sketching and rendering

Sketching and rendering

What is sketching?

What is sketching?

It’s a medium

What is sketching?

It’s a medium for thinking and exploring

What is sketching?

It’s a medium for expressing and communicating

Why sketching?

Why sketching?

• More effective than words at a glance•

Why sketching?


Why is Drawing Important?It is a (potentially fast) means of communicating an idea

The “Sure Fire”A toy blaster that fires plastic ping-pong balls, stores several at once inside its shell, and automatically resets with each pull of the trigger. Ammo is loaded via the port on the top, several can be loaded at a time. Pulling the trigger once fires a ball out of the front and after the

Why sketching?


Why is Drawing Important?It is a (potentially fast) means of communicating an idea

The “Sure Fire”A toy blaster that fires plastic ping-pong balls, stores several at once inside its shell, and automatically resets with each pull of the trigger. Ammo is loaded via the port on the top, several can be loaded at a time. Pulling the trigger once fires a ball out of the front and after the

• “Only a picture can carry such a volume of data in such as small space.”

• - Edward Tufte

Why sketching?

• Better sketches are more likely to be perceived as creative ideas•

• “The Influence of Sketch Quality on Perception of Product-Idea Creativity,” Kudrowitz, et. al

Why sketching?

• Better sketches are more likely to be perceived as creative ideas•

• “..student drawing should be explicitly recognized alongside writing, reading, and talking as a key element in science education."

• -Science magazine

• “The Influence of Sketch Quality on Perception of Product-Idea Creativity,” Kudrowitz, et. al

Is this creative?

Is this creative?

• Probably.

Is this creative?

• Probably. • As a way of thinking and exploring, you should draw however you want to - imperfections can often lead to inspiration.

Is this creative?

• Probably. • As a way of thinking and exploring, you should draw however you want to - imperfections can often lead to inspiration.

• As a way of communicating, a good sketch can help get the point across.

The building blocks of sketchingA visual language

The building blocks of sketching


• A visual language• Mental models• Skills• Rules


• A visual language• Mental models• Skills• Rules

• Practice, practice, practice

Tools: what can I use?

Tools: what can I use?

• Anything! •

Tools: some “favorites”


• Pens Commit to your lines!


• Pens Commit to your lines!• fine tip pen

• felt tip pen


• Pens Commit to your lines!• fine tip pen

• felt tip pen• Pencils

• soft pencil• white pencil

• Alcohol-based ink markers Not just your ordinary marker!



• Paper It matters!

• Tracing paper• Marker paper

A visual language

Mental modelsSkillsRules

Mental models

Mental models

• Draw a bike.

Mental models

• Draw a bike.• Draw a lobster.

Mental models

• Visual memory games• Architecture• Proportion • Necessary details

A visual language


Skills

• Draw big.•

Uncertainty is Visible

Skills

• Draw with confidence.

Uncertainty is Visible

Skills

• Draw with confidence.

Uncertainty is visible!

Skills: Freehand shapes


• Lines


• Lines• Curves


• Lines• Curves• Circles


• Lines• Curves• Circles• Ellipses


• Lines• Curves• Circles• Ellipses

Warm up with these shapes

A visual language


Exercise!

• Orient transparency horizontally (landscape)

• Draw a line dividing transparency into left/right halves

• Orient foam model with vertical edge facing you, and the cylinder pointing to the right

• Sketch the model on the left side of the transparency•

Rules: Before the Renaissance

Santa Trinita Maestá, by Cimabue“Excuse me for shouting – I thought you

were farther away.”

Adapted from Gahan Wilson

Rules: The Renaissance

• “Perspective is nothing else than seeing a place behind a plane of glass, quite transparent, on the surface of which the object behind the glass are to be drawn”

•- Leonardo Da Vinci

Rules: Perspective

• Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi• 1413 AD

Exercise!

• Tape transparency horizontally onto the viewer

• Place the model so that it appears in the right side of the transparency

• Orient the model as for sketch #1

• Trace the outline of the model on the right side of the transparency

•

• tips: close one eye, look straight ahead at the model, and don’t move your head once you start drawing

Rules: Draw what you see, not what you know

Rules: Draw what you see, not what you know

est. 9000 BC

sketching and rendering

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