YOUR DESIGN COACH

Chou-Tac

Your Messages & Questions

London, UK I'm hoping to use it as a teaching aid for art classes, esp. for beginners...
i love drawing...
I am from Yorba Linda, california I have started and learning Procreate for Landscape pain...
I can feel your comment has a lot of positive energy Vanessa!...
Hey I'm from Nigeria. Learning sketch because I love fashion and have so many creative des...
I'm from New York, I just want to learn....
I am from Mackay, Queensland, Australia. I really want to learn how to sketch to improve m...
I'm from Nepal and a hobbyist...
I'm from Myanmar...
Mackay, QLD. Just looking to improve my teaching...
Hi :) I m from Poland, Wrocław. I'm industrial designer....
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...

Categories

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

7-days Roll of paper challenge

I started without knowing the lenght of the roll. But I needed to set up a time limit to the challenge. I took 7 days, fair enough.

The challenge is not about making each sketch a piece of art, but a design journey to study and explore “new sketching territories”.

What really matter here are:

  • How am I able to multiply ideas
  • How my sketching skills will improve
  • Know better my self

7 days roll of paper challenge

Which Theme ?

I decided to focus on 1 theme to get more results. I decided to explore bots, mecs, spaceship from Concept art.

Material needed

Which PAPER?

A roll of paper for fax, width 210mm. The length is up to you, different lenght are available.
You can find some Fax paper roll on Amazon.
Fax paper roll sketching challenge the design sketchbook

Which pen?

  • a Ballpoint pen: Thin lines and great pen pressure – great for drawing details
  • a Sharpie Ultra fine point: Deep black pen, slide great on paper – great for loose sketching.
  • a Pilot Twin marker and a Papermate Flair: Thicker than Sharpie – great for focusing on simple shapes (you can’t draw much small details with it).
    To me, the Papermate Flair is better than the Medium tip of the Twin Marker.
  • Know more about the pen I used here.

THE Difficulties I met during the challenge

Keep consistent

At start I was super motivated. I draw more than 5m the first day. The day after, I did half of it. Then Wednesday and Thursday I took a break. Plus, I was busy with other things (Making the first sketching video tutorial included).
TIP: I personally like to take some break. I spend some time at studying pictures from Concept artist works such as John Park, Feng Zhu, Scott Robertson and many others. Keep in mind that looking for reference is part of the sketching process.

Keep inspired

If a Blank paper scare you, relax. There is couple solution to start being Zen.

  • Use reference pictures
    1- Don’t be ashamed to look at reference pictures. Sometime,  I like to look at concept artist for 5 minutes or more before starting a drawing session. My brain calibrate itself viewing things better volume with outlines. Plus I try to absorb that Concept art mood. I like to look at great artist such as John Park, Feng Zhu, Scott Robertson, Daniel Simon…
    TIP: I draw a lot following my feelings. If I draw a vilain, I try to imagine myself being a mad men. My lines get naturally more edgy. If I draw a Despicable Me Minion, I imagine having one beside me as a friend ! It’s fun and my line get smoother and rounded.
    2- I open Google image on Ipad. Anytime I get some pictures from any kind of machine, spaceship, motors and so on. If you have books, it’s even better.
    TIP: Try to type your keywords in multiple language to get wider your results. I type my keywords in English and French.
  • Give yourself a story
    If you don’t have any ideas, then provoke them. Start with what you like. What was the recent movie you watched ? Use the “What if” technique. Or draw something you already know, and try to improve it or adding in new elements.
  • Start with many small sketches
    When we are beginner, we like to start 1 sketch and stick to it for hours.
    However we skipped an essential step: the phase of research. This is when we create and multiply ideas drawing many sketches. Each of them may take 10 sec to few minutes only.

Keep focused: Eliminate the distraction

This is maybe the biggest enemy we have nowadays. The distraction is virtual. It come from your phone, Facebook, email, Instagram, Youtube. To be able to finish the roll on time, I need more discipline as usual. It’s good to shut down the phone and computer (not in sleeping mode but shut down). I only allow Google image on my Ipad or Instagram artist for reference.
TIP: Go out for drawing. I like to go to some cafe and draw. It may be more noisy, but my brain can focus more on the task. There is a cafe nearby I like. It happenned I stayed there from morning to evening. I had lunch, cafe, dinner keeping studying new stuff and drawing all day. Time flies.
TIP: Music ! Put your earphone and get ready to sketch for hours. Do not shuffle your music among different artist or style of music at every song.
Don’t listen to music from Youtube playlist. The advertising will interrupt your concentration. You could make some playlist with Soundcloud.

