IND-146 DRAWING II
Joel Wennerstrom, Professor
Email: WEB: http://pratt.edu/~jwenner
transportation drawing
“Why are we drawing cars? I hate cars.” If that sounds like you, you are not alone. But keep this in mind: history shows that design elements seen in today’s cars will soon find themselves in tomorrow’s products. Chamfers or radii, sharp creases or soft blends, boxy or curvilinear shapes—these trends are first seen in cars. The balance and proportions of these elements change from year to year. It’s only a matter of time before you’ll see the latest combinations embedded in your hairbrush or CD player.
In my opinion, this design philosophy is cheap, superficial, and feeds consumer’s desires for newer, better, cooler looking products that work just fine the way they are, even if they are a little outdated (bigger landfills). It is exactly the opposite of what you are learning here at Pratt—to design objects of timeless beauty based on solid principles of 3D form that never go in or out of style. (See Rowena Reed Kostellow)
But whether you love them or hate them, cars are the crystal ball for seeing future design trends. At some point in your career, you will be called upon to add the latest styles to your client’s products. So it is important for you to recognize design elements that are gaining popularity, and to know how to draw them. (And besides, everyone has a favorite car they think is just totally awesome, and wish they could have designed it.)
In class work: Class draws side views of objects that suggest speed.
Class demo: Review drawing objects in perspective using centerlines and contour lines. Class draws objects in perspective that suggest speed.
Introduction to transportation rendering: Show class examples of car styling books and car renderings. Demo drawing a car, reflections and proportions of a typical vehicle.
In class work: Class draws cars and other transportation vehicles.
Assignment:
Go to www.cardesignnews.com and look at the portfolios page. Study the car renderings for styles, perspective views, wheel designs, reflections, etc. Go to the “Studio” page and see the tutorial by John Frye on quick sketching.
Go to www.drawthrough.com and check out the sketch gallery. Very inspirational.
I page (3 views) of an existing vehicle. Find a photo of an existing car and draw it in three views. Pay particular attention to design details such as wheels, headlights, fenders, as well as proportions and proper perspective. Use any medium you wish.
8 newsprint pages of vehicles in perspective, 3 vehicles of your own design /page.
· 2 pages of cars- coupes or sedans
· 2 pages of water and/or space vehicles
· 2 pages of all-terrain or construction vehicles (jeeps, hummers, bulldozers etc),
· 2 pages of any transportation device you choose