Hey, everyone, it's Deysi from Design Squad.
Sketching is a very important engineering tool.
The main reason to sketch is to visualize--
that means to see a design before you build it.
I'm going to sketch out a design for a balloon car
so that I can understand how big to make all the parts
and how to arrange them,
like the body, the wheels, and the axle.
But first, I'm going to show you a few basic sketching elements
that will help you sketch out a balloon car
and practically anything else you want to design.
Why don't you try sketching with me?
Grab a stack of paper and something to draw with.
Here are some arcs.
They're just slight curves.
You want to keep your wrist locked
and let your arm do the work.
This will help you make your arcs more fluid.
Then, there are lines.
When you're sketching,
don't slow yourself down by using a ruler.
Your lines don't have to be totally straight.
Freehand lines come in handy
when you're sketching practically anything.
Now let's draw some freehand circles.
Remember, this is a sketch; it does not have to be perfect.
Now we're going to draw some ellipses.
That's another word for ovals.
I'm going to use these arcs, lines, circles, and ellipses
to sketch our balloon car.
I'm going to make my sketches from two different angles.
I'm going to start with this top view,
which is the most useful.
It's going to let me see the position of the wheels
in relation to the balloon.
I use lines to draw the body of my car.
See? My balloon is an ellipse.
Okay, now it's time to draw my balloon car from the side.
These are my wheels.
And the straw, which attaches it to the balloon.
And that's what's going to power my car.
Okay, let's build this!
I need some balloons, some straws, and some tape
to propel the car.
For the body, I'm using cardboard.
For the axles, I'm using skewers and some straws.
And for the wheels, I'll try some CDs and clay.
So I'm going to start with the body of my car.
I will put in the skewer so that my wheels are free to spin.
Put it in...
Uh-oh.
Now that I'm building this, I realize that my sketch
has the wheels too far away from the body,
and now my wheels are too wobbly.
Sometimes what you sketch doesn't necessarily work
when you build and test it.
But that's okay, because a sketch is a good way
to help you figure out how to start building something.
So I'm going to redraw my sketch
with the wheels closer to the body.
Sketch numero dos!
I'm going to make sure
that my wheels are closer to the body of my car.
Now my wheels are not going to wobble.
Okay, let's build this!
See?
Look at this.
Moving the wheels closer to the body
helps my car move more smoothly.
So now that I know my car rolls,
I'm going to attach the balloon with the straw to propel my car.
(blowing)
Huh! It's sealed enough.
I think right there's good.
(blowing)
Okay, let's see if it works.
Yay, it worked!
There you have it, a balloon car from sketch to design.
Now, use these sketching techniques
to sketch out your own design for a balloon car.
Then go to the Design Squad website
to find all the materials you need to build one.
And have fun!