Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts

Hand Drawing Over a SketchUp Model View

 Printing a view from a SketchUp model and drawing directly onto the print is a very effective method of visualizing a conceptual design.  This proposed mixed-use development needed a quickly generated view for a client presentation. I had previously constructed a SketchUp model of the development when we were establishing the overall project density and architectural massing. The steps for taking a model view and creating what I call a “simple composite drawing” are quite simple.

Step 1 - Compose Your View.  I carefully selected a “second floor” view with the broad face of the development dominating the scene. Tree components have varying densities of transparency to not hide the building facade. Shadow were adjusted for ideal representation of the 3D massing.

Step 2 - Export Lines Only.  I exported linework from the SketchUp model, lightened them by 50% in Photoshop and eventually combined them with the exported faces image.

 

Step 3 - Export Faces Only.  Exporting the faces allowed me to add a watercolor filter and give the image a softer look.

Step 4 - Line Illustration on a Print.  After combining the previous images together in Photoshop, I printed the image approximately 8x17” on coated bond paper and began to “overdraw” the image with a black roller ball ink pen.  This illustrative step completely changed the scene from a computer dominant image to a “hand drawn” image.

Step 5 - Final Color.  Once the linework was complete, I added Chartpak AD marker color and Prismacolor pencils to the image, leaving the sky untouched. Total time to illustrate and color: 2 hours!

If you would like to see more examples of simple composite drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

Featured Architect and Artist: Karin Pitman

My friend and architect Karin Pitman, chair of the New Mexico Watercolor Society's Paint Out Committee recently organized a watercolor workshop at the historic Los Poblanos Farm in Albuquerque, NM.  Choosing the Farm Shop building as a subject because of the architectural style, Karin did a basic ink sketch of the building and applied watercolor to document scenes in the method she had practiced in architecture.  Later she showed her watercolor to the gentleman working in the shop who was visibly excited about it, saying "That's great, I should talk to my boss about having that made into cards to sell at our store."  Following up with additional sketch/paintings of the various farm facilities, her creative excursion led to the Farm Shop agreeing to buy 100 sets of cards! 

Karin researched how to print, package and label the cards, and in a fun way has discovered an alternate business to her architectural practice.  Pitman plans to packaged her eight watercolors in sets of 5x7 blank cards sold for approximately $25/set.  The originals were created on 140# watercolor paper with a permanent ink marker.  Printing 250 sets is more economical and Karin plans to explore alternate sales avenues for the remainder of the cards on her soon-to-be-created website and to her family, friends and colleagues.

This was the first sketch/watercolor that Karen created the day of the paint out.  It is ink with an archival Faber Castell S marker on 5.5 x 8.5 Canson 140# paper (Montvai Aquarelle/Acuarela) 

This was another sketch she did on location during a later visit.  The sketch was drawn on location. Watercolor was added in her studio from reference photos.  

This drawing represented the character of the farm one sees from the entry drive.  It was done from a photograph taken during a followup visit to the farm.  Although it wasn't a recommended subject, the Farm Shop manager was delighted when Karin showed him the completed painting.

This painting was create from one of many reference photographs Karin took of the Farm Shop and tractor.  Visitors and children typically have their picture taken with the tractor, so a painting of the scene was recommended by the Farm Shop manager, especially in context with the building architecture.

Although Karin really liked the this older abandoned building at the farm, this was initially one of her least favorite scenes.  To improve the composition, Karin photographed some of the farm animals and added a chicken to the foreground!

This watercolor was of the Activity Center, designed by architect John Gaw Meem in the classic New Mexican Territorial style.  The framing of the building entry by the garden elements in the foreground helped to convey the garden setting of the building while adding depth to the drawing.

Although Karin typically sketches directly with marker, she chose to block out the perspective in light pencil (eventually erased) before adding the ink lines.  This courtyard area is on the inside of the Activity Center.

This final image was created from a number of photographs.  The Farm Shop manager had requested a drawing of the lotus pond and of San Ysidro the patron saint of the farmers (the wood figure in the background).  He also wanted to see the large pink-tipped lotus flowers, which weren't visible in this particular view of the pond.  The statue was hard to see behind foliage and new construction so Karin modified all of the elements to create a better composition compared to the original photos.

If you would like to see more examples of how to create Watercolors, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

Avoid Perspective Disasters: Build a SketchUp Model

I recently discovered a REALLY BAD perspective drawing that I created over 35 years ago and wanted to explain how it was done and how to avoid such a “perspective disaster” next time you need to draw an interior scene.  A good perspective involves three basic elements: composition, scale, and technical accuracy.  My drawing succeeded with composition (multiple points of interest, lots of entourage and good detail) but completely failed with the other elements. Let’s take a look:

Inaccurate Scale. The basic 2-point perspective has a vanishing point in the upper left third of the image and a second vanishing point to the far right. Notice the scale of the individual sitting in the center of the image. His size is too small in comparison to the others. The seated person on the far right may also be drawn too large.  

