Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts

Featured SketchUp Visualist! - John Zanetta

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Pittsburgh illustrator John Zanetta at a conference held by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI). John has an incredible talent for visualizing urban design projects, painting traditional watercolors and knowing how to combine 3D SketchUp models, traditional hand drawing methods and hybrid digital painting techniques.

He’s a rising star in the field of visualization and I’m very pleased to feature one of John’s projects with his “step-by-step” explanation on how he created this aerial perspective for the schematic design of an Urban Agricultural District in a mid-western city.

 

Step 1 - Google SketchUp Composite Model. Using a hand drawn sketch and SketchUp massing model provided by the architect, John dropped the plan into the base model and added detailed context buildings into the model background which he downloaded from SketchUp 3D Warehouse. He exported the aerial view which was approved by his client prior to continuing with the visualization.

Step 2 - Overlay and Trace Method. John exported the SketchUp scene and printed it 10”x18”. He then began to block out the rendering on trace with a fine point pen, developing the image to a level in which he could review the concept with his client and discuss making any minor modifications to the drawing.

Step 3 - Completed Ink Line Drawing. Based on feedback from his client, John completed the black and white line drawing and scanned the image in preparation for the digital painting process.

 

Step 4 - Base Gradients.  John’s first phase of the digital painting process involved applying a base gradient in Photoshop. He selected the direction of the light source and added warmer tones to the center of interest in the perspective. All digital coloring was done in Adobe Photoshop using a Wacom tablet.

Step 5 - Major Color Fields. John blocked out primary fields of color on separate layers. The base gradient layer was placed on the bottom layer and was visible through several of the upper layers. As shown in the layer structure (right side of the image), all of the layers of color were built up from the bottom up as one would do in an oil painting.

Step 6 - Building Detail. Within the blocked out layers, John applied some detail to the buildings keeping in mind the direction of the light source and using gradients to vary surfaces. Within each of the layers John used the “link layers” feature to stay inside the areas that he had originally blocked off. John used this feature throughout the process.

Step 7 - Reinforce Light Source. John continued to apply gradients within each blocked out layer to hint at the light source and add interest to the illustration.

Step 8 - Refine Color Fields and Texture. John continued blocking out the smaller color fields and adding texture manually with his Wacom tablet, mimicking brush strokes as well as putting a texture over the entire image.

Step 9 - Final Shadows. John added the base shadows to buildings and landscaping using the layer blending option “multiply” so the color underneath would affect the shadow color. The final image was eventually flattened and sent to the client for presentation.  Great work John!

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

 

My Amazing Day at the Epic Tour de Colorado!

Professional bike racing has finally returned to Colorado in the format of a seven stage race through very tough Colorado mountain passes, historic mining towns, world class ski resorts and breathtaking scenery. Named the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge (many simply call it the Tour de Colorado), it’s most demanding stage Wednesday August 24th led riders over two 12,000 foot passes; Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass, en route to the finish line in Aspen, Colorado.

My friend Ted Crawford (an avid cyclist himself) and I took a two hour early morning drive from Denver to park on the slopes of Independence Pass and wait for the riders to speed through. This was as close to experiencing Le Tour de France’s epic Alpe d’Huez as one could ever imagine! The story of my amazing day follows:

 

9:00am - Getting Settled.  Ted and I drove to within 1km of the 12,095’ summit (that’s the height above sea level) and unloaded our bikes for a ride around the growing number of spectators and vehicles. Local newspapers estimated the crowd at over 10,000 people with 5,000 cars parked on the slopes of the mountain. A bluegrass band set up and played music, alcohol flowed and we began our six hour wait for the riders to arrive!

11:00am- Exploring the Pass. Every spectator with a bike was riding up and down both sides of the pass, greeting others along the route. Cars were squeezed into every available flat space along with a colorful variety of shade tents, coolers, folding chairs and costumed individuals. As I rode up the steep hill, the thin air made it rather difficult to breath. I couldn’t imagine how the pro racer’s lungs could survive this high altitude punishment!

