Tradigital Drawing Workshop

Architecture in Perspective 25
2010 ASAI National Convention
October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

Pyle Center - Madison, Wisconsin

ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

DRAWING
SHORTCUTS
Developing Quick Drawing Skills Using Todays Technology
Over the past decade, advances in computer software, programs and digital
photography have all but eliminated
traditional hand drawing as a design
visualization tool. Many of us have
lost - or never developed - the ability to
sketch and communicate with quickly
generated hand drawings. This Drawing
Shortcuts shows that you can have the
best of both worlds. You can put technology to work for you: use computer
generated 3-D perspectives, create photographic underlays for illustrations and
explore hybrid compositing to make
your sketches faster to produce, improve
your self-confidence in drawing, and
have fun in the process of visualizing
design.
With Drawing Shortcuts you will:
Learn the step-by-step approach using digital
tools to assist in the hand drawing process.
Learn various linework techniques, simple color-

ing options and how to archive your work.

Learn about effective drawing formats, sizes and

materials that save you time and money.

Develop a positive attitude about hand drawing

and become a better design communicator.

ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

JIM LEGGITT, FAIA

I took my first drawing lessons when I was five years old,
courtesy of TV. There were two television programs in the
1950s named Learning to Draw, hosted by John Gnagy,
and Winky Dink and Me. Every Saturday, armed with my
drawing kits, I faithfully placed a piece of clear vinyl over
the black-and-white screenand then fought with my
twin brother over who got to trace the televised drawings
with crayons. This cutting-edge combination of technology and hand drawing was a great idea. Fifty years later,
Im still working with machines to create drawings, and
Im still having just as much fun. Sometimes I draw for
pure pleasure, the way I did when I was five, although
most of my drawings these days are done as part of my
architecture and urban design practice. I first did serious
architectural drawing more than thirty years ago, when
I was at Rhode Island School of Design. In an intensive
design school environment, nobody escapes the need for
time management, meeting multiple project deadlines,
and producing great work with minimal time and little or
no money. Its the same today in any professional design
practice, and getting more so all the time. My DRAWING
SHORTCUTS attitude and techniques benefit design professionals, art students, and anyone else who needs to
be able to communicate creative ideas through effective
drawings and graphics in a fast-paced modern world.
Jim Leggitt, FAIA
2212 Ash Street
Denver, Colorado 80207 USA
303.394.2657 studio
720.252.2819 mobile
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
www.drawingshortcuts.com
www.leggittstudio.com

Architect, urban planner, and professional illustrator, Jim Leggitt, FAIA

has been practicing for over thirty years in Denver, Colorado. In addition to being the principal of LEGGITT STUDIO, he has conducted
drawing seminars and workshops for AIA National Conventions, AIA
regional and local conferences, universities, architectural firms and allied design professionals throughout the country. Mexico and Canada
for over Ten years. Jim has presented at the Google SketchUp 3D Basecamps 2005, 2008 and 2010. Leggitt authored DRAWING SHORTCUTS:
Developing Quick Drawing Skills Using Todays Technology, a 208 page
full color book published in 2002 by John Wiley and Sons, New York.
The book has been adopted by over 50 universities and translated in
three foreign languages. Jim has recently completed DRAWING SHORTCUTS Second Edition which was published in December 2009.

ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

WHY DO WE STILL DRAW?

Over the past two decades, there have been incredible advances in
computer hardware, software, and other high-tech equipment. Good
old-fashioned quickly generated hand drawing, however, has suffered.
No computer rendering can communicate the way a real drawing can,
but many of us have lost - or never developed - the ability to draw by
hand. Ive learned that you can have the best of both worlds. You can put
technology to work for you, creating accurate computer generated 3-D
perspective backgrounds to use in drawings, using photographs to make
bases for illustrations, exploiting the amazing abilities of digital media,
and finding the right tools to make your drawing process faster and your
drawings more effective. By utilizing technology on your own terms, you
can improve your drawing skills and even bring back the magic of drawing in the design process!

Why DRAWING SHORTCUTS are important. Sketches and

drawings generated by hand are effective communication tools that

allow others to quickly and easily visualize what you design. It is just as
important as evermaybe even more important in this age of computersto be able to capture creative ideas in the form of confident, believable hand drawings and sketches. But there are often barriers between
creative ideas and the drawings that communicate them. The obstacles
are most often fear of drawing, over reliance on technology, lack of training and practice, low self-confidence, and shortage of time. Overcoming
these creativity roadblocks can seem like trying to cross a bottomless
abyss, but Ill try and explain to you how to make the leap.
In the words of Thomas Edison, genius is one percent inspiration and
ninety-nine percent perspiration. DRAWING SHORTCUTS allow you to
manage the necessary ninety-nine so that the vital one isnt lost for lack
of trying.

