Freehand Sketching
Developing Control of Complex Motor Actions
How does one get a precise control on the carefully designed and complex line paths? Geometric figures like squares drawn with continuous lines require exercising precise control at all locations where the path turns. Similarly, tasks based on curved paths such as drawing of circles, quarter circles, semicircles and segments also demand control of complex motor actions to maintain correctness and alignments of the path. How do you develop this control? To begin with, the programme proposes specially designed workouts that allow you to align the starting and ending points of the line path.
Aligning the end points and lines
These tasks include creating an indirect edge, through the start and end points of series of straight parallel lines of equal lengths. The alignment of the start and end point should create a straight edge.Similarly, in case of radial lines, the end points should create a circle.
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Tasks with constraint on the path prescribed by the end points of each line, helps to develop control of complex motor actions.
Only a precise control over starting and stopping of the lines allows you to develop fairly accurate straight and curved edge.
Tasks like drawing a series of parallel polylines (or sinuous lines) with specific start point, bends and end points seem simple. However, mimicking the geometry of path of the first line in the next set of parallel lines is not simple. Every new mimicking line drawn requires judgment of distances and visual alignments and thus demands planning while sketching. Use of templates as underlays does give an initial practice.
Errors like slow but cumulative loss of alignment of the end points indicate that the eye scanning is restricted to the few preceding lines only. It also shows inability to vary the speed during start and end of the lines, which helps develop precision and control. Later these tasks are made more complex by insisting on change of tools to maintain and regulate the pressure, bi-directional drawing of lines and maintaining signature grip consistently. Further, the use of shroud on the wrist demands an even higher level of control. Yet, practicing with the shroud encourages guesstimating alignments and quickens the learning process.
Sketching and the Sense of Perspective Space
Drawing perspective in a way is a manipulo-spatial action, except that it maps the actual elements and shape onto a 2D space. Such actions have been recognized as a basis of visuo-spatial creativity in areas like design and architecture. (Tuvey, 1986) The lines drawn on the paper in perspective sketch represent an element in 3D space. However it is more important to recognize their main role of helping you to think in 3D space. It is another story that with the advent of CAD, perspective sketching is being increasingly neglected in design education as well as practice.
Sketching 3D objects rapidly is critical during the early idea generation phase. Ideas often occur suddenly (Eureka moment) and you might regret losing them if you are unable to capture them in a sketch quickly! (Don’t you sometimes think of a nice sentence and by the time you write it down, forget the sentence and regret it?) That is why the programme focuses on quick effortless sketching of freehand perspectives.
The day-to-day programme includes sequential tasks in freehand perspective that will help you to gain confidence in 3D sketching. It discusses the use of perspective cubes and grids templates.
The day-to-day programme includes sequential tasks in freehand perspective that will help you to gain confidence in 3D sketching. It discusses the use of perspective cubes and grids templates.
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So, developing the sense of perspective is initiated as follows
1. Learning to exploit a pre-drawn perspective cube and grid to sketch an accurate 3D view. Then it goes beyond this to ensure that representation of the objects in freehand perspective is as ‘natural’ as writing.
2. Workouts that complement the actions of sketching in perspective space. The first point ensures accurate representation of objects in perspective space. It will be adequately dealt in 05.Practice Sessions. Because the workouts are new, they are dealt with in the discussion here.
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Sense of perspective Space: Workouts
The sketching workouts so far dealt with two-dimensional space. They did not stress the skills required to map 3D representation on a 2D plane – a critical aspect for developing a sense of perspective space. Mapping 3D entities on to a 2D space is the focus of the workouts that follow.
From lines, to planes to 3D space
The first stage is focused on developing the feel of converging lines, using a specially designed template with potential vanishing points marked on the edge. Beginners have difficulty with the lines of short lengths, which often do not converge on the vanishing points when extended. So, the actual sketching area in the template is gradually restricted to eliminate the possibility of extending the lines right up to the point of convergence.
In the next stage, perspective floor grid is used as an underlay. The tasks using this grid start with drawing of planes in perspective.
It is only when you draw rectangular planes in perspective captured in continuous lines that the real feel for the representation of objects in a shared 3D space emerges.
Drawing planes in perspective using continuous lines, helps to develop feel of the perspective.
These tasks find their logical extension in drawing strip forms and cubes in space. Later tasks demand mapping graphics on straight and curved perspective planes.
The naturalness can be retained in sketching of complex object shapes by using the cues from the perspective grid underlay and maintaining a rapid pace in sketching. As the 3D sketch can always be corrected subsequently by retracing it, the programme deliberately insists on initially sacrificing accuracy in 3D representation over losing naturalness.
It is possible to carry out these tasks using a shroud on the wrist. Because references near the pencil point are now hidden, the only way available is to attempt sketching by feel of the movements. In fact perspectives of objects drawn with shroud on the hand are not too off the mark, and they are often executed with natural and fluent hand movements.
The results of the perspectives drawn with the shroud mounted on the wrist are not too off the mark.
The workouts in the above three anchors draw much of the inspiration and concepts from sports coaching and serve similar training function. The tasks in the first two anchors are like workouts required for general fitness. In the third anchor they are similar to ‘game dependent’ workouts, which lead the player into specific specialization in sports. In this case, the ‘game’ is sketching of perspective, and workouts support it by developing sense of operating in the 3D space.
You must use the workouts in the spirit they are used in sport and music training. Both rely on a lot of practice…and practice…and practice so that the task appears as routinized. Both use well-developed structured workouts. (term used in music is riyaz) But, in spite of the structured workouts, you cannot dispense with the painstaking and disciplined practice to make the sketching responses appear natural and effortless.