Freehand Drawing and Discovery E-Book

James Richards

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 174

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Features access to video tutorials!

Designed to help architects, planners, and landscape architects use freehand sketching to quickly and creatively generate design concepts, Freehand Drawing and Discovery uses an array of cross-disciplinary examples to help readers develop their drawing skills. Taking a "both/and" approach, this book provides step-by-step guidance on drawing tools and techniques and offers practical suggestions on how to use these skills in conjunction with digital tools on real-world projects. Illustrated with nearly 300 full color drawings, the book includes a series of video demonstrations that reinforces the sketching techniques.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

A Note on the Contributors

Acknowledgments

Part 1: Learning a Language

Chapter 1: The Freehand Renaissance

Influences

Art and Technology

Chapter 2: Nine Keys to Exploratory Drawing

Simplify Tools

Simplify Message

Work Small

Simplify Technique

Attack the Drawing

Draw People First

Pull It Together with Darks

Leave It Loose

Chapter 3: Elements and Entourage

People

Vehicles

Trees, Shrubs, Groundcovers

Rock and Landforms

Water

Furnishings

Sky

Chapter 4: Creating Believable Worlds

Perspective: What You Really Need to Know

Creating Depth: Foreground, Middle Ground, Background

Building Up Color

Part 2: Urban Sketching

Chapter 5: Urban Sketching as Creative Fuel

Chapter 6: Capturing the Place

Tools

Subject Matter

Editing

To Color or Not to Color?

Part 3: Concept Sketching

Chapter 7: Capturing the Idea

Sketching over Digital Bases

Chapter 8: Digital Sketching—Drawing Without Limits

The Vision

The Reality

Chapter 9: What’s Next?

Practice

Collect

Copy

Keep the Well Filled

Index

Cover Illustration courtesy of James Richards

Cover Design: Michael Rutkowski

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Richards, James, 1955-

Freehand drawing and discovery : urban sketching and concept drawing for designers / James Richards.

pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-23210-1 (cloth); 978-1-118-41946-5 (ebk); 978-1-118-42120-8 (ebk); 978-1-118-43388-1 (ebk); 978-1-118-47995-7 (ebk); 978-1-118-47997-1 (ebk); 978-1-118-63566-7 (ebk); 978-1-118-63567-4 (ebk)

1. Architectural drawing--Technique. 2. Cities and towns in art. I. Title.

NA2708.R53 2013

720.28’4--dc23

2012025750

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

On location at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Farmer’s market concept sketch for urban design study.

This work and the creative journey that led to it could not have been done without the love and support of my wife and best friend, Patti. This book is for her.

Foreword

In the village of Oia, Santorini, Greece.

I first met Jim Richards in the summer of 2011 in Lisbon, at the Second International Urban Sketching Symposium sponsored by the Urban Sketchers group. Before then, I had already been acquainted with and admired from afar his beautifully rendered drawings, his sure hand, and his skillful eye for composition and detail. But, as is so often the case, physical artifacts become much more real when you meet their maker. Not only did Jim’s drawings become more alive in Lisbon but also now, I can hear him speaking in this introduction to freehand drawing.

Street furnishings.

Drawing, like the ancient Roman god Janus, has two faces. One looks to the past, at what already exists, when we draw on location from direct observation. Even though we are in the moment, as soon as we turn our gaze from the subject to the blank page or to the drawing in progress, we have to rely on our visual memory of what we have seen. In drawing on location, we do not have to restrict ourselves to the perspective views typified by travel postcards, although these are the most tempting to replicate. In lieu of recording the optical images before us, we can use the drawing process to gain understanding, insight, and perhaps even inspiration.

The other face of drawing looks to the future, what does not yet exist except in our mind’s eye. This is what we do when we design, externalizing our ideas so that we can act on them, whether with a pen on paper or with digital tools on the computer monitor. This kind of drawing stimulates the mind and can make visible aspects that cannot be seen by the naked eye nor captured through the lens of a camera. In this way, we can use the drawing process to figure things out on paper, thinking not only with the pen or pencil but with the head as well.

Concept sketch for a downtown gateway obelisk.

As Jim rightly points out in this book, these two faces of drawing are related. The things we learn about our environment when we draw on location help us as we imagine, draw, and design the future.

