Observational sketches Project:Observational sketch Observational drawing is an important part of the design Location:Chichester,UK process.Careful observation allows us to first absorb Designer:Paul Craven Bartle Date:2007 and then comprehend what we see.To represent this in a drawing is a leamned skill. This observational sketch is a perspective view,but it also To produce an observational drawing first requires an initial describes the scale and the massing period of concentration and analysis.It is important to take of the buildings in the street.The use of watercolours suggests the colours the time to really 'see'.Look carefully at the subject;if it is a and textures of the building materials street scene or building look at it in terms of its underlying and the context of the street.Placing structure or layout as this will help allow a'plan'to be outlines of figures in the foreground of the drawing provides the sketch established for the drawing.Before you put pen to paper with a sense of scale. consider how your drawing sits on the page and what techniques you will use to render or colour the image.The composition of the observational image on the page is key
C M Y K T Cheryl Basic Architecture Upon approval Please sign: Name and Date: 001-033 chapter 1cw (7).qxd 8/15/07 2:34 PM Page 22 Observational drawing is an important part of the design process. Careful observation allows us to first absorb and then comprehend what we see. To represent this in a drawing is a learned skill. To produce an observational drawing first requires an initial period of concentration and analysis. It is important to take the time to really ‘see’. Look carefully at the subject; if it is a street scene or building look at it in terms of its underlying structure or layout as this will help allow a ‘plan’ to be established for the drawing. Before you put pen to paper consider how your drawing sits on the page and what techniques you will use to render or colour the image. The composition of the observational image on the page is key. Project: Observational sketch Location: Chichester, UK Designer: Paul Craven Bartle Date: 2007 This observational sketch is a perspective view, but it also describes the scale and the massing of the buildings in the street. The use of watercolours suggests the colours and textures of the building materials and the context of the street. Placing outlines of figures in the foreground of the drawing provides the sketch with a sense of scale. Observational sketches Sketch 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 10/11/07 2:05 PM Page 22
22123 Project:Travel sketch Location:Venice,Italy Designer:Jeremy Davies Date:2006 As well as capturing the space within and buildings surrounding St Marks Square (in the Italian city of Venice)in great detail,this observational sketch also captures the activities within, and use of,the area.This travel sketch captures the city's famous annual camival,when the city's residents parade in colourful masks and vibrant costumes.As much as the buildings,the detail of the people and their costumes explain the place. The buildings are a defining background to the sketch. Framing the sketch To construct a good observational sketch,visualise the entire view and 'frame'your subject so that it becomes a separate image from everything around it.Deciding what is important about your sketch,for example,determining those elements of the view that will form the focus of your drawing,is crucial. Use guidelines to establish your framework.These guides may be a horizontal or vertical axis or other form of reference line on the page.Squares,circles or other geometric figures can also be used as guides and will help regularise your sketch.By gradually laying these guides on the paper you will be able to organise and place your view and in doing so help your drawing develop. When the framework for the sketch has been established,it serves as an outline for the view.Take the time to check that this outline is correct.It may need to be adjusted to get the proportion and distances right. Once the framework is correctly established,more line layers can be incorporated to develop detail in the drawing.At each point of addition the accuracy needs to be checked in order to ensure that the observational integrity of the drawing remains intact.Once all the lines are in place,tone,texture and colour can all be added to the sketch.It is important to 'build'drawings in this way,so that each stage is clear and if there are difficulties with proportion,scale or detail the image can be modified accordingly,again to keep the representation 'true
C M Y K T Cheryl Basic Architecture Upon approval Please sign: Name and Date: 001-033 chapter 1cw (7).qxd 8/15/07 2:34 PM Page 23 Project: Travel sketch Location: Venice, Italy Designer: Jeremy Davies Date: 2006 As well as capturing the space within and buildings surrounding St Marks Square (in the Italian city of Venice) in great detail, this observational sketch also captures the activities within, and use of, the area. This travel sketch captures the city’s famous annual carnival, when the city’s residents parade in colourful masks and vibrant costumes. As much as the buildings, the detail of the people and their costumes explain the place. The buildings are a defining background to the sketch. Framing the sketch To construct a good observational sketch, visualise the entire view and ‘frame’ your subject so that it becomes a separate image from everything around it. Deciding what is important about your sketch, for example, determining those elements of the view that will form the focus of your drawing, is crucial. Use guidelines to establish your framework. These guides may be a horizontal or vertical axis or other form of reference line on the page. Squares, circles or other geometric figures can also be used as guides and will help regularise your sketch. By gradually laying these guides on the paper you will be able to organise and place your view and in doing so help your drawing develop. When the framework for the sketch has been established, it serves as an outline for the view. Take the time to check that this outline is correct. It may need to be adjusted to get the proportion and distances right. Once the framework is correctly established, more line layers can be incorporated to develop detail in the drawing. At each point of addition the accuracy needs to be checked in order to ensure that the observational integrity of the drawing remains intact. Once all the lines are in place, tone, texture and colour can all be added to the sketch. It is important to ‘build’ drawings in this way, so that each stage is clear and if there are difficulties with proportion, scale or detail the image can be modified accordingly, again to keep the representation ‘true’. 22 | 23 Analytical sketches › Observational sketches › Sketchbooks 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 10/11/07 2:08 PM Page 23