ERASING YOUR DRAWING FEARS

The creative artist in you. Everyone is born with the ability to
communicate creative ideas with drawings. Some of the best and most
effective drawings come from children, before their creative spirit is
damaged by the but I cant draw attitude that affects so many adults.
Childrens drawings are simple, lively, quick, and communicate only the
basic concept of their visionin short, the kind of drawings that Ive been
trying to recreate for years. Simplicity, character, speed, effectiveness, and
ease of drawing are what DRAWING SHORTCUTS are all about. Kids can do
it, students in my drawing seminars can do it . . . and so can you!
No more excuses. The right shortcuts and design tips can eliminate
almost any excuse for not drawing. As part of your DRAWING SHORTCUTS
attitude, you can utilize digital tools, in other words, the Digital Camera, 3D Computer Programs and 2-D Imaging Software in your drawing arsenal
of weapons. You need to also understand which combinations of materials to use so you dont have problems with smearing, and which materials
to use so that you can erase mistakes if they do happen. Remember, most
mistakes can be prevented or fixed. Communicating design ideas with
drawings is actually easier than it was even a decade ago, because of the
equipment and services that are now available. Digital cameras are get-

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA
ting less expensive and easier to use, images are sharper all the time, and
photo-manipulation is easy to accomplish with Photoshop. Photography
is one of the best drawing shortcuts you could ever learn. Color scanners
and printers are getting so accurate that an original drawing and its print
appear almost identical.
No computer program can replicate the wonderful character of a hand
drawing, although some new software is closing the gap somewhat.
Several 3-D computer programs allow you to construct perspective views
of buildings and transform mechanical linework into soft lines that give
the appearance of a drawing done by hand. But you can also use computer-generated images as templates for hand drawings, complete with
character and life. Your communication skills and hand-drawing options
are infinitely expanded with computers.

WHY DRAWING SHORTCUTS?

The rules have changed. The wide-spread use of computer

graphics has affected every publication, menu, magazine, school report,

greeting card, design document, real estate brochure, and cereal box
you see. Graphs, charts, color sketches, and illustrations are standard
ingredients in almost any presentation. Digital media is used by everyone from elementary school students to corporate giants. The kinds of
visualization techniques I use in DRAWING SHORTCUTS are geared to the
demandsand opportunitiesof the quickly changing modern world of
digital imaging.

Client expectations. Trends in design presentations are very dif-

ferent than they were twenty years ago. Clients once paid large sums
of money for beautifully crafted perspective drawings of their unbuilt
projects. Today, construction schedules are so demanding, budgets so
tight, and design changes so frequent that an expensive investment in a
detailed perspective drawing too early in the process is usually seen as
an unaffordable risk. Clients are getting smarter, and are relying on quick,
inexpensive drawings for the early design visioning and promotion of
projects.

Compressed schedules. Who has the time for anything anymore?

Expectations at home, in school, and in business are more demanding
than they were years ago. With all this speedy equipment at our fingertips, were being asked to produce more in less time. Even the creative
process and design communication arent immune. If we can deliver
packages overnight from coast to coast, upload large files instantly,
then why cant we design a building with the same efficiency? But dont
panicthe shortcuts and design tips Ive learned and now teach will help
you cope.
Tighter budgets, thinner wallets. Theres never enough money,

of course, but lack of money shouldnt be an excuse for not being able
to communicate your ideas. Remember, children can tell fabulous stories
with just newsprint and poster paint! There are many ways to create
drawings that dont require expensive markers, technical pens, or exotic
materials. Even documenting your work can be economical. A portfolio
made up of high-resolution digital prints costing a fraction of what it took
to produce color photographs and elaborate typesetting in the 1970s.

