HOW DO YOU CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE PERSPECTIVE:
It was the first semester of my sophomore year. I had just done the most dynamic design sketch ever done of a butter dish with lid, from an ant's perspective. While I thought it was cool, my instructor couldn't tell if it was a butter dish, or some kind of modernist housing block. He then did something like the below demo I've done for you. This illustrates the importance of selecting a proper perspective in communicating your ideas.
Three rectangular forms of similar proportion in space. You can see how the perspective already implies scale.
With just a little form added, you can see how quickly the right perspective helps.
Now with appropriately scaled details and backgrounds, the three rectangles that are the same proportion, have totally different scales.
QUICK PHOTOSHOP TECHNIQUE:
Sketch: 10 min
Rendering: 20 min
A quick demo on a quick technique I am using lately for rough and quick concepts. This technique is great to pop a loose sketch for a design review. This is just one of many quick ways to communicate your ideas to others. The important thing is to find a few ways that work for you that the people you work with can understand.
Step 1: scan, clean up, and set layer to multiply
Step 2: create a new layer, and loosely brush in a medium grey
Step 3: erase out overspray with block eraser
Step 4: select surface facing viewer looselt with polygon laso and use dodge and burn to add form
Step 5: Select surface facing away from viewer and shadow with doge and burn tools
Step 6: select smaller surfaces and shade with dodge and burn
Step 7: use paintbrush tool to ad highlights
Step 8: zoom out and make sure form is reading and lightsource is consistant
Step 9: add a new layer and zoom out, using a large soft brush, lay in a simple background that reinforces the ligh scheme.
Step 10: add a second tone to the background and erase it out from behind the secondary sketch
Step 11: Select the side panel using the polygon laso and copy and paste it onto a new layer. To create the look of a white panel increase the brightness on this layer
step 12: Select the front face plate and copy and paste onto a new layer
Sep 13: Using the hue saturation window add color to the front panel. Check the "colorize" box and use the sliders to reach the desired color.
Step 14: Copy yhe base shading layer and use brightness contrast to darken this part
Step 15: with the linework layer off you can see how slopy the rendering is
Step 16: using the add noise filter I add noise to the background and the face plate layers to add some texture to the sketch
The final: Again this is just one of many quick ways to show an idea to others.
FOOTWEAR PROPORTIONS:
One of the things I found toughest to understand when I started designing shoes was how much the most subtle change in proportion altered a concept. Boots, Basketball Shoes, Trainers, Running Shoes, Athletic Lifestyle Shoes, Flats, Pumps, Mary-janes all have very specific shapes. When you understand these shapes, you can subtly push them. When you don't, you scratch your head and wonder why your shoe doesn't look right.
Above are three simple proportions. The top one is a Basketball Shoe, but it could easily be a Hiking Boot if the collar was raised and the toe box thickened. The second is a Running Shoe, but it could easily be a Trainer with a little thickening. The bottom shoes a low profile athletic lifestyle silhouette.
Above you can see how a few simple lines make these proportions come to life. These designs are pretty conservative. But from here you can start to push new concepts. In order to break the rules, you first need to know why they exist in the first place.