It is well known that drawing can help people reveal and convey ideas that are difficult to express with words alone. Furthermore, drawing can be used as an ethnographic tool to gain a deeper understanding of the condition one is studying- observing, constructing, reflecting, and reconstructing. I made this sketch and digital illustration in one of my most challenging courses - Constructive Sketching. I have always enjoyed drawing but this class emphasized the importance of accuracy, perspective and grids while creating. This project made use of the Boolean operations (which allows one to combine shapes in different ways) using 2 point perspective drawing with intersecting forms.
It was the first time I had to go beyond the art of “back-of-the-napkin” sketching to explore the art of the constructive sketch. Two main concerns during this project were the study of drawing as a tool for rapid prototyping and analysis of embodied experiences of constructed spaces, which can include the study of material thinking, ergonomics, and movement through space over time. This 2 point perspective drawing assignment allowed me to explore drawing styles and values and helped me better understand accuracy of proportions, importance of construction lines and vanishing points, detail of texture and accurate representations of lighting, shading and volume. I later took the form I created on paper and inserted the structure into a surreal world created using Adobe Illustrator.
This mini - world I created was a representation of my first year in Parsons - and in New York City itself. Its an abstract representation of the emotions and excitement I felt moving out of my home and to a place so different for the first time. The assignment helped me develop an understanding of both the physical as well as conceptual construction of a drawing, utilizing analog and digital techniques.
