Architects Draw: Freehand Fundamentals

176 Pages·2008·12.04 MB·English

by  Sue Ferguson Gussow

Architects Draw

Architects Draw
Sue FerguSon guSSow
Introduction by Dore Ashton
Princeton Architectural Press, new York
Architecture Briefs Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Architecture Briefs series takes on a variety of single gussow, Sue Ferguson.
topics of interest to architecture students and young Architects draw / Sue Ferguson gussow ; introduction
professionals. Field-specific and technical information, by Dore Ashton.
ranging from hand-drawn to digital methods, are p. cm. — (Architecture briefs)
presented in a user-friendly manner alongside basics Includes bibliographical references and index.
of architectural thought, design, and construction. The ISBn-13: 978-1-56898-740-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
series familiarizes readers with the concepts and skills 1. Architectural drawing—Technique. 2. Drawing—
necessary to successfully translate ideas into built form. Technique. I. Title.
nA2708.g87 2008
Published by 720.28’4—dc22
Princeton Architectural Press 2007032649
37 east Seventh Street
new York, new York 10003
Image Credits
For a free catalog of books, call 1.800.722.6657. unless otherwise noted below, all illustrations in this
Visit our website at www.papress.com. publication have been reproduced courtesy of The Irwin
S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper union.
© 2008 Princeton Architectural Press
All rights reserved Several individuals participated in the documentation of
Printed and bound in China student work in Chapters 1 and 2. They include Amber
11 10 09 08 4 3 2 1 First edition Chapin, Steven Hillyer, olivia Valentine, and elizabeth
van der Heijden. Large-format photography was
no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any accomplished with the assistance of James Kendi, Pro
manner without written permission from the publisher, Lab, and Modernage Custom Imaging Labs.
except in the context of reviews.
Christina Condak 75
every reasonable attempt has been made to identify François de Menil 163, 165 (figures 5 and 6)
owners of copyright. errors or omissions will be François de Menil, photo by Paul warchol 165 (figure 7)
corrected in subsequent editions. Mark epstein 140
Firat erdim 166
editor: Linda Lee Paul Henderson 164
Series editor: Clare Jacobson James Hicks 167
Production editor: Steven Hillyer Karen Bausman + Associates 172 (figure 21)
Designer: Abigail Sturges Karen Bausman + Associates, photo by Jack Pottle / esto
161, 172 (figures 22 and 23)
Special thanks to: nettie Aljian, Sara Bader, Dorothy Ball, Peter Lynch, photo by Tim Thayer 170 (figure 17)
nicola Bednarek, Janet Behning, Becca Casbon, Penny Morris Sato Studio 168 (figure 12)
(Yuen Pik) Chu, russell Fernandez, Pete Fitzpatrick, Morris Sato Studio, photo by Carson Zullinger 168
wendy Fuller, Jan Haux, Aileen Kwun, nancy eklund (figure 13)
Later, Laurie Manfra, Katharine Myers, Lauren nelson Stephen Mullins 55
Packard, Jennifer Thompson, Arnoud Verhaeghe, Paul oBrA Architects 170–71 (figures 18–20)
wagner, Joseph weston, and Deb wood of Princeton reiser + umemoto 169
Architectural Press —Kevin C. Lippert, publisher
To JoHn HeJDuK

ConTenTS
9 Acknowledgments 100 Frame, window, room
112 Skulls, Heads, Portraits
InTroDuCTIon 120 Trees
10 THe Free HAnD
BY Dore ASHTon PArT II
130 DIrTY DrAwIng
PArT I ADVAnC eD ProJeCTS
12 DrAwIng FroM LIFe
THe FunDAMenTALS PArT III
160 DrAwIng In PrACTICe
16 where it All Begins: Peas in a Pod
PoSTgrADuATe worK
19 Critique and the Development of
Judgment
173 notes
20 Bell Peppers, garlic, Broken Shells,
174 glossary
Still Lifes
175 Contributors
30 Drawing from the Figure
35 The Figure in a Chair
40 Handwriting: The Scribble Page
43 Monkeys, Skeletons, Dinosaur Bones
51 The Figure and the Skeleton
55 Lessons from the Masters:
Homage and reinvention
59 The Dumb object
62 Paper Bags
66 giacometti and Planar Drawing
70 Flowers, Plants, and Mondrian
76 Shoescapes
81 Feet and Legs
86 Clutter
92 The Figure in the Studio

