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Whether you are a budding designer or a seasoned fashionista, a sketchpad is of the utmost importance. And, not just any sketchpad will do – a specialized sketchpad full of figure templates is what is needed to help those who can and cannot draw develop and hone their skills.
Below are a variety of makeup & hair design sketch portfolios that combine everything needed to help create and sketch clothes. These books also include figure templates, fashion glossaries, and even templates for shoes, hats, and makeup design.
We have also included design-centric kits for kids and younger designers to help keep them engaged and get their creative juices flowing. These kits are filled with paper, sketches, stencils, stickers, and coloring tools, are travel-friendly, and will also help them develop some real-world skills.
Our Favorite Makeup And Hair Design Sketch Portfolios in 2024
The Fashion Sketchpad — Best Overall
Known as the ultimate fashion sketchbook for the aspiring designer, this fashion design book is ideal for those who love to sketch but aren’t necessarily savvy at drawing proportional figures. Included in this book are over 400 figure templates to motivate and inspire and they are printed on heavy stock pages with edges for easy removal.
Pros
- This book includes an extensive illustrated garment glossary
Cons
- Some of the figure outlines may be hard to see
Fashion Angels Sketchpad — Runner Up
This portfolio set features drawing pages and removable stencils that will help budding fashionistas draw a dream clothing collection. Ideal for ages 6-15, this set includes 40 sketch sheets, 10 chromastix, four stencil sheets, two sticker sheets, and instructions to create the clothing and accessories on the preformatted model sketch pages. Once sketching is complete, you can shade and add details to the drawings and finish off with any stickers.
Pros
- The stencils and stickers can be stored in the pouch located on the back cover
Cons
- The crayons should be used with a light hand
Essentials Fashion Sketchpad — Honorable Mention
This essential fashion sketchbook is packed with lightly rendered figures in various poses and will ultimately help bring your inspirations to life. In addition to clothing, this book also includes foot templates for shoes, heads for hats or makeup design and helpful industry terms, descriptions, size equivalent information, illustrations of basic garments, and more.
Pros
- A ribbon bookmark helps keep your place
Cons
- This book is not meant to be used with markers
The PANTONE Sketchpad — Expert Guidance
Another great fashion sketchpad similar to our first option is this one that has expert guidance from the color specialists at Pantone to help designers design colorful looks with confidence. Ideal for both newbie and seasoned fashionistas, this book contains 60 color palettes with room to create new ones and more than 400 figure templates that disappear when photocopied.
Pros
- A thorough textile glossary page is also included
Cons
- No sketching pen or tool is included
Make It Real Sketchpad — Great for Kids
Another great option for the young budding designers is this kid-focused drawing set to help them develop real-world skills. This kit includes a fashion design sketchbook with a design guide, stencils, puffy stickers, and 30 coloring pages to help let their creative side run wild. Perfect for ages 8 and up, this set will help kids create looks that reflect their unique style while exploring their creativity.
Pros
- This kit can help young kids develop their fine motor, visual, and self-actualization skills
Cons
- The paper is not heavy-weight
Melissa & Doug Sketchpad — Also Consider
From everyone’s favorite creator of classic wood toys comes this fashion-plate rubbing set that includes nine double-sided, textured fashion plates, four pencils, one crayon, and a storage case. This kit allows kids to choose one of the rubbing plates, cover it with paper and rub with the rubbing crayon in its easy-grip holder. Simple to use, all the supplies fit neatly in the take-along storage case that doubles as a work surface and can be used anywhere.
Pros
- This kit helps provide a creative play experience and keep them screen-free
Cons
- Paper is not included
Buying Guide: Makeup And Hair Design Sketch Portfolios
Whether you are a newbie or an expert fashion designer, a sketchpad can go a long way in capturing your style, innovative ideas, and creativity. This guide will help you discover all that you need to know about fashion sketchbooks.
What Are Fashion Sketchpads?
As the name implies, fashion sketchbooks are notebooks that allow you to draw a variety of clothing, makeup, and hair designs and help you take notes of your creative ideas. What sets them apart from other kinds of diaries, sketchbooks and notebooks is that they contain croquis. This is a template that helps you design clothes, makeup, and hair on a body to give you some semblance of structure and visibility into what the clothing will look like in the real world. The presence of this croquis is what makes fashion sketchpads so highly demanded by fashion students and enthusiasts.
If you are new to the fashion design industry, you would know just how hard it is to draw the silhouette of a person. With fashion sketchbooks, you don’t have to worry about the shape. All you need to do is sketch the garment or makeup product or hairstyle that you have been imagining. Keep in mind that most fashion sketchpads come with croquis that are either very faint or dotted. This means that you will either have to sharpen the image by tracing it or shade it a little to make it visible. If you are someone with bad eyesight, opt for a book with a clear outline of the croquis.
Things to Consider
When buying fashion sketchpads and design kits, there are certain things you would have to keep in mind. Here is all you should consider:
Croquis body shape and illustration
The most important thing to look out for is the croquis body shape. You should know that most of the fashion sketchpads are for designers, which means that the shape of the croquis is very stylized and looks nothing like the proportions of the actual human body. If you want more natural shapes, you will have to go through the specifics provided by the brand to know what kind of sketches will be there. For example, if you want to design clothes for plus-sized people, opt for a book with more human proportions.
Another thing to note is the style of this croquis. Which position are they in? Do you need more than just a standing body shape? Again, you will have to go through the information provided by the brand to figure out all this before investing in a sketchbook.
Record and note section
This is an important aspect of a fashion sketchpad. You won’t just be drawing or sketching clothing designs or putting down makeup and hair inspiration. There will be times when you will need to take notes or jot down sudden inspirations. For these, you will need lines and a writing section on your sketchpad. So do check it out before buying.
Some Additional Information
There are quite a lot of features to a fashion sketchbook. Some come with fabric care labels, others with guides to the history of clothing styles, and yet others with a list of sewing techniques and ideas. Depending on what you wish to do in your sketchpad, opt for the one that provides all this additional information to make sketching creative clothing more feasible for you. You would not want to constantly be on your phone, searching for different things while trying to bring your creative imagery alive, would you? Therefore, check out all the features before making any purchase.
