WORDS: WAYNE BATTY | PHOTOS: FRANK STEPHENSON DESIGN
For a car designer whose back catalogue stretches clear across the automotive spectrum, from the original BMW X5 and 2001 Mini to the Maserati MC12 and McLaren P1, you might think Frank Stephenson’s love for design would be sated after a stellar 30-year career.
But not only is his mind still well grounded in the auto industry, designing the award-winning Babyark infant car seat and various race car liveries, but his eponymously named consultancy has also taken off, quite literally, into the electric-powered VTOL flying taxi and near-space tourism sectors.
His latest venture, however, brings it all back to the start – the humble sketch. Learn to Sketch with Frank is an online creative-sketching course that aims to empower the next generation of designers. During an exclusive launch event, A Masterclass in Creative Design, held at the Royal College of Art’s Battersea complex, Frank tells us that the course has been developed in response to what he describes as “a decline in the ability of designers to come up with fresh ideas”. He’s never one to skirt the issues, is he?
If you can draw a car, you can draw anything
Naturally, in a room filled with young, on-trend design students, the spectre of AI looms large, especially for those who already speak Stable Diffusion, Vizcom or Midjourney and have seen the potential first-hand. But Frank isn’t fazed. While he appreciates what these programs can do, he instead emphasises “the enduring significance of human emotion and imagination in design”, adding that designers express their concepts in their purest form when there is a transfer of ideas from mind to paper via pen. He’s not wrong. Every AI convert will readily admit that a more creative input sketch returns massively better results.
According to Stephenson: “Sketching is a core requirement of design, imperative in my industry; despite AI, we must still have a human touch. The beauty of sketching isn’t in the final piece, but rather in the process of creating. Sketching is about process, not perfection. It’s about the flow of ideas from your mind to your medium.”
He also offers the following observation: “It’s almost becoming a trend now to shock the customer, shock the market with designs they probably haven’t seen before, but with good reason – they don’t resonate immediately.” Unquestionably one of the more vocal car designers, Frank’s been quick to exchange his considered, eloquently justified views for views of the YouTube variety, amassing over 215,000 subscribers to his channel. His knowledgeable, passionate critiques of current cars make for compelling viewing for anyone with even a slight interest in automotive design.
A pre-event first-look of one of the course sections called The Sculpture is Already in the Marble proved the value of all that time in front of a camera. Extensive video-blogging experience, allied to years spent managing and nurturing young studio talent, reveals Frank to be a natural educator with an innate ability to impart the lessons, drills and skills he’s garnered over the years.
Consisting of three volumes covering sketching fundamentals, perspective and surface entertainment, the course promises to blend theory with practical techniques, all delivered via more than eight hours of video-streamed content, downloadable PDF tasks and challenges, and personalised reviews, in addition to live Q&A sessions on YouTube with Stephenson himself.
Who is the course for? It’s been created for current and emerging designers, but Frank is quick to dispel any notion that it is just for people seeking a career in car design, because “if you can draw a car, you can draw anything”. He should know.
For more information, visit www.swf.frankstephenson.com