Warm Up

Expect to see your first drawing clumsy. You don’t only warm up your hand muscles, but also your brain concentration. At start, we are still quite distracted. It may take 2mn, 5mn or even 20 minutes to get a good concentration.
TIP: When I can’t get that concentration, I tend to be a bit frustrated. So I stop drawing for a while, I make sure my drawing posture is correct (straight back), and I breath deeply.
It’s a kind of small meditation session that calm me down. It works even better if I breath slowly and deeply 5 times. Focus on your breathing. Don’t think about anything else.
I invite you to try it now, and see how your brain will feel lighter. 🙂

Keep confident

During that challenge, I tried new things and faced difficulties that I couldn’t solve easily. That gives a strange feeling of frustration.
TIP: I remember each time I felt that before. And there was so many ! A big one I had years before was drawing symmetrical eyes. One eye was always higher than the other. I studied why for very long. At the end now, I can make it pretty ok. Keep going. Keep study. Good things will always come.

Keep improving

I could fill the roll with stuff I already know. But what the point ? The aim is to learn new things.
When we start getting some results, people tell us that we are doing great stuff ! So, we may tend to keep drawing what we are good at only. We stop taking risk and maintain that illusion of being good.
It was the same thing when I as a kid. If I got  the kind words from my friends about my drawings, I would be still drawing clumsy drawing of cartoons. Set up your own standard. Make them progressive.
TIP:
Welcome positive feedback. But don’t take it as “Wow. you are a great and accomplished talent”. Instead, take it as”Wow you impress me, I can’t wait to see more from you !” It is great to be proud. But the best alley to progression is not pride but humility.
TIP:
Get a secret sketchbook, that ONLY yourself will see. Nobody else. You will be able to draw all the crap you want. Nobody will judge you. Be sincere with yourself, face your problems and you may save years of progression.
TIP:  Each time you feel improving. Enjoy your new skills, then target the next level.

Let’s see some Sketching Tips !

Instead of just showing you my sketches.
Why not giving you guys some sketching TIPS as well :).

thursday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook a Highlight the botHighlight the line of the Bot. Your eye understand the bot shape in a micro second.

thursday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook b Highlight the internal jointHighlight the internal joints of the Bot. Focus on how much area is covered by the bot “armour”. Usually, visible mechanism, joints is a sign of vulnerability.

thursday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook c crab-scorpion fusion inspiredFusion. Crab + Scorpion fusion.

Study the robot postures with doodles. These few minutes of research will rise your chance of success.

Friday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook aHighlighting the front of the Space ship. Usually, what is closed is bold. What is far, are sketched with a very light pen pressure. We purposely ommit some details, especially when the sketch is symmetrical.


Friday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook b

Start from a human base. I like this method because I have a base that I am familiar with.

Friday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook cImpressive body. Strong shoulder, narrow waist. We often see this effect from american cartoons and some comics. Don’t hesitate to exagerate the proportion while drawing cyborgs and robots.


Friday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook dStudying joints. This need a lot of study to explore all types of joints. In sketching, the most important is that your creation looks cool and credible.


Friday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook e
Getting inspired from a driller and nuclear central.

Saturday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook a
Saturday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook c


How to start from scratch.

1- Start drawing spaceship with an abstract shape, yet symmetrical.
2- Add Spaceship details !

This exercice is not that easy, but it’s definitely very fun !

Saturday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook d
Saturday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook e

Start with the branches, then add details.


Saturday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook fIt’s good to warm up sometime at drawing certain type of lines. Here I trained at organic body shapes before drawing the  organic spaceship.

sunday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook a draw bots with symmetry axisDraw simple bots ! Start with a symmetry axis, then add details on both side.

sunday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook c draw people for scale

Draw people for scaling. The bot will become more impressive.

sunday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook d spider legs robotsScience fiction like to use spider legs for there creation.

sunday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook e simple body shapes

Simplify complex shapes into simple volumes.
This is how you will be able to draw without using any model, a character in multiple positions.

sunday-7days roll of paper challenge-the design sketchbook g

Remember to start basic. Then you can refine.
This is a TIP we saw earlier.

If you want to see the WHOLE roll, let me know. I will send you the pictures by email.
If the challenge inspire you, and you also want to try, let me know !

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

View all posts

9 comments

Leave a comment or question

%d bloggers like this: