Pratt INSTITUTE GRADUATE DRAWING I
Joel Wennerstrom, Assistant Professor
Email: WEB: http://pratt.edu/~jwenner
CLASS #10: amorphous shapes
In-class critique of assignment: Class presents someone else’s ideas to using the other student’s presentation drawing for reference.
Drawing amorphous shapes Part 1: Make a half sphere by using an ellipse and showing contour lines at 90-degree angles in perspective. Deform the half sphere by stretching the front of it. Add new contour lines. Add wings and a tail. Make it into an airplane or space vehicle.
Drawing amorphous shapes Part 2: Another way to think of this technique is to draw the footprint of an object in perspective along a centerline. Add a section view or “backbone” along its length. Then add “ribs” that connect the footprint to the backbone, giving it volume. Then add a skin over the whole form. (See back side of this sheet.)
Drawing amorphous shapes Part 3: Another technique is to draw a vertical centerline (Z axis), and two sets of intersecting lines (X and Y axis) at the top and at the bottom of the vertical line. Draw a shape on the XY plane at the top, and another shape on the XY plane at the bottom. Draw guidelines to connect various control points on both shapes, and drape a “skin around the framework to create a volume.
Drawing amorphous shapes Part 4: Another technique is to draw an outside shape or profile of a shape in perspective, and add the inner contour lines to show form and volume. This is not the most accurate way of building a 3D amorphous shape, but is the most direct, intuitive way of getting an idea on the page quickly. Enjoy the immediate gratification of putting something down on the page that looks pretty close to what you were imagining—then when you make a model of it out of foam or clay, you’ll deal with the reality of the three-dimensional forms.
Demo: Using pastels and markers. Depicting materials with markers.
Assignment:
Part 1: Warm-up by doing 4 pages of sketches. Draw amorphous shapes using all of the techniques we covered in class. Concentrate on form and perspective- no function.
Part 2: 6 pages of sketches. Continue developing your concepts from last week, incorporating the amorphous shape building techniques covered in class, or a combination of rectilinear shapes and amorphous shapes. Strive for proportions, speed, attitude, and beauty. Look at cars for design cues and notice how designers blend one form into another, or how one face flows into another. What’s your product’s attitude?
PART 3: Choose a sequence of steps that pertain to your design (assembly, use of product or other), and explain the process visually, using a minimum number of words. Use arrows or numbers to show sequence where applicable. Use exploded views to show assembly or sub-assemblies, use color for clarity, and use hands to show scale/use where applicable. 18 by 24 newsprint or 14 by 17 marker paper.
Note: If your current product does not apply to this part of the assignment, re-do your extrusion presentation drawing (or do an additional page) to help convey your design more clearly.