Digital Fashion Design: Technical Flats and Specification Drawing in Affinity Designer (GROUP)
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Target audiences
- This course is designed for individuals who want to communicate fashion design ideas with technical precision and professional clarity.
- Aspiring and practising fashion designers who sketch by hand or digitally and need to translate those concepts into industry-standard technical drawings. You have the creative vision but want the technical language to communicate it accurately to manufacturers, pattern cutters, and collaborators.
- Pattern cutters and garment technologists who receive design sketches and need to interpret them into patterns. This course will help you understand the designer’s intent more fully and communicate back with precision.
- Fashion students and graduates building a professional portfolio. Technical flats and specification drawings are essential for internships, job applications, and freelance work. This course provides the skills to produce them digitally using Affinity Designer.
- Illustrators and digital artists interested in applying their Affinity Designer skills to the fashion industry. You have the drawing ability; this course gives you the technical vocabulary and conventions of fashion design communication.
- Independent designers and small brand owners who want to produce their own technical drawings rather than outsourcing them. This course gives you the skills to create professional specification sheets in-house.
- Hobbyists and enthusiasts with a serious interest in fashion design who want to learn the technical side of how garments are communicated from concept to production.
- No prior experience with technical drawing is required. Participants should have basic familiarity with Affinity Designer and a willingness to complete drawing exercises.
Features
- Session Format – Group This course is delivered in a group format. You learn alongside other participants in a shared session. Instruction, demonstrations, and feedback are delivered to the group as a whole.
- Live instruction with real-time feedback: This is not a pre-recorded course. Sessions are delivered live via Zoom or Google Meet, allowing you to ask questions, receive immediate guidance, and see demonstrations in real time.
- Affinity Designer-centred workflow: All drawing instruction uses Affinity Designer, a professional vector and raster design application. You will learn to set up documents, use layers for garment components, and build a repeatable technical drawing process.
- Downloadable mannequin templates: The course includes pre-drawn mannequin bases available in the download section. These provide a consistent foundation for your technical flats, allowing you to focus on garment construction rather than figure drawing.
- From sketch to specification: The course guides you through the full process: interpreting a design sketch, translating it into a flat drawing, and adding the technical details (stitch lines, seam placements, hardware, measurements) required for production.
- Industry-standard conventions: You will learn the visual language of fashion technical drawing—the symbols, line weights, and layout conventions that manufacturers, pattern cutters, and production teams expect.
- Portfolio-ready output: By the end of the course, you will have a set of completed technical drawings suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio or for use in production communication.
- Small group interaction: Live sessions allow for discussion, peer feedback, and collaborative problem-solving. You learn not only from the instructor but from the questions and work of other participants.
- Session recordings available: If you miss a live session or want to review the content, recordings will be made available after each class.
- Suitable for all levels: Whether you are a beginner to technical drawing or a practising designer looking to digitise your workflow, the course meets you at your level and builds from there.
Requirements
- Affinity Designer app installed on a compatible device (iPad, Mac, or Windows)
- A stylus for accurate drawing and line control (Apple Pencil or a compatible alternative)
- Download the mannequins from the course download section before beginning the drawing modules
- Stable internet connection for live sessions
- Zoom or Google Meet app installed on your device (link will be provided before each session)
- Basic familiarity with the Affinity Designer interface (opening documents, using layers, selecting tools)
- Willingness to complete drawing exercises and submit work for review
FAQs
A: This is a live course. Sessions are delivered in real time via Zoom or Google Meet. You will receive session links before each class. Recordings will be available if you miss a session.
A: You need a device compatible with Affinity Designer (iPad, Mac, or Windows). The course is designed specifically for Affinity Designer, so other drawing apps will not be covered.
A: Any stylus will work, but an Apple Pencil or a high-quality alternative is strongly recommended. Technical drawing requires precision, and a pressure-sensitive stylus will give you much better control over line weight and accuracy.
A: No. This is a professional development offering, not an accredited academic programme. Upon completion, participants receive a Certificate of Participation from Timbuktu Research and Design.
A: No prior experience with technical drawing is required. Basic familiarity with Affinity Designer (opening documents, using layers, selecting tools) is helpful but not mandatory. All instruction is provided.
A: The mannequins are pre-drawn figure bases provided in the download section. You will use them as a consistent foundation for your technical flats, so you can focus on drawing garments rather than drawing the body.
A: The course is delivered over 5 live sessions, each lasting approximately 90 minutes. Total instruction time is approximately 7.5 hours.
A: Before each session, you will receive a Zoom or Google Meet link via email. You must have the Zoom or Google Meet app installed on your device. Links are also accessible through the course page.
A: Yes. Live sessions include opportunities for real-time feedback. You may also submit completed exercises for instructor review between sessions.
A: You will have a set of completed technical drawings suitable for a professional portfolio, a repeatable Affinity Designer workflow for future projects, and a Certificate of Participation.
A: The course is open to all, but it is designed with African and Caribbean practitioners in mind, in alignment with Timbuktu Research and Design’s mission. All examples and case studies centre African textile and fashion contexts.
A: Yes. Live sessions are interactive. You can ask questions verbally or through the chat function, depending on the platform.
A: Contact us at education@timbuktu-group.africa if you experience technical difficulties. We will assist you and ensure you receive the session recording if needed.
Curriculum
- 1 Section
- 7 Lessons
- 5 Weeks
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Course7
- 1.1Course: Digital Fashion Design: Technical Flats and Specification Drawing in Affinity Designer
- 1.2Week 1: Foundations – Setting Up Your Affinity Designer Workspace
- 1.3Week 2: The Technical Flat – Front View90 Minutes
- 1.4Week 3: The Technical Flat – Back View and Details
- 1.5Week 4: Specification Drawing – Measurements and Callouts90 Minutes
- 1.6Week 5: Portfolio Presentation and Review90 Minutes
- 1.7Course Completion
Instructor
CFA45,000.00
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