Unit 1 – Area of Study 1: Drawing as a means of communication

Outcome 1

​Create drawings for different purposes using a range of drawing methods, media and materials.​

Examples of learning activities

• Select a small household object to use as the subject for a sequence of freehand drawing tasks. The one object is drawn using observational, orthogonal, isometric drawings and perspective drawings to link the tasks as a sequence:
  • create observational drawings observing light, tone and texture on the object
  • generate a measured orthogonal drawing of the object (manual or digital)
  • produce a rendered isometric drawing from the orthogonal drawing (manual or digital)
  • combine the object with another two objects to observe natural perspective and develop a rendered perspective drawing
  • ​apply SCAMPER (or similar design thinking strategy) to re-imagine the object in another context or purpose.
• Select a small object that can be disassembled and draw (manually or digitally) all the components using an appropriate three-dimensional drawing method. Imagine different possibilities the designer may have had to solve the design need. Draw three alternative designs for how the object may have looked before the one successful design was chosen.
• ​Draw multiples of an object such as a building block or Duplo within the same perspective drawing. Have the objects receding towards one vanishing point, noting the decrease in size and proportions as the viewpoint changes as they move towards the vanishing point:
  • complete a series of drawings, changing the location of the vanishing point, including two vanishing points, changing the arrangement of the blocks, as well as the media and materials
  • ​explore alternative finishes for the surface of the blocks.
• Generate observational drawings of an area of the school; then produce a series of visualisation drawings using freehand two-dimensional and three-dimensional drawings that represent ideas to improve the area. These ideas are then developed (manually or digitally) for a concept presentation to the school principal using rendered perspective drawing along with a plan and elevations.
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  ​​Select a piece of household industrial design; for example, a hair straightener or cordless drill. Develop an understanding of the form and structure of the product by making observational drawings: both paraline (isometric and planometric) and perspective (one and two point) drawings and a third angle orthogonal drawing. Develop your skills in recording form by rendering one of your drawings to enhance the form and surface materials of the object. Visualise new design possibilities for the object using freehand visualisation drawings to generate a range of alternative ideas and produce a client presentation using refined two- and three-dimensional presentation drawings.
• Make a set of swatches or a concertina book using a variety of rendered textures and surfaces. Practise rendering to represent these textures prior to using them on forms to communicate the surfaces and enhance the three-dimensional form of an object.
• Complete a three-dimensional line drawing of an object, then use digital software to create a vector drawing. Print the drawing multiple times to explore various media and rendering techniques to achieve different effects, annotating the drawings to describe the impact the media has had on the final presentation.
• Starting with blank outlines of objects such as bags, shoes or chairs, undertake a set of rendering exercises that demonstrates the stages of rendering an object. Explore the results achieved through different media on various materials:
  • enhance three-dimensional form using one light source
  • represent surface texture of the object
  • ​add shadows cast by the object on both the figure and the ground.
• Set up a small still life illuminated with a strong light. Switch off the strong light to enable easy viewing of the form of the subject matter, make line drawings of the structure of the forms; then switch on the light and note the shape ​of the cast shadows. Draw them as outlines to be filled in as they fall across the still life. Alternatively, go outside on a sunny day and note the shadows falling from buildings. Draw a building, noting also the cast shadow lines around the ground plane.
• Use paraline drawing to draw simple packages with one side open, so that the contents are visible to show how they fit or are housed; examples may include food packaging that ensures freshness or packing inserts that protect fragile contents, e.g. markers in a sleeve, child’s toy, ball of string, folded fabric in a box. Use existing packaging to hold unexpected items, such as t-shirt packaging in a milk carton. Draw packaging containers that include a lid such as milk cartons, shampoo bottles, pump packs, and screw-top bottles using isometric and planometric drawings. Design surface graphics for the packages that represent the contents.

 

​​Detailed example

Visualise new possibilities

Students select a piece of household industrial design. Examples may include a hammer, table-top radio, cordless drill, old camera or hair straightener. They develop an understanding of the form and structure of the product by making detailed observational drawings from a variety of points of view. They begin with a series of two- and three-dimensional freehand sketches; then develop their understanding of forms and relationships between objects or components by completing both paraline (isometric and planometric) and perspective (one- and two-point) drawings and produce a correctly set out, ruled, third-angle orthogonal drawing to represent the form from multiple viewpoints.

They develop their skills in recording form by rendering one of their drawings to enhance its form with direction of light, shade and shadow and represent surface materials and textures. Students begin with manual media and may develop their skills with digital drawing and rendering on a computer.

Having gained a full knowledge of the existing product, students then visualise new design possibilities for their object. They may choose to visualise it as made from different materials and/or designed for a different audience. Examples of new design possibilities include adapting the object or form as a toy for small children, or creating a lightweight, collapsible or easily packable version of the product. Students develop their freehand visualising drawing skills to make thinking visible and communicate their ideas. In this generation of ideas phase of the design process they generate a range of alternative ideas and write annotations that describe their process of reflection on the suitability of their ideas and selection of preferred concepts.

Students select one idea and produce a third-angle orthogonal and perspective or paraline presentation drawings. These may be produced manually and scanned for composition digitally as a comprehensive client presentation, or produced digitally. Students can render their presentation drawings to enhance form, represent colour and/or surface materials. Students complete their work by adding a border and unique title box containing details about their newly visualised industrial design object.