YOUR DESIGN COACH

Chou-Tac

Your Messages & Questions

I am from india.i want to learn sketching products....
I am from the midlands in England...
I come from the Brazil and I’m looking forward to expanding my skillset!...
I'm from Cameroon, I love shoes and want to invent and create mines. I've being thinking a...
I am a hobbyist...
Hi i’m Midhun from India and I need to improve my sketching skills...
I´m from México. I would like to know what this book offers...
I'm from. Malaysia...and I admire the sketching artwork & love to make my own art...
I come from the Taiwan and I'm looking forward to expanding my skillset!...
I'm a design student from India and I want to improve my design sketching skills...
I come from the USA and am looking forward to expanding my skillset! :D...
To improve my architectural sketching...
I can't get my free book :(...
Ola Michael, Quizas te quieres el "Designer Starter Kit" en espanol. If yes, please send...
I discovered Nomad Sculpt on iPad. https://nomadsculpt.com/ It's crazy interesting. It ...
I am from Holland and I love to design or sketch or sculpt on my iPad...
Quero voltar a desenhar...
Hi Dalila, You are starting an amazing journey! Congrats !!...
Awesome. I hope learning drawing is helping you at your house building activity!...
Welcome Haonan :)...
Hi Rena, if you have any link where we could see your work, I am curious when you mention ...
Awesome! Hope you find valuable content and tips in the blog :)...
I'm from China, and I'm an industrial design student...
Hi! I study sculpture in High School of Fine Arts in Athens,Greece. I"ve just watched the...
I‘m from China,I am a student majoring in industrial design...
I'm from cameroon and i built houses...
I am from Algeria , I am first year industrial design student...
Minimalism is simple but often not easy to find the right curve or line. That is the beaut...
Hi Nicolas, You don't need to change any of your cables. You just need to buy a travel ad...
As another artist travelling US to france with a fat cintiq, a simple question: how did yo...
Like minimalism designs in my crafts...
sadhique from kerala, india...
Hi Mikhael, How are you doing? Thank you! The cover changed, but the guide remains the s...
Hello Rabia, Glad you are looking for sketching improvement besides your school :)...
Hi Marion, I made a beginner introduction to start drawing from imagination. It will help...
Hi Roy, You are starting an amazing journey! Congrats!...
I am Ajayce Roy From India Right now I am looking forward to study product design....
I love sketching but I would like to have more use of my imagination...
ı want to learn draw,ı am a student...
I see a new cover, then I'm curious to download it again, because the book is very solid a...
Hi Dalila, After you go through the Designer Starter Kit, I invite you to try this tutor...
Ola Ruben, If you want to receive the designer starter kit in Spanish, please send me an...
Hi James! Lack of patience is a double-sword quality! I am glad it brings you here. :)...
Hi Julius, awesome! Hope you will find valuable tips and techniques in the blog....
From Rwanda, looking forward to becoming an industrial designer...
USA. Art has always been in my life is various mediums. MY LACK OF PATIENCE seems to bring...
Hola, soy de México, me inspira mucho tu forma de enseñar a dibujar, tus videos y la inf...
I am from Algeria. Want to get better at sketching objects...
Want to get better at sketching objects...
Hi-I'm Terri. I want to learn to draw...
My pleasure Marcos. Estoy feliz para ayudar te a dibujar mejor cada dia. Hope my Spanish...
Superbe Shammi, Glad you are back in track for sketching :) Bravo!!...
My pleasure Sven, I hope you find helpful content for your drawing journey! Cheers, Chou-T...
Hello Eliss, Glad you love drawing and spend time to learn. Awesome! You are gonna do gre...
Hi Estelle, I am glad you enjoy the blog, and that it helps you in your sketching journey ...
Hi Chou-Tac, Your site on sketching is SO Inspiring! I am Estelle, I live in China. I am a...
Kelantan,Malaysia I want to learn to sketch because I love drawing.I always drawing when ...
Thanks Chou Tac for sharing. Love to improve my skills....
thanks, Chou-Tac, your tutorials are exactly what I needed to start sketching again. The b...
Eu sou do Brasil, gostaria de aprimorar minhas técnicas de desenho, muito obrigado....
Hi Vinicius, thank you for sharing about Worldskills. https://worldskills.org/skills/id/5...
Hi chan. My name is Vinícius Arduino, from Brazil. I'm a worldskills competitor, do you k...
I want to get book...
