Free Guide

How to Draw Frills on Clothes: A Step-by-Step Guide by Japanese Pro Artists

The short answer: A frill is a strip of fabric gathered along the top, so the bottom edge ripples into waves. Decide how much it is gathered, then draw the front and the back of each wave. Stiff fabric, uneven waves and tiered skirts all build on that.

If your frills come out as a flat zigzag or a wobbly line, you are only drawing the edge. This guide covers how a frill is built, how the amount of gathering changes it, and how to draw stiff, uneven and tiered frills.

An anime girl in a frilled dress with drill curls, next to frills with small and large gathers Construction study
A frilled dress, and the same frill with small and large gathers.

The five stages at a glance

A long strip of fabric, the same strip gathered along the top, and the finished frill with a rippling hem 01
How a frill is builtA strip of fabric, gathered at the top, ripples at the hem.
Left: a frill with small gathers and soft regular waves. Right: a frill with large gathers, deep waves and the back side showing 02
Small vs large gathersMore gathering means bigger waves and a visible back side.
A stiff pleated frill on a hem, three steps from a zigzag line to shaded pleats, and a pleated skirt drawn the same way 03
Stiff fabric frillsStraight lines instead of curves. Zigzag, pull lines in, then shade the back.
Three steps of an uneven frill: an irregular wavy line, lines added where it sticks out, and the back side drawn in 04
Uneven gathersAn uneven wave, lines where it sticks out, then the back side.
Three steps of a tiered frilled skirt: three stacked tiers roughed out, frills on the top tier, then frills on all three tiers 05
Tiered frillsRough out the tiers, then add the frills one tier at a time.

Step 01 · How a frill is built

How is a frill actually built?

Take a long strip of fabric, gather the top edge, and the bottom edge ripples out on its own.

Every frill starts as a plain rectangle. Run a gathering stitch along the top, pull it tight, and the top bunches into small folds.

Because the top is now shorter than the bottom, the bottom edge has nowhere to go but out, so it ripples. The fabric, its size and how much you gather it all change the shape. Keep track of where the front of the fabric shows and where the back shows, because turning the frill to a new angle changes that too.

Red-pen checkDraw the gathered top first. The waves at the hem only make sense once the top is bunched.
A long strip of fabric, the same strip gathered along the top, and the finished frill with a rippling hem Construction study
A strip of fabric becomes a frill once the top is gathered.

Step 02 · Small vs large gathers

How do small and large gathers change a frill?

Small gathers make soft, even waves. Large gathers make deep waves where you can see the back of the fabric.

With small gathers, the waves are gentle and regular and you never see the back side. Folds appear only where the fabric was gathered, and shadow sits in the dips of each wave.

With large gathers, the waves get big and you see the back of the fabric. The waves can turn irregular, and folds show up at the hem too, not just at the gathers. Each wave looks a bit like a puzzle piece. Shadow goes in the dips, on the back side and on the gathered part.

Red-pen checkIf the frill should look full, let the back side show. A frill with no back side always looks thin.
Left: a frill with small gathers and soft regular waves. Right: a frill with large gathers, deep waves and the back side showing Construction study
Small gathers (left) and large gathers (right), each with the shadows added below.

Step 03 · Stiff fabric frills

How do you draw a frill in stiff fabric?

Stiff fabric is made of straight lines, not curves. Draw a zigzag, pull lines in from the points, then shade the back.

A frill in stiff fabric does not wave. It is built entirely from straight lines. First draw a row of sharp bumps. Then, from the tip of each bump, draw a straight line inward. Finally, add a line where the back side shows and shade that back side.

Be careful with the size: make the zigzag too big and it stops being a frill and turns into a pleated skirt. In fact, the same steps give you a pleated skirt.

Red-pen checkKeep every line straight. One soft curve and the stiff frill turns floppy.
A stiff pleated frill on a hem, three steps from a zigzag line to shaded pleats, and a pleated skirt drawn the same way Construction study
A stiff frill on a hem, the three steps, and a pleated skirt drawn the same way.

Step 04 · Uneven gathers

How do you draw uneven, irregular frills?

For uneven gathers, like a skirt hem, start with an irregular wave, then add lines and the back side.

Draw an irregular wave first, with some big swings and some small ones. Then add a line at each part that sticks out.

Last, draw the back side inside the waves. Thinking about the front and the back of the fabric is what makes the frill look three-dimensional.

Red-pen checkVary the size of the waves. Same-sized waves look like a printed border, not fabric.
Three steps of an uneven frill: an irregular wavy line, lines added where it sticks out, and the back side drawn in Construction study
An uneven frill in three steps: the wave, the lines, the back side.

Step 05 · Tiered frills

How do you draw tiered frills?

Rough out the tiers first, then add the frills from the top, one tier at a time.

Sketch the skirt as stacked tiers before any frills. That rough shape keeps every tier the right size.

Then follow the rough and add the frills starting from the top tier, one tier at a time. The finished dress below uses the same layered frills on the sleeves and the skirt hem.

Red-pen checkDo one tier at a time from the top. Each tier hangs over the one below it.
Three steps of a tiered frilled skirt: three stacked tiers roughed out, frills on the top tier, then frills on all three tiers Construction study
A tiered skirt in three steps.
An anime girl with drill curls in a dress with a frilled collar, layered frills on the sleeves and a tiered frilled hem Finished example
Putting it together: frills at the collar, the sleeves and the hem.

Where people usually get stuck

My frills look like a flat zigzag.

You are drawing only the edge. Add the gathered top and the back side of the waves, and the frill gets depth.

My frills look stiff and evenly spaced.

For a hem or a loose skirt, use uneven gathers and vary the size of the waves (Step 04).

My tiered skirt gets lopsided.

Rough out the tiers first and keep each one the right size before you add any frills.

Frills drawing FAQ

How do I make a frill look full?

Gather it more. Larger gathers make bigger waves, and you start to see the back side of the fabric. Shade that back side and the dips between the waves.

Why does my frill look like a pleated skirt?

Your zigzag is too big or too straight. A stiff frill and a pleated skirt are drawn the same way, so keep the bumps small if you want a frill.

What is the easiest way to draw a tiered frilled skirt?

Rough out the tiers as stacked shapes, then add the frills one tier at a time, starting from the top.

How do I get feedback on my frills drawings?

When you join an Anime Art Academy course, a professional Japanese artist gives you personal advice and draws red-line corrections directly on your drawing. There is no limit on how many times you can submit. The only rule: post one drawing at a time, and wait for your teacher's reply before posting the next.