Before pursuing a design career, my first thought was "I want to
become a car designer - but how do I start? To those who are asking
themselves this exact question, here are a few tips:
TAKE CLASSES
More
specifically, take drawing classes at your local college. Take as many
classes as needed until you are comfortable drawing objects straight
from your head. Take classes like:
- Sketching, Still Life
- Figure drawing (This helps with speed and form development especially with cars.)
-
Perspective drawing (I cannot emphasize enough how important this is,
perspective is as important to a designer as sentences are to a writer.
Learn it-learn to love it.)
More Tips:
- If you
sketch in pencil, retrace the same drawing on a separate sheet of paper
in pen. Continue with this exercise until you are confident enough to
sketch in pen. Most professionals sketch entirely in pen.
- Always carry a small sketchbook (I use Moleskine) or folded copy paper and a pen with you at all times.
- Several times a day, practice by sketching the first object you see in front of you.
- Fill the entire page of your sketchbook- blank space on a page is the enemy.
-
For the aspiring car designers, purchase a scale model of a car, set it
in front of you and draw it in various angles. Draw is exactly as you
see it-don't cheat by only drawing the side view!
PROGRAMS
Learn
to use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or Painter. This is the standard
rendering program for the design industry. The more comfortable you
become with these programs, the stronger of a designer you will become.
Purchase
a Wacom Tablet. This is also an essential tool in the design industry.
This tool is much more efficient than a mouse for rendering and you will
be less likely to suffer from carpel tunnel due to prolonged use.
Initially, it will be a bit awkward to use, but it becomes more fun as
you get used to it, I promise.
