Leon wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
My experience agrees with this. I spend quite a bit of my planning time sketching things based on what little I learned in high school about drafting. I keep a spiral bound notebook around the shop so I can have something to draw/sketch/figure on. (Other than the workbench. ;-))
Often, I'll only bother with showing the interesting (complicated) part of the piece I'm working on. No need to show the joinery on all four corners when it's all the same.
Hmmm.. The one I ordered is "Fundamentals of Engineering Drawing" Second Edition,same authors as above, published 1966. Appears that you used the "Manual of Engineering Drawing". Between the two, the 2nd one sounds tougher!
Larry, Well, I got the DP installed on the base board up to the point in the instructions where two people are required to lift the head on the pole. I'll try to find a willing victim--I mean helper, tomorrow. Progress is good.
I determined that the fundamentals book is shorter (365 pages, I think) and contains the first 13 chapters of the other book. I sense that my sketches are going to school! :)
It does. The one I saw on Amazon was titled _Engineering Drawing and Graphic Technology_, a large gray hardcover by French, Vierck, and Foster. It sounds as if you found the right one for you, Bill.
-- "The history of temperature change over time is related to the shape of the continents, the shape of the sea floor, the pulling apart of the crust, the stitching back together of the crust, the opening and closing of sea ways, changes in the Earth's orbit, changes in solar energy, supernoval eruptions, comet dust, impacts by comets and asteroids, volcanic activity, bacteria, soil formation, sedimentation, ocean currents, and the chemistry of air. If we humans, in a fit of ego, think we can change these normal planetary processes, then we need stronger medication." --Ian Plimer _Heaven and Earth: Global Warming, the Missing Science_
When I flipped my Griz 18" bandsaur up onto its stand, I used a milk crate as a lever. The heavy old girl went up with just one guy. Now, I'd have considered my engine hoist to lift 'er.
G'luck finding a victim. You're making better-than-bowsaur time with it. ;)
-- "The history of temperature change over time is related to the shape of the continents, the shape of the sea floor, the pulling apart of the crust, the stitching back together of the crust, the opening and closing of sea ways, changes in the Earth's orbit, changes in solar energy, supernoval eruptions, comet dust, impacts by comets and asteroids, volcanic activity, bacteria, soil formation, sedimentation, ocean currents, and the chemistry of air. If we humans, in a fit of ego, think we can change these normal planetary processes, then we need stronger medication." --Ian Plimer _Heaven and Earth: Global Warming, the Missing Science_
A lot of people seem to have trouble with this. In high school I was pretty artistic and everyone thought I should go into drafting. I had some mechanical design interest too, but unrelated to art.
Art and drafting are very loosely related. An excellent draftsman does not need to be artistic - drafting is the language of engineering and the precise definition of objects. With that said, some guys I knew who were artistic by nature could produce some very nice engineering drawings. They just looked better.
Probably the previous edition of the one Lew and I own. The Amazon page notes Thomas French as the Author and Charles Vierick as the editor. I just looked at my copy and it is a 1953 edition. The previous edition was 1947 -- probably this one. There were several more previous editions dating back to an original in 1911. This string caused me to take some time to look through my 1953 version and it makes me wonder what is in the first version. I am guessing the front matter is similar to the ones we own - Basic drafting practices. Maybe the updates incorporate technology over the years.
It probably sounds a little flippant to say drafting is drafting. But drafting is pretty close to being a lost art.
OK, OK - That last response made me remember a conversion I had with an old airframe draftsman buddy at least 15 years ago.
Ralph was a designer on a couple versions of the B52 weapons systems in the 1960's and 1970's. As the B-52 was modernized some of the original drawings were redone in CAD and CATIA, others were not. Boeing landed a contract to do Change Order incorporation on some of the old drawings and their fair-haired young CATIA Whizzes didn't have a clue of what to do with them. Boeing started rounding up some of the old draftsmen that produced the drawings, and finally badgered and bribed Ralph into coming out of retirement for a year or so to update and clean up the drawings. He said he went into it with a lot of anxiety because he really didn't want to un-retire, and he was afraid he was out of tune with current methods. Not so! He was in the same room with a group of young, contract CATIA-drivers who were drawing around $70-80 per hour. He, and other old farts, were sitting at drafting tables that Boeing dug out of salvage, using vintage equipment and earning $150 per hour. The young bucks thought these old guys were some kind of magicians.
My dad, as a civil engineer, produced drawings like that. Here's a subtle illustration that someone may possibly understand. When he was 'promoted' to "The City Engineer" he moved his drafting table with him into his new office. I realize that is a complex illustration and you either understand it or you don't. I don't mind sharing the story because I think it illustrates passion.