I am glad to accompany you on your learning design journey Gabriele :)...
Hi Musab, The book is free and it is delivered to you by email. Did you well receive it?...
Can I order this book?...
Eu sou do Brasil, e quero aprimorar e aprender mais sobre design. A artes me fascinam...
Hi Adrian, Oops, just saw your messages by chance. :) Please say hello to the team Creapo...
I'm from central California and have an interest in urban design. My goal is to design wal...
Thanks for sharing good information I read this post I really like this article....
I have always been interested in industrail design....
I'm from Japan. The reason I want to learn sketching is because I want to be a product de...
*Cheap*, sorry!...
Because of you I bought A5 Fabriano sketchbook and a couple of cheab BIC roundstick black ...
Thank you for sharing these awesome books for free. I’m from Myanmar. I always intereste...
I saw your Youtube tutorial...
Hi, I got my BA in 2010 at the age of 50. For my final project I wrote a short story and i...
ola a todos. sou do brasil....
brasil....
I was able to find it. Thank you! :)...
I was able to find it. Thank you! :)...
I'm ami from India and I'm looking for best technique and better skill for my design...
Hello! Maybe the beginner guide play hide and seek in the spam folder. Can you have...
Hey, I really appreciate it that you're able to provide beginners a free guide but I still...
Hi Sanjay, Glad to have you on board! You will get tutorials in the upcoming days and we...
A Mechanical product designer by profession learning to draw perspectives and human figure...
My pleasure Zahra. I am always happy to help, and glad you wanna improve. I learned s...
Hi Chou-Tac Chung, im so happy to find you again,my major is Industrial Design but im not ...
Hello Titi, Please thank the person who recommended the book to you. :) Feel free t...
That's an awesome goal you have Ruan! The gaming industry never stops growing. Bravo!...
I'm taking an animation degree and was referred to your book. I caught a glimpse on how to...
i like scathing...
I'm learning myself programming and game development on my own. And I want improve my draw...
I'm glad you enjoy David! By the way, in case you may be interested, the registration...
Hi, Chou-Tac Chung - Just wanted to say hi, and thanks for doing the videos. They're all r...
Estoy feliz porque te gustas la video de tutorial y ayudarte a dibujar las formas del arte...
Excelente contenido para aprender y para enseñar .Muchas Gracias por compartir...
Hey. How to determine in which scene I should be drawing a parallel source of light or a d...
Hi Daniel,  Yah, these days, it is better to rest if you feel any pain from your injur...
Hello I am from Montreal Canada, I've been sketching on and off for a while but more often...
I also hope you will find valuable content on the blog during your journey Deep. You sa...
Hi Stefan, I like your expression of a Chronic overthinker. You can find multiple vid...
Hi :-) hailing all the way from Denmark. I´m getting into portrait drawing and I was hopi...
Hi from Portugal I want to improve my drawings....
Hey, I am a Mechanical engineer, I like solving problems. But I want to explore my care...
Hy I'm Sabareesh, from India, basically I'm a graduate naval architect, who designs ships ...
Hi Mr Smith, I hope you find plenty of content that helps your high-school students....
Mr. Smith from Buffalo, NY I teach high school Architecture. I make every attempt to inc...
Hi i'm Jorge from Colombia and I need to improve my skills...
We can feel your high motivation Ian, awesome!! If you are a beginner, you may try this t...
Hope you find helpful content on the blog Salim :)...
Why the quality of image is decreasing when I'm posting on Instagram?...
Why the image quality decrease when I post it on Instagram?...
iwant improve my draeing...
i want improve my drawing...
I didn’t get a book yet please help me...
I WANT TO CREATE MY DESIGNS...
Hi Deanna, Do you mean the Designer starter kit? It is free. :) You can download ...
how much is the book?...
Hi Kathleen, I'm happy if it can be helpful to your art students. :) Thank you for s...
Great article. I'll share it with my high school art students! I always appreciate your ar...
Keep up Emmanuel! :D It is always worth pursuing what matters to you....
Thank you Chou-Tac. Your words inspire and give me hope....
Welcome on board Javier! :)...
Hello, I am Javier from Spain...
Hey Josh, Thank you for being an inspiration for the Design Sketchbook family and ...
Heck yea! I'm glad my question ended up making it as a full post! Hope it helps others as ...
