Hi Sketchers!
My name is Chou-Tac, I’m a Product Designer from France. “Cocorico!!”
If you don’t know how to start how to draw, you are the right place!
I walk you through the essentials: proper drawing posture, choosing simple materials, and practicing freehand basics like straight lines, circles, ellipses, and squares.
Progress to mastering proportions easy and drawing cubes in 1- and 2-point perspective step-by-step.
With fun exercises and clear steps, you’ll quickly build the skills needed for creative and accurate design sketches.
Are you ready?
Let’s learn the basics of sketching step-by-step in this series of 7 video tutorials only!
But first, you need to download your Free book of the Designer Starter Kit!
- BEFORE STARTING: Check your Drawing Posture
- DRAWING MATERIAL
- TUTORIAL 1 How to Draw Straight Lines [No ruler]
- TUTORIAL 2 How to Draw Circles
- TUTORIAL 3 How to Draw Ellipses
- TUTORIAL 4 How to Draw Squares
- TUTORIAL 5 How to Gain a Sense of Proportion
- TUTORIAL 6 How to Draw Cubes [1-Point Perspective]
- TUTORIAL 7 How to Draw Cubes [2-Point Perspective]
- BONUS SKETCHING TUTORIALS!
- What to do next?
BEFORE STARTING: Check your Drawing Posture
Make sure to draw with a comfortable drawing position.
Your elbow is free of movement and does not rest on the table.
You have a clear vision of your whole paper.
Learn more about the dos & don’t in this detailed article
on How to draw with a correct body posture.
DRAWING MATERIAL
All you need is:
You will learn how to draw with confidence all freehand.
A ballpoint pen such as the BIC Crystal for example
Some blank or draft paper of your choice
The free book: The Designer Starter Kit (I recommend you print it)
IMPORTANT: No eraser, no ruler.
TIP: If you do not have a ballpoint pen.
Any pen, pencil, draft paper would do. What matters the most is you start today!
(If you wonder what the complete list of materials is a designer needs, you can get the material list here.)
TUTORIAL 1 How to Draw Straight Lines [No ruler]
Today let’s draw straight lines freehand.
As soon as it gets too easy, try drawing long straight lines.
This is the most basic and important drawing movement you need to master.
If you can draw a straight line with confidence, you can build a good perspective setup for more advanced sketches.
So you can build solid foundations for your drawings.
Never underestimate the power of mastering the basics of sketching!
Keep your elbow free of movement when you draw.
TIP: Does your lines tend to bend?
Check your body posture + desk setup.
Your chair can’t be too high, your desk can’t be too low.Do not rest your elbow on the desk,
and let your whole arm free of movement.
TUTORIAL 2 How to Draw Circles
Have you ever wondered how to draw beautiful circles?
I show you why you failed for so long, and you can solve it with the ghost drawing!
After that, I invite you to try this fun drawing game where you draw the minions from your circles.
Because having fun is the key to success!
TUTORIAL 3 How to Draw Ellipses
After mastering the circles, let’s draw ellipses freehand like a boss!
If it gets too easy for you, you can level up with this ellipses and cylinders tutorial.
Now, do you start seeing ellipses everywhere around the objects around you?
Do you dream of ellipses?
Are you becoming a geek of ellipses?
This is for you: How to draw ellipses in 7 steps (in perspective).
TUTORIAL 4 How to Draw Squares
One of the techniques I use the most is to turn the paper when I draw.
So I don’t have to draw like a contortionist if I want to draw my lines with a certain angle.
To practice that, let’s draw squares!
TUTORIAL 5 How to Gain a Sense of Proportion
As a beginner, the proportion is pretty tricky at the start. That’s ok.
I show you how a simple geometry trick can help you with better proportions.
If you are already familiar with perspective,
here, is an extra exercise to practice proportions in perspective.
TUTORIAL 6 How to Draw Cubes [1-Point Perspective]
Pretty often beginners feel overwhelmed in front of perspective.
There are so many lines going here and there that you don’t know how to start.
So I made this video to show you stroke-by-stroke,
how to draw a cube in an easy and simple way. (And the relaxing way)
In this video, you will realize it’s actually easy.
There is nothing to be afraid of drawing a cube in perspective.
With a bit of practice, you will know how to draw a cube from multiple angles forever!
Get ready to start drawing perspective for product designs, architecture, cars… anything you want!
TUTORIAL 7 How to Draw Cubes [2-Point Perspective]
Can you feel how your 3D vision starts to build up?
Now, let’s go to the 2-point perspective setup!
BONUS SKETCHING TUTORIALS!
Congratulations on completing the 7 video series!
Practice these beginner exercises once in a while as a warm-up for 5 minutes for example.
You are now ready for the next level!
These 6 extra video tutorials below are made for you to:
CREATIVITY: How to Draw Infinite Products Super Fast!
- Draw your first product designs!
To chill with cubes and fundamental of drawing, let’s dive in a SUPER FUN drawing exercise!
You don’t need much techniques to know to start practicing it and get result today!
Of course, the higher level of basics you have, the better.
But we love daring to draw and keep learning by embracing imperfection.
As day-by-day, you are gonna get a lot better skilled!
(Example: the only way to get better better at playing dart,
it’s not about reading books and theory. You got to throw the dart!)
One of my favorite sketching techniques is to multiply ideas super fast with this random approach!
It is creative and you will draw with plenty of fun!
BASICS GEOMETRY: How to draw the 4 basic forms [Design Sketching]
Now you know how to draw cubes in perspective. That is great!
I will show you how you can easily draw the 4 basics forms of Design Sketching:
- The cube
- The pyramid,
- the sphere
- and the cylinder.
Learning how to draw the 4 basic forms will help you better visualize
and simplify complex objects into simple ones.
CUBE MANIA CHALLENGE #1: Start drawing cubes in 3D easily!
I want you to make perspective an intuitive skill so you can focus on creativity when you draw.
How to start drawing cubes in 3D easily!
CUBE MANIA CHALLENGE #2: How to connect cubes in perspective
How to draw in 3D space and connect cubes in perspective
CUBE MANIA CHALLENGE #3: Show off with confident sketching style!
How to draw cubes with a professional sketching style
TECHNIQUE: Draw with The “LEGO BLOCK” Technique
A great drawing exercise to apply the lessons and practice the basics of sketching you have learned on this page.
You start drawing with proportion and 3D space using some blocks.
What to do next?
You can send me your sketches by email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com.
I will be happy to discover how you progress with your basics of sketching in 3D.
And maybe I could share with you a couple of feedback or tips. :)
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