While I share Jim’s passion for drawing, we each have different approaches. I view my drawings as being much messier than Jim’s and he uses more precise linework, values, and textures in his work. This is as it should be. As he so eloquently points out, “one’s persona always emerges in a sketch. Your sketches won’t look like mine, or mine like yours. That’s beautiful.” So while this book is full of beautiful drawings, don’t let the mastery that they embody intimidate you and prevent your learning to draw if you are a beginner, or continuing to draw, if you are already a designer or sketcher. Anyone can learn to draw, and this book is an excellent way to enter the satisfying world of freehand drawing.

Frank Ching

Preface

The first drawings weren’t very good, really. I had been led to undergraduate studies in landscape architecture and urban design by my love of drawing. Looking at sketches made in my first years at LSU, it’s apparent that my sketching ability had no where to go but up.

Yet here I was, drawing, and thinking, and drawing more, and receiving college credits for it! Design and design thinking were realms where not only was drawing encouraged, it could serve higher purposes of effecting change and enhancing lives. We were changing the world with freehand visions, and there was no turning back.

With excellent teachers, generous classmates, and mountains of project work, drawing became a very natural second language to me. To my surprise and relief, I realized over time that in sketching, mastery isn’t requisite. In fact, a preoccupation with perfection may be the greatest enemy of the freshness and spontaneity that characterize great sketches. I learned that freehand sketching isn’t about photographic realism. It isn’t about art, per se. It’s more about authenticity. It’s about being in the moment, honestly recording what’s in front of you or in your mind’s eye, and gaining a deeper awareness and appreciation of your subject or idea. Mostly, it’s about experiencing the joy of the creative dance of the mind, eye, and hand.

The Palais Garnier, Paris.

Freehand sketching isn’t about art, per se. It’s more about authenticity.

Something of one’s persona always emerges in a sketch. Your sketches won’t look like mine, or mine like yours. That’s beautiful. A great sketch is an unself-conscious fusion of pen and place and personality. It will have its own unique creative energy, reflective of its subject and its maker. And if you don’t draw it, that unique expression won’t be voiced.

Seeing sketching as a window into one’s personal creativity underscores its value in an age when digital tools so thoroughly dominate design education. I was recently asked in an interview for a Turkish magazine whether “crayons or computers” were the essential tool for design students. I responded that the essential tools were openness, imagination, and the creative impulse. Then, the question becomes, how does one nurture and develop creative capacity? At the beginning of the creative process, one needs to be able to generate a lot of ideas quickly, and to be able to record and communicate a flow of ideas as they occur. Spontaneous freehand sketching remains the most efficient and effective way to do that. Very soon afterward, it’s critical to be able to quickly explore various aspects of concepts in three dimensions and in increasingly greater levels of detail. These are applications where digital programs are indispensable. The best designers in many creative fields—architecture, graphic design, advertising, filmmaking—have learned to merge the advantages of computer technology and workflow with the speed, creative flexibility, and emotional connection of hand drawing. The wisdom lies in using the tools and techniques that are most appropriate for where you are in the creative process.

Entrance to campus building.

In reflecting on the path that’s brought me to writing this book, it became clear in hindsight that my career has unfolded in thirds, and drawing has been central to each. The “first third” was about becoming a design professional—securing a position, learning from mentors, assuming creative and management responsibility for projects, achieving a measure of recognition from peers. Frankly, drawing my way through that phase of my career (whether invited to or not) probably played a significant role in landing great jobs, getting my work noticed, and in affording me professional opportunities that may have been harder to accomplish otherwise.

The “second third” was about moving beyond established career tracks and disciplinary bounds and learning to trust my creative instincts. I started my own firms to focus on my passions for cities, design, and drawing. Travel and drawing became the fuel for a journey of self-discovery, resulting in the development of project work, writing, and a discipline of sketching that helped me find my own creative voice.

Aerial sketch for urban design guidelines.

The “third third” has become about helping others find their creative voice—sharing hard-won lessons I have learned about using drawing and other means to record impressions and explore ideas that result in change. And the best teaching I can offer at the outset is this: Jump in. Pick up whatever notebook or business card or scrap of paper is within reach, and begin making marks, just for the pure joy of it. There’s a reason writers, artists, and designers carry notebooks and sketchbooks. There’s the convenience of being able to record a fleeting impression or idea. But just as importantly—perhaps more so—it becomes a portal to a stream of creative thought. In my experience, drawing is a gate through which we can enter the stream, and let it carry us along where it will. When truly in connection with that stream and tapped into its flow, we lose a sense of time, its ideas move through us, and we become a medium through which the dreams living there become visible.

