Concept Design Sketches

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These concept design sketches are a sampling from a large collection. Haven't included sketches for the more mundane stuff, but contact us if your interested in seeing them too. Many have been done on A4 or A3 sized paper and rendered in fine felt tip pens and cool gray dry markers. Others are just pencil or pen.

The Letraset dry markers have 3 different sized tips in the one pen. These and other brands ( such as COPIC and NOUVEL ) can all be found in Art or Architectural design suppliers. These design dry markers come in many colors , but for the Industrial Design sketch look typical of Syd Mead's work, Cool Gray numbers 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 are most useful. Also used are the alcohol based big black felt tip Magic Marker pens. Templates for circles, ellipses and French curves are also used in addition to set squares.

In 2011 we started using COPIC Warm Gray markers, as the Letraset aren't available. So we now use W1, W3, W5, W7, W9, W10 and the big Artline black markers, but more often than not, we now scan a sketch into photoshop and colour it there.

Pens and Templates Click to view larger image of tools used for these sketches.

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Last Updated: Jan 27 2023


Alien Serpent SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Alien Serpent

Avatar looks like it has brought sci-fi back to the cinema in a big way, and it has very cool creatures. So here is an Alien Serpent sketch in Copic Warm Gray markers and black micron pen.


Awards Stage Quick Sketch Concept Art Click to view larger image.

Awards Stage Quick Sketch

A one point perspective, very quick sketch in dry marker for an awards ceremony stage concept with large over hanging screens and stage dressing.


Bertone Stratos 1970 car Concept Art Click to view larger image.

Bertone Stratos 1970

The Bertone Stratos was a show car around the time of the Lamborghini Countach.


Ground Effect Vehicle SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

G.E.V.

Formal plans and concept drawings for a G.E.V. ( Ground Effect Vehicle, or Hovercraft ). Done on the back of A3 graph paper in black pen and cool gray Dry Markers, but reduced to 8 bit gray scale here.


Starbase SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Starbase

Formal plans and concept drawings for starbase. Done in black pen and cool gray Dry Markers.


Gothic Starship Concept Art Click to view larger image.

Gothic Starship with Details

Design Sketch of Gothic Starship. Showing detail of alien Bridge and Engine technology. Done in black pen, white pencil and Dry Markers.


Transport Vehicle SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Transport Vehicle

A Tracked Transporter with an attitude. The silhouetted figure is used to indicate scale. Dry Marker and pen on paper.


Powered Suit SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Powered Suit

This is the original sketch for a powered suit we were asked to conceptualize. Dry Maker on Paper.


Uniforms SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Uniform Ideas

These were rough sketches for some Military SF uniforms. Pencil colored in Photoshop.


Retro Prop Bomber SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Retro Prop Bomber

Formal plans and concept sketch for a retro SF Prop driven Bomber Aircraft. Done in black pen and Dry Markers.



Orbital Cargo Shuttle SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Orbital Cargo Shuttle

For transporting equipment from orbiting mother ship to planet side camp. Plans done on A3 paper in black pen and drymarkers.


Luxury Space Cruiser SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Luxury Space Cruiser

The design of a luxury Space Cruiser. Full plans and a 3/4 view. Dry Markers and pen.


Endeavor Carrier SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Endeavor Carrier

A fairly formal drawing of the Endeavor Carrier. Fighters are housed in the U shaped front section.


Light Cruiser Design Starship SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Light Cruiser Design Sketches

A very large inter Galactic Cruiser. Design sketches may be elaborately detailed, or as here, just indicate the basic silhouette required. The blacked out areas in the sketch indicate that final detailing will be determined during miniature construction, but a busy complicated textured finish is required, resulting a craft more of the Star Wars Universe than the sleekness of the Star Trek Universe.


Maintenance Vehicle  SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Maintenance Vehicle

High Voltage Power line service vehicle.


Space Bus SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Low Gravity Bus

A quick sketch withy pen and dry marker or a bus sized low gravity transporter.


Space Helmet SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Helmet

A helmet thats only interesting features are the side mounted lights .


Space back Pack SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Back Pack

Looks a lot like the Space Shuttle Back Packs for getting around in space.


Space briefer SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

breather

A Breather consisting of a face and mask and neck tanks.


Space Station Sketch SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Space Station Sketch

This is a semi-formal thumbnail sketch of a rotating space station, done in fine tipped felt pen. It is shaped after communications satellites, but of course , much larger


ARES starship Sketch SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

ARES Rough Sketches

Around 18 craft designs were provided for the last 2 levels of a real-time spacewar game for the Mac developed by Nathan Lamont, ARES . Shown here are some of the first rough design sketches. Some were changed dramatically and some where developed into a series of craft. Of the final designs, one was provided as a DXF file, the rest on paper, done with standard technical drawing tools, board, felt pens and dry marker. How they ended up in the final game was up to Nathan's CG modeling skills and time available to render and animate them. The ones I'm most pleased with are not shown here.


starship girl SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Altech Girl Costume Sketch

Sexy, female characters have always had a place in pulp science fiction, having young men as the target readership. Simply,... sex sells. Some newpaper corporations made their fortune from putting bare breasted ladies on the front page. Not quite in the same category is the costume for an Alien Technology Inc.Girl. The platform shoes wouldn't be very practical, but that isn't the point.. The poses are lifted from a how to draw comics book, and the style a combination of everything from Suzy Quattros's (remember her?) leather one piece, the cloud base girls from UFO and things you have seen a million times...


game costume SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

The Game

A quick sketch of a costume and setting. What game? What are those tubes? What is pumped into, or taken out of, the suite during the game? Gases, liquids or electrical stimulus?
 
 


Space technician SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Repair under stress

A quick pen sketch of some poor maintenance technician having to repair something under poor conditions.


Gyroh copter SF Concept Art Design Sketch Click to view larger image.

Gyroh

A quick pen and marker sketch of a Gyroh. A one man Helijet craft.


Storyboard Concept Art Click to view larger image.

Story Board Sample

Quick pen and marker Science Fiction story board panel.


References

Some very good books, on designing drawing. Creative Marker Techniques is the best.


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