Think of all the things - immense and tiny - that began as drawings on paper.
As a culture, we are in the midst of a great technological upheaval, and the design profession is being redefined as much as any industry today, with all the implications of the digital revolution still to be played out. But the further I go into this profession, and the further into technology (and please understand, I love new technology, to the point of distraction - I will follow a digital will-o-the-wisp all day), the more convinced I am that experience with a pencil and paper is fundamental, even primal -
- not a waste of time;
- the secret to everything.
And that is not going to change in our lifetimes.
Here's the thing about drawing -
We don't see the world around us in a flash; we construct our perceptions through a series of darting glances at interesting bits and parts - we see the world initially as a series of 'details' that attract us. We must, however, consciously teach ourselves to see the whole forms, the big picture, the larger composition that the details sit believably within.
In our drawing classes over the next three years we'll draw observationally much of the time - primarily from the human figure - and this is invaluable, fantastic exercise, like jogging every week; it is guaranteed to make us better people. But the primary use of drawing for a designer is to draw what's not yet observable, since we, by definition, create things that don't exist yet - our drawings show our collaborators what will be in the future. So our objective while drawing observationally is to help us draw the figure when there's no figure, and the space when the space isn't before us, and the light when it isn't shining.
And we begin by learning to see through methodical observation. Really really really understanding what it is you're looking at.
That this may be intimidating to some is understandable, but you will resist the voice in your head that thinks maybe you can slide by and be a non-drawing designer who manages with computers and assistants to avoid ever picking up a pencil. It is possible to design and not draw in just the way it's possible to live in Germany and not speak German - you can manage to get by if people are polite to you and help you, but you're not really living there fully and independently.
One thing I have learned after teaching drawing for a number of years is that everyone, literally everyone, secretly fears in the center of their heart that they don't draw as well as they should. I feel this way, often; I think Da Vinci did; and I believe the first person to rub charcoal on a cave wall and make an antelope drawing felt this way ("I have made magic on wall! I create antelope! But I messed up the antlers - I'm so stupid."). That this feeling is universal should give some comfort - you're not at all alone. And wherever you are in your development is where you are - you will be drawing at a higher lever at the end of your first year through your practice and continual thoughtfulness about drawing, and after three years you will be AMAZING (take a moment to visualize the wonderful artist you will be in three years, how expressive and alive your drawings will be, bursting with ideas and energy). So the first step is not to compare yourself with everyone else - easier said than done, I know, but try. This is all about You advancing from point A to point B in your development as a designer.
If you let it be, it's breathlessly exciting.
Your Mission
Draw something, literally anything - perhaps something organic like a tree branch or a head of lettuce.
Use a pencil (maybe an HB pencil) and a nice piece of paper (perhaps vellum bristol, not lined notebook paper rudely torn from a pad).
Think of the point of the pencil as being the tip of your finger, and each line is your finger moving over the form. Let the drawing go where it will.
The very first thing I want us to work on is simple: I just want you to change how you think.
Listen to what you think as you draw. Quiet the voice that says 'I don't know what I'm doing. It already looks terrible. There are children better at this than me" - you know that voice. Instead, I want you to concentrate and think, 'All right, this goes Here, and then this line curves like so, then jogs a bit, then connects to that right here. And this bends out like so - or, better, like So, then it is a bit bumpy, and then smooth." Describe to yourself, forcefully, what everything in the drawing is Doing.
I really am asking you to drown out your self-critical voice with your wiser voice that's engaged in the task.
By Sunday July 8, send me the drawing, as a scan or a digital photo, and your thoughts about it, here:
We're off and running.
Regards,
Chris