ACKnowLeDgMenTS
The realization of this book owes a debt to mainstay from start to finish. Gina Pollara,
the many individuals who played a signal role former associate director of the Archive,
in its development. From my initial notions of also provided significant support and exper-
a book to the publication that has emerged, tise through a portion of the work.
countless of my students’ drawings were Considerable skill and hours of devotion
culled through. The participation of many were given by the project’s major assistants
individuals and institutions was required. and former students, Yeon wha Hong, Anne
The graham Foundation and the Tides romme, and Dan webre. Also on board
Foundation awarded generous grants. were Jesicka Alexander, Lis Cena, Deborah
Anthony Vidler, dean of The Irwin S. Chanin Ferrer, Kalle Lindgren, Alexander wood, and
School of Architecture of The Cooper Monica Shapiro, who holds the history of
union, allowed access to the photogra- the School of Architecture in her mind.
phy collection of the school’s Architecture It has been a great pleasure to work with
Archive. executive editor Clare Jacobson and editorial
For their generosity and guidance, thanks Director Jennifer Thompson of the Princeton
are due to John de Cuevas and Sue Lonoff Architectural Press in shaping the focus of this
de Cuevas, François and Susan de Menil, book. For her painstaking attention to detail
and Toshiko Mori. My colleague Dore Ash- and her thoughtful observations I especially
ton has been a mentor throughout. I wish thank editor Linda Lee.
particularly to thank my dear friend John I am grateful to my students them-
Hejduk, the late dean emeritus of The Irwin selves—more than a thousand over nearly
S. Chanin School of Architecture, for the four decades of teaching—for their countless
inception of this book. over the years he drawings and the passion they developed
would say, “Sue, let’s do a book,” and to that for the art of drawing. The rich diversity of
end drawings would intermittently be saved. their work and their words in response to
A quarter century has passed since he first projects set forth in these pages has further
made that statement, and some of the draw- taught me how to teach.
ings now show the yellowing of years. Finally I thank my husband, Donald gerard,
My thanks go especially to my colleague for his patience in reading every single word,
Steven Hillyer, director of The Cooper union for the clarity (and necessity) of his critique,
Architecture Archive and production editor his editorial acuity, and most of all his endur-
of this book. His extensive talents, vision, ing support and belief in the value of this
clear-headedness, and devotion were a book.
9
InTroDuCTIon
THe Free HAnD
Dore ASHTon
The nature of the act of drawing has been creation.1 In speaking of the mood of the
discussed for centuries—an indication of mind, goethe reminds us of the myste-
how fundamental it is to human endeavor. rious fusion of eye, hand, and mind that
During the renaissance, a period of great we call drawing and assumes that drawing
architectural invention, it was often architects springs from the imagination, the only site
who fervently addressed the issue of draw- for a mood of mind. It is a faculty indis-
ing. And no wonder, since among the great pensable for an architect.
architects—I think of Michelangelo—draw- A draftsman is not a mere technician if
ing and painting were the natural accompani- he avails himself of what has long been called
ments to the creation of articulated spaces. freehand drawing—a term by which we con-
Speculative geniuses such as Leonardo never dense ideas about the reciprocity of eye,
ceased pondering the nature of drawing, hand, and mind. The very act of drawing, if
often making casual remarks in his journals freely engaged, is speculative to the highest
of striking import, as when he characterized degree. Just as there are no two hands alike,
the contour line as possessing uno spessore there are literally boundless possibilities in
invisible, “an invisible thickness.” the hand of each when touching the vast
old rumors have it that nicolas Poussin blankness of a page. There are countless tes-
said there were two ways of regarding: timonies to the value of such explorations. I
the first is merely to look and the sec- have always liked especially the words of the
ond is to look with attention. Poussin was poet Paul Valéry, who, while still a school-
seconded by goethe, whose remarks on boy, had the good fortune to watch edgar
drawing occur from his earliest success in Degas drawing, and was a decent draftsman
the novels, The Sorrows of Young Werther himself. Valéry observed:
(1774), to his enigmatic Elective Affinities
(1809); in the latter he particularly reveals There is an immense difference between
his proclivity for landscape architecture. seeing a thing without a pencil in the hand
That text is peppered with remarks about and seeing it while drawing it. even the object
the importance of art and drawing in the most familiar to our eyes becomes totally
architect’s life. Drawings give, in their different if one applies oneself to drawing it:
purity, the mental attention of the art- one perceives that one didn’t really know it,
ist, and they bring immediately before us one had never really seen it.2
the mood of his mind at the moment of
10