produced by: Eddie Pabon
ARC 6116 Drawing Toward Architecture Fall 2012
DRAWING SENSE
CityLab-Orlando University of Florida Graduate School of Architecture
HOW THE HUMAN VISUAL SENSE INTERPRETS DRAWINGS
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
2
Drawing Types
6
Color Association
8
Depth
10
Emotion
15
Conclusion
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Plan Sketch - Pencil on Canson Paper
Introduction This book serves as an exploration of how drawings can be used as a powerful tool to communicate ideas and concepts. There are many methods and definitions for the term drawing, this book considers it a method in which an illustration is created to portray a concept, idea, and/or a sense of place. This method is primarily used by artists and architects to visually describe
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Elevation Sketch - Ink on Canson Paper
a two or third dimensional form on a two dimensional canvas. Drawings like words in a novel, describe a narrative, emotion and environment. They also provide an inherent visual connection between the narrator and the “reader” (or in this case, the “viewer”). Drawings are tools to express an idea of a form. For an artist, drawings focus
on expressing an idea or object. For an architect, drawings are used to express spacial volumes, describe forms and objects, and define a new or existing environment. Francis D.K. Ching defines an architectural drawing as “representing three-dimensional forms, constructions, spatial environments on a twodimensional surface.”
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Perspective Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
Perspective Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
Although the art of drawing has been around since the beginning of humankind as a means of communication, new technologies have introduced different mediums. Pencil, ink, and tones are no longer just drawn by hand; computers are now used for the same tasks. Recently, the introduction of computer aided modeling has overshadowed the art of drafting and
sketching. Although computer modeling does provide benefits in developing and displaying three dimensional forms, figures, and objects, unfortunately it lacks the ability to present ideas quickly and to make an imaginative connection with the viewer. Draft sketches often create a better connection with the viewer. Michael Graves, an architect and professor
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Perspective Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
Perspective Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
at Princeton describes sketches as “a diary, a record of an architect’s discovery. It can be as simple as a shorthand notation of a design concept or can describe details of a larger composition.” He also explains that sketches are not just used “to represent ‘reality’, but rather to capture an idea.” This book focuses on three critical attributes that define architectural
drawings in the medium of sketching; drawing types, color association, and the sense of depth within a drawing. Exploring these attributes will assist the reader in understanding techniques and composition for the production of a final drawing.
Perspective Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
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Elevation Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
Drawing Types An image on a two-dimensional plane is typically defined by its projection type. There are three projection types; orthographic, oblique, and perspective. Orthographic projection represents lines that are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane, similar to a flat diagram. Oblique projection represents a parallel extrusion
oblique to the two-dimensional plane; comparable to extruding a flat diagram with a defined angle using lines that are parallel to each other. Perspective projections radiate lines from a central point to mimic the human’s perceptual vision of the world. In architecture, orthographic projection can be used for plans, elevations, and sections.
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Axonometric Sketch - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper
Oblique projections can be expressed as axonometrics, oblique elevations, and oblique plans. Perspective projections can be defined as one point, two point, and three point perspectives. These drawing types provide a fundamental understanding of different techniques that can be used to illustrate the artist’s intent. Selecting the most effective
drawing type depends on the concept or idea to be conveyed.
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Composite Perspective Sketch - Ink & Color Pencils on Canson Paper
Color Associtation Although selecting a drawing method is a fundamental step of the drawing process, there are other decisions that must be made in order to reach the ultimate goal of making an imaginative connection with the viewer. One of these decisions is how to use color. The addition of color is a critical step in defining the objects within a drawing. Colors define
materials and provide contrast between multiple forms. Color also provides a subconscious connection with the viewer based on their everyday visual association with the colors within their surrounding environment. Techniques such as overlying colors can increase the texture of a material or surface. For example, adding yellow and red to a
Composite Elevation Sketch - Ink & Color Pencils on Canson Paper
blue sky begins to soften the horizon line, similar to how the sun light affects the atmosphere during a sunrise or sunset. Color can also provide a sense of ambience. Vibrant lighter colors express a sense of enthusiasm and stimulation while darker less vibriant colors promote sadness and grief. The play of lighter and darker colors within a drawing can lead
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to multiple emotional expressions which can assist in telling a story.
