- Where did you go to school?
- Why don't you recommend the Cleveland Institute of Art?
- Who/what inspires you?
- What hardware/software do you use?
- What paper/pen/pencils do you use?
- Where should I go to school?
- How can I prepare my portfolio for college?
- Do you have any advice to become a car designer?
- How can I learn to draw better?
- Why won't you accept drawings for critique?
- What is your dream job?
- What is a HotShoe?
I went to the Cleveland Institute of Art and graduated in 1994 with a BFA in Automotive/Industrial Design and a minor in Graphic Design.
Although it's been some time since I graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art, I cannot in good faith recommend anyone attend their design program based on my personal experience. Things might be different now but without seeing them firsthand I cannot take the chance of negatively affecting someone's future.
My dissatisfaction with CIA stems from the education I paid for vs. the education I received. When you pay over $11,000 a year for a quality education (tuition back in the 90's) you expect a minimum standard of instruction and professionalism to prepare you for your chosen career path. To my dismay, instruction and guidance during my time at CIA was nonexistent.
The only education I received during my three years in the ID program came from the visiting Saturday automotive instructors or fellow students. There was zero input from the so called "faculty". We had no rendering class, no perspective class, and no basic drawing class what so ever. There was no model building class, vis-com, or any of the necessary design foundation classes that you find at Art Center or CCS.
The two gentlemen who were the heads of the department at the time ran a full-time product design firm and were very rarely on campus. During my three years within the department I never once saw them pick up a pencil or teach applicable design in any way. The most they ever contributed was the occasional criticism/praise during project critiques or the occasional"hello" in the studio.
Imagine a school that promotes their excellent Transportation Design program with only one day of actual instruction per week! You were completely on your own the rest of the time. If you didn't have the natural ability to begin with or knew an upper classman to guide you, you were screwed. This was a time when there were no internet tutorials, demos, or Scott Robertson DVD's to help you learn on your own. Information wasn't as easily obtainable as it is now.
The most shameful part of the CIA ID program was at least half a dozen students in my graduating class were pushed through with A's despite the fact that they clearly could not draw at an acceptable level to be placed within the ID industry. As long as they showed up during the day and turned in their assignments they just took their money and pushed them out the door. They had no minimum standard and accepted everyone into the program if they had the cash. They just kept patting them on the back and stringing them along when it had to be painfully apparent that they weren't adequately prepared.
Unfortunately at the time I chose to attend the Cleveland Institute of Art we didn't have the wealth of information and resources available that the internet offers today. I gullibly believed what the school representatives had to say and trusted them with my money and my future. Do your research. College reps are no different than used car salesman and will tell you what you want to hear in order to get you in the program. They do not have your best interests at heart. Had I known better at the time I would have gone to Art Center or CCS. My future might have been different but ultimately the fault of that decision rests on my shoulders. Once I realized what was really going on I was in too deep to transfer to Art Center or CCS. At the time I didn't want to pick up and start over or spend the additional money but in hindsight this was a major mistake.
Of course my opinion is based on my personal experience and in no way negates the many talented designers that have graduated from CIA and are working in the industry to this day. I know some people say it's just sour grapes but I feel I have an obligation to let prospective students know the dark side of the school. You only get one chance to prepare for your future and you'll invest a staggering amount of time and money into your education. I strongly feel that in such a competitive and cut-throat field it is best to attend a university that best prepares you for employment and offers the greatest percentage of odds for success. If you look at the curriculum and standards of Art Center and CCS you'll see the difference.
Ultimately you should form your own conclusions by thoroughly researching the school, their program, their instructors, and their alumni. When you research some of the industry's most successful designers and their alma matter the best choice becomes self evident. Ask questions, do the research, and remember that in the end you ultimately control your own destiny.
God, my wife, my kids, and my family.
I have a great deal of respect for the guys I graduated with and who help me during school. I am especially indebted to Jeff Puppos, Holt Ware, Kirk Bennion, and Dave Ross for having the patience to teach me and lead me in the right direction. I am also proud to say I had the honor of learning alongside such incredible designers as Rich Scheer, Phil Kucera, Jeff Margush, Wayne Mannista, Dave Pinter, and Syd Ramnarace. I often miss the camaraderie and fun times of being in the trenches with those guys.
