Hey All!

So today I’ve been thinking about hand rendering a lot. Random, yes, but important. It all started last night when I decided to show my boyfriend my first finished project for my Residential Design Studio class. As I had said before, I designed a master bedroom suite influenced by Mark Hamilton’s interiors. He (my boyfriend) said he liked the room a lot, but he wasn’t a fan of how I presented it. I’m not going to lie, at first I was a little offended but then I decided to listen to his reasoning. He said that it looked to “digital.” Now, I know that when a lot of interior design students begin to master the art of Adobe Photoshop and Google sketchup they can get a little excited and carried away (myself included) and forget the fundamentals of art and design…HAND RENDERING! I myself am guilty of this new obsession with photo-realistic computer renderings. I LOVE THEM!!! It is so much easier to build a room in sketchup, fill in all your materials and textiles, and then make all of your lighting come to life in either Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. But what happened to the “old fashioned” way of drafting each of your perspectives, elevations, sections, floor plans, etc and coloring them with markers and colored pencils? Our professors are always telling us that yes, it is great to have advanced computer skills but what really separates you from the rest is your ability to hand render. It never sunk in until my boyfriend said something to me… there are people in this world that actually like the look of a sketchy, process-driven, manmade drawings. I mean, we are art students so we should be expected to draw!! So, after having this little revelation I have decided to take action. I can’t just go from computer to hand, so I am going to take baby steps. I vow to hand render OVER my next project… it’s a start right?? I also vow to sketch more often to offer my “clients” (aka professors) more options in a looser, more flexible looking way. Our professors say that the clients like to feel as if they are part of the process, so sketching more ideas to present to them is a smart way of incorporating them. *gasp for air* OK, now I am done with my long rant about hand rendering… just thought I’d share that with you.

Not too much has happened since my last post. We were introduced to our newest project in Residential Design Studio. A 2 story, 6,000 sq ft house on Tremont St left completely to us to design. I decided that I wanted my client to be a famous DJ from Morocco (I love the colors and patterns used in Moroccan interiors!). There is a sustainability fair in the on March 4th that I am going to for my Codes and Construction Class. It will be in the main lobby of 75 Arlington St. Also, my materials and finishes class is going to NEXUS on Friday! I’m pumped for that tore as well.

I’ll keep you posted on any other breaking news in my life and let you know if I keep my vows!

Until Next Time,

Kris