Exercise 5 - Fun with Folds!

Folded fabric (or, if you're getting on, skin) is a fascinating brain teaser to draw.  Light reflects most strongly at the top of the fold "ridge".  Folds aren't parallel, but I've simplified a diagrammatic fold in the sketch below to show basic rendering of a simple fold.  Add light source direction, shadowing from one fold to another, undercut (how fabric folds under itself) and other myriad issues to make fold studies a must do when seeking humiliation.  

In the detailed rendering below by J. Snow you can see all these complexities beautifully handled.  

Now it's your turn - set up your own drapery model still life, it could be clothing, curtains, a cloth.  Render it as best as you can using the general idea of keeping the "high points" the lightest and following the fold convergences to their crease points. Not happening?  Keep working on it. 

Here's a nice one by our friend Raphael.  You can just feel that fabric.  

And then there's the incomparable Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez "Vargas" (1896-1982) with this lovely fold study below... in this case, the black lace is rendered transparently with shadow at the side and maximum transparency on the ridges. 

Exercise 5 - try your own fold study!