Gifted Grecian

A “student” of mine from Greece has been sending me updates on his rendering skills, since discovering my blog, and I have been blown away by his progress! Recently I received this project presentation board which made me giddy with excitement. I’m thrilled to share Anastassis’s progress with you (with his ok). He has used SketchUp to create a basic drawing of the space, producing a measured perspective, then drawn in all of the details by hand. It’s tricky to know how far to go with each, but my opinion is that he has done an amazing job. The shadows, the woven details on the chair, representation and choice of materials…all great :)

Oh to live in that climate!!

I truly believe that hand drawings are more helpful for the designer and the client. They don’t expect later, that he sofa be that exact wood tone, or colour. Computer rendered drawings don’t leave room for that; a client looks at it, and thinks they are getting EXACTLY what they see. With hand renderings, you are able to give a feel for the space, without the expectation to convey every detail.

Just like interior objects, I feel we are going back to things made by hand, and the interface of the computer, in my opinion shouldn’t be used from the beginning of the design process until the end…something is lost. Design and drawing go hand in hand, one cannot happen without the other.

My husband says I need to teach whether people want it or not…it’s true;  this feeds that inner teacher in me…

“Hi Michelle! Would immensely appreciate your opinion about this presentation I'll be making of a patio makeover. I felt brave enough to hand-render the patio proposal, so would like to know what  a rendering master thinks about my humble attempt!...
I'm also sending you the CAD proposal for the interior (living and dining areas). I would immensely appreciate any comments and crit about the design. The client said she would appreciate a harmonious transition from the outside in, so I went a bit Tuscany (baked clay, corn yellow, soft greens etc)
Hope I'm not using up any of your valuable time, if not left with any, just drop me a quick line about the hand rendering!
Thanks a million, a very good morning from (sunny - and bankrupt!) Athens, Greece!
Anastassis”

Other than the sofa needing a bit more depth, I see nothing about this rendering that isn’t amazing! I think your design talents shine through, and hope your client signs off on everything!! Thanks for sending this Anastassis :)