SKETCH NOTE MASTER POST

These four pages of sketch notes are some of my favorites from this semester. I find that the sketches are helpful and communicate the information in a fun, artistic way. Text is organized successfully, and the columns are clearly divided. While going through my sketch notes from the past semester, these four really stood out to me.

LETTERING MASTER POST

This post is an accumulation of the various lettering pieces I have done throughout the semester. Since beginning the lettering practices, I have noticed that my handwriting on blank paper has greatly improved, and that I write in much straighter lines. Throughout these eight assignments, I have developed a style that I find very readable. There is definitely room for improvement in the uniformity of my letters, but overall, I would find this project to be a success.

SKETCH MASTERPOST

SKETCH 1

This is a sketch containing the outlines of 5 people, done to practice the figures that would be put into technical drawings for showing scale. I rather dislike contour drawings, but didn't find this particular sketch to be too unbearable. If I were to do this project again, I would do these drawings in ink as opposed to pencil.

SKETCH 2 (link)

SKETCH 3

This sketch is a tessellation which combines the shapes of snake scales, pine cones, and honeycomb. I like the way that the shapes transition into one another, which was made possible by the shapes I chose. Were I to recreate the sketch, I think I would like to employ color or shading to add dimension and interest.

SKETCH 4

The purpose for this sketch was to practice shading techniques, specifically crosshatching. I've never been a fan of using crosshatching as a shading technique because I prefer to have well-blended shadows because they produce a more realistic look. I think that I would play with lighting if I were to attempt this sketch again, or possibly do it in ink, which would make crosshatching a more logical technique.

SKETCH 5

This sketch relies on negative space to create the chair's shape. I found this sketch rather enjoyable to create because it challenged me to look at the subject differently and really consider the manner in which it occupied its space. If I did this sketch again, I would probably use darker shading and harder edges to make the chair's outline more definite.

SKETCH 6

Doing this sketch was interesting, because it made me really think about the form of the chair and recognize the design that went into it. Were I to do this study again, I would not use such a loose technique to execute the drawings, but rather employ more solid lines, especially for the contour outlines.

SKETCH 7 (link)

SKETCH 8 (link)

TREE SKETCH

The point of this sketch was to practice my technique for drawing trees. The two trees in the upper-right side are trees I have practiced many times before, and the tree closest to the middle is very similar to them. I've never drawn trees very well, and when I found this technique, I was very pleased. I was very surprised with how the other trees turned out, because I haven't drawn them before. I like the abstract feel which is especially prominent in the tree in the lower-right portion of the page. If I did this sketch again, I would definitely practice drawing the bare tree (lower-left) some more.

SKETCH 9

This sketch is a one-point perspective my living room at home. In the sketch, I experimented with using the light source from the large windows to create strong contrast in the lower drawing. I struggled a bit with the proportions of the room, and next time I would definitely work from a photograph instead of my memory.

SKETCH 10

For this sketch, I used colored pencils on black paper to draw a latch on a box that I have. I think it turned out fairly realistically, which I was very happy about. I really like the colors which I chose, because I think they really help create a 3D look. One thing I would like to improve about this sketch, however, are the screws. I feel as if the detail could have been executed a little more accurately, especially with a sharper pencil. Other than that, I don't believe I would change anything else if I did this sketch again.

CORNER SKETCH

This is a 2-point perspective of a corner of one of the rooms in Honors Hall. The only struggles I really had with this sketch was with the desk, which I decided to add after I had shaded the walls and the floor behind it. While I'm less than satisfied with the desk, I am very pleased with the way everything else turned out. (Even the Avengers poster and the Star Wars calendar, even though they're done very lightly.) 

Were I to do this sketch again, I would add the desk in sooner and perhaps add some of the various books and other objects that are on it. 

NAPKIN SKETCH

This is a sketch I did last night. On top is the forecasted floor plan of my dorm room next year. (A friend of mine is currently staying in the same room, so I'm aware of the dimensions and layout.) On the bottom is a quick detail sketch of the room as seen from the south end facing north. I struggled with accurately drawing the portion of the wall that slants up to the ceiling. Below the floor plan, I attempted to draw a better representation of what it looks like.
Sketch was done with flair pen on a paper towel.


Personal side note: My roommate and I are extremely excited to move into our new room, even though it won't be until August. It's 12'x18' which gives us tons of open floor space, as we bunk our beds. Our current room is pretty big, too, at 10'x16'. I can't wait to see what we end up doing with the room.

PERSONAL WORK

Within the past few days, I've had some newly-found inspiration. As a result, I've been drawing in my sketchbook a lot more. Below are a few samples of what I've been working on. All drawings have been done in felt-tip flair pen.

The above photo is a combination of two separate sketches. On the right is the first sketch that I did while looking at a reference photo of a cow skull. The skull on the right was done partially from memory while occasionally checking back with the first completed sketch. I combined the scans of these drawings in Photoshop where I also added the color.

   

I've become rather fond of drawing redwoods, though I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because I can do them fairly quickly, and can sketch the trees in a variety of states. (The right tree looks full and healthy while the center one is a bit sparse.)

Finally, I've been hooked on drawing deer antlers. I've found that I'm much better at sketching them in a more stylized manner like I did for the bottom set (which are not a prime example of how they typically look.) I struggled a bit with the top set of antlers, and I believe it's because I attempted to get a more three-dimensional feeling by curving them forward, as they would naturally. Were I to use pencils instead of my flair pen, I could probably get a more realistic shape (and sense of dimension.)

TESSELLATION

The above tessellation is the first one that I made in Photoshop. It's my personal favorite, as it has a more radial pattern, and there is a greater sense of circular movement. It is also simpler than the other tessellation (below), which was the second image that I created. In the second tessellation, I think that my grid is too visible, which may be due to size of each repeated piece. 

Were I to do a similar recreation, I think I would also attempt to have the edges of each piece better mimic the curved lines within, instead of the jagged line which I used. I also feel like I should have experimented more with color. (These two images make it pretty clear what my favorite color is at the moment.)

To create these tessellations, I found photos of Romanesque architecture online, cropped them down, and distorted them until they were largely unrecognizable. Then, for my first tessellation, I placed an image in one quadrant of the canvas, and rotated it 90 degrees clockwise for each quadrant in a clockwise order. With the second tessellation, I erased parts of the photos and merged six of them into one tile. I then made a jagged cut along one vertical edge, and moved it over to its parallel edge, and then repeated this with the horizontal edges. After I completed this step, I used InDesign to place the pieces so that they fit together.

Overall, I enjoyed this project, because I am very familiar with Photoshop, and found that I could experiment with it more simply because I do have a solid background with the program. This knowledge especially came in handy while working with numerous layers.