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

Computer skills vs. drawing skills. The average fifteen-year-

old spends more time in front of a computer monitor than watching TV.
By the time they graduate from college, most architecture and graphic
design students have learned sophisticated computer skills that rival
those of experienced professionals. We have DVDs, multi-media, global
web sites, internet access on our mobile phones, 3-D imaging, custom
applications, social networking, more power, greater memory, and much,
much more. Whats wrong with this picture? Nothing! Computers are
wonderful tools, and everyone should know how to apply them in the
visualization process. At the same time, we need to be careful not to lose
sight of creativity, imagination, and visual communication skills. Recent
college graduates in design fields cant draw as well as they could years
ago. Perhaps they simply arent being taught or allowed to develop their
ability to draw!
Many creative people have become scared to sketch or draw, fearing
disastrous results, embarrassment and failure.
The people I draw look like trolls.
My cars look like shoe boxes.
Im creative, but I cant draw.
I just dont have the time to learn to draw.
I havent a clue about how to draw in perspective.
I dont have enough money for expensive drawing materials.
Sound familiar? You could probably add a few of your own to this list!

GETTING STARTED
A three-step process. Every drawing is a three-step process. First,

you must gather the data, or visual information, that you need. Then you
construct the perspective and the basic framework of the drawing. Once
youre comfortable with the size, layout, composition, and feel of the
drawing, its time to illustrate the final drawing with linework, textures,
tone, and color. Remember coloring books? The images are collected for
you, the drawing is already constructed, and the fun illustrative part is
left up to you. Once you know how to quickly collect data and accurately
construct the framework of a drawing, all thats left is the fun of illustrating the final drawing.

Let technology do your dirty work. Everyone has an individual style of drawing and design, a drawing identity. A roomful of kids
coloring the exact same page of a lesson book will have a wide range of
unique results. But although the results are different, the basic informationor datain each drawing is the same. The data that you use to
construct a drawing should be as accurate as possible. Technology lends
itself beautifully to this task. Computers can construct 3-D perspectives, a
digital camera can record details that you want to use, and the combination of scanners and digital printers can enlarge or reduce images for you
to trace.
Make the best of whats available. DRAWING SHORTCUTS

covers the basics about doing your best drawings with limited resources.
Take a good look around your home, school, office, art supply store, and
town. Figure out what drawing materials are easily available, and which
reprographic tools are available to use. Do you have access to computer

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA
visualization software? What is your computer skill level? Make your drawing decisions based on which tools and services you have at hand. Theres
no need to commit to brand-name colored markers if the only art supply
store in town doesnt carry them. Instead, focus on alternative methods of
coloring your drawings, such as colored pencils.

You are in the drawing seat. Experiment with your own drawing
identity. You may have a natural talent for pencil drawing, but never feel
comfortable with ink. Try using minimal detail and no color on your next
drawing. Practice several different line styles, drawn at different speeds.
See what kind of drawing you come up with if you work on it for half a
day. Then try it again in half the time. Dont be afraid to make a mistake.
Remember to play to your drawing strengths, and develop the parts of
the drawing that are the most exciting to you. Have some fun! Its all in
your attitudeonce you know some DRAWING SHORTCUTS!

PLAN YOUR DRAWING

Lets now review some basic methods for creating sketches and constructing drawings. When there isnt any base information available, you
can always sketch from your imagination. This takes some practice and
confidence, but you can do good drawings without any references. Cartoon illustrators do it everyday. Another method is direct observation. Its
much easier draw what you see when you have something to look at! But
you cant always be there to draw something in person. Last but not least
is tracing. If an image exists in two dimensions, you can enlarge or shrink
it, put tracing paper over it, and start modifying and drawing! Many illustrations are created through a combination of these techniques. You
might begin a drawing from observation, trace in some additional elements, and then draw the rest from your imagination.

Use Your Imagination. Some drawings are created strictly from

your imagination, with practically no visual references to draw from. This
is often called cartooning or storyboarding, and can be quickly generated and without a lot of detail. Theyre often used for design feedback
and to form the base information for more finished drawings. Imagination drawings dont have to be serious. You can have lots of fun sketching
humorous situations and even cartoons. This light drawing technique is
very effective in newsletters or presentations where you want an informal
approach. School or office get well or good-bye cards are perfect applications for cartoon drawings, too.
In a recent planning charrette for a new science museum, I storyboarded
ideas on 8-1/2 x 11 paper while the design team conceptualized the
museum. Although the drawings were extremely rough, they allowed everyone to clearly understand the design concepts, and later I was able to
do the final drawings without additional input from the group. Depending on the complexity of the image, I might lightly block-out the drawing
with pencil and then put down a darker layer of pencil or ink for the final
sketch.

