Artists’ Sketchbooks 06: Ajay Choudhary

Ajay works in automobile design, and his sketchbooks are filled with ideas and concepts for new products and vehicles. From sketches for custom bikes and sunglasses to product renders, it offers a unique perspective on the process behind the design.

Who?

Ajay Choudhary is originally from Mumbai, and currently works as the senior assistant manager for Four Wheeler Styling at Bajaj Auto Ltd., Pune. He completed his Masters in Transportation Design Management from DSKISD Pune.

Tell us a little about work and artistic practice.

“My daily work involves creating styling sketches for the Bajaj design studio; it usually starts with intense research and trend analysis for future products. This helps to create new visions for aesthetic concepts. I really enjoy this sketching phase of projects because I can express myself; it’s a great feeling to be involved in the process of creating futuristic forms and shapes. As a child I always wanted to shape the future of automobiles and my current job gives me this responsibility.

As an automotive stylist I have to do a lot of sketch meditation. It’s not easy to be creative all the time especially considering how fast tastes and trends in design change. I keep a small A5 sketchbook to record my ideas and as a rule I try to sketch anything other than automobiles as this helps me expand my horizons and take inspiration from many other fields.”

What does your sketchbook mean to you?

“My sketchbook is not just a documentation of ideas; it is my avatar that I have captured in a two-dimensional form. Sometimes my old sketchbooks help me to go back in time and I can immerse myself in a sea of ideas and thought process from those sketches - this experience is a great source of inspiration. Inside my sketchbook I can sketch as an architect, character artist or any other design professional, honestly it’s like my Disneyland. Sketchbooks also help me to see my progress and clearly know which areas to improve in.”

Could you share one piece from your sketchbook that means something to you?

“Birds are amazing creatures to observe and sketch, I try to imagine them as abstract design sculptures and this is one of my favorite exercises to derive new forms and surface treatments. I believe our ideas are just like birds, they need to fly in the air, explore the sky and test themselves against the winds. Similarly our ideas must also lead us to new ideas, explore unknown boundaries and challenge traditional thinking methods.”