Sketch via IDSketching.com
Some time ago designer Spencer Nugent, from IDSketching.com, wrote a post about how to develop our drawing skills. As example he published the blu line sketch which was one of his first attempt to sketch a car in perspective. Recently he tried to reinterprated the same sketch with his actual professionality and using an IPad by Apple. He used his drawings to express his vision about how to learn drawing cars.His comments in the post found me completely in harmony with his vision because he is right! To draw well, to get such professional level we MUST draw a lot. As simple as this, the continuous trainig gives us, on the long run, a way to improve strongly our skills. When I was in design school, some time ago, I had all my teachers always saying "...you learn with milage...so the only way to become a good designer with solid bases is to keep on drawing over and over until you get sick of it!"
Now, why do I want to write about this aspect of our profession? Because I still see, during my design schools visits, students that are happy with few extra sketches for their presentation without realizing that their drawing level ability stays costant! They improve when the end of academic year is close (may and june), however the time left is too short for a real final quality sprint.
Many students send me their mini portfolios via email for an evaluation and very often, as I usually do, I give a feed back mostly about their weak points. On top of the list there is always a "lack of quality sketching" and to me this is given by lack of exercise!
I know that some design schools are less demanding than others, BUT! Are we doing this for the school, the grade or for our future? So to avoid to finish school and be forced to re-do a big part of your portfolio before getting a job you better work hard at school sketching a lot with method and discipline to make sure you can improve your skills to a very performing level.
At my school time we did not have internet and our only reference to compare ourself were our collegues at school and few magazines with nice photos....today with internet you have lots of references (my blog for example or all facebook pages about car design like "Car Design Insight" to compare yourself and understand if you are qualified with your work's quality...no excuse!
From october to april some students just waste a precious time to build their skills improvement and when some of them, in some design schools, get their diploma...the quality portfolio remains a dream. Result is: you are not ready to search for a designer job because your book does not have a high competitive level.
Got the point? What are you waiting for? Go back to drawing!
