , as an example, the script says the main character drives a 1968 Mustang Fastback, the car had better look just like that model of car or 1) you'll have to do the artwork all over, or 2) not get paid and lose the job. The only way you're gonna make that happen is through proper photo reference.

[joannekwan]

[joannekwan]