And so in this blog I want to show you a few methods for drawing and using flats with Illustrator. Knowing how to create and use flats is essential knowledge for the fashion designer using Adobe Illustrator. Flats are essentially simple black and white drawings of garments that can be used to then fill out styling and construction details for manufacturers to follow.

One of the most fundamental skills that fashion designers need is to be able to create flat sketches, more commonly known as ‘Flats’. One such usage can be found in the realms of fashion design, where indeed Adobe Illustrator is used to great effect. However, such is the power, complexity and versatility of the program, Adobe Illustrator can and is in fact used for many different design projects that perhaps fall outside of what we generally consider to be ‘graphic design’. Indeed, that is how the tool is more often than not promoted by Adobe itself, so it’s only a natural connection to make.

When we think of Adobe Illustrator, it’s normally graphic design that jumps to the forefront of our minds.

Fashion design illustrator