Landscape Architect Articles

LASN Technology June 200906-01-09 | News

The Forgotten Art of Drawing

By Scott N. Collard, ASLA, and Chuck Lounsberry, Stantecc

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But as the wave of technology has swept us forward, the importance of one of our most fundamental skills?EUR??,,????'?????<

However, the implications of that sort of distinction between the old and the new are misleading. Hand drawing and digital design require the same basic elements of good design: color, composition and perspective. Both allow designers to share ideas and help others understand them. It?EUR??,,????'?????<

A transition from hand drawing alone is hybrid sketch/animations. For this design the image is first done in SketchUp (left). The final design presentation (above) combines hand drawing and SketchUp. These hybrid sketch/animations are becoming more widely accepted and even expected.

Hand drawing remains a relevant, indispensable tool for landscape architects. It can be used in virtually any situation, whether a formal one-on-one client meeting or spirited design charrette involving the community. That fluid, real-time communication between stakeholders and the designer allows for a certain connection instantly conveyed onto the page and manipulated and enhanced as new ideas and layers come into play.

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Digital design, of course, can create those kinds of experiences as well. Photo simulations and computer animations transport viewers into the make-believe world they envision. But deciding whether to communicate that vision via hand-drawn sketches or digital graphics becomes a question of the audience?EUR??,,????'?????<

At this level, the human element is still essential. Bringing a polished computer rendering into an initial design meeting gives the impression the design has already been established, says Ferrari. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

That human connection to design is what has prompted schools like Norwich University in Norwich, Vermont to add sketching courses to their curricula. Led by adjunct architecture professor Tom Leytham, Norwich?EUR??,,????'?????<

Tom based the idea on a similar course at McGill University in Montreal that has been offered since the 1920s. It?EUR??,,????'?????<

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But as a design progresses, computer graphics and animations become increasingly more useful. Because every design project is iterative, digital design helps make changes quickly in a format shared almost immediately or even dropped into CAD. Also, the high level of realism afforded by digital designs better reflects how the finished product will look, which is often more appropriate for the latter stages of the design and, especially the permitting. With regulators, every detail of the project must be represented and providing such a realistic portrayal visibly demonstrates the kind of thought that has gone into the project.

Where the old and the new come together is really what makes the possibilities for design so exciting. Hand-sketching designers are now working with digital designers throughout the design to hone each other?EUR??,,????'?????<

Computer technology and software are increasingly sophisticated and affordable. The design community is embracing them to create attractive, functional, transformative client solutions. However, there is still a place and need for quick strokes of the pen on the napkin to get a concept across on the fly.

Ideally, that collaboration runs through the design work. At the beginning of a project our digital and hand-sketch designers get together to produce a set of storyboards based on sketched conceptual designs. Through that discussion, we hash out the design problem and produce a quick, low-detail, animated conceptual model. As we watch that animation, we think about the project?EUR??,,????'?????<

As the general public has become more technologically savvy and sophisticated, digital products and these hybrid sketch/animations are becoming more widely accepted and even expected.

New technology such as pressure-sensitive displays, has helped make that bridge even easier as sketch artists can now work directly within digital media, adding a level of intelligence to a drawing that doesn?EUR??,,????'?????<

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About the Authors

Scott Collard, ASLA and Chuck Lounsberry are landscape architects with Stantec. Based in Portland, Maine, Scott specializes in the use of hand sketching in design visualization while Chuck, in Boston, is responsible for the practice?EUR??,,????'?????<