Q&A: photobashing

Karol Gullen, US

Marcel replies

If you want a realistic look and feel to your vehicle, with detailed materials, then the use of photos can support your process.

The software I use most frequently in tackling similar briefs is Photoshop. It’s manipulation tools enable me to crop and skew the photo reference into place. The Transform tool will assist with most of the changes to warp the images, while using Masks will ensure you focus on the photo parts that support the design.

While photos will give you speed and support visual solutions, you still need to choose references to match your vehicle. Mechanical photos, hard surface textures and electronic components should be selected carefully, or you’ll end up with a mishmash of styles. Your sketch should remain the design thread throughout the process, with photos only optimising this foundation. This is why, even if designing a vehicle that belongs in a sci-fi adventure, you should refer back to real-world examples, especially if you feel that your design begins to lose readability.

I begin work on this hoverbike and look at the position bikers take on motorbikes, duplicating the design sketches around this seated position. I feel this injects more credibility into my depiction of an Arctic operative, rapidly scouring a tundra-like wasteland.

Heading towards to the next fuel and supply outpost before nightfall. The vehicle parts are put together in an unconventional way to surprise the viewer. Once you’ve set up your base design, start roughly layering photos to explore different parts,...