1:00pm - Final Preparations. Spectators climbed into their costumes and others lined the road edge to begin the “long look”, trying to spot the racers coming up the valley. Favorite racer's names were freshly painted onto the road surface and the atmosphere was charged with excitement (amplified by many from heavy beer consumption). A lone race official drove up the pass announcing that the riders had turned onto the pass road and were slightly more than an hour from arriving.

2:30pm - The Leader is Spotted. Cheers could be heard from spectators on the mountain top who first spotted the riders coming up the valley. We took last minute photos of each other and anxiously awaited our first glimpse of a lone Columbian breakout rider 45 seconds ahead of the first chase group. He eventually got caught up by the peleton and passed by the stronger riders. The mountain was unforgiving.

3:00pm - Chaos and Mayhem. I always imagined what it would be like to experience standing right next to fast moving motorcycles, horn honking team cars, screaming spectators and especially world famous cyclists. The moment we had been preparing for was upon us and for the next 30 minutes, we witnessed wave after wave of bikers charging up the pass. I spotted all of the famous celebrity riders and in a split second, they were long gone!

 

3:15pm - Last Riders. Following the slower cyclists was a long line of team cars, each with numerous replacement bikes on roof racks. Every wave of racers was greeted with enthusiasm and cheers as they made their way over the mountain pass and onto the finish line in Aspen. In the long traffic jam on the way home that afternoon we recalled all of our crazy experiences and started planning our next year’s trip to the big mountain races of Colorado. What a fun day!

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

 

 

Pen and Marker Illustrations for a Tropical Resort

 

This was one of my favorite illustration projects for it combined a fun to visualize tropical theme with a traditional drawing method that I had never attempted before. The proposed Costa Rican Resort was being designed with a style similar to Balinese architecture - thatched roofs, wood framing, lush landscaping and an “off the beaten path” character. 

I began with pencil and ink line sketches for each of the five renderings to establish the composition and elements within the scene. The final colored illustrations were drawn on tracing paper with a Pilot Fineliner pen and then colored directly on the original artwork with Chartpak AD markers. I failed to scan the line drawings or made record copies before coloring them - a risky move as any error in coloring would have ruined the original line drawing forcing me to start all over again!. Below are the five drawings and a brief explanation about each scene.

Cottage Exterior

 

The composition of this scene reinforced the “indoor-outdoor” design of the cottage. I used very new (wet) Chartpak AD markers on both sides of the tracing paper to create the watercolor-like appearance of the lush landscaping. As the wet marker dried, it "blobbed", causing it to look like a painting. All of my drawings were produced without any people in them to strengthen the remote and exclusive character of the resort, as if you the viewer were the only guest at the resort.

Rain Forest Retreat

  

I developed several sketches in both pencil and pen to explore different elements within this “hidden” rain forest destination. Surrounded by dark landscaping, the stone path crosses a water feature and leads the visitor to the terrace. I brightened the area surrounding the shelter with light colored flowers and thinned the landscaping to draw attention to the forest destination.

Infinity Pool Terrace

 

I created a foreground table setting with wine glasses as if to invite the viewer to sit and enjoy the vista. People are absent from the scene as if the viewer was the only guest at this private resort. I introduced a roof structure at the top of the image to frame the view and emphasized the water, sky and lush tropical plantings. Notice a slight shadow in the foreground as if the scene was bathed in late afternoon sunlight.

Cottage Interior

 

 

This 10"x14" cottage interior perspective emphasized the indoor-outdoor relationship with an open window and large indoor potted plants contrasted against the exterior landscaping. I again added two wine glasses and an overall wood and stone look to the architecture.

 

Reception Lobby

This was my least successful drawing as it seemed too symmetrical and lacked a hierarchy of elements within the composition. I created a strong sun lit floor and lofty feeling to the interior space. The one-point perspective might have been far better if the vanishing point had not been so centered. Lesson learned: not every drawing you create in a series will be 100% perfect. There is always one that is less successful than the others!