Drawing from real life. Take a sketchbook outside some warm

afternoon and start drawing! Its a lot of fun, and also provides you with
drawing practicewhich you can never have enough of. Wouldnt it be
nice to get a group of creative friends together and all go to some interesting place to sketch for the afternoon? Do it! Then do it again.

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

Drawing from photographs. Since you usually dont actually have

the luxury of drawing from real life, take a picture instead! You can always
grab a digital camera and take a series of reference photographs to draw
from back in the studio. Study the pictures, and block out your drawing
using the photographic information that you see.

Overlay and trace. Tracing is easy, useful, and fun, but creating

drawings by tracing has a few limitations. First, you have to shrink or

enlarge a base image to the exact size of your final drawing. You may have
difficulty tracing details if your mylar or tracing paper is not transparent
enough, but there are ways around these obstacles, such as using a thinner material or working on a light table.

DRAWING WITH OR WITHOUT DETAIL

The look of a drawingand amount of time it takes you to do itdepends a great deal on what linework technique you use. Scribble lines
are the fastest and sketchiest. Most drawings are done with a casual or
informal line style, but occasionally a more formal linework technique is
called for. Most design drawings fall into just three categories: 1) thumbnail drawings, 2) concept drawings, and 3) presentation drawings. The
vast majority of design drawings fall into the concept drawing type.
A drawing using the scribble line technique is similar to how you might
sketch on a cocktail napkin or paper tablecloth in a restaurant. Lines overlap each other and individual shapes are created by lots of lines on top
of each other. Extremely loose and noncommittal, scribble line drawings
show no design detail. This technique is extremely appropriate for thumbnail drawings, for loose concept drawings, or for working out size and
space relationships. It works best in small formats. The scribble technique
lets you generate lots of visual ideas quickly, using simple shapes and
forms, when youre in the planning stage of a drawing.
Most of the drawings I create are done using a casual line technique. Casual linework lets you communicate enough information without spending too much time in the process. Lines may not be perfectly straight,
corners may overlap and the amount of detail may be consciously held
back. This technique is very successful in the early phases of a design, and
reflects the freehand nature of developing ideas. There is a spontaneous character to the linework, and casual drawings tend to look friendly.
Slight variations in perspective or proportions are less noticeable, and
accuracy is not a high priority. One great advantage of this line technique
is the amount of time saved over a more formal approach.
If you commit to precisely crafting a drawing, you need to make an accurate statement with each and every line. This requires a formal line
technique, in which lines are drawn with a straightedge, proportions are
exact, and the entire drawing is very realistic and accurate. Drawings of
this nature can be very beautiful, but the time invested may be so great
that you could have produced several casual line drawings in the same
time it took to create a single formal drawing. Unless you are specifically
asked to create a drawing with this amount of detail, try to stay with
casual line drawings.

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

CHOOSING THE RIGHT DRAWING SIZE

Keep it small. Thumbnail drawings are the smallest and easiest drawings to create. Due to their tiny, stamplike size, detail has to be kept to a
minimum. They tend to be pure line drawings, very simple, without color
or even much variation in tone. Theyre often used in the margins of reports in order to help readers visualize. Sometimes they illustrate objects
or icons, and they can be used to embellish word documents.

Either as a single image or in a series of multiple images, thumbnail drawings are best used to support text documents. Imagine a formal report
or a newsletter. Text alone is dull, boring, and unimaginative, but often
limited layout space doesnt allow for large drawings. Perhaps the printing process precludes photographs. One good solution is to incorporate
thumbnail drawings that break up the text and add a personal touch to
the graphics. The best size for drawing a thumbnail is 3 x 3 or less; any
larger and you need more detail and drawing time. If you reduce the
image by 50%, the image will be sharper and will fit much better on the
page. Use ink linework, because you wont get a good reduction with
color or pencil tones on the drawing.
Try to keep your drawing time on thumbnails to a minimum. Thumbnail
drawings arent supposed to be information-rich; they just support the
text and add character to the document. Try not to spend any more than
15 minutes on each thumbnail. Remember, less time spent per drawing
can really shorten the overall process!

