WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

We are learning to sketch like product designers.

So we can quickly think through, test, and communicate how real, buildable objects work.

؜FINAL PROJECT EXPECTATIONS

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You will produce a set of technical sketches for a handheld product design.

You will use multiple sketch types (perspective, orthographic, exploded, interaction).

Your sketches will clearly communicate scale, parts, and function through drawing and annotation.

Studio Skills

Sketching

Concept Development

Visual thinking

Iteration

Creative Thinking

Engagement and Persistence

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You will need:

؜Bristol Papers (180g)

Wax/Butter/Tracing Paper

Metal Ruler

Pens

Pencils

Markers

SPRINT MATERIALS

You will need:

WHAT KIND OF SKETCHING?

The point of sketching in our case is not beautiful artistic rendering but rather learning to communicate visually.

Every sketch should help answer:

How big is it?

What is it made of?

How does it work?

How do parts connect?

DESIGN PROCESS SKETCHING

Ideation Sketches

Used to generate and develop ideas quickly.

Explorative Sketches

Used to explore and refine concepts in more detail.

Explanatory Sketches

Used to explain and communicate ideas clearly to others.

؜FIRST: WARM-UP

Let's draw vertical lines on an A4 paper and horizontal lines on another A4 paper without using a ruler.

Why?

Drawing is a physical skill that improves with repetition, not precision.

Tips!

Use your elbow

Move your whole arm, not just your wrist or fingers.

Draw fast

Going faster helps your lines look smoother and more confident.

Use smooth strokes

Try one long line. no short lines!

Turn your paper

rotate the paper when it feels natural.

Aim!

Put a dot where you want to start and end your line.

Line Weights

Thinner lines are typically construction lines, and the thicker the line is it is understood as an visible out. The solid lines are used mainly to define the shape and size of a structure or object.

The type of line indicates different things in an orthographic drawing.

Line Types

Remember the previous tips

and

Draw as many as you can!

؜FIRST: WARM-UP

Now let's use the same rules to draw basic shapes.

؜FIRST: WARM-UP

Now let’s use these drawing rules to draw basic shapes.

Draw:

Boxes

Cylinders

Cones

Pyramids

Don’t worry about perfection.

Draw as many shapes as you can.

SHADOWS

Shadows

Have you noticed that things look bigger if they are close to you and smaller if they are further away?

This is perspective. It is perspective that helps make things look three dimensional and creates a sense of space receding into the distance.

PERSPECTIVE

Horizon Line: This is the imaginary line where the sky meets the ground.

Vanishing Point: Imagine looking down a straight road. everything seems to get smaller and closer together as it goes further away. The point where everything seems to meet or disappear is called the vanishing point.

PERSPECTIVE

PERSPECTIVE

؜Before we draw real objects, we’ll practice drawing cubes.

Cubes help us: Understand how objects sit in space.

Practice drawing depth Keep our drawings consistent

Almost every product can be built from cube-like forms.

Draw a horizontal line on your paper; let’s call this the horizon line.

Place two points on the horizon line and label them A and B.

Draw angled lines from points A and B, let's call the cross point C, these lines will form the corners of the base.

First Cube

From the points where the lines from A and B intersect, draw two vertical lines going upward.

From points D and E, draw two lines towards the vanishing points; these lines will form the top surface.

Highlight the visible edges to complete the drawing.

First Cube

In 1-point perspective:

One face of the cube faces you

All depth lines go to one vanishing point

The front face stays flat and square

This is useful when:

An object is facing you straight on

You want a clear, simple view.

؜1 Point Perspective

Activity: Draw as many cubes as you can using one vanishing point.

In 2-point perspective:

You see two sides of the cube

Each side points to a different vanishing point

Vertical lines stay vertical

This is useful when an object is turned or angled You want a more realistic sense of space

2 Point Perspective

Activity: Rotate your cube and draw it again using two vanishing points.

SCALE

Showing scale helps people quickly understand how big an object is, how it might be used, and whether its size feels practical, comfortable, or surprising.

Activity: Try to draw a simple object in all 3 scales. Make something tiny or huge!

Orthographic Drawing is a collection of 2 Dimensional drawings that give an accurate overall presentation of an object.

A:

What is Orthographic Drawing?

The glass box technique is a drawing method that imagines an object inside a transparent box so you can project its edges and key points onto different sides to create accurate orthographic views.

First we imagine a box surrounding our object

Then we project our object onto one side of the box

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

We can do this for every side of the object

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

Choose Your Object. It will be your turn now!

First we take a picture of our object

Then we draw a box around the object

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

Choose Your Object. It will be your turn now!

Project lines following the side of our box

؜now we can use that to draw our front view

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

؜Most of the time, the products we use are not simple enough to be defined by just one basic shape. Often, the basic building block has cutouts and protrusions. A simple way to create cutouts is through projection.

DRAWING ON OUR OWN

Rules:

No butter paper

No tracing

Start with a box then refine

Required:

1 perspective sketch

Activity:

Try to draw the object in 3D now.

DRAWING ON OUR OWN

Rules:

Begin with a basic shape-based structure

Modify proportions

Add only necessary features

Include one orthographic view

then try:

Changing height

Tilting planes

Combining volumes

Activity:

Design a small handheld object that solves a simple problem.

DRAWING ON OUR OWN

Pair up and let a friend describe to you their favorite toy.

Try to draw the toy from the description.

Compare the original toy to your final result!

POLICE SKETCH CHALLENGE

WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

We are learning to sketch like product designers.

