Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts

Digital Watercolors from Travel Photography

If you love to travel and take digital photographs, here is a wonderful method of transforming your photographs into works of hand crafted digital art! The process is quite simple and involves printing your pictures, hand drawing over the prints and then applying a watercolor filter to scans of your artwork. 

This project was created just for fun and was intended to show my blogging friends how “travel art” can be made. I found the four images on the internet from other photographers who captured these beautiful scenes from Havana, Cuba.

Step 1 - Base Photographs. I found these great photographs on the internet and assembled them in a group using Adobe Photoshop. The overall composite image was sized 300dpi at 11”x11”.

(enlarged view)

Step 2 - Lighten the Photo Composite. In Photoshop, I made the image 75% transparent in order to take away much of the color and contrast. This step was necessary in order to add back color using markers and colored pencils.

Step 3 - Print and Hand Coloring. I printed the image on 12”x19” matte finish bond paper using an Epson Stylus Photo 2000P ink jet printer. I then added color to the print with Chartpak AD markers and Prismacolor pencils. I enhanced the artwork by loosely tracing over the elements with a graphite pencil.

(final hand colored image)

Step 4 - Watercolor Filter. I scanned the artwork at 300dpi and applied a watercolor filter in Adobe Photoshop. I adjusted the contrast levels to deepen the dark tones and lighten the white pencil highlights. The final watercolor filter gave the colored marker a beautiful painted effect and completely disguised the original photograph!

Next vacation trip you take, return to your studio and try making some digital watercolors from some of your favorite photographs - it is quick, easy and the results are amazing!

 

Look for other interesting articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition. 

 

 

 

The 2010 Blog Collection , a 116-page catalog of my best blog posts from 2010 is now available on Blurb!  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1963744

 

Basic Overlay and Trace Concept Drawing

In the conceptual design phase of a project, architects typically explore different geometries and architectural massing using 3D computer models. With the introduction of Google SketchUp over ten years ago, designers can quickly study the building in perspective, understand shading, verify dimensions and have confident information about the geometry of their design. What they often overlook when studying design is the addition of color studies, entourage, landscaping, people and other site elements that bring the design to life and add scale and character to the scene. 

An easy way to build upon a 3D computer model is to simply print a view on letter or tabloid size paper, tape a sheet of tracing paper over the print and draw all of those elements that are missing in the computer model!  Here is a basic sketch study for a large church that allowed the client to better understand the overall design intent.

Wireframe Computer Model. This computer model was constructed with just enough massing and paving pattern to understand the geometry and massing. I printed the scene on 11”x17” paper and taped a sheet of tracing paper over the print. Note: I selected an aerial view of the model to visualize more of the ground surfaces, especially the different levels of the building.

Overlay and Trace Drawing. I used a combination of a Pentel Sign Pen and a finer tipped Pilot Razor Point pen to sketch the building, paving patterns, people, trees and cars. I added Chartpak AD markers to enhance the landscaping and paving. Due to the conceptual nature of the design, I limited the drawing detail to emphasize the “design-in-progress”. Even though our team had a 3D computer model, the building design was constantly evolving. Notice how the outer curve of the roof was changed from the model to the sketch!

Final Colored Sketch. The drawing was annotated with various notes to label building areas and materials. This quickly drawn sketch successfully communicated the overall design concept to the client and allowed our team to gain valuable client feedback and confidence in the design. We produced two different views of the building for the presentation.

Second Conceptual View. This additional view was developed at the same time to better understand the glass enclosed escalators for the parking structure and the pedestrian bridges leading to the main building entrance. Compare the minimally detailed computer model with the hand drawing and ask yourself which image has more information about the design and sense of place. Simple and quickly generated hand drawings reveal more of a complete picture of a proposed design and are valuable tools in the design visualization process!

Look for other interestingarticles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition. 

 

 

 

The 2010 Blog Collection , a 116-page catalog of my best blog posts from 2010 is now available on Blurb!  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1963744

 

New Mexico Watercolor Field Trip

Traditional drawing and painting skills are as important to develop as new digital visualization techniques. Grab a sketch book or watercolor set, make a trip to an interesting place and then commit the time to record what you see on paper!

I painted this series of five watercolors on a visit to New Mexico. I happened to be there in the fall when the aspen and cottonwood trees were in full color. I had a basic set of watercolors and a 10”x14”pad which was a perfect size for “laptop” field painting.

Rio Grande River. I sat on the river bank and painted the brightly colored cottonwood trees and river’s edge vegetation.

Sandia Peak Trail. I hiked into the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains on my way up to Sandia Peak. The spectacular trail begins just east of Albuquerque where I painted this scene midway up the mountain.

Watercolor Set. I have all of my colors painted on a chart so I can easily pick colors from my set.

 

Valley View. This second watercolor from the Sandia Peak Trail framed the western view with steep cliffs on either side. Dark pine trees contrast against the golden aspen trees in the valley floor.

New Mexico Landscape. This watercolor was my favorite as I painted it just south of Santa Fe, looking towards the distant Placer Mountain. I illustrated the foreground pinon pine trees and created a sense of distance with a gradation of lighter colors.