The last thing we want when recording or communicating our impressions is for inhibition or lack of a few basic drawing skills to get in the way. My aim with this book is to give you tools to transcend that hesitation, and to make freehand sketching an unselfconscious joy and a valuable tool on your own journey of self-discovery.

Start now. On this page, if you like. Don’t wait to find a picturesque scene to record, or for “inspiration” to strike. Move the hand. The mind and imagination will follow.

A Note on the Contributors

I’m very grateful for the richness of imagery and the diversity of drawing styles my contributors bring to this effort. They represent a range of disciplines and interests, but share a passion for seeking out the truth of a place through sketching, and celebrate the seminal role it plays in their creative process. Because they represent different backgrounds, experiences, and parts of the world, they each have their own distinctive voice. I’ve chosen not to heavily edit their narrative styles for the sake of consistency, but rather to let the reader meet them through their own words, unique personalities, and views of drawing.

St. Peter’s Square, The Vatican.

Acknowledgments

This book could not have been written as a solo endeavor. It was co-written with the help of what American mythologist Joseph Campbell referred to as “Unseen Hands,” and undoubtedly my strongest contribution was in trying to stay out of the way of that unfolding creative process. But just as importantly, there have been very active teachers, supporters, friends, and family whose influence has left an indelible stamp on me and this work.

I recall that while a kid in New Orleans, my parents, Jim and Mary Richards, openly worried (only partly in jest) that I might end up with a beret and goatee hawking paintings and living on Lucky Dogs in Jackson Square. Yet they loved me unconditionally, kept me stocked with art supplies, sought out lessons, and later encouraged me to pursue drawing and design with the same focus on excellence and leadership that they insisted my brothers and I bring to any endeavor. And the personal and professional accomplishments of those four brothers—Larry, Dave, Don, and Steve—have always kept the bar high. I’m grateful beyond words for that foundation.

My TOWNSCAPE co-founder and partner Dennis Wilson has extended friendship, support, and encouragement to pursue creative directions that required him to cover my flank on countless occasions. Our associate Wade Miller has likewise been an indispensible supporter and advisor. To them, and to our clients and collaborators, I extend my heartfelt thanks.

Panorama, Malaga, Spain, by Luis Ruiz. Luis Ruiz Padrón

The Duomo in Florence, Italy, seen from Piazzale Michelangelo. Micron .5 ink pen and watercolor, 8 in. × 10 in.

The Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy.

I likely would not be writing these words without the mentorship and guidance of Lake Douglas, who saw the potential for this book in my heap of workshop materials, coached me through the proposal process, and introduced me to Senior Editor Margaret Cummins of John Wiley & Sons. Margaret’s encouragement to reach beyond my own vision helped set an ambitious course for this work. The professionalism, guidance, and encouragement of my editor, Lauren Poplawski, has been the bridge between that vision and the book you hold in your hands.

My contributors have added tremendous depth and richness to the work. I’m indebted to Frank Ching, Christy Ten Eyck, Michael Vergason, Kim Perry, Luis Ruiz, Kevin Sloan, Gabi Campanario, Liz Steel, Bob Hopewell, Tadao Ando, Asnee Tasna, Paul Wang, Benedetta Dossi, Mark McMahon, John Lavin, and Harley Jessup for their talent and thoughtful contributions. Thanks to the Alvar Aalto Museum for its assistance. I’m especially grateful to my friend Bob Chipman, whose talent, intellectual curiosity, and personal dedication to the advancement of landscape architecture has resulted in his generous contribution to Chapter 8.

I’ve been blessed with extraordinary teachers. The influence of the late Robert S. “Doc” Reich—teacher, mentor, and friend—is so pervasive as to defy easy description, but at its core, Doc’s was a gift of awareness that taught me and thousands like me to delight in a breathtakingly beautiful world that few take time to see. Max Conrad personally initiated me into the ongoing adventure of world travel, without which my work and worldview could never have come together as richly as they have. James Turner taught me to look beyond arbitrary divisions between art, design, and professionalism, and to claim them all as aspects of a full, creative life. Many others have provided well-timed, not-so-subtle nudges to keep me on a path of professional and creative growth.

