53 Create Digitized Sketchbooks

INGRID GRACE / LOCAL HISTORY RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

Waverley Public Library

Type of Library Best Suited for: Any

Cost Estimate: Australian dollars $3,000 approximately

Makerspace Necessary? No

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Sketchflash makes traditional hard copy sketchbooks filled with original drawings done by hand of the Waverley Library’s culture. The sketchbooks are then digitized to make an e-collection that is accessible to all from the Waverley Library home page.

OVERVIEW

Sketchflash is a drawing group that meets weekly where participants assist and encourage each other with knowledge from their own experience of drawing rather than having a teacher. Instead the facilitator, who ideally has experience in drawing and activities that surround the act of drawing, acts as mediator, guiding and encouraging conversation among the participants, especially during the times when participants are asked to view and comment on each other’s work. This is a crucial element in the project, and inviting such criticism can be a little daunting for participants at the beginning, but it is an element that they will get to love. Moreover, at times the participants will need to be reminded to do some more drawing. This conversation reinforces the community-building aspect of the project that is embodied by the concept of “makerspace.” The goal is to make drawings of the library’s culture in traditional paper sketchbooks that are then digitized into an e-collection and placed on the Waverley Library home page. The drawers get to keep their books as mementos, but they can be assured that their work has a wider audience via electronic access.

No experience of drawing is necessary. The event is about the maker movement and building a community of like-minded individuals to enrich their experience of everyday life and specific interests. The library becomes a meeting place and source of meaningful activity using its traditional and contemporary resources to help in bridging the digital gap. The program shows how things made with our hands can be enlarged via electronic resources without difficulty by collaborating with others and the library.

MATERIALS LIST

◦ Sketchbooks provided for free by the library; these should be standard A5 size with good-quality cartridge paper. The quality of paper makes a difference, and the participants notice and remark on it.
◦ Drawing implements such as pencils, pens, brush, ink, or whatever is favored by the drawer. The participants provide these. Make certain this is stated on the promotional material. The library will supply some materials, because inevitably there will be those who do not bring something to draw with. Office pencils and ballpoint pens are good. Encourage participants to draw with whatever is at hand.
◦ A few drawing implements to spike curiosity; for example, a brush with a water reservoir to use with aquarelle pencils or some other water-soluble medium. Erasers are also useful.
◦ A pool of volunteer models from the staff and borrowers. They are fully clothed so modest volunteers will not be embarrassed and participants won’t be offended.
◦ A list of items from the library’s existing collection that can be brought to the sessions to inspire and inform participants and promote the collection. One of the repeated comments is the exclamation, “I didn’t know the library had such a good art collection,” followed by “I didn’t even know that books like this existed!” Participants fall on the books like hungry birds. Take note of what books might engage particular participants from their conversation or their drawing styles. Participants will start to ask for specific items from the collection to be brought to the sessions, and at this point borrowing can be encouraged. The observation of good art and drawing from the artworks pictured in these art books is a time-honored way of learning drawing skills. Here, it also serves to promote the collection and further stimulate paths of specific interest.

NECESSARY EQUIPMENT

◦ Our Sketchflash event is held in a regular meeting room in the library. It is not a specific makerspace but a room with glass paneling that easily allows other library patrons to view the session, and hopefully be enticed to join in if they want to. Though the room is not closed off from the rest of the library, it does contain some of the noise arising from the lively conversation during share and exchange time.
◦ The sessions have access to the library’s photocopiers and computers. The use of this equipment is encouraged during the drawing session, and it promotes the services available in the library. The equipment allows for enlarging and reducing the scale of drawings quickly or for repeating elements of a drawing for collage.
◦ Scanner to digitize sketchbooks. The scanner will not need special settings. It is best to have one generalized setting for all drawings in order to minimize the time taken for scanning. The scanner will need the capability to make each sketchbook into one long PDF.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Once you have an idea for a program, it is best to write a proposal. Do some research, look at similar projects that are successful, and see how they might be applied to the project in your library. Your proposal doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should be worked out well enough for you to be able to explain it and point out the program’s benefits to the library and its customers and how the program relates to the organization’s goals and objectives. Seek out a management person who is likely to lend her support, and pitch the proposal to her. Her support can be of great assistance in getting your idea off the ground. She can also point out other people in the organization to consult with who may assist with the project.

