Truth in Drawing

 I've heard it said that there is truth in drawing. When I draw, I'm exploring possibilities. Sketching is the most fundamental skill to design and yet it seems to be the most under appreciated, especially these days when everything can be modeled in the computer.

I think one reason why is most people are intimidated when they see a blank page and are asked to sketch. They think that it's got to be "Rembrandt-esk" when in reality it doesn't. Like I stated in my first blog post, it doesn't. Scribbles can suffice. This is not art in the sense that we are eliciting an emotional response but are exploring for our own edification. Exploring form. Exploring scale. Exploring what's already been built before us.

My favorite thing about drawing is it slows down time. So much of my day is consumed with emails, text messages and phone calls trying to get projects through permitting or fielding contractor questions. When I finally get to sit down and explore with a pencil and paper that all gets pushed out of my mind and I can focus on creating. This happens like 10% of the time but is the part I love the most.

I'd like to think that most designers are the same when it comes to drawing utensils. I can be very finicky about what the pencil feels like when I pull it across the page or how quickly the ink flows out of a pen. Sharpies are my favorite for quick sketches but it has to be new. The old sharpies don't create the same crisp lines like the new ones do and at the end of the day it's all about the lines. One day my mother wanted me to redesign her front yard (something else I'm sure most designers have happen, her mantra is she helped put me through school so she should get all the free design she wants). She gave me a piece of computer paper and a crappy old pencil. Then I asked her for something else to draw with because the lead was to hard. She finally found a old red sharpie and that's what I used. Yes, I know this sounds ridiculous. Yes, I am a little OCD. Details matter.  

I have two sketchbooks. My nice new one and the one that I use to scribble in. My wife purchased this sketchbook for my birthday. I love it. The paper has a good weight to it. It has blank pages and pages with a grid on them to draw to scale. It also has a bunch of interesting charts in the back. I've save the pages for more complete thoughts.

My other sketchbook is my old brown sketchbook. This is the one for my scribbles. When you have an idea but it's not a complete thought but you want to get it out of your head before you forget.

Also here is my list for drawing utensils:

• Sharpies but not the fine tip ones (they suck)
• Le pen -great for fine lines
• Pilot pens- also great for fine lines
• Micron pens- great for various line weights and they photocopy well

Black warrior pencil -they always are great for sketching. And last but not least, the mechanical pencil...this will make the sketching purest cringe but I really like the mechanical pencils mostly because I never seem to have a pencil sharpener nearby.