Visualize the concept. A concept drawing is an illustrative repre-

sentation of a design direction, motif, or theme. Concept drawings have

a broad range of applications, from design presentations to reports and
publications. A concept drawing can portray the spirit of an urban space,
evoke the excitement of an interior, or tell the story of your design idea.
Because of the standard glass size of copiers and digital scanners, concept
drawings should be drawn at 11 x 17 or smaller. Unlike sketchy, blackand-white thumbnail drawings, conceptual drawings begin to define
materials, include some detail as well as people and objects that are more
carefully drawn, and are probablly in color.

Making it big. There are many instances when you need to create

drawings larger than 11 x 17. These oversized drawings take much longer to produce and require a different type of reproduction other than the
standard copier and scanner. With urban design projects, drawings often
have great detail, representing views of large land areas. These drawings
may be sized to fit typical 24 x 36 or 30 x 40 paper formats. There are
large format color scanners available that can scan large drawings into
electronic files for various forms of reproduction. You can also draw big
and reduce your black and white image down to 11 x 17 before adding color. This method enables you to bypass the expensive large format
scanning process altogether.

SELECTING THE RIGHT VIEW

Ground, Roof and Aerial Views. Before jumping into a perspective drawing, first select what point of view the drawing will have. Three
simple alternatives are your best choices: 1) eye level view, drawn from

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA
approximately 5 above the ground, 2) roof level view, as if you are standing on top of a roof or bridge 15 to 25 above grade, and 3) aerial view,
drawn from the viewpoint of a bird or low flying plane. Pick the views that
would best reflect your subject and then start the more technical portion
of your drawing, the perspective.
Technical drawings are those that are constructed with much more structure and care than either the thumbnail or conceptual drawing types.
This formal drawing form includes perspective drawings and paraline
drawings. Selecting the right viewing angle for a drawing is a matter of
answering two basic questions, How close should I be to get the best
view of the subject? and How high off the ground should I be when
looking at the subject?

Perspective views. There are three types of perspective drawings.

The one-point perspective, with its single vanishing point, is the least
complicated and quickest type of perspective to draw. The two-point
perspective, with double vanishing points creates a much more realistic
and interesting drawing. The three-point perspective involves three vanishing points and not only is extremely confusing to draw, but often has
a distorted appearance similar to a photograph taken with a wide angle
lenses.
What is a paraline drawing? A paraline drawing, often called an

axonometric or isometric, is a three-dimensional drawing in which none

of the lines converge. Theres no perspective or horizon line in this type of
drawing. Paraline drawings are always aerial views, and you need to have
a floor or site plan to work from. This drawing type is a good choice with
urban design projects, or when you dont have the time or tools to create
a true perspective drawing. You also need to be confident that an aerial
view is the best way of visualizing your design, and are willing to accept
that your drawing might tend to look a little stiff and unrealistic.

KNOWING YOUR MATERIALS

Its fine to have favorites, but dont think that one pencil or pen will work
in every drawing situation. Lets cover some of the basic options that are
available. To find your own comfort zone with drawing tools and materials, youll need to experiment among different brands in different situations.

Finding the right pencil. Pencils are made in three ways: 1) fixed

lead in wood 2) mechanical pencil with interchangeable leads, and 3)

disposable mechanical pencil. Lead is a generic term for the actual material that lays down the line. Leads can be graphite-based, plastic-based,
or even a mix of graphite and plastic. They come in different ranges of
hardness, from soft HB leads to super hard 6H leads. The drawing surface
is a factor in how a pencil will perform. Certain pencil types wont be at
all effective on paper, yet perform miracles on Mylar. Other pencils have
great action on vellum, but are much too difficult to use with bond paper.
Know the differences! Get several different pencil types and lead densities
and try them out on bond paper, tracing paper, vellum, and Mylar.

The versatile ink pen. Pens are drawing and writing tools that use
ink, either waterproof or water soluble. The ink flows from the pen to your
paper either through a fibrous material (felt tip pen), plastic nib (hard

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

point pen), metal blades (fountain pen), metal tube with a wire plunger
(mechanical drafting pen), or a roller ball (ball point pen). There are even
erasable ball point pens, with time-delayed drying time that let you rework
your mistakes. Most designers use ink pens for the majority of their drawings. Depending on the drawing surface, you can use waterproof or waterbased ink pens. On Mylar, lines tend to smudge with water soluble inks.
You can use water-based ink on tracing paper if youll be using solventbased markers to color the drawing, because the combination of waterbased linework and solvent-based color keeps the ink lines from bleeding.
Drawings created with ink lines are very easy to reproduce. They can
withstand great reductions without losing quality. People often hesitate to
draw with ink, because they think they cant erase it if they make a mistake. Thats true on paper, but ink lines on Mylar can be easily erased and
redrawn, making waterproof ink on Mylar a great combination.

