A Quick Sketch for a Private Garden

Private Garden for a Federal-era house in Boston

I got a call last month from Michael Weishan, with whom I worked on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Suite a couple years ago (see here).  He was looking for a quick impromptu sketch, nothing too involved or specific, which would help a client of his understand something they had been studying together extensively in plan, but which was difficult for his clients to imagine spatially.

It seems the existing physical space didn’t really permit a full-scale mock-up of the idea, and barring that there’s only so much hand-waving and word-picture painting one can get away with.  It quickly became clear though that just a simple sketch would be enough to allow his clients to understand the idea and decide if all was headed in the right direction.

Michael provided a concept plan with the structures defined and plantings roughly indicated, and he was ‘brave’ enough to include his rough sketch for my reference. He modestly poo-poohed it, but the reality is, designers and architects can all sketch pretty well on their own.  …of course, I don’t tell them that, or I’d be out of a job.

I modeled it up, roughly and quickly, using his plan as the ‘texture’ for the ground on which I built the stone walls and other structures.

A screenshot of the model, kept simple, with no textures other than the plan as reference.

I rarely produce models for quick sketches.  But there were some elliptical stairs , and a wide-angle which would flirt with distortion, so I wanted to keep the perspective in check. Accuracy was preferable too, since I was also expecting to take this to full formal-pencil.  More on that in a bit.

A quick render…

Model Shot from Camera 02

And then I simply sketched over it in Photoshop.  This was to only be a camera test, one of a few test views for Michael to pick from.

My camera tests are very quick digital sketches done over a digital render of the model, with comments and questions written all over them, so that a client like Michael can decide which view works best.  Then I take the selected view and develop it more fully in pencil (or watercolor, digital paint, whatever…), producing the final rendering. The first round of camera tests (often three or four at a whack) is less about drawing and more about “What do you think of this view angle, or this one?” and “I have some questions and comments I need feedback on.”  Like these examples, from some previous jobs:

Typical Camera Tests

There’s a freshness to camera tests brought about by the speed with which they are done, the small audience (me, the client), and because they are less critical.  You don’t have to get everything right.  Heck, you don’t have to get ANYTHING right.  These are essentially story-board sketches.  They serve a brief thumbs-up/thumbs-down check on the direction we are headed with the image.  And then they get redone entirely, finessed, and made more formal.

Except this one.

The freshness of it hit me, and I realized there was no need to gild the lily.  I didn’t think it needed anything more to tell the story. Sure, pencil would be nice, but what were we trying to do ultimately? Well, to communicate an idea, quickly, with atmosphere and a little inspecific ease.  It was doing that for me, so I sent it off to him and, shooting myself in the foot, fee-wise, I said “This might actually be all you need, let me know.”  We’d assumed I would do it in pencil, but both of us liked the simple test enough that we recognized ‘it’ when we saw it.  No need for Michael to double or triple his expense if this sketch would answer the need, and I had work that was looming which needed starting… And so that was it…  Pencils down, everyone.  I sent it off to Michael at a higher resolution, and we called it a day.

Detail at full resolution. Sure, there's not much 'there' there. But there didn't need to be. And it worked all that much more because of it.

You may know Michael Weishan from his time with the PBS’s “Victory Garden”, from National Public Radio, his books, or from his numerous appearances on the ‘Today Show’ and  ‘Early Show.  Michael is currently working on a new program for PBS called “Garden Earth”, scheduled to run in 2012.  He founded Michael Weishan & Associates in 1986. See more of Michael’s work at michaelweishan.com

…Back to School

And work.

At the end of June, having been on a treadmill of production since September previous, I decided that I was going to give myself a break and take some vacation.  As a sole proprietor in a profession where there are no guarantees of work (especially in this economic environment), and where work rarely appears on the horizon much more than a month in advance, taking time off often feels risky.  A week not working is a week you don’t get paid.

The impulse is great to just keep working, because you don’t know when it will end and you have a nagging fear that you’ll find yourself without any work. But the risk is also that you never take a break.

After nine months of steady work, I needed some time off.  The kids were just out of school, weather was promising, and so I took a figurative pen and drew a line straight through the months of July and August.

The kids will only be young once, and I am certainly not getting any younger myself, so I really knuckled down and made a commitment to keep the two best months of summer for myself and my family.  For the most part, it worked.  I did take a couple emergency jobs for a client with whom I have a long relationship, and we did about a dozen images for two separate jobs at the end of August.

In addition to some camping and beaching it, we went as a family to New York City.

The Staue of Liberty, from below.

We’d been planning the trip since March, and my wife was savvy enough to reserve four of the tickets to the statue’s Crown that were available that day.  Of the 20,000 people on average that visit the statue each day, only about 200 are allowed in the Crown.  Tickets need to be reserved a few months in advance.

