Design Drawing

 by  Francis D.K. Ching with Steven P. Juroszek

review by Joan Hacker

Two more important books by Frank Ching-

Architectural Graphics
                                                      by Frank Ching, Francis D. Ching

Building Construction Illustrated
                                                      by Frank Ching, Francis D. Ching, Cassandra Adams

line and shade

Perspective development. The way we see.

Design Drawing

 by  Francis D.K. Ching with Steven P. Juroszek 

Design Drawing by Francis D.K. Ching and Steven Pl Juroszek takes you from the elementary skills of line weights and tonal values to the ability to transfer our visual skills to actual drawings.  Francis Ching begins by explaining the act of seeing, stating “ the eye is blind to what the mind does not see.” He emphasizes the importance of developing “eye-mind-hand coordination”  and the need to avoid visual stereotypes, which can occur based on our expectations of what we are viewing. Drawing thus enables us to act upon our ideas and elicit a response from those viewing  it.

One cannot help but observe the importance placed on line weights and tonal values, whether to convey depth, space or texture or simply to show shadow and shade. Francis Ching then take us through many of the basic drawing techniques in straight forward and concise path, enhanced by his own drawings and sketches that illustrate the process clearly and with practical application . I especially enjoyed the chapter on “ Drawing from the Imagination”, which reminds me of the definition of faith, “the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.”  It enables us to take a journey that turns our dreams into a form that may or may not end the way we envisioned, but will help us explore avenues that will cause us to reach beyond our physical experiences.

To further our understanding of drawing techniques, a supplemental, interactive CD has been included which illustrates orthographic, oblique and perspective projection with the aid of audio instruction . The CD provides an easy to navigate visual instruction with clear and concise directions to help you understand everything from 1-point perspective to point methods and allows the viewer to rotate said object, and each lesson demonstrates the process needed to complete each drawing technique presented . I was further impressed with the section featuring Francis Ching's own personal drawing techniques, thus allowing us to benefit from his many years of drawing
experience. 
 

Design Drawing takes you through the necessary skills needed to become
proficient at transferring thought to paper and does it in a way that makes
it a most enjoyable journey.

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