Choose a marker and stay with it. Markers are pens with fibrous
tips that come in many different colors and point sizes. Again, there are
water-based markers and solvent-based markers. Some solvent-based
markers are under attack because of toxic fumes, but the industry is
responding by adjusting ink formulas. Marking pens come in a variety of
point shapes and sizes. They can be round or square, and range from a
superfine to a 3/4 line. Colored markers are available at office supply and
art supply stores. Youll be amazed at the variety of types and colors. Some
have interchangeable nibs, others come with a fine tip at one end and a
broad tip on the other. Try out different marker brands and find out what
other designers are using. Once youre comfortable with a specific marker,
then keep using and replacing that same brand in order to keep better
track of your new and used pens, and prevent having an expensive inventory of mismatched and unused markers.
Selecting a drawing paper. Drawing papers can be purchased in

precut sheets, pads, and rolls. There are three general categories of drawing paper: 1) opaque drawing papers, 2) vellum and tracing papers, and 3)
Mylar and other synthetic drawing materials.

High-tech drawing materials. Mylar is a very durable and water-

proof synthetic drawing material. It comes in different thicknesses, and has

either a glossy or matte finish. The most transparent Mylar is single-matte
with a thickness of 3 mils. The greatest benefit of drawing on Mylar is that
ink lines can be easily erased and redrawn, which cant be done on opaque
paper or tracing paper. Since no drawing is goof-proof or immune to design changes, youll save time and agony by using Mylar.
Finding drawing pens, pencils, and papers that fit your drawing style is an
important first step. Next, you need to know how to use them in the best
combinations, andespeciallywhich combinations are disastrous. For
example, permanent ink pen on Mylar is a great mix, as it avoids ink smearing, BUTwater-based ink will smudge badly on Mylar. Vellum and soft
pencil is a great combination for drawing lines that produce rich prints,
BUThard pencil will barely show up on vellum. Colored pencils work
great to color in drawings that have been reproduced on a copier, BUT
using solvent-based markers to color a copier print will melt the toner
and smear the line drawing. Theres no perfect formula for combining of
materials and drawing tools, but there are lots of good partnerships.

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA
Learn to avoid the mistake of combining the wrong materials
Get comfortable with some of the choices and practice them
Keep entourage files
Make and use your own sample boards

DRAWING PEOPLE, CARS AND TREES

You have lots of options for finding images to trace into your drawings,
so you should never allow yourself to be in a situation in which you have
to illustrate a car or person from your imaginationunless you have
experience drawing these two difficult subjects. Good drawings can be
ruined with ugly people and awful cars. You can avoid this drawing trap
by knowing where to find sources for difficult subjects and learning how
to customize the images in your drawing.

Sources for drawing people. Line drawings of people can be

found in entourage books, from the internet and Google SketchUp.

Theyre typically standing or sitting, as individuals or in pairs. Photographs of people can be found in magazines, or can be staged with a
camera and a willing subject. For example, if you have a unique drawing problem that requires a family playing with a pet dog, grab a digital
camera and pose family, friends, or neighbors to get the exact image
you need! You might want to spend an afternoon taking candid photographs of people in various situations at a mall or downtown commercial
areathen keep them on file for future use. Its a fairly simple matter to
enlarge your photographs on a copier or printer to the size required for
your drawing, then trace the information.
Cars, trucks, vans, buses, planes, bicycles, and any other forms of transportation arent well covered in the entourage books. The best source of
vehicle information can come from the internet and from Google SketchUp 3D Warehouse. You can also take a digital camera and photograph
vehicles in parking lots and on the streets. As with people photography,
if you have a specific vehicle or situation to draw, find it, photograph it,
resize it, then trace it. Its that simple!
Many great reference books on landscaping are available. Purchase one at
a local bookstore, or check one out at the library, and youll find every tree
and plant type you could ever imagine needing to draw. Find 2-D and 3D trees and plants on the internet and through SketchUp 3D Warehouse.
The information that already exists in print is so good that you probably
wont need to take photographs of real landscaping very often, especially since when you need information on a specific plant, its usually the
wrong seasonwhen flower beds dont exist and trees are leafless, or
vice-versa.

