The Cruciform

The cruciform (from the same root as crucifix or cross) is way to use horizontals and verticals. This diagram shows how endlessly flexible and adaptable the cruciform is.  The diagram is not to suggest that everything withing the cruciform needs to be dark value. It just shows the cruciform's versatility and helps to get you thinking about how abstract masses can interact with the picture plane.

Talk to your client

Not every marriage is a success. Sometimes you discover that your're better off going seperate ways. If that happens to you, end the relationship in the same professional way that you began it. Talk to your client. Explain what's going on. Chances are it won't come as a complete surprise.

You may even be able to work things out. But even if you can't, it's better to acknowledge what's happening and bring closure to the relationship than to just walk away and disappear

180 Rule

When animating characters interacting with one another, it's crucial to keep a well-defined visual relationship between the characters on screen. The cameras should remain on one side of the axis of action in order to preserve the scene's spatial continuity and screen direction.

Sometimes breaking the 180 rule can result in a better visual impact and can also enable you to get a great reaction shot that you couldn’t get otherwise.”

Talent

Here’s some good news: There’s no such thing as talent. Talent actually is a skill developed by combining good technique and practice.

Zoom Way Out

If you open your rendering, in your image editor, and reduce it to thumbnail size and it still holds together compositionally, you've got a good piece on your hands.

If your rendering has the ability to catch your eye when it is that small it either has a strong underlying perspective grounding the composition or interesting shapes that lead you through the work.

Learn the Core Fundamentals Concepts

Learn the core fundamental concepts so you can quickly adopt to new ideas, and changes.

Neuroplasticity refers to the physical changes that take place in your brain as you experience and adapt to the world around you.  

Walk away!

Looking at your render too long without a break is one of the biggest pitfalls that hinder even the best artist. Sometimes the best solution is to simply walk away from your computer for a few minutes, or just step back from your screen a few feet.

There is probably no better tool to routine out bad renders than looking at your render in reverse. Reversing your render allows you to see your rendering in its proportions with a fresh eye. You can mirror you rendering in Photoshop, or simply print it out and look at it from the back side, through a bright light.

use value - not color or detail - as the framework for your composition

Look for an opportunity to create a white path into the composition and link the whites into a single shape. If you allow the whites to separate each one could fight against the viewer's attention, and the composition could lack unity. I am not necessarily talking about the color white. I am talking about lightning the values you use, to create a viewer's path, to bring the eye to your focal point.

Once you have your white and mid tone paths, you can complete the composition framework by adding darks. The darks do not need to create a single path. The reason is that the eye seems to connect darks even if they are not literally connected.

Do I Slash My Prices?

One must always look critically at the market and be willing to be flexible, especially in light of difficult economic circumstances. As your reputation grows, so will your prices. Price-cutting could prove detrimental to existing relationships with clients who have paid certain amounts in the past.

It Cost How Much?

Part of our job, as architectural illustrators, is to sell our work. A lot of illustrators charge an hourly fee, but to me, that doesn't make much sense. You'll find with that logic the more experience you have, the faster you can create your art, and then the less money you'll make. So, how do we charge for our service? If you are like me, and purchase high-end software with anual subscriptions, it is expensive to operate. Not only do we purchase software, we have to have reliable hardware to meet tight dealines.

Yesterday I was talking to a construction manager, we'll call him Bob, about costs for interior and exterior illustrations. The construction manager was preparing for a meeting with his potential client. The project was a design-bid-build, with design going to three local contractors for bid.

After talking with the architect, I found out that the homeowner is particularly concerned about the building process. The architect is passing his design along to the builder. The architect said, "The homeowner needs a builder that can take their hand through the process". Their life savings are being invested in their dream home based on a series of 2-D drawings. This doesn't make sense to the homeowner, and they are terribly concerned, that they were not able to make intelligent decisions.

Bob inquired about prices for illustrations, which might help him get the job. These would be illustrations the architect didn't provide. I studied the drawings, briefly while he was standing with me, and I gave him an approximate price. The room got quiet… I asked Bob how much it would cost to re-paint an average size room, or move a window a couple inches?

