The use of digital photography in design visualization is as important as using 3D modeling. Photographs quickly establish context, scale, perspective and more. When I am composing a rendering for a design project, I will often visit the site and take numerous photos from different vantage points - constantly framing the subject area while thinking how I can turn the image into a drawing.
This pair of renderings were made for a proposed street celebration in front of a ballpark. In preparation, I walked the site and photographed the large urban space from both street level and overlooking the space at the second level of a building. The following steps reveal my simple and effective drawing process.
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Aerial Perspective
Step 1. Digital Photograph. In order to capture the large celebration, I climbed up an exterior fire escape stair and photographed the space from above. I printed the digital photo at 11”x17” black and white for tracing.
Step 2. Red Pencil Mockup. I taped a sheet of tracing paper over the photo and blocked out all of the primary elements of the drawing including performance stage, retail tents, signage and lots of people. Working in red pencil was easy to see the new information layered over the black and white photo and make quick changes as I developed the visual subjects.
Step 3. Ink Line Drawing. Once I was satisfied with the mockup, I taped a sheet of mylar over the sketch and illustrated the final rendering with a Staedtler Lumocolor F pen. I then made a 11”x17” digital copy on presentation bond paper for the final coloring step.
Step 4. Evening Scene in Color. Knowing the party was at night, I colored the drawing with dark blues and purple Chartpak AD markers. The lighting and fireworks were highlighted with yellow and orange colors. Much of the image was enhanced with Prismacolor pencils to add texture and deeper colors.
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Street Level Perspective
Notice how high up this photograph was taken off the ground. In order to see more of the street scene, I stood on top of a newspaper vending machine (you can also try standing on the roof of your car or on a step ladder) and photographed the street. The photo was printed 11”x17” and developed into a second rendering of the street celebration. I made sure to included the ballpark in the distance in order to establish the context and relate the image to the previous aerial perspective.
Close up Detail. Unlike the aerial perspective, this street level view allowed me to illustrate much more detail in people, food vendor tents, signage of actual sponsors and overhead decorations. My drawing style and coloring was similar to the other drawing. Both images were scanned and used for promoting the party. What fun!
Look for other interesting articles on my blog, visit my website www.drawingshortcuts.com and read my new book Drawing Shortcuts Second Edition.
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