So we can quickly think through, test, and communicate how real, buildable objects work.

؜FINAL PROJECT EXPECTATIONS

+

+

+

You will produce a set of technical sketches for a handheld product design.

You will use multiple sketch types (perspective, orthographic, exploded, interaction).

Your sketches will clearly communicate scale, parts, and function through drawing and annotation.

Studio Skills

Sketching

Concept Development

Visual thinking

Iteration

Creative Thinking

Engagement and Persistence

+

+

+

+

+

+

You will need:

؜Bristol Papers (180g)

Wax/Butter/Tracing Paper

Metal Ruler

Pens

Pencils

Markers

SPRINT MATERIALS

You will need:

WHAT KIND OF SKETCHING?

The point of sketching in our case is not beautiful artistic rendering but rather learning to communicate visually.

Every sketch should help answer:

How big is it?

What is it made of?

How does it work?

How do parts connect?

DESIGN PROCESS SKETCHING

Ideation Sketches

Used to generate and develop ideas quickly.

Explorative Sketches

Used to explore and refine concepts in more detail.

Explanatory Sketches

Used to explain and communicate ideas clearly to others.

؜FIRST: WARM-UP

Let's draw vertical lines on an A4 paper and horizontal lines on another A4 paper without using a ruler.

Why?

Drawing is a physical skill that improves with repetition, not precision.

Tips!

Use your elbow

Move your whole arm, not just your wrist or fingers.

Draw fast

Going faster helps your lines look smoother and more confident.

Use smooth strokes

Try one long line. no short lines!

Turn your paper

rotate the paper when it feels natural.

Aim!

Put a dot where you want to start and end your line.

Line Weights

Thinner lines are typically construction lines, and the thicker the line is it is understood as an visible out. The solid lines are used mainly to define the shape and size of a structure or object.

The type of line indicates different things in an orthographic drawing.

Line Types

Remember the previous tips

and

Draw as many as you can!

؜FIRST: WARM-UP

Now let's use the same rules to draw basic shapes.

؜FIRST: WARM-UP

Now let’s use these drawing rules to draw basic shapes.

Draw:

Boxes

Cylinders

Cones

Pyramids

Don’t worry about perfection.

Draw as many shapes as you can.

SHADOWS

Shadows

Have you noticed that things look bigger if they are close to you and smaller if they are further away?

This is perspective. It is perspective that helps make things look three dimensional and creates a sense of space receding into the distance.

PERSPECTIVE

Horizon Line: This is the imaginary line where the sky meets the ground.

Vanishing Point: Imagine looking down a straight road. everything seems to get smaller and closer together as it goes further away. The point where everything seems to meet or disappear is called the vanishing point.

PERSPECTIVE

PERSPECTIVE

؜Before we draw real objects, we’ll practice drawing cubes.

Cubes help us: Understand how objects sit in space.

Practice drawing depth Keep our drawings consistent

Almost every product can be built from cube-like forms.

Draw a horizontal line on your paper; let’s call this the horizon line.

Place two points on the horizon line and label them A and B.

Draw angled lines from points A and B, let's call the cross point C, these lines will form the corners of the base.

First Cube

From the points where the lines from A and B intersect, draw two vertical lines going upward.

From points D and E, draw two lines towards the vanishing points; these lines will form the top surface.

Highlight the visible edges to complete the drawing.

First Cube

In 1-point perspective:

One face of the cube faces you

All depth lines go to one vanishing point

The front face stays flat and square

This is useful when:

An object is facing you straight on

You want a clear, simple view.

؜1 Point Perspective

Activity: Draw as many cubes as you can using one vanishing point.

In 2-point perspective:

You see two sides of the cube

Each side points to a different vanishing point

Vertical lines stay vertical

This is useful when an object is turned or angled You want a more realistic sense of space

2 Point Perspective

Activity: Rotate your cube and draw it again using two vanishing points.

SCALE

Showing scale helps people quickly understand how big an object is, how it might be used, and whether its size feels practical, comfortable, or surprising.

Activity: Try to draw a simple object in all 3 scales. Make something tiny or huge!

Orthographic Drawing is a collection of 2 Dimensional drawings that give an accurate overall presentation of an object.

A:

What is Orthographic Drawing?

The glass box technique is a drawing method that imagines an object inside a transparent box so you can project its edges and key points onto different sides to create accurate orthographic views.

First we imagine a box surrounding our object

Then we project our object onto one side of the box

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

We can do this for every side of the object

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

Choose Your Object. It will be your turn now!

First we take a picture of our object

Then we draw a box around the object

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

Choose Your Object. It will be your turn now!

Project lines following the side of our box

؜now we can use that to draw our front view

GLASS BOX TECHNIQUE

؜Most of the time, the products we use are not simple enough to be defined by just one basic shape. Often, the basic building block has cutouts and protrusions. A simple way to create cutouts is through projection.

DRAWING ON OUR OWN

Rules:

No butter paper

No tracing

Start with a box then refine

Required:

1 perspective sketch

Activity:

Try to draw the object in 3D now.

DRAWING ON OUR OWN

Rules:

Begin with a basic shape-based structure

Modify proportions

Add only necessary features

Include one orthographic view

then try:

Changing height

Tilting planes

Combining volumes

Activity:

Design a small handheld object that solves a simple problem.

DRAWING ON OUR OWN

Pair up and let a friend describe to you their favorite toy.

Try to draw the toy from the description.

Compare the original toy to your final result!

POLICE SKETCH CHALLENGE