You are a beginner student designer?
However, you feel lonely and you can’t progress?

That’s normal.
Most beginners feel shy when they start.

If you are in this case,
Do you hide your design drawings and creation?
So no one can see your things?

Hiding is the best way to protect ourselves from critics.
As you can’t possibly fail if nobody sees it. Right?

But you got to realize you are building a dangerous fence
around you that stop you to become the designer you dream of.

Your lack of confidence makes you stagnate.
Today I wanna make sure you don’t trap yourself in an Ivory tower.

Let me tell you my story.
I hope to help you stop building fences,
and start building bridges to connect yourself with other students of your school.

 

TIP: Pursue your dream. We all start beginners.

My Design school didn’t recruit on sketching skill.
But on motivation, and creative potential.

The school is interested to know how passionate you are first.

Not knowing how to sketch as a candidate was fine.
It’s a skill that can be acquired.

There was no direct correlation between the initial sketching level and the success of a career after graduation. 

Students could practice and gain amazing sketching levels.

I remember the entrance exam selection of my design school.
It was a competition. The number of seats was limited.

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We had to give our best.

All students needed to go through 2 phases:

  1. A creative drawing test on paper
    (The idea matter more than the quality of the sketch).
  2. A 1-to-1 motivational interview.

My sketches were so clumsy and amateur!
But I succeed to communicate my ideas
and show my passion to them to create a better world as a Designer.

The school called me: I was selected!
It was just the beginning of the journey… : )

 

TIP: Stop hiding.
Hang out with a better student designer than you!

student help other student to become better and grow your skill in designFew months later, I started my design school in Paris,

I realized students came from so many different backgrounds and countries:

  • Some abandoned their studies (Engineering, Marketing…)
  • Some came from art school
  • Some were already design professionals or in reconversion
  • Most were only 18, just graduated from High-School
  • (I was 22 and I was already graduated of a 3rd-year diploma in Business and IT)

What I liked, it is never too late to start a Design career!

The first year of the Master’s Degree in Design has no design specialty yet.
It gathers multiple interests, and students have various goals.

We were all mixed in the class.
And it created interesting interactions. 

But basically,
we had all different levels.
And most students didn’t know how to sketch. 

Learning how to draw was truly not easy.
But a few students stand out from the promotion.

They inspired me. We shared the same high passion
for Product design and became friends.

While some students decided to “hide”.
I wanted to compete with them.

I observed how they draw and learn their techniques. Study together.
And we shared opinions on each other’s homework.

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That is how I kept my head high and progressed.

It was not optimal learning.
As we had to figure out a lot ourselves.

But I wanted to be part of the top 10% of students in the school.

Even if you start a beginner.
Be ambitious and humble.
Don’t take anything for granted.

Focus on positivity, and feel gratitude.
You’ll make miracles!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,
Chou-Tac

PS: If you wonder what specialty we can choose from my Design school:

  • Product/Industrial design
  • Transport design
  • Video games design
  • Fashion Design
  • Visual communication design
  • Art Design and Luxury

 

 

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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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  • Gurupreet: “Hi, I come from India and I am 20 years old. I am an freelance artist and I use to…Jun 30, 22:14
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  • Jatin: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, 1.India, 30 2. Studying graphic design and Sketching 3.…Jun 30, 14:11
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  • NISHTHA HARSH NIRMAL: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, but product sketching career-wise. I discovered this through PinterestJun 27, 14:32
  • Nishtha: “I need this book as im an aspiring designer. I love to sketch. I discovered this blog through pinterest.Jun 27, 10:57
  • Joh: “Brisbane, 37 Looking for a new hobby :) googled contour lines!Jun 26, 13:31
  • Chou-Tac: “Hi Adrian, We are in 2025, and I am re-reading my article. :) The example I gave here: Some applicants…Jun 25, 18:33
  • Chou-Tac: “Hi Hana, Sure you will! You got all the content you need in the blog. :)) For the shoe design,…Jun 25, 17:02
  • Chou-Tac: “Hey Haitam, The first step is to study perspective. From CAD, you already got a great grasp on it. You…Jun 25, 16:59
  • Iwan: “Indonesian, 30 Hobby From Youtube ThankssJun 25, 12:56
  • India: “1. Australia, 20 2. Studying interior design and architecture 3. While researching for an assessment – I am researching for…Jun 24, 11:06
  • Haitam KHLIFI TAGHZOUTI: “Dear, First i want to say thanks for creating and sharing with us wonderful informations anout sketching. I am Haitam…Jun 24, 03:17
  • Vanessa: “France , 42 To improve my skills. A link on a blog (don’t remember the name)Jun 23, 22:11
  • Z: “Pakistan/ 18 Wanna polish the skill Chat gpt suggested itJun 23, 18:58
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  • lucky 101 apk: “This tutorial is incredibly helpful! I always struggled with perspective drawing, but your step-by-step approach makes it so much clearer.…Jun 22, 09:43
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  • Faisal Atta: “1). I come from London, UK 2). I want to improve to my sketching skills 3). From YouTube – perspective…Jun 20, 12:57
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