The Art of John Uibel

Composition exploration method

Sometimes the sheer quantity of work and the tight deadlines don’t allow me the luxury of time to explore detail and nuance in my work the way I would like. Even with these pressures, I often get stuck in Detail Minutia Land when I really should be worrying more about the overall composition of the illustration. I hope this a common problem with everyone and not just me…

To keep up, I’ve always tried to just draw faster but without really changing my method. This, of course, has its limits.

Searching for something that would help, one method I have used which works pretty well — particularly for architectural rapid visualization — is to explore design options exclusively in silhouette (see the samples above). Drawing in Photoshop with a flat, black round brush with shape dynamics on, I quickly lay down the major forms. I will switch back and forth between black and white, cutting in windows, supports and other details, all the while limiting myself to only a few minutes per illustration. The result makes it seem like there is more detail than there is, partuicularly if I pay attention to perspective principles and vanishing points as I sketch.

This ensures that I stick to creating an interesting shape to the overall design, improving composition. It also discourages my tendency to worry about the ’small stuff’ and helps me avoid focusing prematurely on the mechanics of what I’m drawing (part of my Industrial Design background, I suppose?). The results can then be used as a mask for further rendering should I land on a design I like. I have cranked out dozens of these little sketches, and have been happy with the results. Remember, this isn’t finished art, it’s a way to quickly kick-start my creativity and solve design problem quickly. Try it and let me know what you think.