Today, I felt like a kid in a toy shop at Tokyu Hands. It’s a Japanese store that sell all kind of house ware, cosmetics, traveller, decoration, and hundreds of cool “useless stuff”. They have just opened, and I discovered a huge corner for pens and notebook (30% of the whole shop was shelves filled with thousands of pens !). I think I stayed there about 2 hours playing with the pens… where I decorated quite a good number of these sketch pad and note book. TRY ME ! You won’t ask me twice :)...
Archive - November 2014
How to Draw Concept Art Thumbnails (and Skip Details) I love Scott Robertson artworks. Today, I took a break in my work and to relax, I sketched some Concept art thumbnails. This thumbnail technique is incredible to generate ideas fast. It is part of the creative phase of every beginning of a design project. To succeed, remember to skip the details and focus on the essential. Draw your thumbnails without caring much of details. Ignore or simplify them. Focus on drawing the main shapes with...
The Ghost drawing is a simple and powerful technique that will help you make better sketches all along your Design journey. When you are a beginner, you feel intimidated. He may even be a bit scary to draw. (Perfectionist syndrome) Your lines are hesitant, clumsy, and lack of precision. You feel fear of not making progress. The ghost drawing is the solution to gain fast in confidence and line accuracy. You need this technique to make beautiful and professional sketches freehand. It becomes very...
Exploring drawing with a fountain pen nib is so much fun! I tried to draw with mess and dynamism!
Table Of Contents Your Designer's DreamStand Out from the CrowdThe Power of the PortfolioWhy This Matters1. What is a Design portfolio?2. Should I have an online portfolio?BONUS: About.me3. What if people copy my idea?4. Digital vs Printed Portfolio: Which to Choose?5. What to Include in Your Design PortfolioWeapon #1: Stop boring "Accountant Resume"! Make it Attractive!Weapon #2: A Creative Business CardWeapon #3: Send a Mini-PortfolioWeapon #4: Extra ArtworksCreate a Separate...
Last night I was bothered, because I couldn’t draw. I felt that whatever stroke I put on the canvas, It was not correct. It often happens when I try new techniques. It is a feel of frustration that used to make me give up easily. After going through quite a good number of them, I learn that failing is just part of the process. Failing is actually a great outcome. It shows that at I am doing something, something that I could learn from. It’s very common for beginner to give up early or start...
This tutorial contains few tips. You will see how to change the colours at the step 9 of this tutorial. Today I still carry on the popular Japanese warriors: the Samurai mask. They was made to scare their opponents in the battle field. To express that, I used organic, bony and scary shapes to reinterpret the ancestral demons. 1- Get inspired– Samurai mask Spot the similarities among the masks, and see what are the most symbolic details. Pick up the inspiration you like and feel free to play...
CHOUTAC CHUNG – Samurai Robot Last night, I was trying some brushes in Photoshop. I would like to show you how to paint with Photoshop in 3 steps using the Pen Opacity Pressure I tried a brush that reminds me of the quality line of one of my favorite pen, the Uni-Ball EYE, from Mitsubishi. The flow of ink applied on paper with this pen is constant whatever speed or pressure you draw with. I don’t really know why, I instantaneously felt comfortable with this brush, even if you can’t find...
It was about 4 a.m., I couldn’t sleep and I bumped into Chanqueen watercolour arts on Instagram. I enjoyed looking at her sketches that brought some colourful lights into my head. Her artworks show different scenes of Hong Kong. I really like the way she mixes colours and subtly leaves blank areas. Chanqueen I am getting some interest in watercolour, and never really took the time to explore it. As I have been training in a drawing environment recently I guess it’s logical I get more exposure...
I would like to share with you about THE URBAN SKETCHERS. I heard about them for the first time during my last trip in Penang in Malaysia. Below an example of my urban sketch during my trip in Asia. I was sketching a temple alone at the terrace of a Art cafe of Penang. CHOU-TAC CHUNG – Yap Kongsi Temple The waiter saw my stuff and asked me if I was a member of THE URBAN SKETCHERS. So I said no. He explained to me it’s a crowd of artists who gather in (invade) a chosen place, sit wherever...
Today around the world sketch take place in Taipei, capital of Taiwan. An island located south of China and Japan. Walking in the streets, you could breath the mix of so many influences. What surprised me most was the atmosphere. It was quiet, peaceful yet fun and vibrant. This wall seeing Ultraman playing this Chinese instrument among the ancestors reflect quite well that feel. The ancient culture mix well with the street art, fashion and modernity of the young crowd. Your eyes are constantly...
Yeahh!! I am the happy owner of a Cintiq 22HD Touch for 10 days already. However, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD is really bulky, and I needed to upgrade my working workspace to draw or hours with a proper posture. I faced some problems that some of you may face too as a Cintiq owner. I show you how I fixed them getting suitable furniture at Ikea. It was difficult to draw on the tablet. Why? It was not because of the quality of the tablet, the pen, or my abilities. It was because of the height of my...
Let’s look at some inspiration pictures of Milan. I quite like the repetition of pillars along the shops. To sketch these one with accuracy, I will start by showing you a simple and very useful trick. I remember the day my teacher show me that trick I was amazed ! TIP 64 A must have geometry rule to duplicate pillars How to duplicate the pillars in perspective ? 1. Set up your perspective lines.– Horizon line– Vanishing points – Converging lines 2. Draw the first pillar...
Last month I was in Penang, Malaysia. I took my sketchbook and sketched outside what I saw. This week I decide to try reaching the next level. Instead of reproducing the reality, I want to be able to create my own environment. I start to gather some inspiration digging pictures from my different trips. Above, some pictures from Tokyo, Japan. I look at all the interesting elements I would like to play with. Then I will mix the references! The technical challenge I give to myself is to play with...
Today we draw a dragon head with an “organic style” using the Symmetry tool. I was randomly doodling and got slowly absorbed into it. You will see, the drawing technique is simple and pretty addictive. You can use Sketchbook pro, Photoshop, Procreate, any drawing app of your choice. You just need to activate the Vertical symmetry tool. How to draw a dragon head with the Symmetry tool When I started to doodle, I didn’t really know about the final result. The Dragon came along the way...
Hello! I'm Chou-Tac, a Product Designer from France.
If the sketching methods I’ve acquired aid me in my life and in my industrial design career, I believe that they can also help you reach your dream goal as a student or professional designer.
Leave a comment in the blog or send me an email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com : )
Chou-Tac
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