I made this video during the shoe design workshop I gave to my friends. You will see step by step how I draw a sneaker. You will also get an introduction to the basic vocabulary of shoe design.
(We was at Starbuck, and the sound didn’t came out wonderful. Feel free to rise the sound if you would like to hear my comments.)
A- Start by drawing a last
When I first started to draw sneakers, I didn’t have any method.
I tried to draw directly the sneaker’s design. That was a mistake that drive me crazy for months. Among 10 designs, 8 came out clumsy. The proportion was often wrong. And if “Mister proportion” is wrong,the design won’t appear nice.
(People’s brain will think: mmh something looks wrong but I don’t know what ?! Unfortunately, that will distract there attention from the design itself. )
Ater a while, I came out with this method: before drawing a shoe, start by drawing a last (TIP11). For a little reminder, the last is a shape of a standard foot that a shoemaker use to make a shoe.
B- When you have your last, you can draw your shoe design
It takes a bit more time of preparation. However, among 10 design, you may succeed 8 ;). At the end you will save much more time and won’t get too much white hair.
Why ? Because as soon as you have your last, your brain can fully focus on the creation of your design instead of thinking about proportion.
Again, train at drawing well a last BEFORE drawing well a shoe. Ok ?
Note that this logic is applicable to any design sketching field
- in Fashion design: Before drawing clothes, you first start drawing a model silouhette.
- in Interior Architecture: Before drawing the furnitures, you draw the walls first.
- in Manga: draw a sphere, then draw a head, then the eyes, nose, lips
- …
This is how beginners HAVE TO start in order to correct MOST of there proportion problem.
If you are a shoe lover and you too want to learn how to draw shoes –
Drop me a message and I will plan more tutorials (type of shoes, heel height, side views…).
(Tell me also if you are interested into men or lady shoe.)
Hey Chou . good article . but I would love a tutorial regarding different views of sketching shoes.
Alright, noted Arpit ! :)