8
Rendering Context

Because we design and evaluate architecture in relation to its environment, it is important to incorporate the context in the drawing of a design proposal. In each of the major drawing systems, we do this by extending the ground line and plane to include adjacent structures and site features. In addition to the physical context, we should indicate the scale and intended use of spaces by including human figures and furnishings. We can also attempt to describe the ambience of a place by depicting the quality of light, the colors and textures of materials, the scale and proportion of the space, or the cumulative effect of details.

People

The viewer of a drawing relates to the human figures within it and is thus drawn into the scene. Therefore, in the drawing of architectural and urban spaces, we include people to:

  • Express the scale of a space.
  • Indicate the intended use or activity of a space.
  • Convey spatial depth and changes of level.

Important aspects to consider in the drawing of human figures are:

  • Size
  • Proportion
  • Activity

Size

  • In orthographic projection, the height and width of elements remain constant regardless of the elements' depth within the projected view. We can therefore simply scale the normal height of people in elevations and section drawings.
  • We can also scale the height of human figures in paraline views. Since the view is three-dimensional, however, the figures should have some degree of roundness to indicate their volume.

Proportion

The people we use to populate a drawing should be in scale with the environment. We therefore need to draw human figures in proper size and proportion.

  • First, we establish the height of each figure and then the proportions of the parts, the most critical being the size of the head. If we can divide the standing human figure into seven or eight equal parts, the head is between 1/7 and 1/8 of the total body height.
  • We should avoid drawing outlined frontal views of people that appear like flat, cardboard cutouts. Instead, figures should be given a sense of volume, especially in paraline and perspective views.
  • When drawing a person sitting on a bench or chair, it is usually best to first draw a figure standing alongside the bench or chair. Then the established proportions are used to draw the same person sitting down.

Activity

The figures in a drawing should convey the nature of the activity in a space and be appropriate to the setting. The manner in which we draw them should answer the fundamental question: What activity should occur in this room or space?

  • Both groups and solitary figures should be appropriate to the scale and activity of the space.
  • People should not be placed where they might conceal important spatial features or distract from the focus of a drawing.
  • Use the principle of overlap, however, to convey spatial depth.
  • Figures should be clothed appropriately, avoiding unnecessary details that might distract from the focus of the drawing.
  • People should be depicted in a manner consistent with the style of the rest of the drawing.
  • Where appropriate, people should be shown gesturing with their arms and hands.
  • It's important to be patient; each one of us inevitably develops our own style of drawing.

Digital Figures

We can create digital figures from photographs using image-processing software as well as retrieve them from online resources. The same principles that govern the scale, clothing, placement, and gesturing in hand drawing should apply to the use of digital images of people in architectural settings.

The ability to produce photorealistic images of people is seductive. Keep in mind that the graphic style with which we populate architectural drawings should not distract or detract from the architectural subject matter. The figures should have a similar level of abstraction and be compatible with the graphic style of the drawn setting.

Furniture

The type and arrangement of furnishings are important indicators of use and activity in a space. Their placement should remind us that there should be places on which to sit, lean, rest our elbow or foot, or simply touch.

  • Drawing furniture in conjunction with people helps establish their scale and maintain the proper proportion of their parts.
  • Except when furniture is the subject of a design proposal, well-designed, commercially available examples should be used as models.
  • We should proceed from the geometric basis of each piece.
  • Once the structural framework for the form is established, we can add indications of material, thickness, and details.
  • Furniture should be drawn simply in plan views so as not to obscure the essential pattern of solid matter and spatial void.

Digital Libraries

Many CAD and modeling programs include ready-made libraries or templates of furniture elements. These can be easily copied, resized, and placed directly into drawings.

Vehicles

We include a variety of vehicles—cars, trucks, buses, even bicycles—to indicate roadways and parking areas in exterior scenes.

  • The placement and scale of vehicles must be realistic.
  • Drawing vehicles in conjunction with people helps establish their scale.
  • Actual models should be used whenever possible.
  • As in the drawing of furniture, we proceed from the geometric basis of the vehicular forms.
  • If we draw vehicles with too much detail, they can easily become unintended distractions and detract from the focus of a drawing.