Design when you trace. When you trace, youre dealing with
images that give you enough base information to adequately show the
subject - but that doesnt mean you should trace them exactly as they
are. Many image sources are outdated. Dont fall into the trap of drawing
people with clothing that doesnt match your drawing theme. Simply use
the image as a reference, and design an appropriate style of clothing and
personal detail. Try changing the pose or clothing in order to introduce
your own design identity. Just because the person youre tracing happens to be wearing a shirt and tie doesnt mean you cant put him into a
T-shirt and shorts. Relax and be creative!

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Tracing from printouts and photographs. The computer is a

really useful tool for gathering data to use in drawings. Once youve selected an optimum view of a 3-D building design, for instance in SketchUp, you can make a plotor printof the saved image view. Overlay the
base perspective with tracing paper and trace the architectural form on
the drawing, layering on architectural details as appropriate. When youre
comfortable with the base information, tape a clean piece of tracing
paper or Mylar over the first tracing and complete the drawing. Tracing
from photographs is a similar process. You can scan photographs and
enlarge them on the computer before you print them out or simply size
digital images to the exact dimensions of your drawing. Remember that
the computer enables you to print oversized photographs in sections or
tiles, which then can be taped together and traced if need be.

THE TRADIGITAL DRAWING APPROACH

Tradigital Drawings are visualizations generated from a process that intentionally combines traditional hand drawing techniques with computer
generated 3-D digital modeling and 2-D manipulation to produce visual
images that have the hand craftsmanship of traditional drawings and the
technical accuracy of computer information. The 3-D computer model
establishes the accurate physical image, shadowing and perspective view
while the added hand drawing information provides personality and
spirit. This combination is ideal for creating rapid visual ideas that often
form the basis for more sophisticated renderings. Tradigital Drawings fall
within three basic variations; 1) overlay and trace drawing, 2) simple composite drawing, and 3) advanced composite drawing, each with differing
percentages of hand delineation. This process of combining hand drawing with computer imaging has existed since the first serious computer
wireframes were being built in the early 1990s. Only recently has there
been a successful integration of paper and pixels with the evolution of
digital imaging, communication and delivery systems. This new hybrid
visualization approach has energized the design process and allowed
designers to express their creativity in ways that were not possible until
recently.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Now that youve learned some new methods for drawing, its your turn to
discoveror rediscoverand develop your own drawing identity. These
methods, shortcuts, and design tips are the ones I use, and the ones that
could fit within the limits of these pages. Many more are waiting to be
discovered. If you find some great new shortcuts, or have comments
about the ones in my presentation, let me know! I love to learn about
new shortcuts, and Id like to share them with my students in upcoming
drawing workshops.
Lets put the technology of digital cameras, scanners and digital reprographics, and computers aside for a moment and focus on the most important drawing tools of allyour imagination and creativity. Your brain
needs to be constantly nourished and fed with new ideas and better ways
to communicate.
Keep your eyes open! Great drawings are everywhere, but we hardly notice unless we look for them. Make the time to check out drawing books
at the library. Visit your local art museum and study the drawing methods

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October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA
of the masters. Start filling your reference files with clippings from magazines and newspapers. Cover your studio walls with drawing examples
that turn you on and ignite your creative enthusiasm.

Stay in tune with technology! Hardware and software design is

in a constant state of evolution. Last years fast computer is an elephant

today. Huge improvements in photography, reprographics, media storage
and computer hardware and 3-D software are changing the face of the
average household and business. Learn SketchUp, Photoshop, Adobe
InDesign and Illustrator. Observe these changes, and figure out how you
can take advantage of them to create better drawings. You might become
a leader in computer-generated drawings, or begin to mix multimedia
into your work. You could merge different methods into a single drawing
that might incorporate photographs, hand drawing, and computer models. Technology will continue to present wide-open design opportunities.

Practice and participate! Get involved with a drawing class or

workshop. Set some goals to experiment with drawing shortcuts and

different drawing tools. Share your ideas with other creative people and
try some of their techniques. A great learning method is simply trading
drawing ideas with others. You might show one person a shortcut that
youve mastered, and the next day discover a new technique from a more
experienced designer. Ask for feedback and criticism of your drawings,
and learn from the mistakes you makeeveryone does. Being discouraged is only human, but with practice and diligence, you can build your
drawing confidence.

