How Parker Liang became one of the top design sketcher of his class (and impress his classmates!)

Hi guys,

I have just received an happy email from Parker, who is a member of my course Sketch Like The Pros. With great motivation and work, he now becomes one of the Top sketcher of his class ! YahoO !!

How did he achieved this ?

Here are some TIPS:

First,

When Parker acquire new sketching techniques, he looks for practical application into his own projects for school or personal. So he assimilates even more and faster. 🙂

By learning more and more techniques,
he adds more and more advanced “tools” into his “toolbox”.

Basically,
the day he needs them, he just need to take them out and use them for his sketches. « Ok, I want to draw this. I need to get this, this and this. And draw.”

With these new sets of tools,

he can better visualise and « build » the drawing he has in mind on paper with confidence and style*. 🙂

*One of the technique I teach is to draw with fluidity without fear of failing. I showed Park how to master the pen, and instead of erasing his mistakes, iterate on top using the pen pressure.

Second,

He approaches problem with enthusiasm, and challenge them by drawing his ideas on paper. Whenever he feels stuck, he has a set of tools to digg in and find a solution.

So he can peacefully reflect and devlop his sketches and ideas further. He’s not only trying to make pretty pictures, but EXPERIMENT by drawing a maximum of sketches.

Remember that a designer keeps ITERATING.

His message is pretty meaningful to me.

Why ?

Because it reminds me how much competition among classmates was important to me when I was student.

At school, we tend to think competition is no good. That everyone are equal and that competing brings duality. In other words competition would create a « war climate » with selfish ennemies.

I disagree.

I see sketching like a sport and a fair competition within members from the same team. We are all on the same boat. We rather help each other, and do our best. So all of us can succeed strong and proud.

But if you want to succeed, you can’t target your level from the « weakest », neither average.

Don’t be average. Tarket being in the top 10%. From your class, or even from your school.

Dare challenging students whom are your seniors. They will be glad to support you. They were the one who encouraged me, and gave me adrenaline.

If you decide to participate to that game, know there is only winners. 🙂

Train yourself as much as you can with the strong elements.

Stronger you become, more able you will be to help the one in needs.

(In other words, to help others, you gotta be selfish first. (It’s like in the airplane when the gaz mask come down. Put the mask first on your face, so you can help many others.)

To succeed, you gotta be ambitious. You can do this without being pretentious.

Keep in mind that participation is not enough. Result matter.

I have seen too many students for whom being in a design school is already an achievement. They did their howmework, but they never gave their 110% in it, “we couldnt feel their soul inside”.

You enrolled a design school ? Great ! It is just the beginning.

Like Park, do always more than what your teacher expect from you. You gotta do your best and soon you will achieve more than you though possible. 🙂

I believe competition is an essential and healthy motivation factor that drive the whole group up.

Maintaining a climate of excitement when eavery morning students bring their own sketches, and we feel delighted to discover them ! And when they get better than ours, we want to do even more !

It’s vicious circle that keep making us growing and evolve to the top.

This applies to me as soon as instead of feeling jealousy you feel admiration. By admiring others, you will feel gratitude and happiness.

If by today, you feel you are among the beginner elements,
know that it is a chance to do not bright in a group, so you could learn from others who are stronger. That’s how I did progress.

I sat with my high level classmate at the same table so I could observe and “absorb” their skills.

More you grow more you get addicted at progress. And you start enjoying when your classmate start to congratulate you and feel amazed. You start doing your first steps at inspiring others.

Can you feel that positive momentum ? 🙂

Remember this:
Don’t be average. Target to become within the top 10% of your class or even your Design school.

Make sure that you are not always the best in a group.

As soon as you progress, make sure you don’t remain in a comfort zone looking to be congratulated all along.

Keep looking for new mentors or group that are stronger than you. So you will get stronger and stronger. Ok ? Feel free to get some artbooks from artists and designers you like at the cinema corner of your favourite bookshop.

Parker, keep inspire your classmates. Anytime, carry on sharing what you’ve learned. Some will catch your level, and together you will be complimentary. So all of you will compete at doing better and better sketches. It’s gonna be fun !

Cheers,
Chou-Tac

PS: By the way,

I am thinking to reopen the registration for the course Sketch Like the Pros pretty soon. I am still looking for the date though. Let’s keep in touch, to do so make sure to subscribe to the blog, so I can update you on the official release date. :).

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p dir=”auto”>PPS: If you have any question, or wanna get in touch with Park, feel free to contact me at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com