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“The success of an illustration depends on how intimately it tells a specific story or suits intent, instead of how it was produced.”
Bobby W. Parker Jr.
Architectural Illustrator Lives in a World of Deadlines
It is reasonable to view your finished artwork with an overcritical eye. Only the most complacent craftsmen see no room for improvement.
Nevertheless, an architectural illustrator lives in a world of deadlines and realistic financial returns on his work. Unless he feels the delineation is completely unsatisfactory, he cannot take the time to render it again. Also, another observer is more likely to overlook insignificant flaws than the artist who produced them.
Empire State of Pen
Timelapse video of artist Patrick Vale drawing the view of the Manhattan skyline from the Empire State Building.
Music - Moanin' by Charles Mingus
Proportions
When you have a structure, that isn't characteristic, it's essential to add something that gives your rendering scale. People are one of the advisable things to bring to your composition. Not only do people add liveliness, they contribute scale. Be mindful! You can be slightly off with your scale, and you will through your viewer off.
A acceptable architectural figure is six feet tall, give or take a sensible variance for sex, age, or ethnic differences. The average body is proportioned to a height of eight head lengths. Legs are four head lengths, shoulder width is two lengths, and hip width one and half head lengths.
Children's heads are slightly larger in proportion to their bodies.
From proper proportions, the figure can be laid out as a series of simplified shapes. I apply my people in post-production so; I use boxes in my scene, to symbolize these proportions.
How to Be Creative – eBook
How to Be Creative – eBook
PsyBlog's new ebook, How to Be Creative, explains six key principles of the psychology of innovation to help you be more creative.
If we can all be creative, why is it so hard to come up with truly original ideas?
It's because creativity is mysterious. Just ask any scientist, artist, writer or other highly creative person to explain how they come up with brilliant ideas and, if they're honest, they don't really know.
But over the decades psychologists have given ordinary participants countless tests, forms and tasks and conducted hundreds of hours of interviews. From these emerge the psychological conditions of creativity.
Not what you should do, but how you should be.
Six scientific principles of creativity
In the scientific literature six principles of creativity recur again and again:
- Knowledge - explores the dangers of expertise.
- Problem construction - how creative problems should be approached.
- Emotion - explains which types of emotions are most creative.
- Combining concepts - why the raw materials are already out there.
- Abstraction - how to see your creative problem more clearly.
- The wandering mind - reveals how to think flexibly.
Each are explained with examples from the research and are directly applicable to everyday creativity.
Architectural Vignettes
Architectural Vignettes show only a detail or a portion of a structure rather than en entire subject. Unfinished edges and free forms of composition are distinctive features.
They are used widely in advertising to stress a particular selling point of a building, and editorial stories to emphasize important features of design function.
In architectural offices, vignettes illustrate key areas of a structure. During preliminary planning stages, they can indicate a direction of design without the necessity of delineating the entire subject.
Architectural Vignettes
The 11th Hour Phone Call
There is no denying that our industry has changed. But, do you know what I don't miss? I don't miss the 11th hour phone call, from clients with that urgent project, that they needed tomorrow. The reason I don't have to deal with that is, most of them are no longer in business.
Presently, I have top shelf clients, who treasure quality workmanship. The quantity of work isn't there, but the high caliber projects are. The only way someone can think it takes hours to produce something stunning is, if they don't value what you do, anyway.
YOU CAN'T CUT CORNERS, specially with your visual deliveries. The best intent will be lost, if you don't have good graphical representation.
The testimonies I get, from returning clients, go like this:
Bobby, I got my last two clients partially because of the work you did for me on previous projects. But, both were upset because, when it came to their project, the quality just wasn't there.
So, the moral of this story is, only the good survive. The people who have dispensable income are the ones who value quality and craftsmen ship.
The Art of Animation and Motion Graphics | Off Book | PBS
Animation has a long and interesting history. Since the advent of modern computer animation, even Walt Disney Studios, one of the stanchions of feature-length animation, has moved to animating solely with computers. Hand-drawn, stop-motion, go-motion, claymation and many other techniques have been used throughout human history. Even cave paintings were created with a sense of motion. This video is a brief, and incredibly thorough, telling of the art of animation.
Autodesk 360 Mobile App
Free Mobile Viewer App to Edit and Share Files
Extend your Autodesk® 360 desktop and reduce design review cycles with the Autodesk® 360 Mobile App (formerly known as Autodesk Design Review Mobile App). It’s the free*, all-digital way to review DWG™, DWF™, Autodesk® Revit®, and Autodesk® Navisworks® software files on-the-go. Without the original design software, you can view, comment, and share 2D and 3D files with this free mobile viewer app. Accurately annotate, revise, and collaborate on your drawings while you are on location, in meetings, or out of the office.
