drawing as research?

This drawing is a series of sketches I made for my last Architecture project, which was located on the south bank of the Clyde in Govan.  My brief was to design a sea- plane terminal.  Throughout the design process, I explored the idea of 'journey' and was keen to consider not only the immediate context of the building, but also the approach to the site.  

These quick pencil sketches are quite rough and were done as part of an investigation into the journey to the site.  Rather than one or two more detailed drawings, I decided to do a series of sketches as I thought it would be an efficient way to depict the approach over a period of time.  I was able to quickly record how the surrounding buildings along the journey move in and out of sight, and at which points along the route my proposed terminal would be visible.  I chose to shade darker areas and overemphasise the contrast be leaving out mid tones in order to study the effect of light and shadow.  

I found these drawings were more helpful to look at when considering the journey throughout the development of my scheme, than say detailed measurements or more technical sketches/drawings.  I would say that as a piece of research the drawing was effective as it allowed me to filter out the unnecessary information that would be present if I had photographed the same route, and focus only on the aspects of the approach that were relevant to my research.   

In Architecture, drawing is used to convey an idea. During the design stage, sketches and diagrams are essential, as each structure starts from a doodle. With time each line gains meaning. The line transforms to a dimension, then a form, texture and material. The objective of each architect is to present a drawing or series of drawings that is legible without requiring any further oral or written explanation. Therefore, the most difficult task is to choose the right images- sections, plans, perspectives and combine them with the appropriate technique, all against time. 

Personally, the hardest moment is just before the first line is drawn in a new sketchbook. I usually begin with writing notes or accumulate ideas about a project in my head, leaving sketching to a later stage. This is probably due to the lack of belief in my drawing skills. I sometimes feel that a sketch begins to warp the initial idea, mostly taking it in the opposite direction. For me, model making is the better solution, probably because I tend to think of objects and spaces three-dimensionally, as forms rather than lines.

This drawing/collage was produced for a project called Transitional Space. It required me to design a seaplane terminal in Govan. The design process was particularly interesting, I was asked to write a narrative about a journey which then could be transformed into a collage portraying a series of moments in time. My narrative spoke about the violent disconnection of the Govan community, previously the shipbuilding centre of Glasgow, from the Clyde- a child's struggle to sail his toy boat on the river.  The design concept was to be developed from a zoomed-in element of the collage. An incidental line was to become an object.  

A successful drawing...

Drawing is for communicating and telling stories. It is also for expressing personalities and ideas. In these drawings I am recording an object using different marks. The object is a little metal sculpture of a horse. I was given it as a present when I was two and it is pretty special. It has a tail made from a bicycle chain and legs made from nails. I wanted to convey its strange, wonky appearance and I didn’t think this would come from using a pencil or a pen so I used different materials I could find around me. I used sponges, twigs, keys for the legs, the ring of a cup, cable ties for the ears and my finger for the nose. I found this resourceful way of illustrating much more exciting than just using the contents of my pencil case. Here each line, curve, block of colour is varied in weight, shape and tone. I find that the drawing is successful because it does have the same character as the object and this is something that could not be communicated through a photograph.

Successful drawing

This is a felt tip pen drawing from a lino cut print I did for one of my recent projects which I really like. The project was about chain reactions and I was looking at the reaction of repeatedly using a stamp and I became very interested in the marks this created. I really enjoy doing drawings from drawings, taking them apart or focusing on one bit in particular or using another media. By doing this I find I can see things in a different way and it can often help my design process. It helps me to pick out certain elements I really like and can often lead onto create something more interesting than the original drawing.

As with these pages from my sketchbook repeating the print in a different media helped me to think more about how I could perhaps translate the shapes created by it into metal (I study Silversmithing and Jewellery), whether it be wire or sheet. Although I find it very useful to do repeat drawings, occasionaly I think I can get stuck looking at one thing too much and I think sometimes I should move on and explore other things.

X-ray of ribs

 This drawing is a charcoal study of an x-ray of the ribs. With quick forceful marks making up the bulk of the drawing I think it gives a clear representation of ribs/lungs as well as the holographic quality from the x-ray. I like that the drawing has a rough appearance but at the same time the viewer(I hope) can easily make out what it is and captures a 3D quality to it. Although this drawing may not be my best, it's important to me as it was where I began to notice that I'm more interested in the marks that make up the drawing rather than the overall finished structure or subject. It was also the start of me making quick rough marks on the page and then drawing in the more precise lines to hold/pull the drawing together, rather than doing the linear work first and then adding detailed texture.

 I am interested in how very rushed marks and a few considered lines can build up a clear image. For instance in the top right hand corner of the drawing I left clean lines to show the collar bone and beginnings of the shoulder as well as including more definite bold black lines to show the ribs, without these context might have been lost.

 I believe there is a connection between my drawings and my jewellery, as I'm also interested in the textural quality of the metals and rarely create "busy" looking pieces.

24/1/12

I do not draw a lot. Yet I doodle constantly,  I find it to be a good way to keep myself concentrating in lectures and a good way to brainstorm during projects.  I consider the drawing and doodling completely different actions.  While my “drawings” are tight and rigid things that I cannot find it in me to appreciate, my doodles are looser and can be more interesting; or so I find.  I challenged myself last term with help from my tutor and Betty Edwards’ “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” to  integrate the two things into one activity that I might enjoy, I’m still very much working on it.  I barely use drawing in my own personal practice, and although this is not an issue most of the time, it does make me feel restricted when working with certain projects. (Which is why I chose Marking the Page as my elective. It is very much outside my comfort zone.)

I chose my drawing/doodle not because it is  particularly successful as an image,  but more because it shows how I can slip from lengthy doodling (on the right) to a quick observational doodle (on the left) in the style I do hope to improve and develop into something I might appreciate some day.

A Successful Drawing

this image comes from a day in the studio where we used traditional life drawing techniques to draw through a slideshow of both uppercase and lowercase letters of the entire alphabet, in a range of different fonts.

i was absolutely convinced that this was going to be a horrible class, especially for me. i knew next to nothing about fonts or designing typefaces before i got to glasgow and i still feel like i'm lagging behind many of my classmates when it comes to this subject. i also feel a lot of pressure to know what i'm talking about when it comes to fonts and i wasn't the only one who got grilled by our tutor last year for using the wrong font!

however, once we'd got started, i was amazed at how much i enjoyed this exercise. the relaxed atmoshere loosened me up and i was increasingly reassured by the number of fonts i recognised, or had at least heard of, just from some basic research and general reading. (if anybody's interested a really good book about fonts is 'just my type: a book about fonts' by simon garfield)

this exercise, and the knowledge that i wasn't completely in the dark about fonts, made me a little more confident in the studio, especially when it comes to thinking about designing our own fonts, but also about drawing in general.