SKETCHING SCANDINAVIA LISA WRONSKI
One day in May a few years back I was sitting in a narrow path on the island of Mykonos. Most of the “streets” on the Greek islands are only wide enough for scooters or walking pedestrians. That day in May was extremely windy, so I searched for a spot to sketch in-between buildings to provide some shelter from the wind. My colleagues were also all closeby, sketching the classic Greek Island architecture. One of the buildings caught my attention, and I sat down to draw. I had my micron pens and watercolors and began to capture the facade of the building - its two green doors, the one blue door, the stair that went along the side of the building, and the flower pots with the red flowers. About halfway through drawing, a man came out of the building that I was sitting in front of. At first I was afraid that he was going to scold me for loitering right in front of his house. However, I was quite wrong. The man came out and watched me draw for a bit. I started explaining what I was drawing, but it soon became apparent that he didn’t speak any English. So we communicated through drawing and gesturing. After he watched me for a few minutes, he ran back inside his house. He returned a few minutes later with a glass full of a thick liquid. It looked creamy, like some sort of milk. But it was darker than milk. He gave it to me. Before I had time to think twice about drinking a mysterious liquid that a stranger gave me, I took a sip. It tasted like almonds, and I gestured to the man that it was good. He was very pleased by this. I learned later, after doing some research, that this was a drink called Soumada, a traditional Greek drink. During this hour on the island of Mykonos, I created a sketch. However, this sketch now represents so much - it holds a personal memory, it tells an intimate story of two different cultures and people connecting, and it shows that art can be a language in itself. There is something about the physical process of sketching that people find fascinating. People really enjoy to watch others capture space with pens and pencils. People like to observe other people observing. It’s a phenomenon I’ve always been interested in, as you don’t see this with other mediums. For example, it’s not very interesting to watch someone do work on the computer. But sketching and hand-drawing can be a tool to connect people.
Sketch in Mykonos Watercolor and Pen May 2013
I have always sought to share and promote the importance of hand-drawing with my colleagues and others in the architecture field. As we develop more efficient and beneficial technology, it is easy to put down the pencil and rely on the computer. I believe that we are drifting away from an important tool, and we need to recognize that being able to hand-draw is actually a very necessary and important skill in order to be a good designer and communicator. The computer is changing the way that architects think and work, from the first steps of conceptualizing a project to the final result and visualization. We have “building information modeling� programs that allows us to compute our buildings. We have parametric programs that allows us to type in the specific parameters, and a design is created. I believe that we are relying too heavily on the computer, and are not truly being designers anymore. I realize that the computer can have extreme benefits to us as architects, especially when trying to visualize in the third dimension, but I think that there needs to still be a balance between our tactile creative processes and our virtual computer creations. I believe that it is critical to teach those who are just starting their architectural education that drawing is still very important. Instead of getting rid of the sketching tasks and the drawing courses, we need to have those just as we have AutoCAD and Revit courses. There needs to be a balance. I am hoping that, through sharing my sketching and hand-drawing experiences, I can inspire others to keep working on their hand-drawing skills. I did not develop these skills overnight, and I was not born with these skills. The drawings that I produce now are a result of years of practice and constant learning.
I flew to Oslo via Iceland. The plane to Iceland had rows of seats in a 2-3-2 pattern, and I shared a center row of three seats with a young man that was going home to Sweden. About an hour into the flight, the man asks me if we wanted to create “bunk beds” out of the row of seats. I didn’t know exactly what he meant, but said OK. He then pulled all the armrests up and said I could lay across the seats. He then crawled on the floor in the foot rest area and slept there. Needless to say it was one of the most luxurious international economy class seats you could get! When I arrived in Iceland, I had a brief layover. I met a fellow American in the waiting area there. His name was Clayton, and he was on his way to visit a friend in Oslo. He was used to traveling alone and making friends on the go, unlike myself. We hopped on the plane together and, a few hours later, we were in Oslo. We figured out how to get from the airport to the city center, and found the proper train. Clayton and I then went our separate ways, giving each other our contact information in case we wanted some American company. One of the first buildings that I sketched was the Oslo Opera House. It was designed by local firm Snohetta and was completed in 2007. It is most likely the first building people see when they exit the Oslo train station. It is truly a sight that I have not seen before - it is a very unique building that almost appears to rise right out of the water. The roof is entirely walkable - people look like little ants climbing up and down the exterior of the building. Although I was able to go inside for a bit, I found the exterior to be the most appealing to me. I sketched the exterior with watercolors and microns, and captured the typical cloudy Norwegian sky as well. Many other tourists stopped to look at my drawing, but not many of them spoke English so we did not verbally communicate. However, I think they were interested in the drawing process. It began to rain, so I packed up my art supplies and ran off to the apartment I was staying at.
