My earliest memory of drawing was when I was in preschool. During recess, instead of swinging around on the school jungle gym, I spent my time drawing figures on a sandy portion of the field with any nearby stick or branch I could find. There was something addictively soothing about the tactility of drawing. The way the texture of the ground transferred through the branch and into my hands gave me a sense of connectivity to the earth and to the art I was creating. Additionally, I could immediately transfer thoughts in a visual form to my canvas freely. It was in these early times that I began to value the art of sketching.
I continued my love of sketching by integrating it into my design career. As a previous architectural designer and current product designer I’ve used sketching to explore new physical and digital designs. It has also become an effective tool when communicating ideas to other designers and stakeholders.
The following are some sketching tips that I wanted to share with you:
I. Know Why
Like everything you do in life, it’s important to to know why you’re doing something. Knowing the why gives purpose to every sketch you produce and provides a mental road map for your composition. Your why could be simple/broad or it could be highly technical/specific. Here are some examples of why you might be sketching:
Simple/Broad:
Im bored and I want to sketch some random patterns.
I love the way this object looks and I want to record that in my sketchbook.
This scenery is beautiful and I want to try to capture it with a sketch.
Technical/Specific:
I’m interested in studying the way open spaces affect an architectural idea.
I want to design a bag and begin to understand the construction and proportions of some of my ideas.
I want to design a kinetic sculpture that utilizes a custom planetary gear.
Here are some examples of sketches that I made to reflect some of the ideas above:
II. Be Quick in Thought and Action
Sketching is most effective when each drawing is performed quickly (5–10 minutes). Each sketch should reflect a single idea so that it is easy to communicate to others. Additionally, don’t fret over small inconsistencies. Sketching is about embracing errors and learning to visualize the big idea (your why) rather than your technical ability to draw.
III. Design your Canvas
Take some time before and during your sketch to think about what your finished canvas (sketchbook, piece of paper, a napkin, etc) will look like. I’m personally a big fan of having presentable process work. You never know when someone might see your sketches and if they’re clear and easy to read it will benefit you greatly. Additionally, you should be proud of the work you do and curate it in a way that you would feel confident using your sketches in a portfolio.
IV. Practice Layering
Layer your lines and continue to slowly add needed details to your sketch. It’s typically quicker to sketch this way and allows you to think in a more organized fashion by focusing on high level elements first.
V. Squiggly is Straight
Ever have trouble drawing a straight line? Try drawing a slightly squiggly line in a straight direction. This is a trick I learned from one of my architectural mentors. Take a look at these sketches I drew below. These were all done in freehand and if you look closely, all of the lines are squiggly:
VI. Relax
When you sketch you should be in a relaxed state. When you are calm, your hand steadies and your mind is able to think clearly. Have fun and let your mind explore!
I hope this article provided you with some helpful information! Here are some other sketches I’ve made in the past couple of years. Enjoy!
