Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts

Color Marker Brands

I’m always answering questions about color markers and giving opinions on which ones I like best. Here is a quick review of four marker types that are readily available and some important advice using them.  Plain and simple - there are Chartpak AD markers, and then there all of the other brands!  Why am I so in favor of the Chartpak brand? The answer is found in the ink formula. 

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The four marker types I have used are 1) Chartpak AD markers, 2) Letraset Markers, 3) Prismacolor Markers and 4) Copic Markers. Three of the four have dual tips for coloring with broad and fine lines. I don’t have the need for dual tips (and the higher cost associated with those brands). The Chartpak AD marker has a different ink chemistry that allows the color to flow much better on bond paper and trace without the streaking. Plus, the Chartpak marker has more ink in it.  That’s the big difference between Chartpak and the other brands, and in my opinion worth the headaches that come along with Chartpak markers.  The Chartpak cap design is very poor for two big reasons - worthy of calling out to you.

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No Snapping Cap Design. Chartpak marker caps do not have a “snap in place” design like the other brands and can separate and fall off, drying up the marker. Always press the caps on tightly to avoid this typical problem.

Problematic Inner Ring Design. Charpak marker cap design has an inner ring that can severely dent the marker tip if you are not careful replacing the cap on the marker. Always align the tip with the cap and don’t rush it. I’ve seen people in a hurry slam caps on crooked and slice tips off or dent them to the point where they are no longer usable.

 

One other note for anyone living in a high altitude location!  Beware of exploding markers!  Chartpak AD markers are manufactured at a low elevation. The air pressure at high altitudes can “pop” a marker when first uncapped - this is similar to traveling with a bottle of lotion that unexpectedly explodes after flying to a high altitude loaction, spilling lotion all over your bag. The photo above shows the aftermath of a new Chartpak AD marker that exploded on one of my students in a Denver workshop. Avoid this rare but costly problem by carefully uncapping each of your new markers to adjust the internal air pressure. Doing this once to new markers should prevent the problem from ever happening.

To learn more about color markers, look for Jim Leggitt’s book Drawing Shortcuts or visit his website www.drawingshortcuts.com.

How to Manage Complex SketchUp Models

Have you ever found yourself in digital quicksand modeling with SketchUp? I have! 

A model that has an excessive number of components, a lot of building detail and too much site area is the perfect candidate for bogging down your computer and wasting a lot of your valuable time. Here are some helpful tips on how to manage the digital model information and give you the results you deserve after investing your creative savings into the model.  The model I am using for this example is one that I constructed during a design charrette for the master plan of the Oshkosh Wisconsin EAA Air Show.

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The original model (shown above) focused on the overall layout of the fair grounds, with an emphasis on the main entry plaza and administration buildings. Exhibit tents and large hangar buildings are seen in the distance.  TIP#1: Work with Layers - separating the people, planes, buildings, towers and other components on different layers which can be turned on and off to make navigation through the model easier.

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When I began to study specific sub areas within the master plan, it became clear that I would need more detailed design within the overall master SketchUp model. This was accomplished by making a second copy of the original model and deleting all model information not visible in the scene. TIP#2: Clone the Master Model - creating multiple sub models that focus on specific areas within the master plan.  I created five sub models each representing a detailed look at some of the themed areas within the plan, i.e., Exhibit Halls, Crossroads, Vendor Pavilions, Red Barn Restaurant and Warbird Cafe.  Those model views are shown below:

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These complex models and the resulting views were detailed enough to show the client and communicate the design intent of the master plan. Although the airplanes were highly detailed models I downloaded from 3D Warehouse, the people and landscaping were 2D. Buildings were “stage set” models with minimal detail. TIP#3: Limit Use of 3D Components - your model with suffer if you overdose with 3D components, especially 3D trees. When building complex SketchUp models, try to stay completely away from any 3D components. Finally, mix up your model views with a variety of aerial and eye level views. TIP#4: Add a Variety of Scenes - the aerial views add context and clarity of the master plan while the eye level views add necessary scale and human character.