- Increase efficiency—Use intuitive tools to view, comment, and share 2D and 3D DWG and DWF, Revit, and Navisworks files stored in your Autodesk® 360 account while in the field
- Comment—Add comments, information, and suggestions for design changes, by file, sheet, or simply view from your Android or iPhone
- Enhance communication—Share changes with your extended team and stakeholders—even if they don’t have the original design software
- Reduce costs and save time—Eliminate paper, avoid misunderstandings and confusion with this mobile viewer
- View files on-the-go—Open and view drawings, maps, and models on your mobile phone
- Track and import changes—Manage, track, and round-trip changes into the original design software to complete the review cycle
Latest Autodesk SketchBook Pro Delivers the Ideal Digital Artist Toolkit
Autodesk ® SketchBook® Pro 6 for Windows and Mac, the latest release from the company’s popular SketchBook family, which has more than 11 million downloads to date. This new version of the award-winning SketchBook Pro software features a streamlined interface, multi-touch navigation, French curves, synthetic paint and smudge brushes, plus even more brush controls to customize.
Friends Don't Let Men Buy Bananas
Are these bananas ripe enough to eat? Eight percent of men have absolutely no idea. That's about how many men have red-green color deficiency, a condition that makes it hard for them to distinguish the greenish-yellow of an unripe banana from the brownish-yellow of a ripe one.
Women are far less likely than men to be color-deficient in this way. That's because red-green color deficiency is a recessive trait linked to the X chromosome. With two X chromosomes, a woman has a much better chance of getting at least one good copy of the genes necessary for normal color vision.
IKEA Slowly Shedding Photography in Favor of Computer Renders
Of the two images above, one of them is a computer render and one of them is an actual photograph. Can you tell which is which? If you can’t, why should IKEA?
The Wall Street Journal reports that IKEA is slowly moving away from using photography in its catalogs in favor of CGI for its online and print publications.
12% of the company’s images this year were created by a graphic artist rather than a photographer, and next year that figure is expected to grow to 25%. No, it’s not that the company’s 208 million catalogs look better with computer fabrications — they’re simply cheaper and easier to produce.
Using CGI instead of photos offers some attractive benefits. Instead of creating and discarding entire living spaces for photo shoots, graphic designers can simply whip one together on a screen. Instead of replacing entire sets of furniture to change the color, they can use a few simple clicks and keystrokes.
It’s all part of the Swedish furniture giant’s overarching plan of cutting costs and increasing productivity.
The company first began experimenting with CGI back in 2005, after three computer graphic interns succeeded in recreating the image of an IKEA chair digitally (the image was later included in that year’s catalog to test its believability). Fast forward seven years, and the company is now retraining photographers in its massive 285-man, 94,000-sq-ft photo studio to work with computer rendering.
Check out the story over at the Wall Street Journal for an interesting quiz that tests whether you can recognize renders from photos. As for the two images at the top of this post, the top one is the render. Could you tell?
The Next Battle for Internet Freedom Could Be Over 3D Printing
By: RICK KELLY
Remember SOPA?
In case you've forgotten already, earlier this year some Congressional legislators attempted to protect intellectual property through the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The language in the bill was far-reaching and ambiguous; thus prompting concern that application of the law would extend beyond its intent.
TechCrunch’s own John Biggs explained that SOPA “would allow the US government to essentially ‘turn off’ part of the Internet that it doesn’t like.” Many people reacted adversely to the proposed legislation and after a wave of activism encouraged by non-profits, corporate titans, and thought leaders, SOPA never came close to being enacted.
The internet has traditionally represented freedom to many people. It has become a global commons where information is rapidly and freely proliferated, unimpeded by governments or corporations. The fear that this freedom would be lost formed a large part of the backlash against SOPA earlier this year. Soon, we will face another wave of potentially liberty-limiting legislation involving our internet activity.
What will be the source of this legislation? 3D printing.
To date, 3D printing has primarily been used for rapid commercial prototyping largely because of its associated high costs. Now, companies such as MakerBot are selling 3D printers for under $2,000. Acurrent project on Kickstarter is attempting to raise funds for a 3D printer with a price of $1,199. Given the typical price and product cycle we’ve seen in the past, it would be no shock to see 3D printers selling for under $500 in a few short years.
Eventually, 3D printing will enable individuals to print just about anything from the comfort of their own homes. Already, hobbyists who own 3D printers are creating jewelry and toys. In the commercial space, 3D printing can print homes, prosthetics, and replacement machine parts.
3D printers can also print guns and synthetic chemical compounds (aka drugs). In July, user HaveBlue reported on the AR15 forum that he had used a mid-1990s. 3D printer to create a fully functional .22 caliber gun. He wrote: “It’s had over 200 rounds of .22 [caliber rounds] through it so far and runs great!” The 3D printed portion of the gun was printed in plastic with a reported material cost of about $100.
