I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
(OP)
Hi Fellow engineers designers and solidworks guru's.
I find myself having to sketch on a whiteboard (in front of others) frequently. To be totally honest, my sketching skills SUCK. If I am be be competitive, keep my job, grow as a designer I need to learn how to draw. Since I have no formal drawing skills i'm more than happy to jump in as a beginner and build my foundation from there.
Can any of recommend a book or a course that I can take at home that will help me become a better sketch artist. This is my only option for now, as no local art courses are available until January.
Thanks
Gerry Bolda
I find myself having to sketch on a whiteboard (in front of others) frequently. To be totally honest, my sketching skills SUCK. If I am be be competitive, keep my job, grow as a designer I need to learn how to draw. Since I have no formal drawing skills i'm more than happy to jump in as a beginner and build my foundation from there.
Can any of recommend a book or a course that I can take at home that will help me become a better sketch artist. This is my only option for now, as no local art courses are available until January.
Thanks
Gerry Bolda






RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
Their is a big difference between drawing and sketching. Sketching as far as I'm concerned is art where as drawing is somewhat more formal. To be honest, my whiteboard hand sketching skills are not that great either and it hasn't hindered my career. I wouldn't get nutted up over it.....just practice. What college did you graduate from? I come across a number of engineers that had no formal training in creating good sound drawings. A drawing is a mechanism in which we mechanical engineers communicate our design intentions. My advice to you is check out some courses that are usually taught in two year drafting programs.
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
My approach as a designer is to get the idea's flowing quickly, and not to get stuck on the details till later on.
None of us here at our company can sketch at all, and we often stare at the whiteboard thinking hey how would this look, or how would that look. It's just an area that I really lack in, and I think it would be a great asset to add to my skill set.
Thanks
Gerry Bolda
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
Look at www.amazon.com for techincal drawing books or possibly bay.
Regards,
Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
For all Newbie's - Welcome to the nerd herd!
FAQ731-376
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
<http://www.draw3d.com/>
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
What school did you attend for the MET degree?
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
I don't recommend it either.
However, make of it what I will, I did manage to land a really awesome job (much much later), that turned into sort of an industrial design position. So really I can't complain. You can't blame school for your lack of knowledge, because you learn it on the job.
I checked out some of the books on rendering with markers ect, and that is exactly what i was looking for.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Gerry
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
I've found that the best way to reacquaint myself with my freehand skills (or lack thereof) is by practicing drawing objects when no one is looking :). Put something on the desk in front of you and draw it - even a quick, sloppy sketch is good practice if it reminds you of what NOT to do. Drawing fairly common objects that you CAN see is good practice for drawing objects that are only in your imagination, which is usually what you'll be trying to represent on the whiteboard.
I don't think there are any "secrets" that will make you a better freehander. Some people are more naturally gifted than us computer "artists", but for the most part their "gift" is honed by a lot of doing (just as ours is). If you NEED to draw better for your job, practice it, but for the most part just let the skills you ARE good at carry you.
All the best,
Tim
RE: I'm looking for a book/course on drawing
Two books will help a lot, but I don't recommend marker rendering books at this time. That's not what you use a white board to do. Marker renderings are for paper. You just need to draw some things on a white board--huge difference in method, even though you're using markers.
First book:
Drawing, A Creative Process
Francis D.K. Ching
Great basics book
Second book:
Perspective Drawing
Kenneth W. Auvil
Says what it is
Yes, you need to draw in perspective unless you're confined to orthographic views (which you're not on a white board). Proper perspective makes a big difference for the white board because you don't have much else going for you.
I'm not sure if those books are still in print, but I think you can find them regardless on Amazon or Half.com or whatever. Should be a piece of cake these days.
And by the way--yes, you can improve your drawing dramatically. I did. I came to ASU knowing drafting, but not freehand drawing. I can now freehand with confidence and clarity. (I'm an INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER! Of course I can draw. But I wasn't born that way.)
Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC
http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com