Step 2

Determine a regular time/pattern framework that will be followed for each session. Build a plan for each session around this generic framework. A workable frame for a session that lasts one and a half hours is as follows:

1. Introduction: take five to ten minutes for announcements, introduction of new participants, and outlining the suggested drawing project for the main part of the session.
2. Two quick warm-up drawings, each of ten minutes’ duration, with a five-minute break at the end of each drawing segment for the group to get up walk around the table to view and discuss the drawings made. Always commence with the two warm-up drawings. Participants get to know this and commence these drawings as soon as they arrive; they will eventually instruct participants joining the group for the first time that this is how to get started. This gets the session underway by itself because participants have a sense of knowing what to do and how to start. This builds familiarity and makes a comfortable atmosphere. The two warm-up drawings are of other group participants: the person sitting next to you or across the table.
3. Three drawings interpreting the project introduced for the session, each of fifteen minutes’ duration with a five-minute break at the end of each drawing segment for the group to view, discuss, and gather ideas for a possible different approach to the next drawing; during this time they take inspiration from the drawings of the other participants.
4. Close: reinforce the date, time, and location of next week’s session, and remind the group of important events coming up such as a group exhibition or the end of the term. Celebrate what has been achieved by participants in the session and thank them for their attendance.

Step 3

Make a list of projects for the term, one for each of the sessions in the term. This will include guest visits by artists in residence and guest tutors.

When devising projects, work with the features of the particular library where the Sketchflash is to be held. The drawings are to make a record of the culture of the library over the duration of the Sketchflash program. The participants should enjoy their time drawing at the library while they extend their skills and help build a community of like-minded individuals.

Participants are not compelled to comply with the suggested project. They simply need to make drawings that relate to the general set theme of Sketchflash, giving the overall project uniformity in the Sketchflash Sketchbook Collection when it is digitized

The following are seven project suggestions, with a description for how to approach each one.

Project 1

A popular project is the construction of a large drawing by all the participants of the group. This project will not be included in the individual sketchbooks. Participants may like to take a photo of the finished image, print it out at A5 size to fit into the standard issue sketchbook, and paste it in.

If a person with little drawing experience was asked to draw a whole complicated scene with people and furniture, they would most likely say that they could not do it, but given a small piece of a large scene, which when enlarged appears as an abstract pattern, participants draw it without too many qualms and are pleasantly surprised at the end result.

Each participant receives a small section of the image and is requested to draw what they see on the small section without referring to the enlargement that it is taken from.

Prepare an enlargement of a photograph of the group using the library photocopy machine that is approximately A1 in size. It will need to be done in A3 sections because this is usually the largest paper size in a photocopier. Cello tape the enlarged sections together to form one image. Make two copies.

On the back of each enlargement draw a grid equaling the number of participants in the group. Number each piece from one to ten or however many participants are in the group.

Make a small diagram of the grid to note the layout for reassembly.

Cut one enlargement along the grid lines. Keep the other copy of the enlargement in one piece to use as a key for reassembly.

Distribute the cut pieces to the group and have them draw what they see on the piece they have been given on to a piece of paper that is the same dimensions as the piece of the image they have. Use two of the fifteen-minute segments of the main project part of the session to do this.

In the last fifteen-minute segment, get the group to put the big drawing together according to the numbered grid so it will be face down. Appoint one participant to coordinate the assembly and cello tape the pieces firmly together. The group will still not have viewed the enlargement as one image. This stage generates much talk about what pieces should go where. It is an exciting point in the project.

Once all the pieces are together, turn it over!

After their initial surprise, the group will spontaneously make a few corrections to the drawing, and they will be delighted at the construction and the recognition of the total picture. Now have the group compare their reassembled drawing to the photocopy that has been kept as a key.

Project 2

Live model—clothed—from library staff or patrons.

Prepare handouts of the proportions of the human body and face, both male and female. These can be found in books on anatomy for artists. Hand these out during the introduction time, remarking to the group that in drawing, all proportions and sizes of things are relative to one another; for example, an open hand will cover a face, a foot is as long as a head, and the space between the eyes is about one eye width.

Ask for volunteers from the library staff and/or library patrons to pose as models. Make sure that the model knows that if at any time their pose becomes uncomfortable, then they should stop.

In this project, the participants make drawings from the live model, just as artists do in life-drawing classes. Because the models are from the library staff and its patrons, this makes the project very much about the library culture.

Have at least three poses worked out for the model to take and hold, one for each segment of the main project part of the session. Often the person acting as model with have their own ideas for poses.

Have props for the model if appropriate, such as a trolley if the model is the home library service’s delivery person.

At the end of the session, give them a round of applause and a small gift of appreciation.

Project 3

Library still life. Gather interesting objects from the library archive room such as shoe lasts, trophies, and costumes, whether they are of a sporting nature or reflect other achievements that are relevant to the local area.

In this session, have the participants look for the large general shapes of the objects, and have them include the shadows that the objects cast. For the adventurous, have them include some of the other participants in the background of the still life, making a complete composition.

Project 4

Invite a guest speaker from the governing body’s artist-in-residence program. Engage the speaker well ahead of time, making sure to coordinate the time and date of their appearance.

Discuss with the speaker what their topic might be and how it relates to drawing. Ask them to bring along their own sketchbooks to share with the group, and maybe bring a few larger drawings as well.

