ALLAN MACDONALD
SIMPLE SKETCH SHADING

Quick simple thumbnail sketches are most designers tool of choice when it comes to thrashing out ideas. With these you can try a whole multitude of ideas in a very short space of time. Whilst the earliest of these are usually for the designers eyes only, it is of course good if the boss understands what you are drawing when he passes by.  By employing some simple shading techniques, your thumbnail sketches will become good tools for explaining your 3D thoughts in a clear way.

 

The application of colour to a sketch can transform the feeling of an image, yet for some people this transition from simple pen or pencil sketch, to sketch with colour can be difficult. This tutorial will show some very simple guidelines that can be used to apply colour to your sketches, ensuring that your graphical and three dimensional surface information is portrayed in a simple and punchy manner. As with all tutorials, what follows are not hard fast rules, and as such you should take what you learn here and experiment. By doing this you will develop your own individual style, which in a highly competitive job market is vital.

This sketch of a sports car, and the following sketch of an estate car, have both been produced using the simple guidelines you will learn in the following tutorial. The sports car sketch was produced by scanning in a very small thumb nail pen sketch and then using Photoshop to punch out key lines, such as those around the window graphics. Photoshop was also then used to colour the entire sketch. The time taken to produce this sketch was approximately 15 to 20 minutes, and as such retains a very loose and dynamic feeling.

The technique used to produce this drawing was a little different from the sports car. Here the drawing was completed with a little more care on the paper, using sweeps to sharpen up the key lines. Chartpak markers were then used to block in the dark areas such as the windows and wheels. From there the drawing was again scanned into Photoshop where the rest of the colour was applied. Whilst still sketchy in feel, this drawing is a little cleaner and therefore easier for non professionals to read. The time taken for this drawing was approximately 30 to 35 minutes