Chou-Tac Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial Sketchbook Pro Construction lines.png
Build your products with construction lines

Hello Design Sketchers !

 

If you have a heavy wrist tendency, this article is gonna help you realise how much being gentle with you pen matter.

If you have this tendency, many of your sketches may tend to look messy. You might have difficulties to finish your sketches, or giving them details and the overall may look clumsy or “childish”. And sometimes, it makes you grumpy. 

And the beginner common mistake is when your construction lines are so heavy that they come in conflict with your sketch of product. Most probably, you won’t be able to finish your sketch, being overwhelmed by the number of thick lines crossing each other. So, remember to draw being gentle with your pen.

Victoria Magniant Design sketching tutorial sound speaker Bang and Olufsen bring your sketch alive industrial design sketching.png
VICTORIA MAGNIANT – FROM FRANCE

Start with the basics of perspective

When you are beginner in Industrial design, it’s essential to start learning with the fundamental of sketching. Especially with the rules of perspective. To do so, you will need to start any of your sketch with construction lines. They are the lines that are invisible in real life.
They help you build your product with a good perspective and proportion using simple geometry. When you will become more advanced, you can skip them and draw much faster. But you gotta learn how to walk before running and jumping. Any good sketcher has been through the basics.

See also  Car design Tip | Sketch with the "Happy Accident"!

Many who won’t succeed may say: Oh sketching rules looks so complicated ! It’s not for me.
While others may say: Wow there is actually a method to learn how to sketch ! That’s for me!

And yes, there is literrally hope to succeed for anyone who has the willing to learn and practice :). And the great news is that it can be learned Step-by-step. (This is why I enjoy creating tutorials for you guys in this blog to see your progress and career evolution.)

By the way, I am preparing the reopening of my design sketching course
“SKETCH LIKE THE PROS 2017”
! I will update you in the upcoming days on the evolution. Stay tuned ! :)
(Make sure to subscribe to the blog at this link, to get the launching date and all the details!)


Chou-Tac Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial Sketchbook Pro Construction lines b.png
Start building a box with 2-point perspective with a light pen pressure. TIP: You may use a blue lead pencil. I recommend a 0.7mm thickness. 0.5mm leads tend to break too easily.
Chou-Tac Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial Consturction lines Sketchbook Pro software.png
The sound speaker for Bang & Olufsen with its construction lines.

 

Chou-Tac Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial.png
With Sketchbook Pro, a great TIP is to draw your construction lines in a SEPARATE layer. When you are done, you can deactivate it. So only the speaker is shown!! :)

Above is the final result of the sound speaker tutorial from the Designer Beginner Pack.


Let me share with you a principle to succeed faster:
“You learn a lot from your own mistakes. But you progress much faster learning from other people’s mistakes” 

This is why I decided to share with you this study case I met this morning with one of my student Mika from Taiwan. :)

STUDENT STUDY CASE

Mika asked: “Why everyone’s speaker are so clean…😂”

Mika HsiaoProduct design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial
MIKA HSIAO – FROM TAIWAN

The answer is Contrast.
Let me share with you the answer I gave her:

If you want your sketch to get cleaner, you gotta have very light construction lines (The converging lines and the box mainly) This is why playing with pen pressure is so important for you to gain in clarity.
For example, from far, if I look at Martin’s sketch (see below), I see only the speaker. The other lines looks invisible.” – Chou-Tac

See also  Learn better by better enjoying the present

Remember this principle:
>> The one who sketch, decide what people will look at.

Packaging designers are pro at directing people’s eyes. And a designer needs some of their skills to convey his ideas.

Martin Goulet Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial
MARTIN GOULET – FROM QUEBEC | Drawing with light pen pressure for construction lines :)
Dev Hashish Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial
DEV HASHISH – FROM INDIA

 

Lucas Hippolyte Product design sketch the design sketchbook bring your sketch alive tutorial Sketchbook Pro
LUCAS HIPPOLYTE – FRON FRANCE
Sandi Premri sketch sound speaker bang and olufsen the design sketchbook product industrial design.png
SANDI PREMRI – SLOVENIA

Hope it helps!
But before living, I wanna give you a sketching TIP.