 

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

 

Architects That Can Draw! - Robin Riley

 

I was recently contacted by the talented Mississippi architect Robin Riley who had learned of me through my books and blog. After a few emails to each other, I discovered a new friend and fellow visualist! Robin is an experienced architect, urban planner and fine artist who has a very unique blend of traditional hand drawing and digital coloring skills. Robin's drawings on his blog and on Etsy are amazing and I couldn’t be more honored to feature him in this post.

Below are illustrations Robin created for a mixed-use redevelopment project in Pass Christian, Mississippi, an area destroyed by hurricane Katrina.  Each progress step of the aerial perspective is explained along with some of the character sketches Robin produced for promoting of the project.

 

Character Sketches

Robin created a series of thumbnail drawings representing different urban design concepts for the development. Each was drawn with a Pilot Razor Point pen on trace, scanned and colored (gray tone only) in Photoshop.

   Music Venue                                         Tailgate Farmers Market

  Main Street Retail                                   Residential Views (section)

   Parking Courts                                       Neighborhood Square

 

Aerial Perspective (step by step)

 

Step 1 - SketchUp Massing Model. Robin imported a site plan dxf file of the proposed plan and constructed a Google SketchUp Massing model of the residential/commercial development. Integrated into the site is a large Wal-Mart. Electing to work small and efficiently, Robin printed the scene on 8.5”x11” paper and proceeded to create an overlay and trace drawing.

Step 2 - Building Articulation. Robin taped a piece of trace over the print and developed the building windows, roof details and storefronts in pencil.

Step 3 - Entourage. He continued blocking out all of the landscaping, cars, shadows and building facades in pencil. Once the image was fully developed, Robin taped another sheet of trace over the pencil mockup and illustrated the final aerial perspective.

 

Step 4 - Ink Line Drawing. The final overlay and trace drawing was illustrated on tracing paper with a Pilot Razor Point pen. Robin purposely kept the drawing size 8.5”x11” in order to maintain a limited amount of detail and minimize his time investment in the drawing. He scanned the drawing and cleaned up minor mistakes in Photoshop. Additional linework was also added during that step.

 

Step 5 - Digital Color. Robin scanned the black and white line drawing and colored the scene in Photoshop using a Wacom bamboo tablet and a light colored palette. The final image was quite effective in communicating the overall planning concept, architectural scale and street character of the exciting project.

 

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

 

 

Interior Digital Watercolor from a SketchUp Model

 

I’ve recently explained my digital watercolor process in previous blog posts and want to share with you a new project in which I was asked to develop an interior perspective of a temporary exhibits gallery at a museum. Given the absence of natural light, I needed to create the lighting effects using the photorealistic Google SketchUp plugin named Shaderlight. I placed each spot light and adjusted its bean width and intensity to achieve the desired effect of the exhibit displays. Without getting into a complicated explanation, I created the digital watercolor in three basic steps:

 

Step 1 - Google SketchUp Model. I imported the 3D model from the design architect to capture the overhead lighting grid. I fabricated each component and applied photographs as textures for the background graphics. After composing the overall scene and getting approval from the museum client, I then rendered the scene.

 

Step 2 - Shaderlight Rendering. I placed all of the interior spot lights and exported a high resolution image of the scene using Shaderlight. The lighting tones were quite realistic and after several variations of adjusting the software settings, I saved the photorealistic image and continued to the final step.

 

Step 3 - Hand Coloring and Photoshop Filter. I added back a layer of linework from the SketchUp model, lightened and printed the image 11x17” on coated bond paper. I colored all of the primary subjects with colored markers, leaving the walls and ceiling untouched. Overhead spotlights were created with markers and many hightlights were added with a white Prismacolor pencil. I then scanned the print and applied a watercolor filter in Photoshop. I adjusted the image contrast and sent the image file to a very pleased client!

 

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