Landscape Visions

Task: use a Photoshop tutorial to create an interesting affect for a Portfolio cover. Reflection: The 'sketch' image is manipulated from a photo taken in Singapore last year. I started it as I mistakenly thought the video taught a different result. In using the tutorial I learnt some more advanced aspects of Photoshop, some quick tips and also found some extra filter techniques. However the end result is disappointing and deceiving. I'm not sure where a digitally-generated drawing would be useful in practise, and as someone who loves drawing, I'm not sure I want this somewhat meaningless technique and result in my skillset. Drawing by hand is too important.  This was also a good lesson in the costs of wasting time without learning/achieving something of some substance. 

 Task: use tray overlays to dissect key aspects of high-end graphic design composition such as weight, heirachy, relationships and focal points to begin to understand how visual material is composed effectively Reflection: over the years I have struggled with graphic design elements of many tasks, so finally taking time to understand the reasons and methods for creating successful composition is really valuable to me. The most useful application for this analysis skill would be to create a mental exercise which could be performed routinally when looking at the visual work of others. This would help develop the skills of graphic design analysis which I feel I lack without the immediate need of trying paper, pens etc. 

 Task: design a 19m x 13.5m space to a simple brief, with the plan imported into Photoshop for some basic texturising and bucketfilling. Reflection: the time limit is central to this task, focusing skills on creating a plan using effective use of lines and relying on the quick techniques of bucketfilling to build up a mood for the space. It is very pleasing to work in this manner. A result is guaranteed, which is very reassuring, and leads informatively to future conceptualising and for moving projects forward. Importantly, I really enjoyed this process.  Would have benefited from some basic annotation, even in a simple design such as this. 

 Immediately I was struck by the timescale of the project; 15 years between winning their award, reigniting the project several years later, to fully installation the design. An important reminder of the timescale involved in projects. Visually, the composition of linear pathways cut with circular areas is very satisfying.  The juxtaposition between the ability to get somewhere directly by travelling along a straight line only to be interrupted by inviting circlet groves of trees with shade, swings and social areas is wonderful. To be given this choice is special. Circular shapes, features and bright colours cut and disrupt routes, the simple shapes senting out strong messages to stop and think and play. The simple rectalinear zones made by the pathways carry alot of complexity. Different varieties and colours of grasses create a mosaic of green tones throughout the site, cut again with further tones by the straight shadows thrown from skyscrapers above as the sun moves. A cha...

  Task: conceptualise a few ideas for improving Barnwood Arboretum using skills learnt over the modules such as basic perspective drawing, serial vision, plan views, scanning and bucketfilling drawings in Photoshop.  Reflection: a good work flow overall to understand some ideas quickly and fairly realistically. Some issues creating more accurate perspective views for serial vision; both quick and more planned perspectives require more setup and practise over the coming weeks. Of particular value was practising with bolder pen lining and bucketfilling to understand general zones and usage in the park. Along with the lakeside drawing offering more experiential  information of being in Barnwood with new character and construction features. Though the drawings are quick and rough, it would be worth working more of a style and neatness into them going forward. 

 Task: bring in individual layers extracted as pdfs from Autocad designs, enabling isolated layer editing in Photoshop. Transfer to InDesign for annotation. Reflection: worth the time and care to bring in these isolated pdfs as layers. Very flexible approach as image can be rendered for various styles and levels of realism, or to communicate different messages (e.g. Such as the very vivid 'money drawings' as described in E. Hutchinson's 'Drawing for Landscape Architecture'.  Worth considering how much time this method takes and level of detail required when planning various visual projects. 

 I just wanted to reflect on drawing with pen, particularly after drawing some submission pieces for other uni modules. Traditionally I've used graphite pencil, so using mainly pen is new for me.  + quick, bold drawings (particularly if you are brave!) +effective communication of depth - can be hard to tone areas. Possible with some plant textures, and the block pencil helps. However I've not found a sort of medium  ground between black shading and graduating to light areas (though some of these drawings are to be colour rendered later, so perhaps this put me off adding too much tone). - need more practise to be able to be 1. bolder 2. Avoid using gentle or multiple lines to convey some shapes. Generally need to develop a style and understanding of plants and space to be better with pen. 

 Task: practise Photoshop skills such as bucket filling colours and patterns, seperating objects as colours in new layers and adding opacity Reflection: very quick and useful skills which add alot more character, life and depth to the image. The coloured blocks seem somewhat stylised, fresh and funky, a playful cartoon like style that is engaging. Certainly useful techniques when testing and understanding the colour palette and relationships within and across spaces. 

  Task: practise Albert Paley's drawing style (see Albert Paley post) to create some imaginative spaces.  Reflection: I don't know if Paley applied the red pastel/pencil after or before drawing his designs. I have applied the red first, in a random way and brought in my idea of shapes and spaces from this. It's an excellent technique to create unusual spaces and to simply break the white empty paper space. I think it would work better over a larger arwa (ie. atleast a whole A4 page and beyond) and ensuring more whitespace between the red marks, to let features breath or to add more detail.