My mentors and later fellow principals at Johnson, Johnson and Roy (now SmithGroup/JJR)—Clarence Roy, Dale Sass, Carl Johnson, and Jim Christman—patiently taught me a philosophy of design drawing and visual thinking that provided a foundation for many of the lessons shared here. Many of these lessons were perhaps best articulated and exemplified by Bill Johnson, whose consistently amazing drawings and paintings continue to dazzle and inspire me. Lawrence W. Speck, a valued friend and collaborator of Johnson Johnson and Roy, was a seminal influence in design thinking and the symbiotic relationship between teaching and practice.

Concept sketch for a transit station shelter.

A great number of generous spirits have provided grounding and support, and made sure I never took myself too seriously. My thanks to Sam Lolan, Jack Fry, Jim Anderson, Earl Thornton, Stewart Wren, Tim Orlando, Alan and Marianne Mumford, Chris Miller, Mike and Debbie Paolini, Mike and Rita Grogan, Jeff Williams, Chuck McDaniel, Ace Torre, Gary Hilderbrand, Chip Sullivan, Charles Birnbaum, Taner Ozdil, Kate Matthews, Rebecca Venn, Mary Minton, Tim Oliver, Kathy Bailey, Don Gatzke, Pat Taylor, Chris Flagg, Kurt Culbertson, Sergio Santana, Jonny “Waffle” Stouffer, Tim Baldwin, Vic Baxter, Michael and Leslie Versen, Sadik Artunc, Bill and Ashley Reich, Michael Robinson, Van Cox, Tony Catchot, Mike and Dorothy Tejada, Steve and Kaye Gumm, Stephanie Main, Evelyn Utke, Lynn Miller, Fran Beatty, Mark Boyer, Judy Brittenum, Diane Collier, Lara Moffat, Chunling Wu, Dana Brown, Bill Thompson, Paul Nieratko, Fr. Damien Thompson, Tim Bruster, Susan Hatchell, and Yasin Çağatay Seçkin. Special thanks to my creative coach and spiritual advisor, Bruce “Big Daddy” Hearn.

Throughout my career, my best barometers for whether or not a thought or drawing moved forward or ended up on the cutting room floor have been my daughters, Jessica Richards Paolini and Cassie Richards. If they were excited about a place I envisioned and drew, I was excited. As kids they accompanied me to meetings, on road trips, and with Patti and I to study and draw cities around the world. I’m grateful for their love, patience, and adventurous spirits. My son-in-law, Michael Paolini, is likewise a rock in my life, and a valued sounding board for gauging the creative heft of an idea.

Finally, I want to offer gratitude to my grandson, Michael James Paolini, eight months old at this writing, in whose laughter and unbridled joy I see the hopes and dreams of the future. As Satchmo sang, “What a wonderful world.”

Part 1

Learning a Language

This waterfront scene achieves an illusion of depth through one-point perspective and creation of a foreground, middle ground, and background. Loose line quality, color, and people in motion add life and energy to the sketch.

Chapter One

The Freehand Renaissance

Figure 1.1: The author’s annotated sketch highlights key planning and design attributes of an urban village.

Figure 1.2: A striking on-the-spot sketch from Rome by urban sketcher and illustrator Benedetta Dossi.

Something’s happening here. Concurrent with the rise of stunning digital technology and computer imagery, online groups dedicated to freehand sketching are proliferating at a startling pace.

Figure 1.3: Architect and urban sketcher Asnee Tasna’s on-the-spot sketch of Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong junction, sketched from the comfort of a posh restaurant where he was spared from the heat and traffic.

Attendance in hand-drawing classes, declining in recent years, is surging. Creative compositions blending lively hand drawings with digital imagery crop up all around us in retail interiors, print ads, book jackets for bestsellers, and website design. On-site design charrettes requiring quick sketching of rapidly evolving ideas have become the norm in town planning practice, and the rapid freehand storyboarding techniques of filmmaking are finding their way into the creative processes of cutting-edge architects and urban designers. The 2003 MOMA exhibition “Drawing Now: Eight Propositions” argued for “the renewed importance of drawing in the discourse of recent contemporary art,” marking a moment “when drawing has become a primary mode of expression for the most inventive and influential artists of the time.”

We are witnessing a pendulum swing from oversaturation with digital imagery to a newfound appreciation for the immediacy and freshness of hand drawing and the emotional response it triggers.