Did you ever get an answer not related to drafting/architectural? Coincidentally I was looking at books on drawing yesterday at B&N and was not satisfied with the selection. Saw most of those you mentioned including the one you said you might order. I diverge, in that I am interested in also doing color work.
Yes Lobby, "Engineering Drawing", known at Amazon.com as "Manual of Engineering Drawing" appears to be a well-thought-of standard for the craft and was used in college by several of the folks here. I ordered a version of it. I went back to the used book store to pick up the book "How To Draw What You See", but someone else found it. I'll probably collect a copy of it sometime. It looked a lot better to me than most of the "how to draw" books. There are a lot of reviews of it and sample pages to read at Amazon.
Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain has become a standard text for college drawing classes. Most 101 level exercises -- such as blind contour, drawing upside down, drawing only the "negative space" surrounding the model -- are taken straight from Edwards. This book, and a lot of practice, will help you draw well enough not to have to rely on a computer.
As much as I know AutoCAD, I do most of my design work on a sheet of butcher paper with a regular #2 pencil. It feels natural, and I can relate to the space on that big sheet of paper more easily than I can on a tiny 14" monitor.
I went and read about 100 reviews of Edwards' book again (at Amazon). It sounds alot like a psychology book--spending a lot of words defending the "right brain" concept. Comparing their tables of contents, I liked that of "How To Draw What You See" better than "DOTRSOTB". I'm sure both books have a lot to offer. I'm not sure what you mean by "draw well enough not to have to rely on a computer". I can produce a pretty realistic looking apple on a piece of paper, but I don't think I could do as well on a computer--even an Apple. ; ) I assume that you meant for drawing things like furniture. But it seems hard to beat SU for doing what it does well. I view paper and SU as complementary.
I've haven't had any drawing instruction since high school (and what I received there was not intensive at all), but I practiced alot back in those days and I can create 3D looking drawings. If I really give a drawing my best effort, it will plateau with a decent level of mediocrity that I am familiar with. I was hoping that with some knowledge of new ideas, that I might be able to heighten this ceiling. I ordered the older book "Engineering Drawing" by French and Vierck (sp), even though it is perhaps not directly related to those we are currently discussing. I'll probably save most of my drawing/design time for winter when it's harder to do as much in the shop--though I must admit I sketched for an hour or so last week and found it quite relaxing.
I've never used AutoCAD. But I know you can get a much bigger monitor for not too much money these days! I do understand what you are saying about paper vs computers as I haven't been able to warm up to e-books yet...
Betty's book challenges you quite a bit. Try drawing an upside down picture of a rocking chair. It challenges all you know about perspective. DAMHIKT.
The last time I was on Oahu, I drove out to the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kane'ohe and sat in a perfect place and sketched the beautiful, green, nearly vertical volcanic mountain range in the background and the tropical trees in the foreground. It was just great, listening to the different birds, until the damned gardener came and started mowing the lawn in front of me. 50 minutes of bliss, anyway. (not his fault)
I saw a tree I was going to lean against while I sketched and walked toward it. Upon getting closer, I decided against it, choosing a nice coarse palm trunk instead. The ceiba I had chosen from afar had nasty spikes on the trunk.
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I've never used AutoCAD. But I know you can get a much bigger monitor
I'm still having a love/hate relationship with them. I think the new flat screens are better on the eyes than the old CRTs, though. I find myself reading more online now, and watching Netflix movies streamed on the computer.
-- Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. -- Margaret Lee Runbeck
It challenges you to draw what you actually see, not what you *think* you see. Turn a rocking chair upside down, and you no longer have a relevant, though flawed "model" of it in your brain. Turn the finished drawing over, and it looks surprisingly more realistic; your seeing brain is forced to work more like a camera.
To me, it seems like the important part of that is that it forces you to create an store an image in your brain. It's analogous to trying to play guitar without really having a tune in your head. By this point I have managed to learn to do both to some degree. The blues singer Son (Eddie) House expressed the idea most-eloquently: "Until you've got that song in your head you ain't gonna do s$#t!" Seriously, I wish I had really understand that sooner!
It is probably true that in an involved drawing involving many things, my use of perspective may not be consistent. That's probably one of my critical areas for improvement. So this might be improved by drawing upside down, huh?
Maybe it would be fun to share our drawings..anyone interested? We could pick something interesting. And then we could post links to our drawings here.
I've watched The Woodwright's Shop online and some YouTube videos. I haven't tried a movie yet, so you're ahead of me. My wife watches Netflix movies on her IPad. I'm rather myopic for that sort of thing.
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