Don’t be precious with your sketches | TIP 215

Hello! It’s Chou-Tac

How are you today?
Last day I was at Panam, a French pub in Ho Chi Minh
owned and driven by my franco-viet friends Khiem and Remy.

I enjoy going there to chill and eat Kebab.
They make the greatest Kebab in town with amazing Belgium fries. YUM !!

When you reach inside,
you can expect a warm gathering of laughing and enthusiast people.
And that night, we were singing Karaoke!

I did not sing myself but I did bring my sketchbook with my Pilot pen. I took them out from my bag and doodle a sneaker.

I felt pretty inspired as I am these days preparing a sneaker course for my members. I love drawing shoes during my spare time.

My right hand was sketching,
while my left hand was recording the video with my phone.
It was not easy as my drawing hand was a bit shaky
plus I could not turn my paper.
(Turning paper is essential to sketch faster and with precision. To avoid contorting yourself to draw certain lines or curves.)

I was doodling with a loose hand, and I like it that way!

A Material Buying TIP for you

Many enthusiast beginners tend to buy beautiful and expensive sketchbook with thick and quality paper and covers. But as soon as they reach home and open the cover:

They feel paralyzed to sketch.

And won’t dare to sketch anything on it… worrying to “spoil it”.
In the worst-case scenario, they stop sketching or procrastinate for years.

HERE IS THE TRICK:
A GOOD sketchbook is not defined by its price.
It is something you are proud
to bring anywhere with you to sketch,
and do not feel afraid of making mistakes.

“A good sketchbook is like your best friend. You are not afraid to share anything with it.”

I hope it is making sense to you.
So to improve without fear, do not be “precious with your sketches.”

My sketchbook has a leather cover I bought in Thailand a year ago, it’s soft, flexible, and durable. The paper sheets are detachable.

It’s easy to reorganize the documents,
or eventually, remove some sheets that I feel not relevant anymore.

The rings are convenient for that,
but they are annoying when you want to write or draw on the left page
if you are right-handed. The rings are “blocking the way” to your palm.

Try a few sketchbooks, and see what fit you the best!
Remember that you want to draw inside your greatest, but also the worst sketches inside.

Your pen and sketchbook will be your daily drawing companion with whom you can tell anything. 🙂

Cheers,
Chou-Tac

PS: By the way, I am now running a sketching program within a private group of designers. Where all members start with a Design sketching beginner pack.

If you want to be among the first one to join us, send me an email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com 🙂

PPS: I show you also below the screenshot on how I draw the Adidas shoe.

Start with the ground line with a straight line

Draw the sole of the shoe with a nice curve

Close the shape of the shoe last

Add the contour lines to give 3D volume

Draw the toe cap

Draw the quarter

Draw the Nike Swoosh with dynamism !

Add some hatching for better contrast