13 The sculptural massing is evident in this disused colliery at Chislet in Kent. sketchbook is a personal library;it needs to be built up so Sketching and freehand drawing have for too long that it can become a basis for later,undreamt of,designs.been seen as the point of entry into painting,as against Many architects'drawings leave out a great deal of the essential starting point for design.Art colleges have, detail.Whether a sketch is of a design proposal or an of course,always maintained a sketchbook tradition existing reality,the element of removal or abstraction is among artists and designers alike,but in sixth-form one of the characteristics of such drawings.It is better to colleges,and even schools of architecture,the capture the essence rather than seek an exhaustive sketchbook has been usurped by the computer simulation realism.Designers need to know what to leave or verbal description. suggested rather than explicitly recorded.The principles What this book seeks to revive is the sketch and and truth that such drawings seek to communicate can be analytical drawing as means of understanding form and hidden by too much detail or graphic bombardment.A construction.Only through the study of existing examples good drawing is one that leaves room for imaginative -not laboriously drawn but critically examined-can we interpretation.These principles apply equally to a page in cultivate a nation of people sensitive to design and its the sketchbook or a drawing prepared to highlight a application to our everyday environment.This willingness design proposal. to learn from past examples should apply across the The benefits of drawing 3sketchbook is a personal library; it needs to be built up so that it can become a basis for later, undreamt of, designs. Many architects’ drawings leave out a great deal of detail. Whether a sketch is of a design proposal or an existing reality, the element of removal or abstraction is one of the characteristics of such drawings. It is better to capture the essence rather than seek an exhaustive realism. Designers need to know what to leave suggested rather than explicitly recorded. The principles and truth that such drawings seek to communicate can be hidden by too much detail or graphic bombardment. A good drawing is one that leaves room for imaginative interpretation. These principles apply equally to a page in the sketchbook or a drawing prepared to highlight a design proposal. Sketching and freehand drawing have for too long been seen as the point of entry into painting, as against the essential starting point for design. Art colleges have, of course, always maintained a sketchbook tradition among artists and designers alike, but in sixth-form colleges, and even schools of architecture, the sketchbook has been usurped by the computer simulation or verbal description. What this book seeks to revive is the sketch and analytical drawing as means of understanding form and construction. Only through the study of existing examples – not laboriously drawn but critically examined – can we cultivate a nation of people sensitive to design and its application to our everyday environment. This willingness to learn from past examples should apply across the 1.3 The sculptural massing is evident in this disused colliery at Chislet in Kent. The benefits of drawing 3