Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts

Drawing from Imagination

Unlike many hybrid methods of drawing that involve tracing objects and scenes from photographs, 3-D models and entourage files, the concept of visualizing an idea from your “minds eye” dates back to when we were all kids sketching with crayons on newsprint. Creating drawings from imagination is exactly as it states - using your creativity and imagination to put down on paper what you envision in your head!  

The following series of drawings are from a book concept that I developed many years ago about how a lot of our life experiences involve physical spaces, products and even other people that are “fake” - created to represent something that they are not, both deliberately done and sometimes by accident. The story involves a young man named Larry Fisher (a projectionist in a movie theater), his dog Chips (people call them Fish and Chips) and his cross-country trip that exposed him to whacky relatives. Uncle Rich and Aunt Pearl live in a neighborhood where all homes are replicas of famous architecture. His college cousin Wheaton (friends call him Wheatie) lives in a tricked out dorm room and exercises in the Campus Health Center - an olympic venue with an indoor kayaking river, digital golf, surfing and tennis tournaments pitting man vs. machine! Larry’s adventure ends on the southern California coast visiting Grandpa Ripley (believe it or not) and a plastic surfaced ski resort where a full day pass gives you full access to the fake snow and ocean surfing.  Elevators take you to the mountain top with clear views of the coastline. 

Enjoy these images each drawn from imagination and then try creating some yourself!

Larry Fisher and his dog Chips in their projection booth.

Larry's theater - built last year but designed to look historic.

Aunt Pearl and Uncle Rich's home - the replica of Mount Vernon....

Cousin Wheaton's "lifestyle" dorm room. His poor unimaginative room mate!   

Ultimate Campus Health Center - rock climbing, kayaking, tennis and surfing!

Southern California "Sea and Ski" resort with easy highway access!

To learn more about Drawing from Imagination, pick up Jim’s book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition or visit www.drawingshortcuts.com.

What on Earth is This Object?

Years ago at the Aspen Design Conference I was impressed with a presentation named “What’s it!” - where many different strange and unfamiliar objects were shown the audience with the challenge of identifying them.  I have been holding onto just one of those critters of unknown origin and none of my designer  friends have ever figured out what it’s function is.

It is made of cast brass or bronze and is shaped with an obvious right angle as if it were to be mounted on the outside corner of a wall or piece of furniture. It has two mounting holes on each side. The face hinges forward revealing a small metal “tongue” as if a round object (such as a small ball) could roll down and drop into the back of the face.  A lead weight serves as a counter balance keeping the assembly closed.  

The only function we’ve been able to theorize is that this was mounted on the edge of some kind of billiards table and a ball would drop into it, opening it up from the weight of the ball and a person would retrieve the ball and continue playing - a kind of ball return mechanism.

If you have any idea what on earth this antique object is, please let me know!  Here are some views (open and closed position):

 
 
 

  
For more information about Jim Leggitt, visit his website www.drawingshortcuts.com
 

Combining Hand Drawing with SketchUp

I have always promoted the merging of hand drawing with digital media. This mixing of traditional drawing technique with digital imaging, which I call “Tradigital Drawing” gives us the best of both approaches to design visualization. SketchUp models have measurable dimensions, accurate shadows and true perspective - but no humanity!  Hand drawings have character, personality, imperfection and a huge dose of authenticity!  Blended together in a digital collage, the result is a visual hybrid that is very effective in communicating design concepts.  The following is a good example of how it is done:

Step 1: SketchUp Massing Model of a Hotel

 

This SketchUp massing model has very little detail. Basic building forms have been quickly established with floor heights, minor articulation and simple roof shapes.  Minimal effort has been put into site topography, windows or facade detail. Strategic modeling decisions were made to stop building, establish the exact model view (scene) and adjust the shadows to highlight the main entrance auto court. The scene was then exported as a jpeg and printed on 11x17 inch paper.

SketchUp massing model with shadows and minimal color.

Step 2: Hand Drawn Building Detail

This pencil drawing by architect Ron Schafer was traced directly over the 11x17 print and concentrated on the facade articulation with some hint of landscaping and tree placement. The floor lines from the SketchUp model helped Ron with his placement of window patterns and developing the design detail to a high level.  He drew fencing, shade structures, balcony railings and even some detail in distant buildings. Notice the mountains drawn in the background.  The pencil drawing on vellum was then scanned at 300dpi in full color.  Note: I always scan drawings in full color even if they were drawn in black and white. They may generate larger files but are more valuable in the process.

Pencil drawing with building detail and landscaping traced from SketchUp view.

Step 3: Photoshop Composite

This step combined the SketchUp model view and Ron's hand drawing in a composite image that  revealed color, shadows, articulation and facade detail.  Combining the two layers in Photoshop was easy and required only a minor amount of adjusting. This process also allows you to “fine tune” your image using any number of tools such as color and saturation adjustments, contrast levels, transparencies and use of filters. Many visualists often insert photographic content into the composite image (people, cars, trees, furniture) at this step. I exported a flattened jpeg, enlarged it to 18x24 inches and plotted it in color on coated presentation bond paper.

Composite image of hand drawing and digital model.

Step 4: Final Coloring

I used the color plot as a “starting point” to add even more detail, color and texture to the image. Using a Pilot Rolling Ball pen, I delineated the landscaping, cars, people, roof detail, shadow hatching and gave the drawing an overall loose feeling by over-tracing building edges with casual linework to soften the hard edges and give the image a more hand drawn look. I added a very light wash of color using Chartpak AD markers (test your colors in advance and stay away from darker markers) and finished the Tradigital Drawing with Prismacolor pencils to add texture to the ground plane and pop the windows and roofs with white pencil highlights. The final image was scanned at 300dpi in color and presented to the client for review of the hotel concept design.  Approved!

