Periodically I get questions from students, professionals, and curious people, and sometimes, those questions get me thinking. Recently, I received a question about how to develop a style. It really got me thinking, because I’ve never tried to deduce the origins of style when it comes to sketching. It happens so subtly and naturally, that it can be a hard thing to totally explain, but I have a few pointers and tips based on my own experiences that you may find useful. As always, feel free to leave any insights you have below, and as always, videos are coming soon

1. Find your Inspiration:

Don’t just copy someone, but rather seek out sketches or illustrations that give you that feeling or drive to draw even more. Find subjects that you like and practice them in your sketchbook. By doing this, you’ll find yourself beginning to mimick (not copy) the feeling of the sketch or illustration. It’s a natural process that happens over time when you have the right inspiration. For me it was feng zhu (artbyfeng.com) – I loved his sketch style at the time, and I admit, I tried copying a few things, but that wasn’t beneficial to me. It really clicked when I analyzed what made his sketch good, and then adapted that to my own natural tendencies. Simkom.com is another great online resource that’s updated frequently with juicy juicy sketches from many designers. Mainly car stuff, but adapting things you like is the key.

2. Pick a Tool:

Pick a tool and stick with it. I think when starting out, you’ll hear alot of people say use a felt pen or a pen in general. It’s good advice, but above and beyond the confidence you’ll gain from using a pen, when you can master a tool, your flow will be significantly greater. What I mean is, the awkwardness of using a tool to express an idea or concept can be a hinderance, and when the awkwardness is gone, your style will flow so much easier, as will your ideas.

3. Let Your Personality Flow on to the Paper

I’m a cheery, jovial guy, and I think alot of that translates into the paper. I tell people to relax when sketching. It’s good advice for technique in general, but good advice as well when trying to develop a style. Style is really about personal expression – letting it all out. If you’re shy, or afraid, your style won’t ever come out on paper. Be confident with each stroke and learn to express yourself. It’s OKAY to make a few mistakes here or there. My best sketching happens when I’m not caring so much about the accuracy or precision of each stroke, but rather the espression or the “big picture” of what I am trying to accomplish. Which leads me to my next point.

4. Break The Rules

When you master a set of rules, don’t be slave to them. Learn to break free. Now, I don’t mean abandon principles of perspective, lineweight, proper ellipse construction or basic primitive proportions. What I mean is learn to bend the rules a bit. Drawing with your shoulder and drawing through are two great rules that we’re taught early on, that can be broken. Coloring between the lines and not past is another example of a rule that can be bent to express your style and experiment in new means of expression.

5. Get Some Signature Moves

This is that little dot you put at the end of a line, or a non-descript squiggle at the end of a marker stroke. It’s the gaussian blur in photoshop that you use on a particular part of a rendering. Discover your signature moves when experimenting while “breaking the rules” as I mentioned, consistently implement them, and you’ll have a style developing from it.

Michael Roller, an educator and designer, and friend of mine, posted some great and interesting tips about sketching on his blog recently – Always warm up, Always pin up, and Always cheat. Obviously, I’m a huge fan of them (elkse why would I be posting about them), but more the first two than the third.

When I was learning to sketch, I tried not to “cheat”. I tried to force myself to not do underlays, overlay 3d models, or any other shortcuts. While this process was painful, frustrating, and frankly uncomfortable at times, I grew alot from it. So my advice – Don’t cheat. Do it the hard way until you feel that your skills have grown, and you can confidently use them. You’ll thank yourself for doing it the hard way. Exercise is never easy, but the rewards of doing it the hard way are well worth the pain.

So my advice to you is as always – sketch sketch sketch, and sketch the hard way

via – http://www.michaelroller.com/?p=907

Well we just ran the interview on Shujan Bertrand and evidently she has been very busy! Idsketching has learned that she has been offered (and accepted) a position as Design Director at Incase. Congratulations and good luck with this new chapter Shujan! We look forward to more fantastic work!

It’s time we had some female representation up in here on idsketching.com! Shujan Bertrand has had extensive experience with a variety of design gigs over the years that have taken her all over the world. She has been extensively involved with the design scene in the San Francisco area over 10 years (mostly with Astro Studios), she has also worked in Milan and Munich with names such as LG Electronics and Siemens. She packs a creative punch and sketch ability that matches some of the top work in the industry!  Recently it was my pleasure to talk things over with her…

1. It is great to see such a successful female designer in this industry all too often dominated by males! As a female designer, how do you feel your particular perspective helps out on projects that you work on?