Hi Asti, (Your name reminds me of a place I visited in Italy, where they produce amazi...
I am an Urban Sketcher and I want to improve my skills...
Hi Summer, Oops sorry for the late reply! Do you mind sending me an email at choutac@t...
I dont udernstant how you drawd your sphere and his shadow its says that you "will create ...
Hello! I’ve always loved to draw, and after observing how a lot of the artists I admire,...
Hi Graham, I do believe in "Quick wins". Basically about giving simple exercises th...
Hi I teach design in high school and I am looking for an easy way to teach my students to ...
Oh yeah, it's not free anymore. It's about 20$. I remember seeing a post from them on Fac...
Congratulation Ana for following your childhood dream. That's a great action you can def...
Avec plaisir Tania! N'hesites pas a partager dans les commentaires du blog, ou m'envoye...
Thank you for sharing Chris about the XP Pen tablet! :)...
Great article, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! I was looking to get a screen...
Bonjour ! Je dessine en autodidacte mais cela fait des années que j'ai arrêté. Donc app...
Thanks for sharing! But Sketchbook is not free anymore for Windows and Mac OS. I use Krit...
Hi, I'm Brazilian, my name is Ana, and i am an frustrated adult how quit drawing as kid be...
Hi, My name is Leon, From Liberia living in Nairobi. I love sketches and would love to lea...
hola yo vivo en Guyana, siempre me ha gustado dibujar, pero necesito mejorar....
hey.. hey,i am form india i love sketching and your words motivate me thank you sir...
Hi Oliver, I am glad you enjoy the drawing tutorials :). Sure, keep going learnin...
Hi, I really like hoe you teach drawing. Some time I started by using some book on techni...
Hi Gordon, It's all my pleasure. I am happy if the blog can help you during your a...
Hi Chou, Just wanted to say thank-you for all the work and wisdom you share. I am 54 a...
Hi! I'm not sure I see the difference between B and C. Are you just resting more lightly...
Soy de la ciudad de méxico, me interesa y me gusta mucho tu forma de exponer cada uno de ...
Soy de la ciudad de méxico, México es mi pais, y me interesa la información de tus libr...
Australia, For self paced learning for my kids at home....
Hello from Brazil! I wanto to learn the sketch to ilistrate n eBook on elkectronics! Best,...
I'm from Portugal. Need to learn more about perspective. Hope your book help me on that. C...
From California. Engineer who wants to learn to quickly sketch product ideas....
Me gusta dibujar desde pequeño y quisiera aprender más....
Yeah! I am happy it helps you refuel your motivation tank! :)...
hey, thanks a lot for this article! i got my college results recently and was feeling do...
am a land surveyor and love designing.......
am a land surveyor and love designing.......
Hello from Hawaii!...
Don here, from Hawaii. Always wanted to be able to draw, looking forward to learn here....
Actually I try to know and learn the systematic technique for sketching. It will help and...
Hi Susan, Thank you for sharing your creative apps selection on iPad. Do you draw ...
Hi there, I've been a professional fine artist for over twenty years. Before that I was a...
My name is Pablo and I'm interested in improving my art skills....
Hi, I'm Julius from Ghana. I've just started drawing and I'm looking for resources online ...
Hello, I have just sent an email to you :)...
I a brazilian and I want to improve my technique...
Is the “37 Secrets of Sneaker Designers'” book still available??? I sent for it, got t...
Hi Chou-Tac! I've been trying to get the book but it's not been sent to my mail, please c...
Hi Gino, Oops! Thanks to you, I realized I forgot to unlock the book delivery. Let ...
Is the "37 Secrets of Sneaker Designers'" book still available??? I sent for it, got the l...
My aim and passion to be designer I'll achieve this surely...
Hello Janet, Yes, the basics are perfect to start sketching the "correct way" as you...
Superb! It's definitely great to explore different styles and methods. :)...
Hi Kamil, As a carpenter, you may like this interview with Guillaume Bouvet. He's a ...
It is my pleasure to share! I also love illustration. Art and design are so interlinked....
Welcome on board Sam! Let me know how it goes, and do not hesitate to leave a comment or...
I'm a self trained set designer Wood worker from Lagos Nigeria Thanks for sharing I real...
Learning to sketch as a hobby and past time....
Hi from Belarus! I'm after illustration. I hope learning to sketch would help me to get i...
Hi! I come from Poland, but I live in Germany, Berlin. I am carpenter and want to learn sk...
