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The importance of hand-drawing
N.B. Please skip to the last sentence of the following paragraph if you are short on time.
I will be attending a MArch program in the fall, having obtained a non-architectural bachelor's degree, and have a few lingering concerns about my degree of preparedness. I don't feel entirely unprepared; I have a good knowledge of history and theory, of contemporary trends in architecture, of some of the social, cultural, and environmental issues surrounding architecture, good mathematical skills, as well as some basic computer skills (e.g. AutoCAD, Revit, Vectorworks, 3DS Max, Maya, Rhino (including Grasshopper), Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, etc., as well as some programming), not to mention a kind of philosophical fascination with the relation between digital technology and architecture. However, there is one important skill that I have neglected almost entirely: hand-drawing. My portfolio included only two examples of hand-drawing, which were my only two serious drawing attempts in the past few years; the rest of the portfolio was digitally rendered. I'm a bit concerned that all of my other skills may count for nothing if I don't greatly improve my drawing skills. So, (if you are still with me), here is my question: How much emphasis is placed on hand-drawing in architecture school, and how important is it professionally (i.e. will I fail miserably if I can't draw)?
I appreciate all responses, and apologise to anyone who read the whole rambling paragraph in its entirety.
McMath,
Just as citizen says, the emphasis depends on the instruction of the particular school. In real world practice, it will be limited simply because almost all the firms uses computer software. The most hand drawings are used in is generally in one of two places: Field Measurements where you first draw the shape of the house and elevations and get measurements from it OR if you are the architect talking with the client and discussing the project with the client using little quick sketches to illustrate from bubble diagrams to various other elements.
In some circumstances, you may employ it to a greater degree. No firm will hire you if you are a relative newbie and don't know how to use CAD. However, hand drawing is something several schools teaches to develop "design thinking" skills.
I simply say, DRAW DRAW DRAW. You don't have to be quite like a fine-artist. Just enough. Develop a sense of proportions, some principles of various views and perspectives. Buy some Francis D.K. Ching books. If you do the exercises, you'll be able to develop the skills.
In addition to develop some DESIGN THINKING skills:
Visit this website:
http://miltonstricker.com/Book/index.html
This will teach you about using abstraction of nature in designing buildings.
You're not gunna make it in the real world.
tuna,
That isn't particularly helpful. Hand Drawing is less needed in real world because of the computer-centric world we are in. It is still a valid tool and nothing in law says drawings have to be done in CAD. However, people are looking for something more. It is more important to understand DESIGN THINKING and hand drawn or CAD / Computer Software are just tools to doing that.
McMath, be less concern about the means and methods and more about the design thinking skills. I would advise you develop some drawing skills but you don't need to be the greatest artist but it will help to train your mind and eye around DESIGNING without the distraction of computer / mechanical thinking that CAD tends to have.
After that, you will need to learn about the other technical matters but the point of designing a building starting with the Abstract Idea and refine it into an actual form that meets a project need. In the early stage of design, you will want to be less concern about material but not totally out of thought. Eventually, you deal with the technical stuff like codes, material cost estimtion, engineering coordination, etc. That is after you have an idea of the design down. It is an Art and Science and a Business. So you have to manage many hats and seemlessly transition roles on the fly while at the same time keep track of the vision and keep track of the arduous details. Keeping track of details at multiple levels and the overall vision.
Since you seem to primarily be concerned with the role of hand-drawing in school, I have to say that throughout my education I found sketching to be the only viable way to keep track of ideas as they come in discussions with profs and project partners, or as I was thinking about projects on the train (or anywhere outside of home or studio, where I wasn't able to access my computer). Personally, I find it easier to work out design problems up to some point on paper, or with trace over print-outs, before going into CAD and 3d modeling - but I'm good at drawing and have been doing it quite seriously for a long time. I had classmates that never sketched and only worked on the computer, who produced really good work, and those who like myself, kept a sketchbook.
To repeat the previous posters - each school has a different methodology, and emphasis on hand drawing will come down to your professors. I know a teacher who is great at drawing, and a large volume of his work is done by hand, but he almost always wants printed work from students - his explanation being that most students just can't draw well enough otherwise.
Knowing how to draw 1 and 2 point perspectives will NEVER hurt you. If you want to get drawing skills, buy a sketchbook and fill it out in a month. Draw everything - trees, people, faces, machines, animals, buildings around you, corner details, your hands - and draw a lot. Drawing from life sharpens your observation skills, and trains hand-eye coordination. Drawing from reference images can help to learn how things go together (I find this to be especially true with respect to anatomy). Drawing from "your head" exercises memory and imagination. I get irked when people say I have a talent/gift for drawing because I've committed at least 18 years to it (and I'm still not as good at certain subjects as my friends who studied illustration).
Remember: just like anything else, practice makes perfect.
p.s. Watching Dan Wheeler draw insane details for sections and plans with a marker on a whiteboard as he lectured in tech has been one of the most impressive things I ever witnessed. After an hour-long lecture the whiteboard always had an amazing image on it - construction document level of detail for a project he would just whip up as he explained the principles...
molotok that is beautiful! Love your entire post.
I just spent four hours in a meeting with a structural engineer in which we both drew by hand constantly except for every now and again when he would spend 5 minutes inputting data in a laptop. We'd take that data output and sketch more. So I think the ability to express your ideas in hand drawing is incredibly important.
But it's an easily learned skill - just practice. Give yourself small assignments daily in a sketchbook, like drawing the profile of a building's silhouette from life, or drawing an exploded axonometric of your dinner plate loaded with food, or a diagram of the path the dog sniffs around in the backyard. It's just muscles that work better the more you use them.
Check Carleton University's first year curriculum, all I did first year was hand-draw, literally- 60 hours weekly by hand... check it out, www.carleton.ca.
Some things can't be learned without the hand- so I assume, I'll find out a few years from now, or later in my career
To start second year this September, we still do hand-drafting until second semester when we do some computer modelling courses.
Dan Wheeler is awesome. Thanks for sharing that sketch molotok!
Here's a sketch I did of my saw-horse desk in the abandoned, unfinished house I lived in outside of Big Sky, MT. Honestly, if I couldn't draw at least at this rudimentary level, I'd definitely consider myself to be a substandard architect. It's important to show images like this to clients, all the time.
Here's a sketch I did at age 16.
and here's the one I did at 33.
The talent, no matter how hard you work, will just leave you with age!
Sadly, my later project actually got built.
the reason your talent left you is that you learned to do the exact same thing in sketchup
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