I recently finished a project where I designed a photo-realistic watch in Adobe Illustrator. The watch I picked to recreate was an Emporio Armani watch (original shown on right). On the left you can see my finished product and in the center you can see the outlines of the different shapes used to design the watch.
Step One: Sketching
The main purpose of my sketches was to study watches and their different shapes, highlights, shadows, and layers. When sketching, I tried to visualize and practice what I would later do in the computer. I payed attention to the direction of light on the different watches I researched as well.
Step Two: Digital Drafts ... more drafts ... and more drafts ...
When designing the watch I started designing it in layers. I designed the base, the minute mark section, the hour section, the center, the hands, etc. When I felt like I had a good base down, I began combining the layers for a more complete image. I did a lot of different things with shading, angles, and shapes.
Step 3: The Final Details
When I was wrapping up, that was when I refined the angle of the band, made the stitches, added textures, the nob, and added a few more shadows and highlights on the hour marks of the watch. Along the way, I also received feedback and critique from peers who helped me recognize tangents or other design errors I hadn't noticed.
Final Thoughts
I really loved this project. I had so much fun designing it. It challenged me, especially when it came to the little details. I would say that the hardest part of the watch was the nob. There were so many highlights, shadows, edges, curves, and knowing how to best convey that without going overboard was a challenge. Luckily, I had a great mentor who was able to give me some great feedback and advice.