Have the speaker tell the participants about their own experiences of drawing; there will always be a funny story that the participants can relate to. Have the speaker tell of their own methods of drawing and how they get themselves started on the task of drawing.

Arrange for there to be enough time for participants to ask questions of the guest speaker and make sure that they are comfortable with this.

If the guest speaker is willing to give a soft critique of the participants’ sketchbooks, have them do this. Participants enjoy this engagement with a practicing artist.

The segments of these guest sessions will run according to what the speaker will be delivering. There will be no planned drawing on these days, though participants will start drawing as they arrive and while they are waiting for the guest speaker to begin.

Project 5

A guest tutor from the governing body’s artist-in-residence program. The Sketchflash program arranges for the guest tutor to be a regular feature once a month during term time. Participants look forward to this extra value, which introduces new and different drawing techniques as well as various approaches to drawing that were not previously thought of.

Engage the tutor well ahead of time in order to coordinate the time and date of their appearance. Meet with the tutor to discuss possible lesson ideas they may have and would like to present. Outline the skill levels of the group and their possible expectations.

Lessons for these guest tutor sessions might include the technique for the drawing of hands and how to do foreshortening. These are two areas where drawers encounter difficulty and are appreciative of the extra instruction.

Project 6

Locations of interest around the library. A list of four suggested locations:

1. Local studies/museum unit. In this unit there will be objects of local significance to draw, such as scale models of local historical buildings, ceramic pots, surfboards, and life buoys.

2. A seasonal display that is on in the library. For example, Halloween or Library Lovers Day.

3. A special architectural feature of the building such as a colonnade or garden feature.

4. Sculptures in the library that are part of local history owned by the library.

Each of the above items would serve as a main project for one session.

Project 7

Session plans suggested by participants of the existing Sketchflash group. This project becomes feasible when the group becomes more confident and established participants come forward asking to lead a session. A participant may have art teaching skills and a plan prepared to lead a session on a particular drawing idea.

Meet with the participant beforehand in order to discuss their idea. Ascertain if they will need the library to supply items like a whiteboard for demonstrating a drawing to the group, or if there are props needed for their session so that they can be sourced.

During these sessions, take a step back from leading the group but be ready to assist.

Step 4

◦ Arrange for the digitization and future access of the finished sketchbooks. Discuss with your web team the most appropriate location for the e-collection.

◦ Collect the group’s sketchbooks at the end of the term for digitizing.

◦ Refer to the instructions for the particular scanning product available to you. It is best not to make adjustments for each drawing or sketchbook, but instead to have a standard setting for all of the sketchbooks, because otherwise time and labor costs become prohibitive.

◦ When placing the sketchbooks on the bed of the scanner, place the scans vertically or horizontally as makes sense for the drawing. This is for the ease of the end viewer of the sketchbook when it is presented on the library home page.

◦ Once all the sketchbooks are scanned and saved to a desktop, name each file with the drawer’s name. First names are sufficient, and this assists with privacy issues when making the sketchbooks available for wide public viewing.

◦ Save the sketchbooks to a place on the organization’s network that is accessible to yourself and the web team member who will be loading the sketchbooks on to the home page.

◦ Once the books are loaded, check that they appear as you would like and then encourage participants to view them. To do this, have a segment of a session devoted to where the sketchbooks are located. Have a printed handout of the path to the sketchbooks, a projector screen, and a laptop with Internet access for the viewing of the sketchbooks. Guide the participants through the process and look at some of the sketchbooks. For some participants, it is a revelation and a source of enjoyment to see their work on the library home page and a computer screen.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

◦ Raised awareness of electronic items now becoming available and how hard-copy drawings are digitized and converted into electronic images.
◦ Raised awareness that electronic technology doesn’t necessarily mean something that is hard to understand, make, do, or access.
◦ Participants discover items in the collection that relate to their specific interest; in this case, art books. If you have hidden parts of the collection, such as closed access stacks or rare books, these can be promoted during the course of the program.
◦ Raised awareness of how to use the catalog to find those items of specific interest that enhance customers’ experience of the library.
◦ Participants find out how to become library members.
◦ Cross-promote library events and activities.
◦ Strengthened sense of community, with the creation of a group of people with similar interests who assist each other in this shared interest. Participants learn and extend their knowledge of drawing techniques.

◦ Position the library as a center of entertainment, recreation, and lifelong learning.

RECOMMENDED NEXT PROJECTS

The Sketchflash group may like to present a formal exhibition in the library with displays of the group’s work, including the hard-copy sketchbooks, a digital loop with a PowerPoint of digitized sketchbooks, and a selection of larger drawings developed from the sketchbook drawings. During the exhibition a Sketchflash session can be held at the exhibition space itself. It works well as a promotion for the exhibition and the Sketchflash program. It further raises the spirit of community among the participants working together to show what they do and how they enjoy it.