I hope these tips were helpful.  Good luck building your next big model!

To learn more about modeling with SketchUp, look for Jim Leggitt’s book Drawing Shortcuts or visit his website www.drawingshortcuts.com.

Learning to Draw from Television!

 

I took my first drawing lessons when I was five years old, courtesy of TV. There was a television program in the 1950s called Learn to Draw, hosted by John Gnagy.  Every Saturday, I faithfully set up my Learn to Draw kit in front of the black-and-white screen—and then fought with my twin brother over who got to trace the televised drawings with pencils.  This cutting-edge combination of technology and hand drawing was a great idea.  We also watched another televised program called Winky Dink and Me, which involved drawing on a clear vinyl sheet placed directly onto the television’s glass screen.  I believe it was America’s first interactive television show!  That program was most likely cancelled by angry parents because too many children drew directly on their television forgetting to first apply the vinyl to the screen. 

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Fifty years later, I'm still working with machines and new technology to create drawings, and I'm 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 professional architecture and urban design practice. 

 

Jon Gnagy was an experienced drawing teacher lecturing throughout the East Coast. He is credited as giving the first live television show, broadcast to a several block radius in NYC on May 13th, 1946 from a small studio high in the Empire State Building. The studio lights were so hot that they completely melted his drawing crayons and he was forced to improvise using charcoal and pencils. Gnagy gave more than 160 live broadcasts of his Learn to Draw show - all of them for no fee. The resulting publicity allowed him to sell thousands of his drawing kits to a loyal fan base of young artists - including myself!

To learn more about Jon Gnagy, look for Jim Leggitt’s book Drawing Shortcuts or visit his website www.drawingshortcuts.com.

My First Years with SketchUp

Have you ever had a “WOW” moment related to design?  I’ve had plenty of them but one that I remember most is the time when I downloaded my first copy of SketchUp, quickly oriented myself with the program and built a model (May 1, 2002). It was a moment that changed the way I visualize design by easily pairing 3-D digital information with traditional hand drawing - merging pixels and paper!  SketchUp was first released in August 2000, a product of the Boulder, Colorado startup company @Last Software, co-founded by Brad Schell and Joe Esch.  Living in nearby Denver, I had the pleasure to visit with them and offer input into how they could integrate more hand drawing styles with the quickly evolving software. Over the next few years, we collaborated on a series of global webinars about hand drawing with SketchUp, educational “basecamps” and even some training videos.  I owe a lot to Brad, Joe and especially Mark Carvalho of Cadman Inc. for their incredible talent, smarts and commitment to design visualization.

Brad Schell, Jim Leggitt, FAIA and Joe Esch at the 2008 Google Basecamp.

One of my first SketchUp models - May 1, 2002.  Simple massing model constructed on an imported hand drawn site plan.

To learn more about SketchUp modeling, look into Jim Leggitt’s book Drawing Shortcuts or visit his website www.drawingshortcuts.com.

36 Best Colors of Prismacolor Pencils

I have always been purchasing Prismacolor Pencils (there are 132 colors offered) each visit to my local art supply store and never have had a defined set of colors to work with. As a result of my compulsive habit of collecting different colors, I found myself with a large box filled with non-matching colors and lots of pencil ends too short to hold onto or sharpen anymore. Sound familiar? Here is a simple solution to this Prismacolor confusion: limit your collection to only three dozen colors or how many can fit into the palm of your hand!  My recommended list of 36 best Prismacolor Pencils is shown below. A pdf of the list can be downloaded from my website.

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Limit your number of pencils to what can fit into the palm of your hand!

My used pencil "graveyard" with over 60 pencils too short to hold or sharpen! :(

Here is my list of 36 Prismacolor Pencils that are ideal for most coloring projects! 

To learn more about Prismacolor Pencils, look into Jim Leggitt’s book Drawing Shortcuts or visit his website www.drawingshortcuts.com.