Only there for a couple days, we visited Times Square, the Empire State, Rockefeller Center, and the Statue of Liberty.  We cruised through and along Central Park, scoped the Brooklyn Bridge, and sought out the “World’s Best Cup of Coffee” (to no avail, alas). The boys, who are too young to remember September 11 2001, wanted to see the Trade Center.  We visited the site of the rebuilding effort, and stopped in next door at the firehouse.  Both of them were finally able to at least understand where the Trade Center was, and to begin to understand the scope of the events.  They may not understand it all (who does?), but they do now understand where the towers stood in relation to the city and our hotel, how at once large and somehow small it all is, and that it is all ‘real’.

I finally got a chance to do some painting, too.

10x20 detail from a 20x60 canvas

Detail, about 5x8, from "Black on Red", 20x30

I had some other painting to do, too.  Spent a few weeks, mostly full time, building a porch I’d designed about a year and a half ago.  I never had time to do it, as I never set aside any.  This was a big reason for carving out time this summer from my illustration work. Here’s a shot of it primed, before finish painting in white.

This summer's magnum opus. A new porch about 12x14, clad inside and out with 1x10 vertical grain cedar claps, mitered. Decking of 1x4 mahogany with basket weave at the corners.

Day trips were the goal, and so we  camped in Vermont, with a day boating on the lake as we’d done the previous year. We spent a day at Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire, where dad begged for someone to ride the Yankee Cannonball with him.   Went as a family to the Cape for a couple nights, where the kids indulged in seemingly limitless pool time. And we visited a cousin in New Hampshire for the day, on his boat, and relaxed at his beautiful place which overlooks an incredible view.

Wakefield, New Hampshire

The trees already had a hint of change to them then, and only a couple weeks later, the boys headed back to school.

There’s business to tend to now, including updating my website, and hopefully a little more time spent keeping up with the blog now that I’m back in the studio. Time to get back to work…

Charlesview Residences, for The Community Builders

A groundbreaking was held the 16th of May at the site of what will be a new 22-building neighborhood called The Charlesview Residences, comprising 240 mixed-income rental units, 100 home ownership units (affordable and market rate), 14,000 square feet of retail ground floor, community spaces, and parks.

I was commissioned by Jeff Beam, of The Community Builders, to do a small suite of four sketchy renderings in order to provide the press and attendees with an atmospheric impression of the overall project as proposed.

An Aerial View of the Project, middle ground. Digital, 11x17 and 300dpi

A detail from the Aerial, about twice full-size

Another Detail of the Aerial Sketch, zoomed in to about three times full size

The project had been in development by the non-profit development corporation The Community Builders for the past eight years or so, with CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc., of Boston, as the architect.

The View South Down Antwerp Street; digital 11x17, 300dpi

Detail, at about Full Size, showing a portion of the Josephine Fiorentino Community Center, on the Eastern Side of Antwerp Street

Detail from Center, with a small hint of the Home Owenership Housing and the Park, Beyond

Sidewalk, West side of Antwerp Street

This substantial development will include the relocation of residents from the original Charlesview residential complex, built over 40 years ago on a five acre parcel just a few blocks away up Western Avenue.  Harvard University is providing the parcel for this project, almost twice the land area of the existing complex, in exchange for the smaller parcel where the original complex is currently located.  Harvard will also be providing a substantial  payment to cover the relocation costs of the residents, who are represented by the neighborhood organization Charlesview Inc.

A half-acre Park will be created on Antwerp Street, between the taller Multi-Family Residences along Western Avenue and the smaller-scaled Ownership Housing to the South

A Detail of the Park Sketch, with a portion of a Community Center, beyond

Along the Park, a mix of Black-eyed Susans, flowering trees, and a large specimen Copper Beech

The project is expected to create more than 600 union construction jobs, and is partially financed by the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, along with financing by MassHousing, private debt, and tax credits.

View across Telford Street, at the intersection of Western Avenue, looking west.

Enlarged Detail of same

To visit the Project Page on The Community Builder’s Website, click here: >> The Charlesview Residences

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© Jeff Stikeman and jeff stikeman architectural art, 2009-2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Stikeman and jeff stikeman architectural art with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

A Suite of Tropical Sketches (sadly, done while it was 30 degrees and Rainy Outside)

One of nine concept sketches from a week's effort at the end of March. ©jeff stikeman architectural art

I’d set aside a month to do 10 of these images, figuring it would make for a relaxing pace and allow time to work with a new client.  I don’t like to go into a project with a new client on a very short term schedule, because I’d prefer that they get a chance to review these more closely as we go, and so they can get a feel for where things are headed and how the images are developed.  As it turns out, none of the design information was ready for me for about three weeks, but since the due date didn’t move to accommodate the delay, I was still gunning for all ten in a week.  Mind you, at that point, my getting them done is a favor, not a contractual obligation.