Hello my name is Jan, I live in Perth, Western Australia. I am 72 years old and now disabl...
This is a great reminder to half things.. thanks...
I’m design garments and just expanding on sketching....
I’m looking forward to sharpening up my sketching skills for sneaker design. Thank you f...
i Come from Les Baux de Provence. Thé lockdown five me Time to draw and now i love it bu...
Thank you for sharing this with us...
Hi! I live in Mexico. Im arquitech and i want to improve my sketching styale. Thak's for g...
Hi , I’m trying to take my drawing to the next level ....
My name is Chris Richards from Asheville NC and I need to improve my skills to better pres...
I work as illustrator, I'm very curious about design techniques....
I'm from Arizona. I just started teaching myself how to draw because I've always wanted to...
how is you learn design product ?...
M a french student in a design school, i wish that you're book can help me in my work...
I'm from Brazil and sketching is my favorite hobby....
Very enlightening article. Been reading your blog little by little for some time now but ...
I want to crack the nid exam (National institute of designing)I am preparing for the exa...
Thank you so much for making this content and for your fantastic YouTube videos! I hope to...
I want to draw to open my business and as a hobby...
I'm a landscape architect and want to polish up my landscape drawing skills....
I'm theater design student and want to learn more about sketching....
I want to learn how to design for the industry....
I want to learn it so I can design environments for the industry....
Hello, I've tried signing-up several times for the book download, but no success. Nothing...
My major is industrial design. I'm a design sketch teacher. I'd read the book to improve m...
Gostaria de aprender outras técnicas de desenho porque faço Design de Calçados....
Hello Chou-Tac, I am Marina from Serbia. I study graphic design. Thank you for sharing thi...
Oroville, CA I want to learn it so I can design environments for the gaming and film in...
I've always loved drawing but geneRALLY REfused joining a course. I've always wanted to be...
I’m teaching designdraxing myself and want to have indpiration for my lessons...
Sacramento, CA...
I am a student of Design... but my drawing skills never developed well... when I was 12yo...
I want to improve my skills to better support my students when working on sketching design...
I’m learning how to be better at illustrating for animations...
Hi me prem...
Hi, I’m from Singapore. I am a teacher ,teaching design and technology. I want to be a...
I am a Mechanical Engineer. I do a lot of computer drawing every day, but I would like to ...
i want to be a product designer, sketching is the first building blog to be...
I want to learn how you learn how to draw what you see....
I am an art teacher and want to learn from other artists. I work in USA in Washington sta...
I am an art teacher and want to learn from other artists....
Hi Manuela, Yes there are some tutorials about straight lines. You can get them here...
Hi Nadya, I have just send it to you by email :) Chou-Tac...
Tried downloading book nothing happening. Can you please send me a copy. Thanks...
Hi chou-tac I love your videos. I have a question i always drawed feather lines. I am now...
I've always known I have the talent for drawing/sketching plus I love art but I didn't tak...
Well, I want to learn how to sketch so I can be a animator so I can make this animation fo...
I could relate to this post quite a lot. When I was in my third year I found myself questi...
I'm a student in 3D computer graphics for games and film, but want to improve my artistic ...
My pleasure Jan!...
Totally agree Bryan! :)...
Hi Greig, Hope you find plenty of helpful content on the blog. :) Please let me know...
Awesome Albert, Please, let me know how it goes with the students. :)...
Hello Sam, I am glad that you could correct your elbow position when you draw ellipses...
I have been drawing since I was a kid but never took it seriously enough to learn/study ho...
I would like to use the book for students who are having difficulties with drawing. Tha...
Awesome Usamah, It's such a great feeling to solve problems helping people (even if we...
when I studied mechanical engineering, it was very difficult because of the many calculati...
studying product design...
Trying to get back into sketching, I teach high school design technology and am looking fo...
I am a student and a freelancer, looking forward to be very good in design sketching and t...
