22/09/2025 - 26/10/2025 / Week 1 – Week 5
Gabriella Grace
Christyanti / 0371915
Vehicle and Props Design / Creative Media /
School of design
Exercise: Fundamentals of Vehicle Design
1. Instructions
2. Lectures
3. Process Work
3.1 Deconstruction Exercise
3.2 Form and Functio
3.3 Perspective Exercise
3.4 Line Weight Exercise
3.5 Coloring Exercise
3.6 Texture Exercise
3.7 Final outcome
4. Feedback
5. Reflection
1. INSTRUCTIONS
For this assignment, we were tasked with completing six exercises:
deconstruction, form and function, perspective, line weight, color
exploration, and texture exploration.
Shown below are my sketches and attempts for each task.
This exercise required me to break down vehicles from three different environments—land, water, and air. Since vehicle drawing isn’t my strongest skill, I sketched a wide variety of vehicle types to better understand their forms and structures.
I began each sketch with red construction lines to establish proportions and movement, followed by blue lines to refine and define the primary shapes.
3.2 Form and Function
For this task, we were asked to develop three archetypes based on our chosen vehicle. I selected a land vehicle and explored design directions inspired by insects and animals to find a suitable form. After receiving feedback from Sir Kanan, I broadened my research to include beetles and shifted my concept from a wheeled vehicle to a crawler.
I experimented with possibilities for transport, defense, and combat roles before finalizing a land crawler concept that combines all three functions.
3.3 Perspective Exercise
This exercise proved quite challenging, as I don’t typically rely on perspective guides in my drawings. However, with consistent practice, I managed to complete the task successfully. I focused on land vehicles—specifically cars—as they offered a practical foundation for the later stages of my project.
I completed two perspective studies using different car types. This helped strengthen my understanding of perspective, ensuring greater accuracy and consistency in my future sketches.
3.4 Line Weight Exercise
The line weight task felt less difficult. Earlier, Sir Kanan emphasized the importance of controlling line thickness to make line art more visually engaging. After applying this, my drawing felt more grounded and solid.
3.5 Coloring Exercise
The coloring exercise was relatively easy. I experimented with watercolor and airbrush tools to practice applying colors. I also explored contrasting palettes and practiced basic shading and highlights to create a stronger sense of depth in my work.
3.6 Texture Exercise
For the texture task, I focused on creating a metallic surface effect. I used overlay and multiply techniques to achieve this look, which can be clearly seen on the body of the vehicle.
4. FEEDBACK
The first thing viewers notice in a design is the silhouette, so it’s important to begin by experimenting with shape language. Before developing details, think about what story your vehicle tells—consider its role and purpose. Ask yourself: is it a fighter, a defender, or a transport vehicle? The form should reflect that purpose. Different base shapes carry different meanings: triangular forms suggest speed, aggression, and danger; squares feel solid and stable; while round shapes appear soft, friendly, and approachable. To improve shape design, study real vehicles before looking at stylized artwork, and use existing references as a foundation. Vehicles can generally be broken down into three main parts—head, body, and tail (or trunk)—with additional “limbs” attached. Each category brings different qualities: fighting vehicles appear aggressive and fast, often with weapons; defender vehicles are large, tank-like, and bold; and transport vehicles prioritize space and utility. When exploring silhouettes, try squinting at your sketches—if a form reminds you of something, such as a beetle, use that recognition as inspiration to push the design further.
Experience
Throughout this assignment, I worked through six different exercises that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Each task required a different skill set, from breaking down vehicle structures to applying color, texture, and perspective. I initially struggled with areas like perspective and deconstruction because drawing vehicles isn’t my strongest skill, but practicing consistently helped me progress. Exploring different design archetypes also challenged me to think more conceptually, especially when transitioning my design from a wheeled vehicle to a crawler. Overall, completing each step, from line work to renderin, helped me gain confidence and develop a clearer workflow for designing vehicles.
Observation
During the process, I noticed that each exercise built upon the previous one. Deconstructing real vehicles helped me understand form and function more easily when designing my own concepts. Studying silhouettes and referencing insects, especially beetles, gave me fresh insight into how natural forms can inspire mechanical design. I also learned that small adjustments, such as line weight or texture overlays, can make a drawing appear more solid and believable. Across all tasks, I observed how reference studies, construction lines, and feedback directly shaped the final outcome.
Findings
From this assignment, I discovered that strong designs come from a combination of research, experimentation, and refinement. Breaking subjects into basic shapes made complex vehicles much easier to understand and redesign. I also realized that visual storytelling begins with silhouette and shape language, knowing whether a vehicle is meant to fight, defend, or transport influences every design decision. Finally, I found that using multiple drawing techniques—perspective, color, texture, and line weight, adds clarity and personality to a concept, allowing it to feel functional and convincing.
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