Did I mention Ferrari? Pininfarina of course. I also am a giant fan of Craig Mullins, Ryan Church, Scott Robertson, Daniel Simon, Tommy Forgsen, Vyle, and Sparth. I often visit Car Design News, Concept Art, and CgTalk for additional inspiration and motivation.
I use a Mac Pro workstation with a 30" Cinema Display, Cintiq 21ux, and a Wacom tablet. I have an Epson 9600 for large format prints and various other scanners, external hard drives, etc. I primarily use both Photoshop and Painter for digital rendering and sketching.
I'll use anything I can get my hands on to draw! Ultimately the materials are just tools and won't matter if you learn to draw confidently and accurately. I still prefer traditional paper and pencil for fast concept sketching and ideation although I tend to draw more digitally now that I purchased a Cintiq. My favorite technique is to use a cheap pad of newsprint and Berol Prismacolor pencils. I also have pads of Vincent Vellum that I also use with Berol Prismacolor pencils. In addition, I always keep a ream of inexpensive 8.5" x 14" copy paper close by to sketch quick ideas with a ball point pen.
I prefer to draw traditionally for my early concepts but I render 100% digitally now. It is faster, more flexible, and less toxic then the old days of Bestine, markers, and pastel. I try to keep my digital renderings looking as "traditional" as possible. I'm not crazy about renderings that are too polished or Photoshop looking. The only downside to digital rendering is that everyone uses the same basic techniques so a majority of the work all has the same "look". The key is to try and develop a digital style that is all your own like some of my inspirational artists above.
Only you can decide what school is best. Outline what your ultimate goal is and then determine which college will give you the greatest opportunity to achieve this goal. As I stated above, the decision as to which college you should attend is a major crossroad in your life. Make sure you thoroughly research all your available options and gather as much information as possible. Look on various forums and talk to as many students and graduates as you can. Don't listen to the school's salesmen. Listen to people like you who have paid or are paying the tuition and have real world experience.
Every college has different specific portfolio requirements so it's best to check with them.
I would recommend having a well rounded portfolio that just doesn't focus on cars. It's best to show a broad range of abilities through fine arts such as sketching, painting, and sculpture. You would be wise to include and practice as much figure drawing as possible. Every incredible designer I have seen was also talented at figure drawing. Designing cars is essentially about mastering the art of drawing subtle forms, shapes, and surface variations. Nothing else trains your eye and prepares you for this like figure drawing. In essence the understanding of the human form and its underlying structure of bone, muscle, and tissue is very applicable to good car design and form development.
Considering I didn't get hired into a car design studio out of college I would say I'm not qualified to answer this. I would venture to guess however that the only way to achieve any goal in life is through hard work, dedication, and perseverance. No matter what you do in your time here on Earth you should have an uncompromising passion that drives you.
Practice, practice, practice!
The only way you can ever hope to master drawing and perspective is through mileage. There are no shortcuts, no magic tricks, and no secret Photoshop filters. The only way you can improve is by investing the time. How much time? Well let's just say you should draw until it becomes an unconscious reflex. For some that could take forty hours a week for three years and for others it might take forty hours a week for ten years. Natural ability and talent are a factor but in the end the goal is the same.
I hear from hundreds of aspiring designers who want to improve their drawing/perspective skills but they insist on spending 90% of their time doing PS renders of crappy drawings. It doesn't matter how many lens flares or how flashy your rendering is if the underlying drawing is done incorrectly. Just like in construction, you have to build upon a solid foundation. Anybody with any experience will see right through the fluff and right you off as a rookie if the drawing is incorrect.
Always remember, a pig in a prom dress is still a pig.
Unfortunately in this day and age of lawsuits and attorneys I can't legally look at any copyrighted work without fear of getting sued. You would first have to send me a signed intellectual copyright release waiver before I could even think about accepting your work. Check out the contact page for more of the official legal BS.
Ferrari F1 driver or Victoria's Secret photographer.
A "HotShoe" or "hotshoe" is a racing term that is used to describe a driver that is very quick. In my case it started out as a joke because I was so slow. It's just like calling a fat guy "Tiny". I thought the nickname was funny and I liked it for a business name instead of the old generic standard of using my full name.
