contour drawing

The next assignment from Freehand Sketching: An Introduction, by Paul Laseau is to begin drawing crumpled paper. The thought process is that you don't already have a symbolic image for this item stored in your brain, so you won't be able to draw without looking - "these exercises train your eye to believe what you see as you try to map that in a drawing."

"Remember to allow yourself the luxury of looking very carefully..." - Paul Laseau.

Art by Architects

work by Nancy Gong

Last week, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to participate in my first art show! The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester was the site of the Rochester AIA's annual holiday party and of much great work, food and conversation.

Initially, i was just disproportionately pleased to have a deadline for finally finishing one of the many collage / sculpture pieces in development in my studio. But once I got to enjoy things like learning how to hang art work in a gallery, and seeing all the inspiring work around me, I realized the show was much more than a deadline.

I've featured "color :: line :: structure" before, and it has a special place in my heart.

 




This is Vistas Within - the new piece, which has long been in development.



A silent auction was held at this show, to benefit the new Architecture Foundation of Greater Rochester. Vistas Within was offered for sale, and I was again disproportionately pleased - to find my first piece of artwork being purchased for display in someone else's life! It truly feels like I've crossed a threshold and what a double reward to have contributed to a cause that I believe in while I'm at it.

freehand sketching

As part of my "learn to draw" campaign, I took advantage of the much appreciated Inter Library Loan program and pulled down as many books as I could muster on the art of drawing, preferably for Architects. Freehand Sketching: An Introduction, by Paul Laseau has been a real pleasure.

I'm hoping to own this book soon, as I've decided to take it slow, and actually focus on absorbing each lesson. Paul writes in such an accessible tone that I find myself calling him Paul, as you may note in the annotations to some of the sketches - if you can read my scribbles!

From the introduction: "Freehand sketching provides an important tool for investigating and understanding existing and potential solutions to problems of our physical environment, such as lack of viable public social space or disorganized pedestrian and vehicular movement." ... "The immediacy and informality of freehand sketching supports a relaxed and fluid conversation..."

The book really got me thinking about things that school tried to teach me, or failed to teach me, or that I need to teach myself. It resonated for me along the lines of my inquiries into what it takes - or what I can do - to become a talented designer. A particular point of Laseau's that I appreciated has to do with the reasons for sketching, and the mentality which can better help you determine what "success" might mean - spoiler: it's not necessarily "to produce admirable drawings that provide a sense of accomplishment." Though that would be appreciated, the real purpose is to immerse yourself in a joyful, and advancing, process.

In Chapter One, Basic Skills, we explore the process of contour drawing. The first assignment is to draw your hand, so here are my daily efforts over the course of a week. It was incredibly convincing to begin developing technique - and noting improvement - over such a short time, and that's why you'll continue to see a weekly study series until the library demands this book be returned!

"More time should be spend watching the subject than checking the emerging drawing. Remember that it is the process, not the result, that counts." - Paul Laseau.

November = practice, practice, practice

I often sketch in my notebooks, but as the result of many things I've read, heard and thought lately, I decided to make a particular effort to draw on a daily basis. The goal is to improve - perhaps I'll eventually draw more quickly or more beautifully, but always the point is to capture the ESSENCE of whatever I was observing. 

sometimes I drew from thinking, other times from inspirational sources like Arch Daily and still more often from what was right in front of me. It was a little depressing to draw from the random Vogue magazine I inexplicably received, for philosophical reasons perhaps not worth exploring... once I got into drawing from my National Geographic's, however, it felt more my speed. That actually gained quite a bit of momentum, so we'll see more of the series in a future post.

I was so pleased with the increased energy level and creativity I associated with all this extra drawing, that I incorporated it into my daily "diary" pages that help me keep track of appointments and commitments, and are kept open on my desk most of the day.

Then I was so pleased with that result, that I revamped the template to encourage even more drawing and daily reflection on quality design, images and objects:
























What's your sketching habit?