Traveling alone was an experience that I have never done before. I quickly learned that this trip was going to be so much more important than just sketching and architecture to me - it was going to be about the people I met. The sketches were just part of the experience - the real beauty is the experiences that come from going out to sketch. I wanted to meet local Norwegians to share drawing tips and tricks and to sketch with them. I wanted to learn about Scandinavia from the locals. Therefore, I organized a series of meet-ups with local people in the cities that I visited. Although a few of the meet-ups were rained out, there were some excellent sketching days as well. One day I went out to sketch in Oslo with 4 other sketchers. It was interesting to learn that all of the sketchers were not from Norway, but rather other Scandinavian and European countries. They were all transplants just trying to find other people to sketch with. It was really interesting to learn why they had come to Oslo. A few of them had come for school and the others had come for work. They all enjoyed it very much, but missed their friends and families back home. The common language between everyone was English, so communicating was easy. It was fascinating to me to learn that most of them knew at least 2-3 languages, and some even knew 5-6. We shared techniques and tools. Most of them were pencil and pen drawers, so I showed them how to use color in their drawings. They were mainly interested in the watercolors and brush that I used. Most of my tools are travel-oriented and are smaller so that they are easier to carry around. I think that they learned a lot about different drawing techniques as I let them try out all my materials and tools. They showed me the city of Oslo and gave me a walking tour. They introduced me to areas of the city that I might not have gone to if they weren’t there to show me. We ended up sketching at a few locations, the last one being in the middle of a roundabout!
One day I decided to walk to the Snohetta office. Snohetta is an international firm that specializes in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and brand design. They have approximately 150 designers working on projects around the world. The headquarters and main office is located in Oslo, so I figured that I should visit the firm to learn about their design process. I was especially intrigued after visiting the Oslo Opera House, which Snohetta has received numerous awards for. They have completed numerous designs around the world, including a few projects in the States. I did not have a connection to Snohetta, so I essentially lingered around the front door until someone let me inside. I then told them who I was and why I was in Oslo, and they graciously took me around their office on a tour. Their office was organized in an interesting way - they had rows of seats and computers where people worked side-by-side of each other. In the center of the office was the library and lounge space, where the architects could sit down, collaborate, and research. There was a lofted space upstairs that contained different private offices as well as conference rooms. Additionally, there was a kitchen and dining area as well as a woodshop where the models were created. Just like other larger firms, there is a designated model-maker in the office who works in the woodshop all day long. It was very interesting to stop in and see a Norwegian architecture firm. I was thankful that they were willing to show me around. Although we did not speak much about the role of sketching in their firm, I could tell that it still has a place there as there was trace paper and sketches pinned up on the walls.
One day I went to the National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design with a new friend I had made during the sketching meet-up. She was a businesswoman, but always had an interest in architecture and interior design. She and I met up at the front of the museum and then headed inside to explore. One architect that I was able to learn a lot about was Sverre Fehn. He is one of the most notable Norwegian architects. He was greatly influenced by the vernacular architecture of Morocco. Fehn helped form the Norwegian branch of CIAM (International Congress of Modern Architecture) called PAGON, which stood for Progressive Architects Group Oslo Norway. These architects were very interested in creating architecture with materials and language of the region. Fehn believed that the most important part about architecture was the construction and use of materials. He thought a lot about materiality and how different materials worked together. I was not planning on spending much time in museums during my travels because I wanted to focus on sketching. However, my mentality changed as I realized that it was important to really learn about the cities and countries that I was visiting in order to know what I was sketching. I wanted to learn as much about the Scandinavian architects and architecture as I possibly could.