Hello, I'm from Oklahoma. I'm interested in sketching because there are times words simp...
Thanks for the help and book to help and practice...
Congrats on your choice of the creative path Teertha! I am glad the sketching videos hel...
Just a student interested in design and wanted to know where to start...
Thank you. I'd like to learn to become a better sketcher....
Hello! I am going to apply for master's degree and found your videos to helpful for me....
Hello Richard, I am glad you enjoyed the video tutorial on perspective and found it be...
Hi Chou-Tac, Greetings for the day. My name is Mahendra and I'm from India. I love to dr...
Hi Dev, PLease find my reply on your email. :) See you there! Cheers, Chou-Tac...
Salut Paxon, Bienvenue a bord! Je serais curieux de ce que tu fais pour les scenogra...
I want to sign up for the sneaker sketching course . Vould you help me with that?...
Bonjour! Je viens de lire votre introduction et je voulais vous dire bonjour d’Austin a...
Chou-Tac I went through your 2 point perspective tutorial. You've done an outstanding job...
from Switzerland, Suisse romande, et je parle français, I live near the lake of Neuchâte...
I am a beginner at 68 and want excellent help....
Am darhnyell from Nigeria . I love art and am passionate about it right from childhood...
Hi, i´m glad to meet you, whith us I had the necesary I need learn to draw better. thanks...
Hi, I did not receive the book till now. I am very interested to learn sketching. I am sea...
I want to refine my skills to be the beat artist I can be. Always learning...
Design Technology Teacher Qld Australia teaching Design...
Hi Sandi, You got a great initiative. Handsketching will help you a lot in your journey...
Hi, I'm a product design engineer student. So I would love to be skillful at sketching not...
Hi Uyen, If you use a screen tablet like a iPad or Wacom Cintiq, it gets very similar t...
Hi Matthew, I am glad you enjoy sneaker design so much! I have just finished writing...
Hi Chou-Tac, it's nice to meet you... I came across your website by vigorous researching. ...
I also need to know moreabout technique. I watch video and the Pro Designer is using Ipad ...
Me too. I watch video and the Pro Designer is using Ipad for sketch book, I wonder do we d...
Hi, I studying at Art and design University and I want to learn more about sketching. Than...
I did not get the book. I asked for it Again today....
I checked spam every day but, no, I did not get the book. I asked for it agin today....
Hi Ojo, Happy you are back with your passion for drawing! I have sent an email to you ...
Hello Chou Tac. I'm a former student of yours I started the sketch like the pros course ...
HELLO! I'M GABE. I'M FROM BRASIL. I'M AN ART TEACHER AND UNPROFESSIONAL DESIGNER. I WAN...
WANTED TO LEARN RENDERING TECHNIQUES...
Hi Miguel, I agree, being able to draw the products you have in mind will drastically ...
Hi Alexandra, Your teacher is wise. The world is generous of discoveries! For us t...
Hey Kym, You are totally right, for a concept artist, the key is a good understanding ...
Hello Aquilla, Glad to see you here and explore how to keep improving your art skills....
Hi Andreas, The book is sent to your email. Did you receive it?...
Thanks Praveen, I am glad it helps you!...
That i s great you go back to your passion. Your ideas and concepts will definitely take...
Thank you for the update Michelle. I am glad you received it. Sometimes email like t...
I was able to download it today using a non-gmail account. I put in a temporary email and ...
These tips and tricks are so amazing and easy to follow. Great explanation of drawing sket...
Hi, I am from India and wanted to learn to sketch because currently whatever I am thinking...
To the ones who didn't get the book, i tried with some diferent mail accounts and i only c...
I’m a Production Engineer, I need to be required basic drawing skills....
Hi, I'm Michelle from the US and I am unsure what direction to take when it comes to studi...
Thank you, Great method's; and very professional....
i love sketching but never was good at it....
Have tried to get the workbook several times but not received it via email. Can you please...
Hi, I'm Daniel. I'd like to design sneakers also but I don't know where to start. I've see...
i dont think there are a lot of design studios in turkey...
Hi there, This is Summer from the XP-Pen team, I am reaching out for a cooperation cha...
I am studying Design and Technology teaching at University and I need to learn how to draw...
Hello, from the US. I've always loved drawing and doodling as a kid. Drawing allowed me to...

