Drawing Hierarchically

In 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, Matthew Frederick’s 19^th “thing learned” is “Drawing hierarchically.” This section of the book talks about planning a drawing well, starting out by stating: “When drawing in any medium, never work at a ‘100% level of detail’ from one end of the sheet toward the other, blank end of the sheet.”

I put this down here not only because it is very good advice in terms of planning many things but in anticipation of some landscape drawing I hope to get done this weekend. And it is good to review thinking of a drawing or painting support as being a blank sheet in two dimensions onto which the illusion of three dimensions will be set up.

An illustration on the facing page of Frederick’s comment shows something like this in the form of a reclining human figure depicted on a grid of lines, all in black and white.

And the text continues, “Instead, start with the most general elements of the composition and work gradually toward the more specific aspects of it. Begin by laying out the entire sheet. Use guide lines, geometric alignments, visual gut-checks, and other methods to cross-check the proportions, relationships, and placements of the elements you are drawing.”

I imagine that people are pretty well into this way of looking by this time, but I find it useful to go over that last part again before reading/writing/drawing on. Because in those words just quoted is the concept of flow, rhythm, the movement of making something that also includes an awareness of containment (“cross-checking”).

Frederick’s conclusion to what has gone before:

“When you achieve some success at this schematic level, move to the next level of detail. If you find yourself focusing on details in a specific area of the drawing, indulge briefly, then move to other areas of the drawing. Evaluate your success continually, making local adjustments in the context of the entire sheet.”*

*All citations are from the book named above, by Matthew Frederick, published 2007 by MIT Press, Cambridge MA & London UK