After visiting some museums, I found a lovely plaza to sketch in. Below is a panorama picture that shows how the buildings surround the center fountain. I sat here and sketched for a while until the sun set. I was very lucky to have the sun out and not many clouds because typically these northern countries are in shadows and darkness for most of the year. I focused on drawing one section of a building and sketched it out in pen first. I typically use microns because they are water resistant. Then I went over it in watercolor in order to capture the colors of the building. The plaza was pretty empty, and only a few people passed by me. Not many people were very interested in talking to me here, as they all had destinations to get to and people to see. It was peaceful, however, to be by a fountain of water. The sound was soothing. I loved finding these little pockets and plazas in the Scandinavian countries. I feel as though this is a very European-thing to have. In the States, for example, there really aren’t many plazas. The few that exist are typically in front of really important buildings, not just “regular� buildings like apartments and cafes.
Instead of taking taxis or public transportation, I forced myself to walk pretty much everywhere I went while traveling. This meant that sometimes I would walk up to 14 or so miles in a day. Although this is tiring and I didn’t get to my set destinations in the most timely matter, I was able to see everyday life in the cities I visited. I saw buildings and people that I normally would not have seen. I recommend everyone who travels to take the slow path and to soak it all it. You do not have to rush to get to particular destinations, and chances are you will run into even more special locations along the way if you walk. As I walked from place to place, I occasionally stopped to take pictures and to sketch the buildings that I passed. These are not any sort of extraordinary buildings by any means, but they do represent the everyday life in Scandinavia. Sometimes, in a new country, you get a set of fresh eyes where everything is special, even the normal, everyday architecture.
I never have an exact plan of where I will go to or what exactly I will be sketching. I let things fall into place when I get to them. I may have a general idea of the particular things that are important to see, or good areas of a city, but I try to explore without a map or guidelines as much as possible. This building stood out to me. I came across it while exploring the western coast of Norway. It was a corner building that was located right off the port. I found a bench that perfectly faced the corner of the building. During this sketch, I forced myself to not get as detailed or line-focused as I normally get. I drew the building and tried to capture the shadows with watercolors instead of hatching. I think that it was really effective, and I liked how this drawing turned out.
Although I usually like to keep my sketches on their own individual pages, I do occasionally run off onto the next page. I think that sometimes we have to force ourselves to get uncomfortable and to do things that we normally would not do. This “full page spread� really shows the height of this building.
One of the reasons that I wanted to visit Scandinavian countries was because I was attracted to their colorful port cities. I sketched a series of their colorful buildings, a few examples of which are on the left. These buildings now contain shops and retail on the first floor, and apartments above. Color is something that is not necessarily embraced by the States, in my opinion. Most of the cities are made of of steel, glass, and gray-ness. There are a few cities that are an exception, such as San Francisco. However, as a whole, we are not known for colorful, bold architecture. Therefore, it was inspiring to visit these cities and to see other artists depict their colorful buildings as well.
So what do I see for the future of drawing? Is hand-drawing necessary for architects? Do we have to have a pen and paper, or will everything be on the computer from now on? Do we even need to learn how to hand draw? This trip has only further emphasized the fact that hand-drawing is of critical importance. The point is not to make nice drawings, in fact that’s not the point at all. The point is to see, it’s to capture a moment, and it’s to learn about new places through your eyes and hands. It’s mental, and is part of the learning process. In order to be a good architect, you have to be able to see and understand how things work. This is a skill, it is not just something that comes naturally. You have to learn and practice it. Now we can hand-draw on tablets and other sorts of computers. To me, it is still best to get out a pen and paper. There is nothing that can mimic the exact tactile feeling of touching your pen in your hand on your paper. However, I do see how it can be beneficial or convenient to carry an iPad around and sketch with it. I tried it out a few times on my trip. Although I was still getting used to using the Apple Pencil and the app, I can see that it could be a good tool to use. In all, I highly recommend that everyone gets out and travels. See new things. Capture it in your experiences, in your photos, and in your sketchbooks. Keep practicing.