Where Car Design
Begins in Clay
Clay Model Design Course
Design Studio Pro™
Complete Clay Modeling Masterclass
15 chapters · 2h 58m of instruction · One-time payment
Unlock All 15 Chapters — $39.99Browse the free timeline first →What is ClayDesignHistory?
ClayDesignHistory is an educational site focused on the history and practice of automotive clay modeling. It combines a detailed historical timeline of clay modeling in car design with a professional instructional course called Design Studio Pro.
What is Design Studio Pro?
Design Studio Pro is a complete 15-chapter professional automotive clay modeling course. It teaches the same techniques used in real design studios and includes nearly 3 hours of video instruction. Access is lifetime for a one-time payment of $39.99.
Who is Design Studio Pro for?
The course is designed for automotive design students, car enthusiasts, industrial designers, hobbyists, and anyone who wants to learn professional clay modeling techniques used in major design studios.
How much does it cost?
The full Design Studio Pro course costs $39.99 as a one-time payment. There is no subscription. The physical modeling kit is sold separately.
What makes it different?
Design Studio Pro is taught by instructors with more than 55 years of combined experience working in professional automotive design studios, including GM, BMW, Honda, Tesla, and others. It focuses on real studio processes rather than hobby-level techniques.
90 Years of Clay Modeling & Race Car Design
1930s–40s
The Founding Era
Harley Earl
1950s
The Jet Age
Virgil Exner
1960s
The Golden Age
Bill Mitchell
1960s–90s
Race Car Clay
Dick Söderberg
1970s–80s
The Digital Transition
Giorgetto Giugiaro
1990s
The Concept Car Boom
Frank Stephenson
2000s–10s
CNC & Rapid Prototyping
Chris Bangle
2020s
Digital-Physical Hybrid
Luc Donckerwolke
Design Studio Pro™ Masterclass
A complete instructional video course developed by professional clay modelers working in the automotive design industry. Learn the same techniques used at GM, Ford and Ferrari. Two professional instructors with 5 + decades experience and team members of 13 automotive design studios.
The video course is a step-by-step methodical 3D model making education. For 90 years these techniques have been evolving. Digital model making software like Alias and Rhino were deployed about 30 years ago. Today the Hybrid digital/clay modeler is the crown jewel of modern industrial design model developers. The hands-on clay development skills along with a digital framework offer the best 3d model development solution. Digital tools deliver speed and precision. Clay delivers the human judgment that still decides whether a design feels right. Get your clay skills now!
The DSP kit is also available for the US market. Including model armature, clay tools, template supplies, engineering drawings, car design renderings, scale ruler, clay slicks and detailed written instructions of the complete car design clay modeling process. We have also provided a comprehensive tutorial to help you cast your custom car design using the exact techniques used in the automotive show car industry.
Chapter 1: How To Sharpen Clay Tools | Professional Automotive Technique | Ch.1
FreeIntroduction and overview of sharpening clay tools for automotive clay modeling.
Chapter 2: How To Set Up The Surface Plate And Armature | Automotive Clay Modeling | Ch.2
FreeSetting up the surface plate and armature for clay modeling.
Chapter 3: How To Make Body-side And Center-line Templates | Automotive Clay Modeling | Ch.3
FreeCreating and using clay model templates for accurate form building.
Chapter 4: How To Mount The Armature And Skim Coat Clay | Automotive Clay Modeling Ch.4
FreeApplying a skim coat to the armature and packing clay onto the structure.
Chapter 5: How To Drag The Clay With A Center-line Template | Automotive Clay Modeling | Ch.5
FreeUsing templates to drag and shape the clay surface accurately.
Chapter 6: How To Pack Clay Around Wheel Openings | Automotive Clay Modeling Tutorial | Ch.6
FreeCreating wheel openings and rough packing clay onto the model.
Chapter 7: How To Draw Character Lines On A Clay Model | Automotive Clay Modeling Tutorial | Ch.7
FreeMarking and establishing the character lines on the clay model.
What You'll Learn
- Professional clay modeling fundamentals
- Armature setup and preparation
- Surface development and character lines
- Wheel arches, undercuts, and detailing
- Finishing techniques used in real studios
2 hours 58 minutes
Total instructional runtime · Watch at your own pace
Techniques taught are used across automotive design, aerospace, film & entertainment, and consumer product design industries.
15 Chapters. One Complete Masterclass.
From first clay application to final paint — every step of building a 1/10 scale automotive clay model, on video.
Clay Modeling — Chapters 1–7
Sharpening tools, armature setup, templates, skim coating, dragging with templates, wheel openings, and marking character lines.
- Ch 1: Sharpening Clay Tools
- Ch 2: Surface Plate and Armature Setup
- Ch 3: Clay Model Templates
- Ch 4: Skim Coat the Armature, Pack Clay
- Ch 5: Dragging With Templates
- Ch 6: Wheel Openings And Rough Clay Packing
- Ch 7: Marking The Character Lines
Clay Model Refinement — Chapters 8–15
2 more detailed hours of high level instruction
Rough modeling, refining the clay model, final refinements, cutting grill openings, fillets and radii, and custom design finishing.
- Ch 8: Roughing In The Model | Cabin, Body-side, Front And Rear, Body-side, Front-end & Rear | Ch.8
- Ch 9: Continuing Rough Modeling
- Ch 10: Refining The Clay Model
- Ch 11: Continue Refining The Clay Model
- Ch 12: Final Clay Model Refinements
- Ch 13: Cutting Grill Openings
- Ch 14: Fillets and Radii
- Ch 15: Balancing The Clay Model And Making A Custom Design
One Payment, Unlimited Access
Unlock the complete history of automotive clay modeling and the Design Studio Pro™ masterclass — forever.
Digital course access only — kit sold separately.
Full Access — One Time
One-time payment · Unlimited access · No subscription
Pay once — watch forever
- Full historical timeline — all 7 eras
- Complete design gallery
- Design Studio Pro™ full video (2h 58m)
- All 15 instructional chapters
- Watch at your own pace, replay anytime
- New eras & gallery additions as published
Secure checkout via Stripe · One-time charge · No recurring fees
Not ready to purchase? Browse the free timeline and gallery — no account required.
🇺🇸 Physical kit ships to US domestic addresses only. International shipping is not available at this time.
From Primer Cast to Finished Model
These are real results from the Design Studio Pro™ masterclass — a 1/10 scale RC car body taken from raw primer cast all the way to a fully finished, painted model.
The primer cast — raw sculpted form fresh from the mould, ready for finishing.
The finished model — full paint, bodywork detail and final presentation quality.
Ready to build yours? Join the masterclass and follow the same process step by step.
Start Building →Clay Model — Half Painted on Turntable
Watch the finished clay model with half paint applied, rotating on a turntable to reveal every angle of the sculpture.