The lost art of sketching

Written by Graham Madigan, Director and Architect at Fluid

Credit: Graham Madigan

When I started studying architecture in the late 1980s, sketching was considered an absolute necessity. The ability to quickly and clearly convey an idea through a few strokes of the pen was a valued skill and one we were encouraged to practise on an almost daily basis. All projects were accompanied by reams of sketch development drawings: from site layouts to elevational studies, sketch details and thumbnail 3D views. As Henri Matisse eloquently expressed it, “Drawing is putting a line (a)round an idea”, so the more you sketched, the more you developed your concepts.

This continued in my first job where the Principal Architect used my sketching skills constantly, to develop his ideas. There was one particular project, for a prominent building in the centre of Canterbury, where he repeatedly asked me to re-sketch the facades, over and over, for several weeks until he was happy that it had the right ‘feel’. This exercise, whilst tedious at the time, did make me think, look, consider and explore, possibly in a way I have not been able to since.

Credit: Graham Madigan

Of course times have changed as computer rendering has got better, quicker and cheaper with 3D modelling becoming a design tool in itself, rather than just something to produce sales visuals at the end of the project. So will sketching die out completely and will this be to the detriment of our designs? Or does the power of computer modelling open up a whole new world of creativity that would have been impossible to explore using pen and paper alone? If creativity is becoming stifled, this is probably more as a result of regulations, technology and the need to work quickly, in an increasingly competitive and risk-averse environment. A building modelled in 3D, using libraries of objects, can now be put together rapidly, with pre-tested details that are known to ensure compliance and avoid potential problems.

Despite all of this, sketching can still be the quickest way to explore an idea or test alternative strategies, particularly at the early stages. The problem seems to simply be that it’s got largely forgotten, left behind in the stampede to implement the latest software, learn 3D skills and fit in with an increasingly process-driven construction industry. But is AI about to change this? If an architect can instantly turn sketches into 3D models, without the need to sit and input that information themselves, this will give real value again to the ability to physically draw. This would be an amazing turnaround: quality sketching would be a sought-after skill and we would reclaim the luxury of time, to consider ideas through the manipulation of the simple line. The computer would then work its magic to create buildable, compliant solutions. This would be a return to my early career, where as a cheap graduate my boss could afford for me to ‘keep on sketching’… to find the perfect answer.

My advice then is to dust off your pens and paper (or at least get a decent iPad) and start drawing… you never know, as with so many other areas, the future may well be lurking in the past and the lost art of sketching could be due a comeback.