Felt tip sketch for the Wardle Academy competition bid (David Euinton)
"Drawing is the artist’s most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals his true personality." Edgar Degas I probably belong to that last generation of architects trained exclusively to conceive an idea with a pencil in hand and communicate it with pen and ink. Computer-aided design was a visible and intimidating presence on the horizon when I was a student; something to be suspicious of and yet get excited about. As we stood at the threshold of our careers, we knew we would have to embrace this entity which threatened to take over every aspect of our lives. It did. One has had to interface with a variety of ever evolving software to forge a career in design over the last 25 years. However, I can honestly say—all these years of dextrous mouse usage later—that I am still at my articulate best with a 2B pencil in hand.
ideas more effectively than a freehand drawing. When we put pencil to paper, we start with the kernel of an idea. To proceed, we need a follow-up idea, which pre-empts another and before we know it, a story unfolds. As children, we all draw. The artlessness of our childlike existence precludes adult sentiments like judgement and self-evaluation. It stems from a natural and almost instinctive need to communicate an idea or thought at a time when vocabulary is insufficient. The pencil or crayon becomes a natural extension of thoughts, feelings, fears and wonder. You think you know, but can’t always be sure what will emerge next. The hand completes what the mind begins. After all, the first mode of expression by our species was not writing, but drawing.
During one of the many webinars attended during the lockdown, I heard someone say, “If you want to know what others are thinking, read. If you want to know what you are thinking, write.” The thought resonated with me as I applied it to sketching. Nothing forces you to conceive and formulate
For those of us who became designers, this simple ability was honed as a powerful tool for developing and communicating a concept. A hand drawing can be observational, emotive or analytical. Each line drawn on paper conveys a message to the viewer as seen through the eyes of the artist. The artist
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Freddie Ribeiro