Let's say the homeowner opted not to invest in some superb illustrations and the first afternoon, in their new home, they can't watch TV in their new living room because the sunset is glaring on their screen. Easy fix: they go to the home improvement store and buy some terribly expensive window blinds to cover up the glare, and the beautiful view.

Several years ago I was part of the design process for a church built. I positioned the building on the site with a large cross shaped window, behind the pulpit, facing Southwest. My intents were as the congregation looks at the pastor, with the soft, diffused light from the cross behind him, that image would be captured in their mind-eye when they close their eyes in prayer. The point I was after was no different from looking at a lightbulb, closing your eyes, and still seeing the light of lightbulb. Once the design was done I was removed from the process, and the drawings went to the builder. At some point, the builder decided to mirror the building on the site, save some money, and guess what happened on that first Sunday morning service? The 10 AM sunrise blinded the congregation! Easy fix: get some darned dark tint, put on the glass, and problem solved.

These quick fixes are called value engineering. To fix something in the field, as it's being built, is frightfully expensive. Homeowners see their dream home for the first time as it's being built. Any changes to the design will be exceedingly costly, which could have been avoided, with some strong initial illustrations.

Every design warrants an illustration, in my opnion. If you want a happy client, make sure there isn't value engineering, which is very expensive. We have to sell our work based on its quality, and its value to the project.

Get The Light Right

A major consideration is the light source. The old rule of thumb used in architectural perspectivist is that the light source should come from over the left shoulder. This configuration puts one face of the building in bright light and the other in shadow, which makes it easier for the viewer to understand the structure.  

My Personal 2012 To-Do List

Consider the doctor, plumber, architect, lawyer, or building inspector ... These are all professionals just like us, the architectural illustrator. They have been educated in their craft. They have spent years working in the field, and in some cases, earning their degrees, but credentialing is a valuable and recognized part of our career.

Below is my list, of desktop publishing applications, that I would like to get certified in, during the year 2012. I spent over 20 years mastering many applications, so I thought it was time to get certified in some of them.  

• Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
• Adobe Photoshop®
• Adobe AfterEffects® 
• Adobe InDesign®
• Adobe Premiere®

• 3ds Max Design 2011 Certified Professional
• Revit Architecture 2012 Certified Professional
• CompTIA Healthcare
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) Certificate

I'll post update, and my certificate credentials, as I work through my lists.

Top 25 Learning Sites

Yesterday afternoon, I spoke to a group of local college students, on the topic of computer graphics. One thing I stressed was, get your degree, so you can get a job, and then begin to learn.  

Below is my top 25, best of the best, online learning resources. Some of these sites are pay and some are free. Not all of the sites are specific to computer graphics.

One thing I've learned over the years is you have to learn the rules before you can break them. Art is art whether it's on paper, canvas, cave wall, or computer screen. Without the basic knowledge of composition, you're not producing art.

I literally went through hundreds of my bookmarks to compile this list of 25. Please, check back often, because I'm sure the list will grow.