Landscaping

Another opportunity to convey the context for a design is in the drawing of landscaping elements. These include:

  • Natural plant materials, such as trees, shrubs, and ground covers.
  • Exterior construction, such as decks, pavements, and retaining walls.

With these landscaping elements, we can:

  • Convey the geographic character of a site
  • Indicate the scale of a building
  • Frame views
  • Define outdoor spaces
  • Direct movement

The drawing of trees begins with the appropriate branch structures. Different types of branch structures are illustrated below.

  • The pattern of growth flows from the ground upward; the branches are feathered as they grow outward.
  • To this framework, the overall shape and massing of the foliage is lightly sketched, without outlining this profile too heavily.
  • If adding texture to the foliage, we must pay close attention to the appropriate scale of the leaves and the resulting degree of tonal value and transparency.
  • We should be economical. The amount of detail rendered should be consistent with the scale and style of the drawing.
  • In site plans, we indicate the positions of tree trunks and lightly outline their foliage. Draw these outlines freehand to give the foliage a textural quality.
  • If the scale of the site plan permits, we can also show the branch structures of the trees.
  • To contrast with a light ground surface, we can give the foliage a texture and tonal value.
  • The types of plants we use in a drawing should be appropriate to the geographic location of the architecture. It is therefore necessary to differentiate between deciduous trees, conifers, and palms.
  • In floor plans, we cut through the trunks of trees and therefore only suggest the extent of their foliage.
  • The tonal value and texture of shrubs and ground coverings should provide the degree of contrast necessary to define adjacent pavements, decks, and other exterior construction.

We should pay careful attention to the appropriate scale of the trees we draw in elevations and section drawings. As always, the type of trees selected should be appropriate to the geographic location of the architecture.

  • In small-scale elevations, we draw the portion of tree trunks that are visible and simply outline the foliage. Draw these outlines freehand to give the foliage a textural quality.
  • To contrast with the light values of adjacent, overlapping, or background forms, we can give the foliage a contrasting texture and tonal value.
  • If the scale of the drawing permits and a high degree of transparency is desired, we can simply draw the branch structures of trees. The outline of foliage can be suggested with dotted or lightly drawn freehand lines.
  • In paraline drawings, trees should have a three-dimensional quality in order to comply with the principles of paraline drawing.

In perspective views, we apply the principles of atmospheric perspective to the drawing of trees and landscaping elements. Foreground elements typically possess dark, saturated colors and sharply defined contrasts in value. As elements move farther away, their colors become lighter and more subdued, and their tonal contrasts more diffuse. In the background, we see mainly shapes of grayed tones and muted hues.

  • The contrast of trees and other landscape elements in the foreground is sharpened. This can sometimes be accomplished simply with an articulated profile line.
  • The middleground is typically the focus of a perspective scene. This area therefore requires more detail and sharp contrasts in tonal value.
  • The background of a perspective has diminished details, lightened tonal values, and softened contrasts. Trees and landscaping are shown merely as shapes of tonal value and texture.

Image-processing software provides the means to manipulate photographic images of an existing site and landscape and adapt them for use in describing the context for an architectural design.

As with digital images of people, the ability to produce photorealistic images of trees and other landscape elements can be seductive. Keep in mind that the graphic style of site and contextual elements should not distract or detract from the architectural subject matter. Their graphic description should have the same level of abstraction and be compatible with the graphic style of the drawn setting.

Reflections

  • Water should be rendered as a horizontal planar surface.
  • We use horizontal lines: drafted lines for still water and freehand, wavy lines for ripply water.
  • Surfaces that are light in value appear lighter than the value of the water.
  • Likewise, darker surfaces appear darker in reflection than the value of the water's surface.
  • The actual values we use for the reflecting surface, as well as the reflections within the surface area, should be determined relative to the range of values for the rest of the drawing.