San Francisco de Asis. This small church located in Ranchos de Taos is one of western america’s oldest (1772) and most photographed or painted buildings. I chose to compose the watercolor with commercial buildings in the background to establish the site context. Being new to traditional watercolor technique, I overworked the sky. Practice, practice, practice. I’ll know better next time I approach a new watercolor!

Look for other interesting articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition. 

 

 

 

The 2010 Blog Collection , a 116-page catalog of my best blog posts from 2010 is now available on Blurb!  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1963744

Developing Visual Themes with Drawings

If you had the challenge of developing concept designs for a restaurant that had a Moroccan theme, how would you begin? This was my task and it did not take long before I was deep into researching traditional North African patterns, colors and objects. Options for finding visual materials when doing research are books on the subject, internet searches and actual site visits. Imagine a “fact finding” trip to Morocco! 

My client was interested in developing an interior design for a themed restaurant and I found it very useful to gather numerous photographs to develop a “kit-of-parts” of specific details that add up to an overall architectural story. This series of square, tightly cropped sketches were traced over photographs with a felt tipped pen and pencil.

Research Photographs. When developing a design concept for a themed space, you can find images in books or from numerous searches on the internet. This screen capture was taken from a search for a Moroccan Souk. Enlarge selected images, print them and trace selected portions of the photograph that represents a specific visual idea.

Patterns of Marrakech. The old fortified Moroccan city of Marrakech has one of the largest traditional souks in Northern Africa. I sketched details of the architectural roof forms, wind screens, tile designs, painted walls and merchandise. The idea was to develop an interior design for the restaurant that was filled with the visually rich (and somewhat cluttered) patterns of this regional style of design.

Blend of People and Pattern. The Moroccan theme needed to carry beyond the interior architecture into the clothing of the servers, planters, accessories, lighting and furniture. These sketches were not intended to represent an actual interior design, but to gather visual ideas that supported the themed concept. 

Sketch Details. All of the sketches were drawn with a 3 inch square format and grouped onto pages. This sketch series primarily focused on windows, ceilings and wall details.

Organized and Random Pattern. The beauty of Moroccan design is with the simple repeated patterns and ornamentation of the traditional buildings, contrasted against the chaotic placement of objects onto the architecture. These sketches show images of merchandise hanging in a Souk (marketplace) and the parapet design on a building. Square and arched openings for doors and windows are a reoccurring design pattern of this region.

 

 Look for other interesting articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition. 

 

 

 

NEW! - The 2010 Blog Collection , a 116-page catalog of my best blog posts from 2010 is now available on Blurb!  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1963744

Quick Concept Sketches for a Child Care Center

There are many projects in which you may need to convey the character and emotion of a space at the earliest phase of the process: conceptual design. This beginning point of the design process is very fluid when many different options are explored and ideas presented to the client. I am always pushing designers to make every effort to avoid jumping too quickly into computer modeling as I believe the computer often prevents the “free-exploration” of design by formalizing space and massing too early. 

This series of drawings was from a conceptual design charrette for a day care center. Each sketch attempted to convey an idea for the classroom space and furniture. The sketching technique I used was pen and ink (Staedtler Lumocolor pen on tracing paper) and with an extremely loose illustrative style - relying on basic shapes, minimal detail and diagonal hatching to add tone and texture.

Art Room Cubbies. This sketch was generated to give the client an idea about how free-standing cubbies could sub-divide a room and provide spaces for art project bins. Notice how the minimal detail still captured the room layout with art easels, group tables and storage units. Some children were sitting on the floor focused on an activity, while others were in the background painting or working at the round tables.

Plant Pedestals. I wanted to illustrate a grid of exterior windows and how natural light could benefit plant growing experiments and group projects. Low pedestals in the foreground displayed bean growing pots, western cowboy boots and geological rock specimens. I added some scribbles at the windows to imply distant views.

Interior Room Views. Notice how most of the interior sketches of the various rooms were drawn with the same horizontal composition and from the eye level perspective of an adult. Imagine how the drawings might have looked if I had lowered the perspective to the height of a child! Both of these sketches were filled with adults, children, furniture, ceiling decorations, plants, artwork and toys. The detail was extremely vague with a very loose hatching pattern.

Interior Storefronts. One of the design concepts was to construct a "neighborhood wall" of storefronts scaled down to kid proportions. This view showed a parent checking in his child while a teacher on the far right worked with a group of pre-schoolers. Cut out clouds were suspended from the ceiling.

Detailed illustration from a Photograph. Unlike the other sketches that were all generated from imagination (not traced from any 3D model or photograph), this line drawing was simply traced from a photograph that I had found in a book. Although it was loosely drawn, it had more detail in the faces, chairs and clothing.

Outdoor Classroom. The seating steps carved out of the hillside beneath shade trees would have made for a boring drawing without people to give the scene scale, humanity and activity. I drew 14 children in the classroom setting along with the teacher reading a book. 

 

Look for other interesting articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition. 

 

 

 

The 2010 Blog Collection , a 116-page catalog of my best blog posts from 2010 is now available on Blurb!  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1963744