Plan Sketch - Ink on Canson Paper
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Depth The third attribute is the ability to create a sense of place in a drawing by adding depth to the scene. All forms and objects have thickness, length, and height, together they define what that object is and how it relates to its surroundings. In a two-dimensional drawing, the addition of depth vastly provides the illusion of being in the scene. Sheri
Lynn Boyer Doty describes this sense as the intuitive space, she states “Intuitive space is merely the illusion space created by using artistic methods to trick the viewer into seeing depth, volume and mass on a two dimensional surface. Intuitive space is sensed or ‘felt’ on a two dimensional plane.” Some techniques to create intuitive space can be comprised
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Composite Site Plan Rendering - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper, Color & Entourage Added in PhotoShop
Composite Elevation Rendering - Ink & Pencil on Canson Paper, Color & Entourage Added in PhotoShop
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of adjusting contrast within the balance of white to black tones. Hard and/or soft shadows are good examples of another technique. Shadows provide hierarchy between foreground and background and displays how deep an object or form is. Gradient of tones within the colors further provides a perception of textures. Using lighter tones on the foreground can
highlight the surfaces that are closest to the viewer. Layering darker tones in the background visually represents a surface that is more distant from the viewer. Using reflection is another technique used to generate depth, this can be accomplished by adding reflections to reflective surfaces such as glass. When illustrating a glass surface, the surface
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should delineate a translucent and soft representation of its surrounding environment such as trees, clouds, and/ or adjacent buildings. This technique provides a subliminal depiction of how close or far away objects within the environment are to the initial surface.
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Composite Site - Pencil, Ink, & Watercolor on Strathmore Watercolor Paper
Composite Perspective Sketch - Ink & Color Pencils on Canson Paper
Emotion The goal of the artist or architect is to engage the viewer with the drawing by using their imagination and elliciting an emotional response. For the viewer to experience emotion, the artist or architect needs to understand their emotional attachment to what they are drawing. It is the most diďŹƒcult part of the drawing process and it is critical for the creator
of the drawing to have an emotional attachment with the ideas, objects, forms, and concepts that are being drawn. The emotions from the artist or archtect should ulitmately be what the viewer absorbs.
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Conclusion Drawings are an important tool that can be used to express ideas and concepts. They are an intimate part of the design process that serves as a way to communicate with oneself and others. The various techniques and methods provided in this book are intended to assist an artist or architect with creating illustrations that will convey a sense of place. The creator of the drawing should consider why, when, where, and how a certain technique should be used and is encouraged to
develop additional techniques through practice and experience. He or she should always strive to understand their emotional attachment to the drawing as it has the biggest influence on getting an emotional response from the viewer. This book hopes to serve as a guide to improve an artist’s or architect’s mental and physical skills that would allow him or her to better communicate through the art of drawing.
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Dr. Frank Bosworth Drawing Toward Architecture 14 December 2012
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Ching, Francis D.K. Architectural Graphics, Fourth Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons , Inc, 2003. Ching’s book provides knowledge regarding graphic conventions and techniques along with explanations behind their use. His intent is to recognize graphics as a communication tool for designers to use. He teaches how to use graphic tools and drafting conventions to translate architectural ideas into visual representations. Ching’s forty years of experience along with having written seven other books has gained him recognition for elegant hand-rendered drawings. This along with his elaborated instructions and illustrations, provide techniques and theories on developing critical visual and manual skills that form the core of graphic communications. Ching’s lessons is descriptive and well researched. Graves, Michael. “Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing”. New York Times, September 1, 2012 < http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/opinion/sunday/ architecture-and-the-lost-art-of-drawing.html?pagewanted=all Graves articles concentrates on decline of the use of drawing within the field of architecture. Much of his concern is aimed at the increase of computer-aided design. He provides knowledge about different sketching types; the referential sketch, the preparatory study, and the definitive drawing, with the underlying argument that a drawing provides an instinctual connection and thought process that cannot be replicated by a computer. Graves is an architect and an emeritus professor at Princeton, awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1999, the AIA Gold Medal 2001, the AIA Topaz Medal in 2010, and the Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture in 2012. His vast experience and the use of drawings in the field of architecture can be recognized in his arguments throughout the article.
Doty, Sheri Lynn Boyer. “A Theory of Light and Shade”. Art Blog Instruction, January , 2009. < http://www.artinstructionblog.com/drawing- lesson-a-theory-of-light-and-shade The author provides an in-depth analysis of the significance of light and shade within art. Doty uses illustrations and theories describing the different values that light presents on an object and how that defines the depth being created within the drawing. She provides detailed information on the different types of shadows and how they can affect the mood of the drawing and trick the viewer into seeing depth. Doty also compares various historic works of arts, artists, and techniques, such as the Chiaroscuro that was perfected by Rembrandt, which have had a significant influence on understanding the effects of light and darkness in a piece of artwork. Doty teaches Fine Arts and Design at the Salt Lake Community College and Peterson’s Art center and has earned awards within regional, national and international art exhibitions. Her artwork can be found in numerous books including The Encyclopedia of Colored Pencil Techniques by Quarto Publishing, London England;Most of The Best of Colored Pencil series by Rockport Publishers, Creative Colored Pencil Techniques by Rockport Publishers, Creative Colored Pencil Portraits byri’s art work is included is Rockport Publishers and The Best of Portrait Painting by North Light Books, Dear Sisters by Covenant Communications Inc. Sheri’s artwork is published on book covers, in newspapers, periodicals, and exhibit catalogues. Her experience and talent can clearly be perceived and understood in her article.