Categories

The designer starter kit chou tac chung
Sneaker sketch book chou tac chung

 

How long have you been sketching?

Luis ramos sketch like the pros testimonial question how long drawing

To give a short answer, I have 2 big periods of drawing.
The first one was when I was a kid till I grew up as a teen. I was sketching at home and school so we could share among friends. At Junior school, we was a group of asian friends who liked drawing manga. Then, I stopped for few years, I get back to drawing seriously when I enroll my design school.  

But all the years I sketched when I was young was kind of “wasted”.
I believe I am not the only in this case. Let me share with you a more complete answer below.


Design Sketching ≠ Copy drawing

Girl balloon walking
Dont skip your perspective fundamentals 🙂

All these years of practice when I was a teen was “useless”.

I had a group of sketching friends. But none of us had any proper drawing technique. We basically copy what we saw.

Sometime, our sketches was super cool and enough similar to the original picture we copied to be proud of. But whenever we tried to draw from imagination (no reference picture), we was doomed.

In other words, we could draw but not create.
We had a weak 3D vision and our 2D vision was average. We could copy Songoku (from Dragon Ball Z) pretty well with reference picture, but we could not visulize it from different views or position.
We was stucked at drawing only with reference picture forever.

We believed we was good! But we was weak.

Our friends and family told us our sketches was so cool and saw us as artist!! Of course we believed them. Haha. Today, I am happy to laugh at my old sketches with nostalgia. At least we had a lot of fun, and we nurrished our love for drawing.
TIP: Sketch for reproduction as much as you love.
But as an incoming designer, keep your top priorities in mind so you will learn proper sketching techniques that will serve your creativity and visual communication skills.

Sketching = Communication tool ≠ Piece of art

Sketching as a designer is a precious tool to communicate your ideas. Not making sketches that looks like real or a perfect copy of your favourite manga. :P. That’s an other type of performance – more related to art itself.
Remember that an Industrial designer has a notion of productivity. 
Boasch
Sketching is the fastest way to show your ideas

Train your 3D vision

Geommetry and perpective allow me to see something and yet be able to draw it from different angle.

Once again, sketching to reproduce something and to create new things are different skills.
Air con remote sketch
Grab anything around you and sketch it using your d vision

It’s essential to be aware of it so you can work on both with no confusion and make them complimentary.

If I had to focus on one as a designer. No doubt the 3D vision is the must. A 2D reproduction won’t help you much in comparison. If you aim to be a designer, don’t spend years at drawing by reproducing things only – like how I did when I was a kid for so many years. Look for fundamentals. That’s what will give you freedom of expression in your sketches.
When people see a circle, I see a sphere, when people see a remote, I see a transparent box with many small boxes (buttons) on it.
If you want to reproduce something such as a product, a cartoon, people…  Draw using simple geommetry and transparency. After learning proper techniques, you will be able to turn the volume in your head and draw it on paper. Of course it’s not always easy, but that’s the right path toward exponantial progress.
TIP: To activate your 3D vision, visualise everything transparent, and simplify them with geommetric volumes such as cylinders, spheres, cubes…  Ignore the details at start.

Hand sketching is everything.

I started to study seriously how to draw at my Design school in Paris. I was 22. But the school did not really teach me how to draw all along. The school gave us the basics, then  mostly help us to develop creativity. 
Puma gold copy
Sketching some puma shoes when i was student using photoshop

The first year was frustrating – not having yet the level to sketch. So many ideas was stuck in my mind. We can’t figure out how to drop them on paper – and words was not sufficient. So we had to be inventive and carry on drawing ugly doodles! It’s actually a great start for any project. So we learned how to express our ideas fast without looking for perfection. (We din’t have the skill anyway.)