Well, let me begin by saying that women are taught to connect more with their emotions; it is socially accepted and encouraged.  I believe I make an impact on design by first connecting with my emotions. On all projects, I encourage designers to tap into their emotions and communicate through stories.  My intrinsic nature is to find deeper meaning for the product, the brand and the consumers I design for.  Since being a mother, I have this very personal experience and I am able to bring that deep experience and understanding into the design equation.

2. You have a great sketching technique and ability. What can you say that has helped you to develop such a cool style and look to your sketches?

I’ve had a passion for sketching my whole life, but it really developed at Astro.  My sketches advanced from the intense pressure to generate concepts within a short time frame.  Like many artists, my style has evolved and is forever changing.  What is most inspiring are the designers at Astro–they sketch beautifully and each of them have their own unique style.  When you surround yourself with so much talent, you automatically develop your own style by sharing, learning and experimenting.

3. Were you always very good at sketching/drawing, or was it something that you developed back in your college days?

My passion before discovering Industrial Design had been fine arts, painting and illustration.  I went to Art Center I worked very hard on developing my visual communication skills, delivering more than what the design instructors had requested.  I completed 8 ID sketch courses, double than what was required to graduate.  I also had wonderful mentors at Astro Studios – Brett Lovelady, Rob Bruce, Carl Lui and Mike Simonian.  When I travel to Europe and Asia for work or vacation, I try to complete one sketch book.  I give myself a sketch goal.  Additionally I always carry a sketch book, to note spontaneous innovations or to sketch things that interest me on the weekends and at cafes.

4. What is your favorite thing to sketch?

I love to sketch concepts that have a lot of potential to be successful.  When I have passion behind an idea, the sketch will show enthusiasm in its composition and overall design aesthetic.  I also enjoy sketching people with the product concept, and lifestyle scenarios.

5. What advice can you give that would be helpful for new designers sketching on projects?

I would suggest new designers to collect as many reference images as possible.  A digital and analog collection of products, people, nature, architecture, fashion, logos, packages and textures. Take your own photography, cut out magazines, and keep packages. Anything that you find inspiring so that when you are in the design process you can tap into your own personal library.  The more conscious you are about observing objects and your surroundings –- the proportions, perspective, shadows, reflections, etc. – the more reference you will have available in your design process.  Exercise your visual skills by looking, seeing and understanding the physical world.

We are excited to see what Mrs. Bertrand will be up to in the future and we wish her all the best luck! Thank you Shujan for sharing some of your thoughts and work with us.

As some of you know, I was in the midwestern/eastern United states for a short trip. My wife and I were feeling a bit hungry, so we decided to stop in at a restaurant. Any guesses as to which one? We were VERY surprised as well when we went inside. (Sorry about the quality of the photo. I took it on my iPhone)

McDonald’s!! We couldn’t believe it either. We stopped in for a fruit parfait, but instead were greeted with a new style. If it weren’t for the signature counter where you order your food, you wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a McDonald’s restaurant. Seems like everyone is stepping up their game lately (hello walmart).

The point is, there is power in presentation and perception, and indeed, I learned much from my visit about the power of that principle. So never underestimate the importance of being able to sketch well, or put together a compelling presentation.

Recently I was pointed to this short little video on the Copic marker site that gives a great little synopsis of why we (as designers) sketch and render. It features some work by Oliver Neuland (who seems to have a lot of sketch skills and natural talent!). One of my favorite lines from the short narration is, “renderings and sketches are therefore a means to an end.”

If at sometimes it seems that we give off the wrong vibe here, know that we are believers in the sketch being a tool to get you down the road toward the bigger picture. It is important to be proficient in sketching so that you can sell your ideas and have “visual persuasion” (my new catchy phrase) of your ideas. Check out the vid.

(thanks to Karson Shadley for the link).

I was contacted by a friend of mine, Sean Favero, who has a really cool process blog by the way, to come up with some tee-shirt designs. They’re now for sale via his online store, and are definitely worth taking a look. No sketches on his site, but I do have these scribbled on some paper somewhere or the other, I’m sure of it… So check em out and see what you think!

Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, and believe me, I have been there as a beginning sketcher . . . . not knowing how to draw an ellipse, misunderstanding perspective, under appreciating practice, and so the list goes on. Mind you, I’ve always been doodling or dra  wing in one way or another, despite my early educational background in Mathematics for the purposes of being a high school math teacher. As an avid sketcher, and now presenter of sketching techniques, I thought it appropriate to point out some common mistakes, and suggest improvements for those of us just starting out, those of us getting a little rusty, and those of us who think we’re awesome because someone said so. Bottom line is, you’re never too good for a little reminder or advice every now and then.