Final image with added ink linework, colored markers and pencils.

To learn more about Combining Hand Drawing with SketchUp, pick up Jim’s book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition or visit www.drawingshortcuts.com.

Perspective Drawing from SketchUp

Drawing perspectives involving planning projects can be challenging and somewhat intimidating. A great method of visualizing master plans is to simply build a SketchUp model, determine an optimum view and then trace over a print of scene. I call this process the “Overlay and Trace Method” and is easy to do and very accurate!  Here is how to keep it uncomplicated and achieve the best results:

Step 1: SketchUp Massing Model

This rough massing model was constructed in several hours over an imported site plan that was generated in AutoCAD and colored in Photoshop. The image was imported in one piece and has a “fuzzy” appearance. If you want a sharper image, sub-divide the original scanned site plan into four equal pieces and import all four into the SketchUp model, then assemble them back together. The combined four images will be much sharper and easier to work with. Size the base image to the proper scale and then construct a simple massing model - in this case, horse barns, Visitors Center and fences. 

SketchUp massing model of proposed Equestrian Center.

Step 2: SketchUp model aerial view

This low level aerial view was selected to highlight the Visitors Center.  By elevating the perspective view, many of the horse barns and fields are visible in the background. I inserted some basic 2-D trees but kept the building detail to an absolute minimum - no windows or doors, no materials, no people or cars, no facade detail.  I adjusted the sun angle to reveal some shadows and articulate the building forms. I then enlarge the view and plotted it onto paper 12x21 inches.

Low Level aerial model view with shadows.

Step 3: Overlay and Trace Drawing

I taped a sheet of tracing paper over the print and began sketching all of the building detail and entourage that was not built into the SketchUp model. A red pencil mockup (not shown) allowed me to make all visual decisions before making the final ink line drawing.  Once the redline mockup was complete, I taped a sheet of heavy weight vellum over the mockup and delineated the final drawing using a Staedtler Lumocolor “F” pen. 

Freehand ink line drawing on vellum.

Step 4: Final Coloring

The ink line drawing was taped to a carrier sheet and copied same size onto heavy weight presentation bond paper using an OCE digital copier. I then colored the image using light Chartpak AD markers and added texture to the grass and roofs using Prismacolor pencils.

Colored markers and pencils on a digital print.

To learn more about Perspective Drawing from SketchUp, pick up Jim’s book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition or visit www.drawingshortcuts.com.

Creating Perspectives with SketchUp

In recent years, SketchUp modeling has become the preferred digital tool for academic and professional design environments allowing students, architects, interior designers, planners, industrial designers and practically anyone involved with design to easily build, manipulate and view 3-dimensional digital mockups of their concepts. Constructing models may be easy, but establishing the right kind of perspective view can be tricky. If you were a photographer, your camera angle, viewing height, lens focal length, lighting, framing and composition all work together to create great pictures. When establishing scenes in SketchUp, an identical visual “checklist” must be considered so you can present your design concepts in their best form and avoid 3-D digital disasters!  Here are a few tips to consider when viewing your models:

Pick the Best Perspective Type 

 

SketchUp allows you to freely spin your model in any direction with the option of viewing it in one, two or three-point perspective. The 1-point perspective view emphasizes an object’s elevation as if you are looking perpendicular to its face. The 2-point perspective view reveals multiple faces as if you were looking into the corner of an interior space or outside corner of an object. Finally, the 3-point perspective is quite effective when looking down on an object or a large area of a site plan - but - it can often create visual distortions that confuse viewers. I once overheard an architectural client commenting that the buildings he was seeing in a 3-point perspective were falling over!  The confusion may have been avoided if the SketchUp model was presented to the client as an easier to understand 2-point perspective. 

One-point SketchUp perspective view.

 

Two-point SketchUp perspective view.

Three-point SketchUp perspective view.

Select your Viewing Height

 

I have categorized viewing heights in three basic options; eye-level view for the most realistic and natural presentation, roof-level view when I want to reveal more of the ground plane (this is like standing on a bridge looking down at a scene from above), and aerial view for observing the subject in context within a larger area. All three heights are important to understand and how each can be selected to enhance your SketchUp model view.  Although rarely used, an optional ground level view looking up at the object can be used to present a subject that may be situated on a sloped site. 

Eye-level SketchUp perspective view.

Roof-level SketchUp perspective view.

Aerial perspective SketchUp view.

Optimize Camera Focal Lengths 

Similar to interchangeable lenses on a digital SLR camera, the SketchUp Zoom tool (from the camera toolbar) allows you to manipulate the focal length (FL) of your view.  The default FL of a SketchUp model is 57mm and is set to what your eye naturally sees.  I always adjust the FL in my models to fit the specific subject - generally using a wide angle (24-35mm) for viewing interior spaces and telephoto (65-85mm) for aerial views of large models. My favorite focal length in most models ranges between 45-55mm. Caution - when using a wide angle focal length, be aware of severe distortion in your vertical lines. SketchUp offers the “Two-Point Perspective” option in the Camera toolbar to straighten out those flared vertical lines. Great tool to use!

SketchUp 24mm focal length - skewed verticals and very distorted!

SketchUp 45mm focal length with “2-point perspective” checked - best looking!

SketchUp 85mm focal length - too foreshortened and a bit stiff!

To learn more about Creating Perspectives with SketchUp, pick up Jim’s book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition or visit www.drawingshortcuts.com.