🧵 Elastic Waistband Effect in Pocket Styler Studio
How to manually create a realistic “gathered” elastic band on a top, skirt, or pants.
An elastic waistband is a section of fabric that’s tightly gathered and slightly stretched, creating soft waves, small folds, and irregular curves.
This method is one of the simplest and fastest ways to create a believable elastic effect using Shape and Fabric.
🔹 Step 1. Prepare the Project
1. Open the project where you want to add the elastic band —
for example, a top, skirt, or pants.
2. In this example, we’ll place the elastic at the bottom edge of a top (you can choose any area).
🔹 Step 2. Create the Base Shape
1. Go to Details → Shape and add a new shape.
2. In Point Mode, adjust the shape to match the area where the elastic will be placed:
• make it narrow and stretched across the entire width,
• follow the natural line of the garment’s edge.
3. Create a clean “strip” — the base for the future gathered effect.
🔹 Step 3. Choose the Fabric and Create the “Gathered” Look
1. Open the Fabric tab and choose a material with a pronounced texture.
Denim works especially well for this effect.
2. Use Fabric Transform to adjust the texture:
• increase or decrease the scale,
• stretch the texture vertically,
• create the look of narrow “compressed” stripes.
This makes the fabric resemble the small vertical gathers typical of elastic bands.
3. Set the color to match the main garment.
🔹 Step 4. Shape the Wavy Edges
For a natural look, the top and bottom edges of the elastic should be slightly uneven and wavy — just like real gathered fabric.
1. In Point Mode, add extra points along both edges.
2. Gently pull some points upward and others downward:
• creating soft zig-zags,
• imitating areas where the fabric is stretched tighter or looser.
Move along the whole length of the elastic to form a dynamic, natural edge.
🔹 Step 5. Add Shadows and Depth
1. Take a dark brush and softly paint along the upper and lower edges:
✔ enhancing depth,
✔ emphasizing irregularities,
✔ adding a realistic gathered effect.
2. Add shadows under the elastic on the main clothing layer so that the band looks like a separate element sitting on top of the garment.
✨ Done!
You’ve created a realistic, textured elastic waistband perfect for tops, skirts, pants, and sporty outfits.
This technique is especially useful when you want a clean, convincing result without complex manual drawing.