If you find yourself sketching and your lines are simple frantic expressions of raw energy, changes are you’re tense. Sketching, like any other exercise or pursuit in precision requires you to be relaxed. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of rush job sketch-fests, only to be sorely disappointed in myself at the outcome.

Despite deadlines, time limits, work conditions, or other stress factors, it’s important to remain calm. That’s why I love sketchbooks so much – they allow you to sketch in private (for the most part) without someone telling you what to sketch or how to sketch it. It helps you hone your skill without being too constrained.

With that said, always remember to relax. It can be challenging, but take a few deep breaths, pause mid process and start over if you have to. It will make a big difference.

Like any other language, for a statement in visual communication to have effect on the viewer, you need impact. I don’t care if you hate sketching as a whole and claim that it’s beneath your calling as a designer, marketing person, engineer, or otherwise, big visuals can have BIG impact in selling your cause. Take this principle and run with it. Not only does it apply to sketching, but it applies to really any presentation method. Go bog or go home. It’s that simple.

With regards to the sketch, try practicing sketching in a larger space. Get some larger paper, fill it with sketches that are larger in size and scale than you are used to. Chances are it will be difficult, but remember, you are helping train your muscles.

I was recently reminded by John of an occasion in a transportation design class where I did the biggest sketch (in size) for the scheduled presentation. It wasn’t the best sketch in the room, but it definitely had impact and was memorable. The key here is to have the right impact as well, but regardless of that, go big or go home.

I know I’ve said it before several times, but how many of you out there keep a sketchbook and actually sketch in it? hmmm? That’s what I thought. Chances are you were gun ho at one point and have lost passion by now.

I took the advice from a professor of mine a LONG time ago, and to this day, still keep a sketchbook. I take it most places and practice. You may think doing assignments in school, or  for work is practice enough, but it’s not. You’re really just doing the bare minimum and not extending yourself, which leads to my next bit of advice . . .

Being too comfortable with your skill-set will lead to a sense complacency and a non-chalant attitude toward your work. Just like any language, sketching and visual communication require constant practice, usage, and honing of your skill-set. For example, a knife that goes unsharpened for an extended period of time will eventually become dull and highly ineffective at its core function.

And so it is with you whether you are in the field of visual arts, design, marketing, or even engineering – it’s about communication. Don’t get comfortable, hone those skills, and keep visiting the site for tips and exercises

That’s my 2¢. By no means is this meant to be a complete or all encompassing list of things to watch out for, but rather a few things that should help you along your way to being more effective at visual communication.

On October 1, I had the opportunity to travel from San Francisco to Racine, Wisconsin to host a workshop with an awesome group of engineers from SC Johnson in Racine. It’s about an hour north of Chicago proper. We spent all day together talking about concepts ranging from the language of sketch and basic sketch principles to how to think creatively by using sketching as a tool to generate ideas. We had a great time together and there were some surprise starts in the group as well.

The presentation was entitled “Between the thought and the thing is a sketch”, a tagline I “borrowed” from one of my professors. We discussed visual communication as a language and how to use it as a tool for expressing and exploring creativity.

One thing we all learned to appreciate is that sketching is a language – just like any other language it takes practice to improve your skill and fluency at “speaking” the language efficiently.

It was great to see sketching quickly adopted and used as a means to conceptualize, assess, and present some creative ideas from this talented group.

I also had a chance to tryout a new setup for workshops which included live streaming video via an HD video camera to a projector. It worked out alot better than the traditional huddling over my shoulder to see what I am doing. I definitely plan on doing that in the future!

My wife, Jennifer who runs an awesome website of her own, came along for the trip to help with setup and organizing things. She did an excellent job assisting. Be sure to check out her blog about digital scrapbooking and fun craft projects, if you’re into that kinda thing.

Though I won’t go into detail on the entire presentation, you can check out these  few photos and additional slides from the presentation/workshop.

If you’re interested in having us host a workshop for your company or group, check out or new section on our services offered!

In an industry being so dominated by men, it is interesting to get the point of view from some of the lovely women who work with us. It is estimated that the females make up aproximately 20 percent of the industrial design professionals. Many of these women in the industrial design community have unique perspectives and experiences that allow them to excel in situations where some of the rest of us (testosterone-fueled beastly males) have no clue. We hope to include the ladies here on the site and we definitely know many of them have some great sketching skills to share!

Look for an interview and sketch samples dropping soon from a veteran female designer!

UPDATE: just in case…take no offense with Barbie. I know she is the super-skinny doll that has been blamed for little girls’ insecurity about their image (which in turn leads to eating disorders) but no harm intended.