In this immersive Masterclass for students at OTH, you will be challenged to develop and apply your design sketching skills in the context of a fun design project. Join us for 5 days of intensive skill training!
Created by:
Martijn van de Wiel and Kevin Henry
Masterclass – Sketching to Design | OTH
Start: Monday May 10, 2021
End: Friday May 14, 2021
Days: 5
Modules: 8
Effort: 8h/day
Language: English
Limit: 24 students
Introduction
Product designers and educators Martijn van de Wiel (founder of Design Sketching Courses) and Kevin Henry (author of Drawing for Product Designers and the lynda.com course Sketching for Product Design) are teaming up again to ceate and deliver an immersive online masterclass experience specifically for students taking part in the Immersion Worshop Week at OTH.
Below you will find a description of the format and schedule, the content and the corresponding learning goals for this course. We look forward to meeting you and seeing you skyrocket your sketch and design skills!
Martijn & Kevin
Kevin Henry (left) and Martijn van de Wiel (right)
What you’ll learn
- ✔ How to unlock your creativity by sketching with an exploratory mindset
- ✔ How to produce quality sketch lines and use markers for simple shading
- ✔ The basic principles of perspective through observation during an eye-opening field trip
- ✔ How to apply the basic theory of linear perspective by sketching simple linear products
- ✔ How to sketch simple cylindrical products.
- ✔ How to combine linear and cylindrical shapes correctly in perspective
- ✔ How to cheat and develop an efficient workflow in (re)designing products
- ✔ How to apply sketching techniques efficiently and effectively in design projects
Course format and guidance
In this 5-day immersive masterclass you will follow a guided program with video tutorials, challenges, and assignments on multiple topics. The content is built for self paced learning, however we only have five days for this masterclass. That is why we have wrapped the content into a fun but intensive program with daily activities and check-ins.
It’s crucial that you keep up with the schedule in order to receive feedback and develop the skills needed for the final project at the end. For further development of your skill the course content remains accessible beyond the limited schedule of this week.
The course page on Sketchdrive is the home for this masterclass. That is were you will find all course materials and where you will build a personal portfolio by uploading your work for review. During the live sessions we will reflect on these results together to give you feedback.
During the week you will be surrounded by peers working on the same assignments. On Sketchdrive you will be able to see all uploads by the other students (peers). To learn from one another you will be required to comment on the work of at least three other students in a peer-to-peer review.
Modules
Schedule
Monday morning – Mindset & Field trip
You will learn about the mindsets necessary to use sketching efficiently and effectively. You will also discover the basic principles of perspective through observation during an eye-opening field trip.
Monday afternoon – Linear products
You will learn to apply the basic theory of linear perspective by sketching simple linear products exploring various points of view. You will learn how to render these shapes with marker to enhance your sketches for more effective communication.
Tuesday – Cilindrical & Combined products
You will learn to apply the basic theory of perspective for simple cilindrical products exploring various points of view and you will learn how to render these cilindrical shapes. You will also learn how to merge or blend linear and cylindrical geometry for more complex products.
Wednesday – Complex geometry & Redesign
You will learn how to strategize and execute the sketching of complex geometry. You will learn how to render this unique type of geometry with marker to further enhance the sketches for more compelling presentation. You will also learn how to create and use underlays to speed up your workflow (for redesign) and stay focussed on the task in hand.
Thursday – Final Project
You will focus on a project of your own design utilizing the skills developed in the first 3 days. The project scope will be determined by Martijn and Kevin with plenty of room for individual interpretation/exploration.
Friday – Final Project
You will continue on a project of your own design culminating in a final presentation highlighting your process and outcomes in a compelling slide deck presented live. To help you setup your presentation we have created a new module with instructions on ‘Pitching the concept’ which you can follow at your own time on Sketchdrive.
Examples from the course
Example from the module ‘Cylindrical products’
Example from the module ‘Complex geometry’
Tools & Materials
To get the best results it is important that you acquire the right set of tools. Hereby a list with materials that we personally prefer. You are free to choose for yourself, but remember that the quality of the tools has quite an effect on the quality of the results. The brands posted here are just examples. If you shop around you can probably also find (cheaper) alternatives somewhere else. Don’t forget to ask for a student discount!
Hardware
– a laptop or tablet (to access Sketchdrive)
– digital sketching tools (a.e. Wacom tablet, iPad)
– a portable camera (smart phone is ok)
Software
– a browser (Chrome or Safari are recommended)
– digital sketching/layout applications (a.e. Photoshop, Indesign, ProCreate, Sketchbook Pro)
Sketching tools
– a light blue pencil (NO graphite!): e.g. Derwent Studio #32 or #35 or Prisma
– a good quality pencil sharpener
– a couple of felt-tip pens (fineliner ±0.4mm): e.g. Pilot / Stabilo / Uni-pin / read some reviews
– one heavy felt tip pen: e.g. Papermate Flair M / Pentel Sign Pen / Edding 1200
– a set of 3 grey alcohol markers (C2-C4-C6): e.g. Copic / Pantone / Prismacolor
– one Tabloid (11″ x 17″) or A3 marker pad: e.g. 4Art / Copic / Bee Paper
– some coloured markers in 2-3 shades of the same colour (example in picture below)
Optional extra materials:
– A soft white pencil and a white gel pen (for highlights)
Suggestion for pencils, pens and markers.
About the instructors
Kevin Henry
Kevin is an award-winning designer (IDEA/Good Design) and educator based in Chicago. He is currently an associate professor (product design) at Columbia College Chicago. The author of Drawing for Product Designers and the online lynda.com course Sketching for Product Design, Kevin is passionate about the power of visualization to help think creatively about problems as well as opportunities. Kevin recently started the learning company: The Fourth Teacher L.L.C. and will be launching the website (thefourthteacher.com) later this summer. The goal of the company is to provide a broad array of rich multi-modal learning resources designed specifically for the iPad. These resources are designed to assist both teachers and students in blended learning environments where technology can serve as, well, ‘the fourth teacher’. Inspired by the ground breaking ideas of the Reggio Emilia pedagogy and the increased reliance on digital devices inside and outside of the classroom, these resources utilize all modes of communication: text/visual, video/animation, audio, interactives, and review/feedback.
Kevin in action on the whiteboard
Martijn van de Wiel
Martijn is a creative entrepeneur, industrial designer, founder of Sketchdrive and creator of the Design Sketching label. He is based in The Hague where he operates from his downtown studio surrounded by artists and creative professionals from all disciplines. Martijn is fascinated by the human ability to explore, learn and create.
Martijn created the Design Sketching label to share insight and experience on the subject of ‘sketching to create’. He regurlarly posts inspiring sketches and video tutorials directly from his studio- and classroom demos. He is currently producing and teaching a series of online design sketching courses to help aspiring creatives worldwide boost their sketching skills and leverage their creative potential. With a background in Industrial Design and more than 15 years experience in teaching courses and workshops at international design schools and innovative companies, Martijn has developed a unique approach in effective training of the sketching skill. His popular hands-on courses and workshops are reviewed as ‘fast learning’ and ‘eye-opening’ experiences.
With Design Sketching Courses, Martijn is on a mission to make professional sketch training available and affordable to all by reaching out to the worlds most talented sketch masters to help them connect and share their expertise with a worldwide community of learners.
As founder and CEO of Sketchdrive, Martijn reaches out to pioneers in online education to help them unlock creativity and amplify learning beyond the classroom. Founded on the principles of ‘learning by doing’ Martijn and his team have developed an interactive tool to easily share and review visual work.
Martijn in action in his classroom at TU/e.
Follow Matijn with Design Sketching here:
