Chip foose throws down some old school hotness for a vw golf sketch.

Don’t let the web address fool you - http://almostawesome-joshnerd.blogspot.com/ – is the website of Interior Automotive Designer Josh Reed. I worked with Josh at GM back in 2007 and his work is really exciting and inspiring. I really love his sketch style. If you’re looking for some fresh inspiration or a ice in the pants, be sure to check out his  (soon to be daily) sketch blog!

So I’ve had this dream for some time now of writing a textbook or guide or some kind of reference guide for my way of sketching. Coming up with a  path to that dream has been pretty confusing. Publishing isn’t something I am used to, comfortable with or have any idea about. Enter Apple.

I love apple products, always have. I was surprised to see this morning that apple has announced a product that brings me one step closer to my dream of encapsulating and sharing knowledge with you guys in the form of a book. iBooks author is Apple’s new FREE, yes FREE, tool for authoring rich content eBooks that can then be distributed on their platform. Granted, the format would be limited to iOS users, but the idea of having a rich content eBook for sketching has gotten me really excited.

So with that, I’m taking the first step on my path to composing a sketching reference book. I can’t promise constant updates on the project, but as I do make progress and have something I like, I’ll be happy to share. I’m really excited about how this really puts a powerful publishing tool in the average man’s hands.

It’s already funded, but check How to Draw Cars – Marker Rendering and Digital Painting by Arvind Ramkrishna. How to Draw Cars – Marker Rendering and Digital Painting is a 2 Disc DVD set for those interested in getting into car design sketching and car design in general. Let’s face it, most of us have tried to sketch a car at least once, or maybe you once dreamed of being a car designer. Either way, How to Draw Cars – Marker Rendering and Digital Painting, seems to be a good deal and a good starting point for anyone looking to sharpen up their design sketching skills.

Not only does the kickstarter deal come with the awesome dvd’s, but Arvind is also throwing in a 20 page reference book for quick tips on proportion, lines, and value shading.

Arvind is no stranger to the car design industry in Michigan. Be sure to check out the following links for more info and support this educational product!

Kickstarter:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1459036307/how-to-draw-cars-now-two-disc-special-edition

HTDCN Website:

www.howtodrawcarsnow.com

My blog:

www.drivenmavens.com

Sorry about the lack of posts. We have had a few technical difficulties with our servers and what not. Its been a pain.

Anyway, here are few sketches I’ve done over the month or so. Hopefully you find them useful…and inspirational. If not let me know.

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This year I was invited to attend Autodesk University as a presenter in the Creativity Lounge. It’s been an exciting trip so far, well as exciting as a flight, and quick check in goes! Tomorrow (the 29th) will be my first day on stage presenting to a (small) group of avid sketchers. My workshop is titled, “Back to Basics” and will be focusing on key techniques in design sketching visualization.

The other session I’m in charge of is called “Sketch to Death”, and you can expect just that, people dying from sheer excitement and hysteria. Okay, not really, but this is where I promise to bring out the big guns and go out with a bang.

In between session, you can find me in the lounge here at the Venetian in one of the many creative sketch pods for ONE ON ONE sessions.

So if you happen to be around Vegas at Autodesk University, pop on by and visit me. I’d love to meet you!

Spencer Out. Check out this link for more information about the Creativity Lounge at Autodesk University 2011

http://www.sketchbooknews.com/news/creative-studio-calendar.html

I know this is a sketching site but…I manage the content. So, here is a range of “how things are made?” videos.  If these don’t do it for you and you were hoping for a cool sketch or inspiration then check out the robotic arms. They are seriously cool….and dont forget to “watch those fingers!”

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Like sketching on your Tablet and want a nice Stylus? Check out our review after the break.

Edit:Well, Elton made his goal and wanted to thank all those who contributed.

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We just got the previously announced I DRAW CARS by Matt Marrocco and Adam Hubers. Its a nice textured hard bound book and like the title states its meant to be a sketch assistant. It’s more like a mole skin sketchbook with helpful tips and resources than a fancy car book with pretty renderings.

The book has been broken up into 4 sections. The first section covers everything from diagrams and terms used in the car design industry to a list of car manufactures and inspiring/helpful websites. From there you get into the nitty gritty of car design.

Proportion, perspective, and advanced perspective. In these sections the authors do a wonderful job about giving you the building blocks of a good car sketch. They show you the different proportions for each basic type of vechile and then you can actually sketch right in the book. This can be very helpful as it will give you a direct comparison with the sketch on the previous page.

This same format is followed in the next chapters with the added benefit of having your wheel base drawn for you so you can become more aquainted with correct perspective and proportion. Most of this information can be found on the net but you do have to dig a bit and this is a nice one stop shop for all your basic car design information.

Overall it’s a well-crafted and contains some very useful information. I would recommend this book to beginners and intermediates who are looking to get their feet wet in car design, but you might struggle a bit with the price of the book when compared to the content your getting.

I just finished doing interviews for a design position and I can’t tell you how nice it is to see a high quality portfolio that is actually thought through. I saw a small sample of Mr. Koh’s portfolio quite a while ago on Engadget and finally got around to checking him out.  He has some great examples of the design process in action and each visual element has a reason for being there.

So, if your a student working on your own and need an example or your just curious go check him out.

All credit goes to Donn Koh, Tracy Subisak, & Herlinda for the above Renew project.