It’s a tough feeling and unfortunately, a good number of students give up learning how to sketch. Some may compensate with 3D tools. But to me, there is no more precious skill as hand sketching for a designer. 
If a client share with you an idea, you might not take out your laptop and ask him to wait while you make a 3d model… No! Take your pen and sketch on the napkin! Your client (or your boss) will love it. 😀
Learning how to sketch is a journey. I do believe that having an accelerator at sketching at start gives more confidence. Earlier we get confident, earlier we get more productive. We  see our own ideas on paper and communicate them at school and professional life with more conviction and ease.

Learn how to draw with focus.

To make big improvement, the act of sketching is not enough. We need to sketch practicing good fundamentals with focus.
Ellipses training sketch like the pros
Sketching ellipses with focus from the course sketch like the pros
There is time for learning, and there is time for application of techniques we already know. Of course more you draw, more you progress.
But it may be misleading as a lot of beginners keep drawing with no progress because they skip the fundamentals or they are just not focused enough.
There is also people with expert skills who stop learning for decades – even if they may still sketching a lot. They reach a comfort zone. This is why so companies like to hire young candidates as they still have this fire inside them that push them to learn new things. (Other point of view is: Allows the company to model the candidate to their needs. That’s an other debate. Some people see manipulation.)
TIP: Sometime we feel stressed.
Take a 10-second break. Inhale deeply with your nose, and exhale sloooowwwly with your mouth. Repeat it 3 times, and you will feel much better and relax. 🙂

Exponantial progress

I did a big improvement at my first year of school. As a beginner, this is where you can make a big difference (as we start from zero hehe). As soon as you get your basics, you observe from your own sketches on paper an exponantial progress so you surprise yourself! There was nothing magic – but the right content with high motivation.
You discover soon that with new techniques, you multiply your possibilities of drawingsubjects. I mean if you can draw a cup, you can draw a pen, a vase, a bottle, a jar, a mic, a base ball bat, a camera lens… and so on. It’s all about the same “technique of connected ellipses”. (I should make and publish a tutorial about it on the blog 🙂 )
Then later you learn how to combine simple elements together. Wow so cool, the combination are infinite! Now you feel that your limits will be more about your imagination, not your sketchings skills. A good design school will unlock your imagination toward design creativity.
TIP: Whenever you learn a technique, think of various application you can do with. That’s how you will also accelerate your learning process and feed your memory of forms.

Environment influence

I did an other big jump when I was working at Adidas. So cool to be surrounded with talented sketchers. A good environment help you progress. Absorb the good vibes like a sponge.
Adidas sketch blue lead
Draw the last shape of a basic shoefoot first and add the details after That will help you make tremendous progress <a href=httpwww Thedesignsketchbook Comtip draw a shoe draw a last>see more in this article about the last <a>
TIP: “Look for succesful people and model them.” – Tony Robbins
That’s a pretty much a long article today. I hope it helps you though.
Oh, if you have kids who love drawing, you may introduce them some proper techniques and explain to them all the good benefits they could have. No pressure though, as they are just kid. But when they become teenagers, it’s maybe the right time to unlock their skills!
The day I will have kids, I might encourage them to do not do the same mistakes as I did.
Feel free to tell me your impression below, we could discuss about it :). 
See you!
Cheers,

Chou-Tac


Here is an additional message that MJ has sent to me after reading the above article. He shares with us a similar experience where he started to learn how to sketch after being graduated from Animation.

Mj

“Hello Sir Chou-Tac how’re you?

Sorry I haven’t been replying or anything for a while and thanks so much for sharing this wonderful story.

I also went through the same thing with not learning fundamentals early and felt like I wasted time and just copied sailor moon or anime. Ahaha!

And even in the college where I took animation course they didn’t teach us any fundamentals either, some teachers don’t even attend our class sadly, it’s only when I graduated where I started self studying and I had nice friends who helped me along the way to improve my fundamentals.
Also I’m thankful for you sharing your tips and awesome blog because I improved perspective, until now I’m still practicing the ellipses, cubes and cylinders as warm up before I paint haha it has been such a big help thanks so much and sorry for the long reply.
Have a wonderful day!
– MJ

Thanks MJ for sharing your experience. We can all grow as soon as we are aware that fundamentals matter, and it’s a skill that anybody can learn.

Chou-Tac

Hello! I am 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 design goal as a student or professional.

My aim is to help you all along with your design projects and journey!

Leave a comment in the blog or send me an email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com : )

Chou-Tac

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