The potential policy implications are obvious. If high-quality weapons can be printed by anyone with a 3D printer, and 3D printers are widely available, then law enforcement agencies will be forced to monitor what you’re printing in order to maintain current gun control laws. Otherwise, guns could become more widely available and firearms permits won’t matter to someone like James Holmes or Jeffrey Johnson. They can circumvent firearms laws by simply printing their weapons from a 3D printer for under $100.
That is, unless federal agencies monitor every CAD file sent to a printer, whether or not it is harmless. Monitoring of every file sent to a printer means that federal agencies would need access to every home and office network.
It is likely impossible that the government will be able to successfully prevent every illicit item from being printed, chiefly because a 3D printer would not have to be connected to the internet to print from a local computer. However, you can expect that a time will come when perhaps well-meaning politicians will attempt to prevent guns and synthetic drugs from being created using 3D printers. If passed, the resulting laws would be draconian in their invasion of privacy while simultaneously ineffectual in preventing the creation of the products they seek to prohibit.
Either we allow for the ambiguity that freedom and unregulated 3D printing will bring, or we enforce far-reaching laws that may decrease liberty without changing results. For those who appreciate the internet because of its democratizing effects and freedom, I believe the choice is clear. We should decide now that we will oppose any law that attempts to undermine freedom on the internet, no matter the consequences.
Ikea Uses Fake, Digitally Created Rooms Inside Its Catalog
When you're flipping through the IKEA catalog and wondering how they make all that easy-to-assemble furniture look so good inside that lovely apartment, know this: it's fake. As in, it doesn't exist. As in, it was made on a computer by a 3D graphic artist.
Keeping Lighting Direction Consistent
I'm a major devotee of Darrel Tanks. I have invested in nearly all of his DVD, which are top shelf stuff, and I enjoy every single one of them.
Darrel shows you how to focus on creating consistent lighting that will allow you to see where shadows should be placed and where the apexes in the subject's face should be.
Redhead Girl - ball point pens
"Redhead Girl is an amazing portrait that was drawn, believe it or not, entirely with only 6 different colored ball point pens plus black. This artist has truly mastered the art of using ballpoint pens as shown in this piece and any other in their gallery." -^Astralseed
"Redhead Girl - Ballpoint Pen" by Samuel Silva
Autodesk Lays Off 7% Of Entire Staff
Digital design giant Autodesk laid off 7% of its workforce Thursday, sources tell Mashable.
That totals around 500 employees — including a number of 3D developers and several product managers.
Many of the layoffs were handled on a one-by-one basis throughout the day, following the company’s disappointing earnings report.
“Our own execution challenges, combined with an uneven global economy, resulted in disappointing revenue results for the quarter,” said Carl Bass, Autodesk president and CEO. “The changes better position Autodesk to meet the needs of our customers. We are focused on working through our internal challenges as rapidly as possible.”
Autodesk’s fiscal second-quarter profits fell 9.3%.
An Autodesk representative tell us that while the company eliminated close to 500 positions Thursday, it plans to create that many new jobs over the course of the year.
“As part of today’s announcement, Autodesk shared plans for a restructuring related to executing on the company’s strategy including its continuing shift to cloud and mobile computing, “ the company said in a statement.
”While Autodesk is reducing its overall staffing levels in the near-term, the company will continue to invest in key development areas. In addition, the company intends to consolidate certain leased facilities.”
The restructuring is focused primarily of the company’s shift to cloud and mobile computing.
“This action allows us to continue to invest in recruiting and hiring people who can bring Autodesk the skills and experience that are critical for achieving our mid and long-term goals, says Bass. “As part of the ongoing platform shift, it’s clear to us that design and engineering software will move to cloud and mobile platforms. Cloud and mobile has been a major investment area for Autodesk over the past couple of years and this restructuring will accelerate our progress as we intend to further invest in employees with expertise and skill sets essential to this transition.
“Additionally, this restructuring helps us reduce costs and streamline the organization as a continuation of the activities we began earlier this year.”
Learn to say NO - to clients when necessary
Here is a snippet, from a great article, by Designer Paulo Canabarro
“When I started my freelance journey I would say YES to every job that I came across. I’m not sure if it was because of the money or just the excitement of starting a new project but I would take it without realizing it may not be worth it.”
Art Of Mentoring In Minneapolis
Cross the Mississippi River on Saint Paul's Marshall Avenue and it morphs into Minneapolis' Lake Street — a colorful kaleidoscope of cultures.
Preparing a wall for a mural.
As Lake Street's collection of murals grows, so does its sense of safety, beauty and community — thanks to groups of artist-activists.
Chicano artist Jimmy Longoria and his organization, Mentoring Peace Through Art, is one such group. The team paints local businesses with murals, Jimmy says, "embracing huge spans of wall, every inch covered in a jungle of graffiti-deterring, ribbony paint."
MPTA's goal: to "foster youth leadership through art projects, forge strong communities and fulfill expectations that art works."
Allison Muotka is an intern at MPTA. She listens to The Current