Hi friends,today I would like to touch a bit the clay modelling activities in a Design school and its real importance. Why? Simply because since a period of time I visit schools, I see portfolios, I see young new designers working and I do not see the "feeling" of the form. "Volume" sensitivity is something that I developed in school (ACCD, Pasadena 86/89) long ago and that kept growing in me while working everyday as designer.
There is a critical step in any Design process which is when 2D work becomes a 3D model, in that phase of our project new tridimensional problems come out and need to be solved quickly. How to do? My answear or tip is that if in school you learned to shape clay scale models you will be fine. Instead, if you belong to those that in school do not learn how to work with clay but work a lot with Photoshop...well in this case you will have problems and you will need more time to overcome the difficulties.
To drag your hand on a particular clay model section surface (ex: side body and front hood) gives you the "feeling" of the form evolution, it gives you the drive of shaping that volume to give it "grace and elegance" or "sculpted concave effects" for a more nervous signature, create a new "bone line" and add character to the side reflection (with Dynock skin application).
This sort of emotions are very important because they should be part of any car designer, for this reason I suggest to all of you to work with clay as much as you can in school as well at home . To know how to control volumes, shapes and forms is one of the most important conditions to become a good designer.
Good luck!
Photo via gizmag.com
