SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

NAME: Tan Jia Yi

STUDENT ID NO:0319476

WORD COUNT:762

ENGLISH 1 (ELG 30505)

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: PROCESS ESSAY

LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION DATE: 2ND MAY 2014

S teps involved in producing an attractive sketch

INTRODUCTION

PREPARATION

CHOOSE SUBJECT

START SKETCHING

ENDING

A simply or hastly executed drawing or

painting,especially a preliminary one,giving

the essential features without the details

Get the right materials.Fine art paper,sharp

pencil(2B.HB,2H,6B), putty eraser.

Draw something you like or look around and

do something else to get inspiration for

sketching. Repeated observation.

Practice hand movement to warm up.

Start with H pencil.Light strokes,loose hand.

Darker 6B pencil.Add in details and inner

shape.

Practice makes perfect. Express yourself

through sketching and enjoy the process.

Steps involved in producing an attractive sketch.

“How good do you need to be at drawing if you want to become an

architect?” “How can I be an architect,I can’t even sketch.”When people talk

about this,most often than not,many will give this answer.By the way,what is

sketching?Sketching is a simple or hastily executed drawing or painting,

especially a preliminary one,giving the essential features without the

details.Sketching usually implies a quick and loosely drawn work.Since

architects communicate through drawing,one have to learn how to sketch if he

or she wants to involve in architecture.This is because buildings are often a

part of landscape art and the ability to draw them is indispensable to an

artist.Sketching skill is not a gift,but can be learned.The problem is that,what

is the steps involved in producing an attractive sketch?

How true the saying,”a workman must sharpen his tools if he is to do his

work well”So,the first step to produce an attractive sketch is,get the right

materials.You have to prepare a fine art paper instead of an ordinary paper.

Sketching on regular printer paper may be easy but the paper is thin and does

not hold the pencil as well.Instead of ink and charcoal I prefer pencil as the

medium to sketch.A good pencil is an artist’s best friend.A good rule of thumb

to remember what each pencil does is to remember that the softer the

head,the darker your line will be.Pencils with”B” in the name are soft leads

whereas pencils with”H”in the name are harder leads.For examples,2B

pencils make darker lines and great for outlining drawings.2H pencils make

light marks and good for drawing details and preliminary drawings that you

may not want to be permanent.Make sure the pencils are sharp enough so

that they are good for fine details of your sketch.A putty eraser is necessary

as well to lighten the lines but not completely eradicate them.It is suitable for

erasing little spots.

Next,choose a subject to draw.The subject can be anything around

you.For example,the coffee cup on the table,the chair which you are sitting

on,the living spaces around you,or even your hands and feet.Gain confidence

in sketching through observation..The act of translating this kind of information

from eye to hand to paper for different sketch types will become easier if you

practice more sketching with repeated observation.What is in your

surrounding right now?Is it special or ordinary?You can start with something

easy such as objects that are basically cubes,cylinders or spheres.Take time

to analyze and observe your subject so that you can know your subject well.If

there is nothing around to draw,try to look for photographs that might be

interesting to draw or draw something you are interested in.If you keep staring

at a page and nothing is coming to mind,find something else to do for a

while.Often,a change of focus will help with creativity,Paradoxically,washing

dishes or house cleaning are good for stimulating creativity.They occupy your

left brain with organizing and tidying up,freeing your right brain to daydream

and develop an itch to draw.

After you had decide the subject to draw,you can start sketching now.

Practice some hand movements by drawing circles or lines for 5 to 10 minutes

to warm up your hand before you start sketching.Start with your H pencil.Use

light strokes with loose hands and move your hand very quickly,using minimal

pressure,almost glossing over the page without stopping.Don’t draw too

heavily as a sketch intended to the base or draft of an image.This will allow us

to erase mistakes much easier.At this initial stage,you should barely be able

to see the strokes.Consider this to be the foundation of your sketch.Then,add

in details and inner shapes by using 6B pencil.Sketch some vertical and

horizontal lines crisscrossing the faces of the cubes as guidelines for the

windows and entrance of building.You can make them as large or as small as

you like,with more width or length depending on how you want your building to

look.During the sketching process,you have to pay full attention and do not

give up easily.When you have completed your sketch,apply a fixative to seal

the image.

Practice makes perfect.The difference between an average architecture

and a great one is practice.A good sketch is a sketch which can express

yourself and pour in your emotion during the sketching process.With proper

instruction and personal dedication,your artistic potential is endless.Even

though learning to sketch can seem like a daunting task at first,with a little

patience and faith in yourself,you will soon experience many rewarding

moments and feeling of satisfaction by watching your drawing skill progress

and enjoying the surprise and admiration of friends,family and strangers along

the way.