Sketching for Product Design and AEC

Learn sketching basics such as how to quickly generate shapes and forms, using planes, projection methods, line weights, and shade and shadow to bring product designs to life.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching this course

1. Design Sketching Overview

• Exploring why designers sketch
• Understanding why speed is critical to design sketching
• Understanding the conversational nature of good sketching
• Exploring the relationship between sketching and the computer

2. Design Sketching Fundamentals

• Sketching is creating the illusion of form in space
• Sketching DNA: Points/vertices, lines/curves, and planes/surfaces
• Drawing systems overview
• The interrelationship (connection) between the systems
• Challenge: Sketch 2D geometric shapes and 3D forms
• Solution: Sketch 2D geometric shapes and 3D forms

3. Orthographic Projection

• What is orthographic projection?
• Exploring the nature of flatness in multiview projection
• The power and dynamics of projection
• Bridging orthographic and perspective: The rotated plan method
• Challenge: Sketch a simple 3-view orthographic of a wedge
• Solution: Sketch a simple 3-view orthographic of a wedge

4. Perspective Projection: Inside the Box

• The DNA of 1-point perspective
• The DNA of 2-point perspective
• The mechanics of perspective (vantage points)
• Sketching inside the box: The scaffolding analogy
• Seeing and sketching
• Manipulating forms on the fly: Altered or derived cubic forms
• Challenge: Quickly sketch a series of basic and altered cubic forms
• Solution: Quickly sketch a series of basic and altered cubic forms

5. Perspective Projection: Outside the Box

• Minimizing the scaffolding for quicker sketching
• The power of centerlines and projection lines (projecting to vertices and center points)
• Creating simple curved surfaces
• The circle in perspective (the ellipse)
• Creating curved surfaces
• Creating compound curved surfaces: The CAD analogy
• Challenge: Sketch a thermos
• Solution: Sketch a thermos

6. Finishing Touches

• The power of line: Line weights for differentiation
• The workhorses of sketching:
• Grounding forms: Suggesting light, shade, and shadow with hatching
• Projecting shadows
• The power of a frame: Vignettes
• Challenge: Sketch an asymmetrical shampoo bottle with hatch lines and a cast shadow
• Solution: Sketch an asymmetrical shampoo bottle with hatch lines and a cast shadow

7. Putting It All Together

• Sketching form in orthographic 2-view only: Bottle concepts
• Transitioning from orthographic to perspective: Sketching the complex form of a Pringle potato chip
• Sketching spatial designs in perspective
• Exploring form through sketching: Kitchen utensils

Conclusion

• Next steps