1. http://www.chaosgroup.com/forums - Is the developer of the V-Ray rendering engine and provides fast rendering solutions for CGI - 3D animation, architectural and VFX studios, games ...
2. http://www.digitaltutors.com - Since 2000, we've been a dedicated team of artists, professionals, representatives and problem-solvers who are truly passionate about teaching the people around the globe who make movies and games.
3. http://www.lynda.com - Deliver a learning experience that exceeds our members’ expectations.
4. http://www.youtube.com - Founded in February 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. See our company timeline for more information on our company history.
5. http://www.pencilkings.com - Learn how to draw cartoons by following along with our video lessons from professional artists and instructors. Unlock your inner artist today!
6. http://www.sensationalcolor.com - Color Advice and Insights from the Experts: Color Meaning, Symbolism, Psychology, Color for Your Home, Color Schemes, Color Combinations, Color Trends, Quotes about Color
7. http://www.beloose.com - BeLoose is a workshop where the experience will definitely change people's lives and increase their confidence beyond their expectation.
8. http://www.deviantart.com - Art - community of artists and those devoted to art. Digital art, skin art, themes, wallpaper art, traditional art, photography, poetry / prose. Art prints.
9. http://www.drawing-tutorials-online.com - Do you have a passion for drawing but lack certain skills? Would you like to earn a living as an artist but are unsure of where to start ? This one of a kind membership site will provide you with both technical drawing skills as well as sound career advice.
10. http://artistsnetwork.tv - Learn techniques for lighting the subject, proportion, painting features, and more as you paint a stunning portrait, reminiscent of the masters--giving you the knowledge you need to create your own portrait paintings!
11. http://psd.tutsplus.com - Fortunately, it isn't required to go to design school in order to be a graphic designer. A good foundation in graphic design history, theory, and practica
12. http://cgworkshop.org -CG WORKSHOP is an on line service created to enhance 3d artist knowledge providing video tutorials, 3d models and training in many cgi areas. CGW is a cell of MOTYW studio, company that combines architecture with computer graphic. Explore our site, play with available models and presets, have fun.
13. http://cg.tutsplus.com - Cgtuts+ is a source of learning on all aspects of computer graphics. We pump out regular tutorials on Maya, 3Ds Max, Cinema 4D, ZBrush, Blender, Mudbox and more. We cater to beginner, intermediate and advanced CG artists.
14. http://www.3dmotive.com - Join 3dmotive.com and get instant access to top notch training content streamed in HD. You’ll learn tips, workflows and techniques directly from game industry pros.
15. http://www.khanacademy.org - With a library of over 2,700 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 253 practice exercises, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.
16. http://www.vray-studio.com - VRayART LTD is a multimedia development company that stands behind this project, established in 2009. Since then we have created over a thousand different applications, including games, presentations, websites, 3D visualizations, also medical and Hi-Tec simulations. Our clients stand in the front lines of future developments. By joining our forces with them we create high end applications at super quality standards.
17. http://curriculum.autodesk.com - Creativity and design play a significant role in every part of our lives, here you will find a new approach to design, sustainability, and creative problem-solving using Autodesk software.
18. http://www.digital-photography-school.com - Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography.
19. http://kelbytv.com/photoshopusertv - The weekly Photoshop TV show featuring "The Photoshop Guys" Scott Kelby, Dave Cross and Matt Kloskowski. Presented by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP).
20. http://www.creativecow.net - Support communities for digital video, video editing, and media production professionals in broadcasting, motion graphics, special FX and film. Home to the top-rated Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid, Discreet Combustion, Media 100 844x and Pinnacle Cinewave user forums support communities, dedicated to digital video production professionals.
21. http://www.mentalboutmax.biz - 3ds Max, Mental Ray, Vray, 3D, Rendering, Raytracing, Global Illumination, Photons, Final Gather, Irradiance Map, Image Sampling, Video Training, Vray Tutorials, Mental Ray Tutorials, 3ds Max tutorials, Anti Aliasing, Modelling, Lighting, VFX, MentalBoutMax
22. http://www.thecgschool.com - 3DATS, LLC provides high quality training solutions for design visualization professionals. Our products and services include customized training, 3D design consultation, training books and DVDs, as well as some of the best content available in the visualization industry.
23. http://www.openculture.com - Get free online courses from the world’s leading universities. This collection includes over 250 free courses in the liberal arts and sciences.
24. http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/speakers_vftt - The student-run speaker series brings well-respected leaders of business and social sector communities to campus to share their views of leadership with student audiences. Speakers discuss their leadership style, personal vision, and strategies for success.
25. http://www.wetcanvas.com - WetCanvas: Cyber Living for Artists

Color Meaning, Symbolism and Psychology

What does color mean, and how does it make you feel? I once heard that a color doesn't exist, unless it has a name. A rendering or illustration should tell a story. Do you want to make your viewer feel happy or sad, calm or excited, color can help you accomplish your goal of telling a story.

