Tips for sketching ring designs on the go

By Rémy Rotenier

As a busy designer, teacher, and painter who travels a lot, I always look forward to quiet time, especially when I’m on a train or a plane without a strong connection to the internet. During these precious moments, I often enjoy sketching rough ideas, from earrings and rings to pendants and cufflinks. The ideas seem to start dancing in my head because I am spending time in my own “sphere” (as we say in French). What I love about the sketchbooks I keep from my travels is that they are private. There is no reason to worry about any kind of judgment. You may choose to share only select drawings, or share the books only with friends or colleagues, or you may wish to keep your sketchbooks personal, for your eyes only.

Knowing that no one needs to see your drawings can suddenly make your hand relax, your wrist become more elastic, and you are more ready to take risks by just drawing anything that comes to mind. If you would like to do quick sketches of your jewelry ideas on the go, here are some tips you might find helpful.

First, you’ll need supplies: a sketchbook, a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil with HB lead, a medium-sized rolled paper stump, and an eraser of your choice. As you begin, write down where you are and the date somewhere on the page. This will help to put the design in context, or it will simply make you smile as you remember creating this design while flying over Alaska.

For this exercise, I’m going to focus on sketching different rings. When designing a ring, you first need to pick the right views for the specific design you have in mind. Here I will demonstrate several different viewpoints.

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Quiet moments are rare and appreciated. They give us an opportunity to go inside ourselves and come back with usable, interesting designs. I hope the concept of thinking of the designs and picking the right view to draw is one that will work for you and help you fill up your magic sketchbook.

As an intern at Cristofol in Paris, Rémy Rotenier learned classic jewelry rendering and design of jewelry objects d’art. He shares his techniques through educational DVDs and classes.