Group run through creative environment design week 1 art and feedback

[Heather Boyd]

Free choice - birds - a bit more tricky.

I think next week will be my week 2. This was a tough week my father started his depression and anxiety classes and his mother just passed early this morning, she was 92.

For all who celebrate Good Friday - reflection

[braden H]

@Heather-Boyd Tough week indeed You do what you need to do.

[BichonBistro]

I am on week 1 and questioning exercise 1, silhouettes. I have watched vids intro thru POV so far.
When I did the first 3 silhouettes trying to use variants of 3 basic shapes, I notice I do not have a vision of a building in my head. I am just putting shapes down on paper. Since I am not thinking of a building image, there is no perspective or POV. I thought this was correct way to approach the exercise until Will said in the reference video that too often we make up things in our head instead of drawing from reference. Should I be using references for exercises 1-4 for week 1?

[Heather Boyd]

@BichonBistro first time I went through I used reference and then the second time I watched and realised I wasn't suppose to, so I just scribbled some shapes -what felt awkward and natural. Don't be afraid.

[Nathalie Kranich]

Hey! I'm new to the forum and haven't found a chance to join the conversation yet, since time has been a bit tight. I was really inspired by all your work above though, some great exercises and even better results there! I'm not subscribed to the lessons, so I'm not sure if it's okay for me to work along from what I see you try, but seeing all those thumbnails I wanted to try some too. Haven't had the time to work on proper objective views, but I look forward to trying my hand at some more studies and thumbnails in future

[Heather Boyd]

@Nathalie-Kranich These are faboulous! Thank you for joining in inspite of not taking the class, that's bold - and it doesn't bother me. I have a huge heart for your trees there is so much variety.

[BichonBistro]

@Heather-Boyd thanks Heather, ok I will try not to be afraid art is the only area of my life where I am truly a quitter—usually i am like a dog with a bone when it comes to problem-solving (unless it’s a math problem ) but my impulse with art is to throw up my hands, so I am going to go finish the first exercise right now!!! Thank you

[BichonBistro]

@Nathalie-wow, these are fantastic!

[BichonBistro]

@Nathalie-Kranich @Heather-Boyd I am having a slow slog through exercise ONE—I don’t have a clue how I would turn any of my silhouettes so far into drawings of buildings. I am just putting random shapes on paper and not seeing them turn into buildings in my head. They all seem to be turning into solid blobs with no interest or variation. Is it possible to describe your process or is it intuitive?

[Nathalie Kranich]

@BichonBistro I actually like your first one best! Maybe it would help to avoid perspective and just do 2d straight on silhouettes? I haven't tried silhouetting perspective but I think it would distract me or make it harder to discern the most important features, as the perspective would block out and lose all the strong edges in some cases.

Other than that my process was probably pretty intuitive, after doing a few building studies for practise recently.. I think I tried to actively think of: interesting location (in a tree, on legs, on a mountain cliff, on a dock, etc), and usability, like poles to hang clothes off, convenient places to open windows, necessary platforms...
I also tried to isolate buildings in most cases, so I avoided grouping too many houses together to avoid doing like a village silhouette? Don't know if that's helpful. I think simplicity in the approach Is key here, and being loose and daring with stylised shapes helps a lot!

[Erin.Cortese]

@Nathalie-Kranich Wow, these are incredible!

[demotlj]

@BichonBistro I think your silhouettes are great. I'm not super at thinking in 3D myself but one thing that Jake Parker said that has helped me is to start with the footprint and build up.

[Heather Boyd]

@BichonBistro

I like the following : 2nd row 1st column, 3rd row 1st-3rd column.

I would avoid pushing buildings to the edge in the 3rd row, 3rd column because I can't identify the overall shape of the buildings (sides and the bottoms) -ensure there's a white frame around.

I did not worry about putting them in 3D except for the last 2 of my first attempt (based on references).

Wing ding it - it's really of a helpful process except that I scribble (I found a grainy cover pencil brush on Corel that I love -it helps because I like softer edges when I am sketching -it's a small tip but use a brush you like and are comfortable using.)
That and don't over think it -think of it as a time to play.

Buildings were challenging for me too. If you go find mine - I prefer trees because they let me be more fluid/organic.

Last tip: the first time through each house took me longer time -up to 15-20 minutes/ reference search and the second time through each took roughly 3-7 minutes (did it all in a day).

Keep going!

Instead of you trying to find my houses, place them here (first group -reference for most and second group did not -except I thought of star wars in my head for some lols).

[murielle]

@Heather-Boyd There is a tree that looks like a pine tree, and now I wonder why I couldn't come up with that.

All the silhouettes are good.

[murielle]

@Nathalie-Kranich Not kidding, you've become my new favorite

[BichonBistro]

@Nathalie-Kranich @Nathalie-Kranich the reason the first one looks so good is because that is Jake Parker’s example

Thanks for providing such clear feedback on your approach—location and usability are 2 concepts I would not have considered: it was just a blank page staring at me to create something from basic shapes. I am going to try that thinking, thanks!

[BichonBistro]

@Heather-Boyd @Heather-Boyd thanks so much for providing your exercises (I do get lost in this forum!)—wow the 2nd group without reference and so quickly has so much energy.
I don’t even want to admit how long this is taking me . The third row went a little faster, so I am going back to the drawing board with all these hints in mind, especially not taking the silhouettes to the page edge. Thanks again for helping me not give in to the temptation to quit!

[BichonBistro]

@demotlj Thanks for this tip, Laurie—I realize I don’t have a footprint, which is probably why I am filling too much of the “page” with each silhouette. Boy, silhouettes are a lot harder to implement than it appeared at first glance, right?

[Nathalie Kranich]

@BichonBistro I'm so sorry I only realized that when I saw some others XD I don't have the exercise sheets myself! Your forth row ones seemed to get better, with more negative space, I feel. The others just suffer like you said yourself from shapes blending together, but as long as you keep that in mind I bet knocking out some more thumbnails will soon proof much easier!

[Nathalie Kranich]

@murielle hahaha cheers XD You have some really cool stuff on your website, I like the water colours and drawings a lot :3 you got an instagram to follow you on?