sagome

Sagome, the plural of sagoma, is an Italian term that broadly refers to templates, silhouettes, and cutouts used as guides for shaping, drawing, or understanding forms. A sagoma can be a full-size life model of a figure, a pattern for cutting, or a simple silhouette used in art or design. The term is used across disciplines to describe a physical or drawn outline that serves as a reference.

Origins: The word derives from Italian sagoma, meaning outline or silhouette; in general usage, sagome refers to multiple such outlines or templates.

Applications: In drawing and figure study, sagome function as proportion guides; in carpentry, tailoring, and pattern making, sagome are templates that are traced onto materials before cutting; in theatre and film, cardboard sagome are used as stage props or stand-ins; in education, silhouettes help teach anatomy and movement.

Construction and materials: Sagome can be made from paper, cardboard, wood, acrylic, or metal. They may be drawn directly from a model or produced by scaling a drawing. Modern production may use laser cutting or die-cut tooling to produce repeated templates.

Terminology and usage: While common in Italian-language contexts, the term sagome is less common in English, where “templates,” “patterns,” or “silhouettes” are often preferred. See also silhouette, template, pattern.