Every Product Starts As A Sketch
Becoming a master of product design sketches is hard. It can be overwhelming trying to grasp the techniques needed.
However, the journey of all products includes design sketching. It’s a crucial element in the process of creating both digital and physical items, and without people to sketch them, manufacturers, businesses, and clients would have nothing to sell.
So, if you want to learn product design sketching, we’ve outlined 9 things below that you need to remember to produce great work.
How To Do Product Design Sketches
Are You Using The Right Equipment?
Before you get started, having the right equipment will make product design sketching abundantly easier. Equipping yourself with specialist tools such as a sketchpad, gray markers, and colored markers will give you a good head start.
These don’t have to be expensive. You can opt for budget options.
We recommend acquiring three gray markers, with a 20% difference between each, and at least three primary colors. This will more than equip you to improve your product design sketches.
Learn To Draw Straight Lines Without A Ruler
You’re going to be drawing a lot of straight lines when product design sketching, especially when constructing perspective. Using a ruler slows you down and interrupts the creative process.
The secret to it is learning to draw from the elbow, not the wrist, and holding the pen correctly.
Master The Simple Shapes First
Squares, triangles, rectangles, ovals, and circles make up every product design sketch. Yes, they’re all different sizes with varying results, but these basic shapes are the basis for everything.
If you master them in their simplest form, you’ll make yourself a more adaptable sketcher and be able to increase your skill set from there.
The Difference Is In The Details
If you’re sketching for a client or approval from other team members, your sketch has to look as close to the finished product as possible.
It’s important to try and leave little to the imagination. The details can help people understand the size of the product, how it might function, and its visual appeal.
Use Exaggeration To Emphasize Emotion
Exaggerating certain parts of a product design sketch is an ideal way to add emotion and portray how someone might feel using the product.
For example, think of cartoon characters. Often, they’re loosely based on humans, using a face, nose, eyes, and mouth. They aren’t lifelike portraits, but how they are drawn exudes personality and contributes to the viewer buying into the character.
This doesn’t apply to all product design sketches but can be used to enhance many of them.
The Power of Perspective
For anyone to get a true understanding of a product, they need to be able to visualize its physical form.
Being able to draw perspective enables you to create immersive 3D product design sketches on a 2D platform (paper).
Often, perspective is everything. If your perspective is off, it can completely transform the look and feel of your idea, making your sketch an inaccurate representation of what you had in mind.
Shadows & Shading
Shadows aren’t the most important element to add to a product design sketch. However, when used correctly, they can elevate the finished piece drastically.
Cast shadows and sunlight shadows introduce an illusion of depth to product design sketches. They make the image more realistic but are not overpowering.
The main aim is to draw more focus to the product, not the shadows.
Know The Benefits of Line Weight
Line weight variations can be used for many reasons and in multiple scenarios – it’s down to the sketcher to decide how they use them best.
- Use line weight to emphasize perspective and guide the viewer’s eye
- Cover up mistakes with heavier line weight without making the mistake obvious
- Establish one area of the sketch as the focal point
- Use thicker lines to establish a surface the product is sitting on
Show You Understand How The Product Will Work
Learning how to draw through an item can be incredibly beneficial in some scenarios. If a client has requested a new bottle for a fragrance range, you may need to showcase that you have or haven’t included a spray mechanism in your design.
In Summary
Product design sketches are the first time an idea is visualized and brought to life. The above tips will help you consistently create realistic sketches and emphasize the features and functionality of a product.
Many businesses and entrepreneurs outsource product design. So, if you’re looking for a product design sketching expert, get in touch today, and let’s discuss your project.