But they got done.  Well, nine of them, anyway.  The tenth will need a little more design information and consideration before I can begin on that.

…a couple details from one of the images.

Detail of the same image, showing a proposed concept for the project's drawbridge. ©jeff stikeman architectural art

When I drew these, it was 30 degrees and wet and rainy outside.  Thankfully, the day after I finished these I took a quick flight to warmth and palm trees.  Mini-vacation…  I needed it.

Detail of a portion of a marina, from the left-hand side of the same image. ©jeff stikeman architectural art

Although the drawbridge was the center of interest, this is my favorite part of the image.

I hope to post all 9 some day.  It may be sooner rather than later… We’ll see.

The images are a combination of collage, photoshop, and pencil, and are all 11×17 and 300dpi.

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© Jeff Stikeman and jeff stikeman architectural art, 2009-2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeff Stikeman and jeff stikeman architectural art with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Proposed Liberty Mutual Tower, for CBT Architects, Boston

Pencil Sketch of the Proposed new Liberty Mutual Headquarters Building, in Boston; 11x13, 300dpi © Jeff Stikeman 2010

Liberty Mutual has filed a Project Notification Report with the Boston Redevelopment Authority for a proposed 22-story headquarters building at 157 Berkeley St.

Just about a year ago,  I did three or four loose pencil sketch renderings for CBT Childs Bertman Tseckares as a part of their initial interview presentation, when Liberty Mutual was interviewing architects who were being considered for the commission.  CBT was selected, and since then have been refining the design and developing the work.

Although I did a couple more concept sketches for the architect over the past year, as part of their design process, generally CBT’s presentation illustrations were being done in-house.  That’s often how work is developed.  Things are changing rapidly, and many times the designers themselves do the renderings and sketches required to communicate the direction of the design to their client.  In fact, that’s pretty much how I learned to render, under the gun, as part of the design effort.

Last week though the Project Manager for CBT,  Ken Lewandowski, asked if I could prepare a quick image to be included in the document which initiates the review process, and which describes the proposed project to the public. There is typically a substantial amount of information generated in order to describe the project for the purpose of public review, including plans, elevations, shadow studies, etc.  My illustration was a very small part of it all, but in the end, helps provide a clear and graphic statement about  the overall design intent.

The sketch is something between a loose concept sketch and a formal rendering.  It’s essentially a semi-formal pencil.  Working from a sketch-up model and various site photos, Google “Street View” screen shots, and reference photographs of entourage, I produced the image in a day or so.

A tighter view, just under full-size, with a sliver of the ‘old’ John Hancock at left.

Detail, Liberty Mutual, Boston; © Jeff Stikeman 2010

Enlarging a bit more, at about full-size;

Enlarged detail of the street-level corner, about 3x4 inches © Jeff Stikeman 2010

Comments to online press regarding the project have suggested that the perspective is exaggerated for effect.  It isn’t.  Of course the top of the tower is quite angular, but the building is triangular after all.  …and it’s really not possible to develop a view of a 22-story tower from eye-level without some distortion at the top (even from a block away), unless you introduce vertical vanishing.  Nothing was done for effect.

Detail of an existing ivy-covered brick Context Building at the intersection of Cortes and Berkeley Streets; © Jeff Stikeman 2010

The 10 St. James building is beyond, between the proposed tower and the context building at right.

Detail of the Prow, about full size; © Jeff Stikeman 2010

As a follow-up, it was decided to reproduce this image as an evening view.  The question is invariably asked whether I can simply re-color the linework again, but as an evening image.  The answer is generally no.  For one thing, sun shadows in the day image are usually done not only in color, but also as pencil texture, which would need to be removed.  But additionally, entourage elements (such as people, cars, the fluttering flag, clouds, etc.) look incredibly lame when reused for an evening version.  Imagine looking at the two images projected during a public meeting, and the slides are advanced from ‘day’ to ‘night’, and nothing changes but the coloring.  The traffic is the same, the flag appears frozen, the people haven’t moved, the clouds are still hanging in the same spot…

So some amount of rework is necessary to make a convincing version, although a lot of the linework can be reused to save time.

I spent perhaps half a day redoing the traffic and assorted other elements, and then adapted the color in photoshop to an evening palette.

Evening Exterior View of a Proposed Tower for Liberty Mutual, for CBT Architects, Boston; all images © Jeff Stikeman 2010

Some Details….

Detail of the Upper Tower, © Jeff Stikeman

Detail at the Building's Corner on the Intersection of Berkely and Cortes Streets; © Jeff Stikeman 2010

...zooming way in here, perhaps four times actual size, where you can really see evidence of the human hand; © Jeff Stikeman 2010

Detail, full size; © Jeff Stikeman 2010