TIP: A good way to improve your pen sensitivity is to train at drawing a maximum of level of pressure with your ball point pen or graphic tablet stylus. A good number is 8. Of course if you can go much further, go ahead !

For the lightest line, a good trick is to do not apply any pressure on it, but let the weight of the pen do the job. Make a try !

More pen pressure sensitivity level you can do, more mistakes you can afford doing too ! Why ? Because in Product design sketching, I do not recommend to erase. But iterate on top of your mistakes. That’s how you’ll rise your sketching speed and make progress faster. :)

Have a nice day!
Cheers,
Chou-Tac

Add comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hello! I'm Chou-Tac, 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 dream goal as a student or professional designer.

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

Chou-Tac

Trending

Last comments

  • Sam Grosjean: “Pensacola, FL 22 years old I want to bring my ideas and imagination to paper. I did a Google search.Jul 8, 19:46
  • Jo: “Hi, Australia, 50, Im looking for a new hobby, I remember loving to draw when I was younger So hoping…Jul 8, 17:35
  • Spencer: “Austin, TX 50 yrs old I want a way to bring my creations to life I found your blog searching…Jul 8, 10:44
  • Chou-Tac: “I just replied in your email Dion. :)Jul 6, 17:02
  • Dion Lee Uren: “My days are short, I have bowl cancer & before I part this earth always loved to draw muscle cars…Jul 6, 16:28
  • Rashon Richardson: “1 – Florida. 19. 2 – currently studying to be an electrical engineer but I have an interest for designing…Jul 6, 02:07
  • Chou-Tac: “My pleasure Linda. I do have some content about Urban sketching. Hope it helps! Feel free to leave me a…Jul 5, 21:37
  • Adam: “I’m 40 y.o. from Czech. I need to improve to visualize my sketches. I dicover this from Google.Jul 5, 13:06
  • Adam: “I’m 40 y.o. from Czech. I need to able to visualize my idea. I believe it can improve my communication…Jul 5, 13:04
  • Candy-Chan: “I’m from Chicago and I’m 20. I want to learn to sketch to improve my art skills and be more…Jul 5, 09:00
  • Linda Cadeau: “I am a senior and started drawing about 5 years ago. Just want to learn how to draw objects that…Jul 4, 22:09
  • Marc Benitez: “USA 67 1. I have been drawing and scribbling since I was a child. I’m doing some blackletter calligraphy and…Jul 4, 11:27
  • Go: “hi, i want to learn how to draw, sketch, color reflections on glass cups, carafes, windows, doors, buildings, etc problems…Jul 2, 15:45
  • Gurupreet: “Hi, I come from India and I am 20 years old. I am an freelance artist and I use to…Jun 30, 22:14
  • Jatin Verma: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, 1.India, 30 2. Studying graphic design and Sketching 3.…Jun 30, 14:19
  • Jatin: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, 1.India, 30 2. Studying graphic design and Sketching 3.…Jun 30, 14:11
  • Murad: “Google search Yes learning more Intersted with your blogJun 29, 11:08
  • Fausto Blanco: “I’m an stell erection and construction estimator, my field is estimate. Labor and material quantities for big warehouse buildings, also…Jun 28, 09:14
  • NISHTHA HARSH NIRMAL: “I come from India. I want to learn sketching in general, but product sketching career-wise. I discovered this through PinterestJun 27, 14:32
  • Nishtha: “I need this book as im an aspiring designer. I love to sketch. I discovered this blog through pinterest.Jun 27, 10:57
  • Joh: “Brisbane, 37 Looking for a new hobby :) googled contour lines!Jun 26, 13:31
  • Chou-Tac: “Hi Adrian, We are in 2025, and I am re-reading my article. :) The example I gave here: Some applicants…Jun 25, 18:33
  • Chou-Tac: “Hi Hana, Sure you will! You got all the content you need in the blog. :)) For the shoe design,…Jun 25, 17:02
  • Chou-Tac: “Hey Haitam, The first step is to study perspective. From CAD, you already got a great grasp on it. You…Jun 25, 16:59
  • Iwan: “Indonesian, 30 Hobby From Youtube ThankssJun 25, 12:56
close-link
Start Sketching Today Step-by-step!

GET YOUR DESIGNER STARTER KIT NOW!

The
close-link
The
YES! I NEED THE BOOK!
Send me The Book
close-image