Perspective Confusion.  It is unclear where the horizon line is located in this perspective. Many of the lines and edges do not technically converge to vanishing points. Notice that the vertical partitions on the right are straight up and down - characteristic of a 2-point perspective. Now look at the cabinet doors in the lower left - tilting as if the drawing was a 3-point perspective. These technical errors should have been avoided! When I drew this scene in 1975, computers did not exist. I recall creating this perspective from imagination and  should have chosen a more technical option such as using a perspective chart or photographing a massing model. Today you can quickly build the scene in Google SketchUp and have perspective accuracy. 

SketchUp Model 3-Point Perspective. Out of curiosity, I recreated the scene with a quick SketchUp massing model and saved a scene as a 3-point perspective with a slightly lower than eye level perspective.  Because of the tight interior space, I used as 24mm focal length. The slight tilting of the vertical walls and lines gives the view a realistic and believable appearance.

SketchUp Model 2-Point Perspective.  Using the same 24m focal length, I selected the camera>2-point perspective option which straightened all of the vertical lines. Compare the two images and determine which perspective option you think works better for the scene.

If you would like to see more examples of how to create Perspetcive Drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

Quick Site Drawing from Sketchup: TAXI

I was asked to help quickly visualize a proposed modification to the existing area surrounding Denver’s TAXI development. Chad Herd from Landworks Design sketched a site plan and gave me a photograph of the existing building and parking. With those two pieces of base information, I built a very rough Google SketchUp massing model, established a view similar to the photograph and created a composite drawing in a total of 3 hours.  Whenever you have to quickly visualize a design concept - improvise, keep it simple, introduce hand drawing to give it character and add marker/pencil color to emphasize important elements. Here was my process:

 

Step One: Import Site Plan to SketchUp . Chad sent me a JPEG of his site plan and I imported it to a SketchUp model and resized the model from known dimensions of the building’s length.

Step Two: Reference Photo. I constructed the SketchUp massing model with building facade information and site detail that could be extracted from this single photo.

Step Three: SketchUp Massing Model. Not knowing anything about the site other than what I could see in the photograph, I selected a similar view angle in order use the photo and my new drawing side-by-side for a comparison of the proposed site modifications.

Step Four: Simple Composite Drawing. I exported a high resolution (4000 pixels) JPEG of the SketchUp view, inkjet printed it 9x17” on coated bond paper with my Epson Workforce 1100 and sketched over the building and landscape elements with a Pilot Precise V7 rolling Ball pen.  I added Chartpak AD markers and Prismacolor pencils to highlight the ground plane and riverfront.

If you would like to see more examples of how to create SimpleComposite Drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.

Composite Drawing from Sketchup: Pocket Park

 

This visualization project was very exciting to produce as it involved both 3D digital imaging and 2D traditional hand drawing processes together, i.e. construction of a detailed Google SketchUp model and hand drawings created from two model views.  Important to note about this process is 1) all work can be accomplished in your studio without any outsourcing, and 2) once the model is complete, the hand drawing portion takes very little time!  If you are working out of your studio, I recommend the following equipment and software that will enable you to produce practically all of your visualization projects: Epson Workforce 1100 13”x19” printer, 11”x17” flat bed scanner, set of Chartpak AD markers, Prismacolor pencils, Adobe Photoshop and Google SketchUp. 

Working closely with the talented Colorado architect/planner Farooq Ameen, the view highlighted below in several “step-by-step” phases was art directed to feature a pocket park located within a proposed mixed-use development. Farooq and I worked closely together on architectural facade concepts, model view selection and client reviews.
 

Step One: Original Model View. I selected a 50mm focal length to capture more of the scene without the distortion you might experience with a more wide-angle lens. I made the trees very transparent and strategically placed cars, furniture and people in the composition.

Step Two: Export With Lines. I exported a high resolution JPEG of the scene with only the lines (edges) turned on. 

Step Three: Export Without Lines. I exported a second high resolution JPEG of the same scene with the lines turned off. 

Step Four: Image Composite. I merged the two images together in Photoshop and then lightened the composite image once more in order to drop back the color intensity.  It is important to lighten the image so that you can add back color with markers and colored pencils!  I then sized and printed the image 81/2x17” on coated bond paper.

Step Five: Ink Linework.  Using a Pilot Precise V7 Rolling Ball pen I illustrated the trees, outlined the building edges and gave the overall print a complete hand drawn appearance.  The character of hand drawn lines completely disguises the fact that the image began as a 3D computer generated view!

Step Six: Final Color. The last and most exciting step was adding a wash of different Chartpak AD markers and Prismacolor pencils to create texture and character.  Outer portions of the image were left untouched while the central park and dining patios received more color and delineation.  I scanned the completed image as a TIFF at 300dpi and sent to Farooq for inclusion in a planning document.

 

If you would like to see more examples of composite drawings, look for other related articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and purchase my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.