Have a good drawing attitude! In this complex era of digital

technology, personal creativity can easily get pushed aside by the time
and energy we spend with TV, home computers, internet social networks,
DVDs, mobile phones and other consumer products. Not only are we
bombarded with relatively non-creative technology, were constantly
pressured into working faster, producing more, and spending less. Save
high stress levels for passing a difficult test or balancing your finances;
put away your anxiety when you start drawing, because drawing is relaxing, inspiring, and rewarding. Your creative spirit and drawing confidence
will get stronger with every great drawing you make and every minute
you gain from taking effective shortcuts. Drawing can be a lot of fun. All
you need is a positive drawing attitude.

Enjoy!

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Thursday October 21, 2010

8:00 - 9:00
9:00 - 9:45
9:45 - 10:00
10:00 - 11:00
11:00 - noon

8am - Noon

Dradigital Drawing Overview - Slideshow

Drawing Exercise - Drawing tools
Break
Drawing Exercise - Overlay and Trace Method
Drawing Exercise - Simple Composite Method

What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing.

- Aristotle

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

36 Chartpak AD Marker Colors on Bond Paper

1 - Naples Yellow

2 - Cream

3 - Cadmium Yellow

4 - Cadmium Orange

5 - Pale Flesh

6 - Flesh

7 - Salmon

8 - Peach

9 - Cadmium red

10 - Buff

11 - Light Sand

12 - Pale Cherry

13 - Suntan

14 - Mocha

15 - Mauve

16 - Purple Sage

17 - Lilac

18 - Azure

19 - Pale Indigo

20 - Sky Blue

21 - Blueberry

22 - Pale Lime

23 - Turquoise Green

24 - Willow Green

25 - Grass Green

26 - Apple Green

27 - Light Olive

28 - Moss Green

29 - Slate Green

30 - Evergreen

31 - Cool Gray #1

32 - Cool Gray #2

33 - Cool Gray #3

34 - Cool Gray #4

35 - Cool Gray #5

36 - Cool Gray #7

ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

1/2

3/4

11/2 - 2

3 - 4 High

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

36 Chartpak AD Marker Colors

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

36 Prismacolor Pencil Colors

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ASAI Tradigital Drawing Workshop

October 21, 2010 Jim Leggitt, FAIA

Recommended Workshop Supplies:

- (5) sheets of 8x11 white paper
- (1) Pentel Sign pen
- (1) Pilot Fineliner pen
- (1) Regular soft graphite pencil
- Architectural scale & 10 triangle

- 1 roll 12 white trace (no colored trace)

- Battery powered pencil sharpener
- (1) Red Col-erase pencil
- Draft dots or white artist tape
- Staedtler Mars plastic eraser

Chartpak AD Markers -(24 recommended medium/dark markers for coloring on tracing

paper):
Cool Gray #2, #4, #7, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red, Salmon, Flesh, Apple
Green, Grass Green, Light Olive, Moss Green, Slate Green, Evergreen, Turquoise Green, Sky Blue,
Blueberry, Light Sand, Suntan, Mocha, Pale Cherry, Peach, Lilac, Purple Sage.
Chartpak AD Markers - (additional 12 light markers for coloring on bond paper):
Cool Gray #1, #3, #5, Naples Yellow, Cream, Pale Flesh, Pale Indigo, Pale Lime, Mauve, Willow,
Azure, Buff.
Set of Berol Prismacolor pencils - Pencil sets are available but I recommend buying the following 36 individual colors online or at a local art supply store:
White, Cream, Canary Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Spanish Orange, Orange, Light Peach, Poppy Red,
Magenta, Terra Cotta, burnt ochre, Light Umber, Dark Brown, Lavender, Lilac, Dahlia Purple,
cloud blue, Blue Slate, Blue Biolet lake, Ultramarine, Light Green, Light Aqua, Aquamarine, Jade
Green, Celadon Green, Chartreuse, Lime Peel, Apple Green, Grass Green, Olive Green, Peacock
Green, French Grey 10%, French Grey 30%, French Grey 50%, French Grey 70%, Black.
Online Art Supplies: www.carpediemstore.com, www.dickblick.com, www.meininger.com

NOTE ABOUT DRAWING SUPPLIES: to save money purchasing expensive art supplies, I recommend www.carpediemstore.com for the best online prices. Plan ahead and allow several
days for delivery! You can also share a set of Chartpak AD markers and Prismacolor pencils
with another person during the workshop. Battery powered pencil sharpeners are a great
alternative to manual sharpeners.