Sketchbooks Sketchbooks are containers of design information and can take many forms in order to suit different ways of thinking.Sometimes they serve as a kind of'aide- memoire'to help record and pinpoint specific details, or they can be used to track the broader development process of a scheme. Mon ed Auin MOyiAGE LAAtG 28 联林
C M Y K T Cheryl Basic Architecture Upon approval Please sign: Name and Date: 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 9/2/07 1:13 PM Page 24 Sketchbooks are containers of design information and can take many forms in order to suit different ways of thinking. Sometimes they serve as a kind of ‘aidemémoire’ to help record and pinpoint specific details, or they can be used to track the broader development process of a scheme. Sketchbooks Sketch 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 10/11/07 2:08 PM Page 24
24|25 Design diaries A design diary is a sketchbook that is updated daily with thoughts,references and ideas.As the name suggests, the key point here is that it is treated like a diary and is personal,honest and complete.Some ideas in a design diary will be quickly recorded and never referred to again,while others will have more value and be reworked,developed and enhanced. By virtue of its nature,a design diary collects ideas and drawings chronologically.Doing so allows concepts to be referenced over time and provides a record of how a project develops and evolves.At certain points it may be necessary to pause,reflect and reconsider the design direction. A design diary allows the process of the project to be traced back as a lineage of design development. Project:Design diary Designer:Adam Heike Date:2005 This page from a student design diary has composite images created from overlaid sketches,models and drawings of a design proposal. The images also contain research references.The range of different photographs and sketches explain the thinking behind the architectural idea and have been collaged together to create an overview of the idea's development
C M Y K T Cheryl Basic Architecture Upon approval Please sign: Name and Date: 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 9/2/07 1:12 PM Page 25 Project: Design diary Designer: Adam Heike Date: 2005 This page from a student design diary has composite images created from overlaid sketches, models and drawings of a design proposal. The images also contain research references. The range of different photographs and sketches explain the thinking behind the architectural idea and have been collaged together to create an overview of the idea’s development. Design diaries A design diary is a sketchbook that is updated daily with thoughts, references and ideas. As the name suggests, the key point here is that it is treated like a diary and is personal, honest and complete. Some ideas in a design diary will be quickly recorded and never referred to again, while others will have more value and be reworked, developed and enhanced. By virtue of its nature, a design diary collects ideas and drawings chronologically. Doing so allows concepts to be referenced over time and provides a record of how a project develops and evolves. At certain points it may be necessary to pause, reflect and reconsider the design direction. A design diary allows the process of the project to be traced back as a lineage of design development. 24 | 25 Observational sketches › Sketchbooks › Experimental techniques 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 10/11/07 2:09 PM Page 25
Sketchbooks 0 Research sketchbooks A research sketchbook is a collection of ideas and references surrounding a particular aspect of the design concept (for example,the use of a particular material within the scheme),allowing the element to be investigated,developed and shaped into its final form.The research may be recorded as notes,photographs,photocopies or web images,as well as sketches. A research notebook will usually contain the results of research and investigation that are beyond the scope of the project in question.This means that research sketchbooks are a useful resource and can suggest new ideas for application in other contexts.For example,a particular building material or process that is thought to be relevant in one scheme may ultimately prove to be unsuitable.However, it could contribute to a future project or idea.This means that all investigations in research sketchbooks are valid and so it is crucial to record and archive them
C M Y K T Cheryl Basic Architecture Upon approval Please sign: Name and Date: 001-033 chapter 1cw (7).qxd 8/15/07 2:35 PM Page 26 Research sketchbooks A research sketchbook is a collection of ideas and references surrounding a particular aspect of the design concept (for example, the use of a particular material within the scheme), allowing the element to be investigated, developed and shaped into its final form. The research may be recorded as notes, photographs, photocopies or web images, as well as sketches. A research notebook will usually contain the results of research and investigation that are beyond the scope of the project in question. This means that research sketchbooks are a useful resource and can suggest new ideas for application in other contexts. For example, a particular building material or process that is thought to be relevant in one scheme may ultimately prove to be unsuitable. However, it could contribute to a future project or idea. This means that all investigations in research sketchbooks are valid and so it is crucial to record and archive them. Sketchbooks Sketch 001-033_R+T_1stp_SN.qxd 10/11/07 2:11 PM Page 26