HOW THE COLOR GREEN AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Soothes
• Relaxes mentally, as well as physically Helps alleviate depression, nervousness, and anxiety
• Offers a sense of renewal, self-control, and harmony

HOW THE COLOR BLUE EFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Calms and sedates Cools
• Aids intuition

HOW THE COLOR YELLOW AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Stimulates mental processes
• Stimulates the nervous system
• Activates memory
• Encourages communication

HOW THE COLOR ORANGE AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Stimulates activity
• Stimulates appetite
• Encourages socialization

HOW THE COLOR RED AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Increases enthusiasm
• Stimulates energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate Encourages action and confidence
• Provides a sense of protection from fears and anxiety

HOW THE COLOR PURPLE AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Uplifts
• Calms the mind and nerves
• Offers a sense of spirituality
• Encourages creativity

HOW THE COLOR PINK AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Bright pinks, like the color red, stimulate energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate.
• They also encourage action and confidence. Pink has been used in prison holding cells to effectively reduce erratic behavior.

HOW THE COLOR BROWN AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Supplies a feeling of wholesomeness stabilizes
• Provides a connection with the earth gives a sense orderliness

HOW THE COLOR GRAY AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Unsettles
• Creates expectations

HOW THE COLOR BLACK AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Makes one feel inconspicuous
• Provides a restful emptiness
• Is mysterious by evoking a sense of potential and possibility

HOW THE COLOR WHITE AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

• Aids mental clarity
• Encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles Evokes purification of thoughts or actions
• Enables fresh beginnings

Squint/Spatial Illusion

To check your rendering for balance, you can squint your eyes, which helps you concentrate on shapes and lines, avoiding all the detail. Your rendering will never look complete, until you achieve balance in your composition. To show you the value of squinting, here is a squint/spatial illusion

On a close-up view, you can see on the left face, an angry man and on the right face, a woman with a neutral facial emotion. But further back, the faces change expression and even genders! if you squint, blink, or defocus, an angry man should substitute for the face of the woman, and the left angry face should not be angry anymore.

This impressive illusion created by Dr. Aude Oliva and Dr. Philippe G. Schyns, illustrates the ability of the visual system to separate information coming from different spatial frequency channels. In the right image, high Spatial Frequencies (HSF) represent a woman with a neutral facial expression, mixed with the low spatial frequency (LSF) information from the face of an angry man. On the left, the face of the angry man is represented in fine details whereas the underlying female face is made of blur only ("blobs")

Turn off your Computer!

Too often we start the technical part of a rendering (building a 3D model) when, in fact, we should be developing a mood. It may seem like semantics, but it certainly isn’t. A rendering by itself is simply a static image. A mood is a strategy that tells your story through imagery and color.  

Computer Off

Every rendering or illustration needs to start with a pencil in your hand and your computer turned off. Don’t jump into your rendering software until you’ve done your homework and have pages of sketches. If you skip this step, you’re letting the computer design and you’ll end up with a rendering without heart.

Describe the Mood

Before we even sketch, take out that paper and pencil and begin to write down words that describes your rendering or illustration, the culture, the people in the community who will use the space, what people will find when they arrive, etc. This helps to find a foundation to build your rendering on. Just because your building is 30,000 ft.², and three stories, doesn't mean, you have to show everything in one view (sorry architects). Instead, your rendering should tell your story.

Sketching Time

Once you’ve written out this list of words that make up your story, now you can begin to isolate the main threads that run through your intent. Now, you can begin to sketch with the goal of putting into visual terms these key concepts. Sketch and sketch and sketch. Put the paper down, go take a walk downtown, play catch with your kids, pull yourself away and refresh. Now, go back and sketch some more. Now Use the Computer Now take a look at your sketches, highlight those that jump out at you… now you can turn the computer on.

Capturing a Mood

Many times the most captivating characteristics about a subject is the feeling invoked in the viewer. For example, the energy of a bustling street scene or the serenity of a peaceful meadow can be captivating. So how do you translate the mood of the scene to the screen? In general, warm colors portray a sunny, upbeat mood, whereas cool colors seem more calm or mysterious. For example, a sunlit field of bright yellow flowers seems cheerful and invigorating, where is a quiet harbor blanketed in blue-gray fog appears serene and still.

