Product designers can’t wait for ideas to fall from the sky.
Let me share with you a trick to conquer creative blocks and generate hundreds of creative ideas!

How to beat the blank page
How to beat the blank page
  • How to beat the Blank page syndrome?
  • Copy to learn Product Design Sketching
  • A trick to kickstart your drawing
  • Mix your inspirations

It’s raining.
I stay home and I’m in the mood to sketch something.

But what could I sketch…?
It feels like having no inspiration for drawing.

I’m facing a blank page on my Wacom tablet.

Facing the white canvas and creative blocks...
Facing the white canvas and creative blocks… feel bored and stuck…

How to Overcome Creative Blocks: A Trick for Artists and Designers

For years,
I thought copying was Cheating.

“Cheating is bad.” I told myself.

I would feel guilty to use someone else’s
drawing to inspire me.

As a kid, I loved copying my favorite cartoons
(Dragon Ball Z, Super Mario, Ninja Turtles…).

When I wanted to create something new:
“No! It had to be 100% from me.”

For “pure creation” I would not need any reference picture!
I was so wrong hehe.

I think it was mostly a matter of ego.
(a big ego for someone who had no experience)

I wanted to come up with something 100% new from zero.
So I would have 100% of the merits.

Ergotron for wacom tablet inspired artificial arm drawing blank page product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac a
Drawing something new using an existing object for reference

What happened?
My page remained blank.

My head had some crickets
playing music inside.

If you too raise some musical crickets in your mind,
you sabotage yourself.

Open yourself, be humble,
and start copying other artists/designers and products around you.

Ergotron for wacom tablet product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac
My Ergotron arm that supports my Wacom graphic tablet 22″

Copy others to learn faster Product Design Sketching

At school, copying your classmate was wrong. It was cheating!
So now, when we look for inspiration,
a little voice in our head paralyzes us from drawing.

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We try to reinvent the wheel by drawing something 100% new.
But that’s pretty impossible…

If you want to become a great designer,
you have to incorporate copying into your creative process.

That is compulsory.

So only you will raise your level!
If you love sneakers, cars, or coffee machine designs, draw them, and copy them!

Why?

Because again, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Accept it as your LEARNING PROCESS.

You will progress much faster and gain maturity.

Copy others so you can one day deploy your own wings and create your own!


A trick to kickstart your drawing and beat creative blocks

Let me share with you one of my creative techniques to overcome the Blank page syndrome.

TIP: Find existing products to draw in your house.

Start drawing and let inspiration come along the way.
You don’t have to picture 100% what you want before starting.

Your objective is to create new forms using your product as a starting point.

Feel free to practice with your digital tablet or on paper. Both are fine.

Basically here, I saw my Ergotron arm that holds my Wacom Cintiq tablet.
And use it to produce some new forms.

You may recognize the Ergotron logo, the axis,
the plastic cap, and some mechanical features.

Ergotron for wacom tablet inspired artificial arm drawing blank page product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac
Drawing something new inspired by my Ergotrom arm for my Wacom Cintiq 22HD

Mix your inspirations

The Ergotron arm for my Wacom Cintiq is a very cool product.
It is mechanical and inspires me with some cyborgs like Terminator T-800.

You can mix up the real reference, with some you have in your memory. 
Think of them, and they will “diffuse” unconsciously in your lines.

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terminator t-800
Terminator T-800

“Creativity is organic”, alive!
Copy someone’s creation, modify it, transform it, mix it.
And you’ll create something new.

Then someone else will copy you, modify, transform… and so on.
Don’t let the feeling of “cheating” become a major handicap for you.

I love Celia Calle’s artwork.
She’s an amazing Illustrator.
Her fluid lines have inspired my product design sketching style.

callia Calle drawing style dynamic sketches
Celia Calle’s Illustration

Another example:
If you wanna become a remarkable chef,
you will learn the basics, observe other chefs, and practice…
copy hundreds of recipes.

Then with your talent, you will add in your personal touch.
A simple touch, even 10% could reinvent the whole experience.

To conclude,

  • Love people’s work.
  • Study them.
  • Learn from them.
  • And create your own style by mixing your influences.

So you will create your own “Creative universe”.

Cheers,
Chou-Tac


PS: Don’t get me wrong,
copy is a learning booster and necessity.

However, remember to credit if you decide
to publish something that is 100% copy.

When I was a student,
a classmate copied a sneaker design I published
on www.coroflot.com.
(A website where artists and designers publish
their portfolios to find an internship or job)

We went to the same interview for Adidas Innovation.
The recruiter saw the similarities,
and it became quite a serious problem for him and I too…

He copied something he really liked to practice
his sketching and Photoshop skills.
By chance, my classmate recognized his fault.

PPS: If you wanna see more about the Ergotron arm
I use it for supporting my Wacom Cintiq 22HD.
It allows me to use it in any position
as a second screen, or a drawing tablet.

Ergotron for wacom tablet product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac standing position
Standing position
Ergotron for wacom tablet product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac drawing position
Drawing position
Ergotron for wacom tablet product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac
Back view
Ergotron for wacom tablet product design sketching techniques The Design Sketchbook Chung Chou-Tac fixature on screen
A fixture on the Wacom screen tablet

PPPS: If you want to know more about my
IKEA “office desk” installation for Wacom Tablet.

ikeashoppingforwacomcintiq22desk

2 comments

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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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  • Chou-Tac: “I just replied in your email Dion. :)Jul 6, 17:02
  • Dion Lee Uren: “My days are short, I have bowl cancer & before I part this earth always loved to draw muscle cars…Jul 6, 16:28
  • Rashon Richardson: “1 – Florida. 19. 2 – currently studying to be an electrical engineer but I have an interest for designing…Jul 6, 02:07
  • Chou-Tac: “My pleasure Linda. I do have some content about Urban sketching. Hope it helps! Feel free to leave me a…Jul 5, 21:37
  • Adam: “I’m 40 y.o. from Czech. I need to improve to visualize my sketches. I dicover this from Google.Jul 5, 13:06
  • Adam: “I’m 40 y.o. from Czech. I need to able to visualize my idea. I believe it can improve my communication…Jul 5, 13:04
  • Candy-Chan: “I’m from Chicago and I’m 20. I want to learn to sketch to improve my art skills and be more…Jul 5, 09:00
  • Linda Cadeau: “I am a senior and started drawing about 5 years ago. Just want to learn how to draw objects that…Jul 4, 22:09
  • Marc Benitez: “USA 67 1. I have been drawing and scribbling since I was a child. I’m doing some blackletter calligraphy and…Jul 4, 11:27
  • Go: “hi, i want to learn how to draw, sketch, color reflections on glass cups, carafes, windows, doors, buildings, etc problems…Jul 2, 15:45
  • 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
  • Jatin Verma: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, 1.India, 30 2. Studying graphic design and Sketching 3.…Jun 30, 14:19
  • 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
  • Murad: “Google search Yes learning more Intersted with your blogJun 29, 11:08
  • Fausto Blanco: “I’m an stell erection and construction estimator, my field is estimate. Labor and material quantities for big warehouse buildings, also…Jun 28, 09:14
  • 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
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