Counter Sketching Jewelry by Rémy Rotenier
Video review by Sam Alfano
In today’s market many customers are captivated by work done by an artist and not by a machine. We’re up to our ears in smartphones and computers, and our techno world has created a retro revolution. We process our digital photos to look like faded film shots, spend large sums on mechanical watches, collect and play vinyl records, and the list goes on.
Jewelry is often designed with software, but there’s something about a classy hand drawn illustration that sets itself apart from photo realistic computer generated images. Rémy Rotenier’s video course is designed to teach you old school jewelry design quickly and effectively. What might seem like a skill that only few people would have, starts to become a reality after the first few chapters. Rémy breaks it down into surprisingly simple steps and in nothing flat you’re drawing sparkling faceted stones and rendering highly polished metals. It’s fun, relaxing, and very satisfying.
The necessary supplies are very inexpensive and available from your local hobby or art supply store (how often do you hear that in the jewelry business!). You’ll start with simple shapes using Rémy’s easy methods to achieve symmetry, and after a few practices you’ll be skipping some of the layout steps and be able to quickly freehand shapes without guide markings.
Faceted stones must be incredibly difficult to draw, right? Nope. You’ll be delighted when you see the process broken down into simple steps that makes it so easy you can hardly believe it. My first attempt had me pleasantly surprised and I can only imagine how good my tenth or twentieth drawings will be. Rémy shows you how to designate the correct facet as a highlight and then explains how light plays on the surrounding facets and which ones require different shading values based on the direction of the light. You can follow along and pause the DVD as you draw, or you can access class handouts by navigating to the DVD’s folder on your computer. There you’ll find a supply list as well as a handful of excellent step-by-step images you can print and draw.
To me, metals with reflective surfaces are quite challenging to draw. I’ve done them before in casual sketches and always found them difficult. With Rémy’s instruction I how have a solid understanding of where the highlight goes and how to handle the different tones and shapes around it. It’s definitely easier than you think and the results will surprise you.
There are two videos available, each containing 2 DVDs. After completing Part One BLACK & WHITE you’ll be ready to progress to dazzling full color renderings in the second video.
Watching Rémy work is amazing in itself. He’s a master whose pencils create magic with an economy of strokes. Being able to do it is one thing, and being able to teach it is another. Rémy’s relaxed and easy to understand methods shows that he can draw and teach equally well. Just follow along and watch the magic happen.
Rémy was born and raised in Paris and he and his family members have backgrounds in design. He’s worked for prestigious firms in Europe and the US and has a very impressive resumé and remarkable background as an artist, teacher, and illustrator. This instructional video is worth its weight in gold.
The technical aspects of the video are superb. Produced by Blaine Lewis of New Approach School, who continually raises the benchmark in both teaching methods and instructional videos. Multi-camera angles, overhead shots, and graceful pans always provide perfect views for the student. This is a world class production.
One can imagine the possibilities working with retail customers and sketching beautiful design ideas right before their eyes. These skills will set will you apart and make you an extremely valuable asset to any jewelry business. You can do it, and this video will show you how.
Check out the short video teaser on Vimeo.
The videos are available from Rio Grande.
Produced by Blaine Lewis at New Approach School for Jewelers in Franklin, TN, NewApproachSchool.com
Video review by Sam Alfano
In today’s market many customers are captivated by work done by an artist and not by a machine. We’re up to our ears in smartphones and computers, and our techno world has created a retro revolution. We process our digital photos to look like faded film shots, spend large sums on mechanical watches, collect and play vinyl records, and the list goes on.
Jewelry is often designed with software, but there’s something about a classy hand drawn illustration that sets itself apart from photo realistic computer generated images. Rémy Rotenier’s video course is designed to teach you old school jewelry design quickly and effectively. What might seem like a skill that only few people would have, starts to become a reality after the first few chapters. Rémy breaks it down into surprisingly simple steps and in nothing flat you’re drawing sparkling faceted stones and rendering highly polished metals. It’s fun, relaxing, and very satisfying.
The necessary supplies are very inexpensive and available from your local hobby or art supply store (how often do you hear that in the jewelry business!). You’ll start with simple shapes using Rémy’s easy methods to achieve symmetry, and after a few practices you’ll be skipping some of the layout steps and be able to quickly freehand shapes without guide markings.
Faceted stones must be incredibly difficult to draw, right? Nope. You’ll be delighted when you see the process broken down into simple steps that makes it so easy you can hardly believe it. My first attempt had me pleasantly surprised and I can only imagine how good my tenth or twentieth drawings will be. Rémy shows you how to designate the correct facet as a highlight and then explains how light plays on the surrounding facets and which ones require different shading values based on the direction of the light. You can follow along and pause the DVD as you draw, or you can access class handouts by navigating to the DVD’s folder on your computer. There you’ll find a supply list as well as a handful of excellent step-by-step images you can print and draw.
To me, metals with reflective surfaces are quite challenging to draw. I’ve done them before in casual sketches and always found them difficult. With Rémy’s instruction I how have a solid understanding of where the highlight goes and how to handle the different tones and shapes around it. It’s definitely easier than you think and the results will surprise you.
There are two videos available, each containing 2 DVDs. After completing Part One BLACK & WHITE you’ll be ready to progress to dazzling full color renderings in the second video.
Watching Rémy work is amazing in itself. He’s a master whose pencils create magic with an economy of strokes. Being able to do it is one thing, and being able to teach it is another. Rémy’s relaxed and easy to understand methods shows that he can draw and teach equally well. Just follow along and watch the magic happen.
Rémy was born and raised in Paris and he and his family members have backgrounds in design. He’s worked for prestigious firms in Europe and the US and has a very impressive resumé and remarkable background as an artist, teacher, and illustrator. This instructional video is worth its weight in gold.
The technical aspects of the video are superb. Produced by Blaine Lewis of New Approach School, who continually raises the benchmark in both teaching methods and instructional videos. Multi-camera angles, overhead shots, and graceful pans always provide perfect views for the student. This is a world class production.
One can imagine the possibilities working with retail customers and sketching beautiful design ideas right before their eyes. These skills will set will you apart and make you an extremely valuable asset to any jewelry business. You can do it, and this video will show you how.
Check out the short video teaser on Vimeo.
The videos are available from Rio Grande.
Produced by Blaine Lewis at New Approach School for Jewelers in Franklin, TN, NewApproachSchool.com