In this rendering, of an unused roof deck, I wanted to create a mood of a hot summer day. The building owner wanted to convert the roof deck into a patio space. The concept was to convert a cold space into a warm space, which I accomplished by using color.

Here, is the same rendering, only using cool colors, to create a more mysterious mood. I created a night scene, but I changed the ambient light, and kept the warmth contrasts of the artificial lights.

So, as you can see, just by the use of color I can change the mood and invoke a whole different feeling.

Discover Yourself As an Artist

As you start creating digital art, try not to be too hard on yourself. You learn more from your mistakes than you learn from your successes. At the same time, don't go overlooking improvements you see in your techniques. With a lot of screen time and a lot of patience you'll, be illustrating like a pro in no time. Guard your identity! it's tempting to copy an artist you admire. However, if you genuinely desire to succeed as an artist, you want to allow your own artistic spirit to come through your work.

As long as you're consistently developing as an artist, your work will continue changing, and your style will continue to grow.

Having said that, artists have been creating art for a long time. Use your favorite search engine, or go to the library, and explore all different types of art. By studying works of art, you can discover different techniques, and styles, that you can use to develop your own skills.

Nobody Remembers Normal

Last month my son Benjamin, who is turning eight this month, had a hard day at school. After some bribing with the potential of longer computer privileges, Benjamin shared with me his troubles. Ben, who has Asperger's, told me kids at school were saying he was not normal. I told Ben, "nobody remembers normal". With the point of entry into computer graphics lowering I am seeing a lot of computer architectural illustrations being posted online. The majority of these illustrations are extremely limited and do not take into consideration the fundamentals of art. I compare this trend to the point-and-click camera. Most of us have a camera on are cell phone. Everybody can point and click to snap a photo. But not everybody takes a treasured photo.

Most computer architectural illustrations I'm seeing have a blue sky, puffy white clouds, and lack personality. These illustrations bore me and I find little excitement looking at them. Technically they might be accurate but creatively they lack substance.

Typically, in an architectural illustration, you'll see a clear blue sky, puffy white clouds, and apple green grass. Architecture's original purpose was to take us out of the elements. Try some dramatic lighting, perhaps the calm before the storm, or the calm after the storms. Concentrate your efforts on giving people a reason to go inside and get out of the storm with some bright sunny interior illustrations.

My point is straightforward. Anybody can pick up a camera or their cell phone and take a photo. Not many people know what makes a picture or rendering meritorious, they just know that it is. If all you create is blue skies with white puffy clouds and green grass your architectural illustrations will be normal, and nobody remembers normal.

Looking back at our lives, we all remember people and places, that were not expected. Referring back to my son Benjamin, his favorite Wonder Years episode, was the one with Margaret Farquhar.  We all remember the Margaret Farquhars in our lives, because they were not normal.

Architectural illustrators play a supporting and essential role

Architectural illustrators play a supporting and essential role in the process of rendering designs for structures and buildings of all kinds. This skill set allows for architectural firms to maintain healthy relationships between the client and the contractor. This is essential in the long, and sometimes difficult and expensive, process required to carry a design from dream to reality. A accomplished architectural illustrator should also be aware of the wide range of techniques available to the professional.  

The way in which clients hire architectural illustrators may depend on the specific type of structure involved. Industrial and commercial clients, for instance, may deal with illustrators only through large architectural firms. People proactively involved in designing a residential building for themselves, on the other hand, may directly engage illustratrors to craft designs for them. Moreover, regardless of whether the building involved is a house, factory or storefront, people can choose between specialized illustrators or illustrator and architect partnerships.

Illustrators can allow clients to conceive of how different details will be used in a structure. For example, illustrations might render the landscape surrounding the house, industrial workplace or commercial facility. Design drafts could also lay out the details of a building's floor plan and interior. Architectural illustrators effectively create models uniting all of these different elements, most effectively with 3D software. Builders can also take advantage of illustrators by employing them to create images of homes to show to potential buyers. In short, people involved in the home or workplace construction process should never overlook the benefits potentially offered by architectural illustratos.