Sketching: drawing techniques for product designers
And for some ideas around the skills and knowledge associated with sketching and the use of other design tools, you could dip into something like Lawson’s What Designers Know…
Following the global success of Sketching, which has sold over 50,000 copies in two years, authors Koos Eissen and Roselien Steur will in 2011 be bringing out the sequel entitled Sketching: The Basics. In fact, prequel would be a better word for this new book, since it is aimed towards the novice designer.
Whereas Sketching shows you how to draw various aspects of shape and form, and serves more as a reference book, The Basics explains things in more detail, taking the reader by the hand and guiding him step by step through all the various aspects of drawing that novice designers come up against.
The Basics explains the rudiments of learning to draw both clearly and comprehensively using step by step illustrations, examples and strategies. You will learn to use and master the different techniques and also how to apply sketches in the design process.
It is the perfect book for those just starting out in sketching, for the first years of art and design courses, and for those who wish to revise the basics of good sketching; it is a simple and efficient way of learning all you’ve ever wanted to know but have never had explained to you.
ISBN: 978-90-6369-253-7
Author: Koos Eissen and Roselien Steur
Design: Booreiland
Notes: Publication date: May 2011
Format: hardcover
Dimensions: 27 x 21 cm
Pages: 184
It’s mostly pen/pencil line drawings, but it still is simply marvelous to look at and get inspiration from. It’s a collection of the designer, Jordi Mila’s work. I got it I believe on Amazon UK, but Amazon US doesn’t seem to have it, I think. You can check.
Here is a link to an interview I found with this designer, Jordi.
Thought i could give a heads up to another new book that has recently been completed by myself with Klara Sjölen and the publishers of Design Sketching. The new book is called Learning Curves. The idea we had when writing the book was to give an idea of how learning to sketch worked from our point of view. The idea was in principle to expand on how myself and Klara learnt to sketch. Along with this the book also features sketches, thoughts and advice from over 60 designers from around the world. The book is at the moment very new, so i cant as yet point you towards any independant reviews, but you can see some samples of the book at, Learning Curves - Sketching technique books for designers There is also a facebook page at, Redirecting...
On a side note. I also run http://www.designertechniques.com and noticed that there is an expired link earlier in this discussion where we briefly reviewed some other books. The link should be, Design and Sketching book reviews (my bad on this one, i changed the address for the page without creating a forward).
Apart from that, i can also reccomend the book “Sketching” by Roselien Stuer and Koos Eissen. Its full of pretty inspiring stuff.
Cheers all, Allan
By the way, if anyone has any questions about Learning Curves then you can also feel free to drop me a mail at learningcurves@designertechniques.com
I actually just received a copy of Learning Curves yesterday, after seeing it in Allan’s signature here a week or so ago. I only had a quick look, but it looked great. Amazing sketches goes without saying, but the text seemed even more valuable. I got the feeling that this book is more suited for professionals as a reference and inspiration rather than teaching sketching technique. More a discussion about when do to what to get the job done effectively, what media, how to layout etc. How to present_ideas. If you enjoyed “Design Sketching” I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with this one. Excellent contributors, mostly design professionals at studios around the globe, as well as amazingly talented students from the top schools as well as some less glamorous like Ural State. (Design Sketching had all students from just one school which hinted at a quite similar sketching approaches imo).
Definitely get this book.
Loved the quote at the beginning of the book too - “Those who say something can’t be done should not stand in the way of those doing it”
Many thanks for the compliments on the book Engio. As a heads up for others who are thinking about getting a copy, http://www.designdroplets.com is offering the chance to win one of three free copies. All you have to do is leave a comment at the end of their review of the book with your best design sketching tip.
Michael, the book is awesome! Almost on par with the Koos Eissen books. I have several books on design sketching and I feel that each one has something different to offer; so the more the better. Good reference material!
It’s also a nice softcover; perfect for reading on a crowded subway! Congrats Michael.
Where was that book when I was in school! I flipped through some of the preview pages and it seems very in-depth and has tons of visuals/step-by-steps. Love it!
Though not in school anymore, I could use it as reference during my design career. Thanks J6!
I just discovered that Carl Liu’s book, Innovative Product Design Practice, is now available in a Kindle version if anyone is interested! Amazon.com
The hardcover is very hard to find these days, and expensive too! So this Kindle version, though not a tangible hard cover, is a nice compromise if you are strapped for cash and want your hands on his book.
The Dick Powell book is good, but I don’t know if I would still recommend it, with outdated designs and sketches that are just not as crispy as contemporary design sketches. I do highly recommend the Koos Eissen books, those are also used at our design department in Eindhoven. Some years ago, students would take sketching and drawing courses with an actual teacher, now they simply go through the Koos Eissen books by themselves. Though for learning how to draw, feedback from a teacher is still indispensable of course. Koos Eissen also has an older little book called (in Dutch) ‘Produkt Presentatietekenen’ which may be helpful if you can get your hands on it.
I managed to get my hands on a seemingly rare trilogy of books about Luigi Colani’s work that was published in Japan (‘Bio-design of Tomorrow’, ‘Designing Tomorrow’, and ‘For a Brighter Tomorrow’). You hate it or you love it but it did help me with my drawing process. He advocates very much to start developing form more intuitively, without much reference to rules. I would also recommend Betty Edwards’ book ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ just to help you with developing an artistic eye.
And make sure to like this page of our design sketching instructor Martijn van de Wiel! He regularly posts example sketches and student work there.