Tag Archives: sketch

Week 02: What is a sketch?

This week I spoke to my friend who studies Arts at Melbourne University. One of her hobbies, and a great talent of hers, is painting, drawing and illustrative arts. I asked her what the word sketch meant to her, as an artist. This is what she said:

Sketching is getting rough ideas down on paper in order to develop them further, so they reach their full potential.

During class, Seth spoke to us about the fact that these sketch tasks we are currently doing are exactly that – sketch tasks. Seth mentioned a resource by Bill Buxton called ‘Sketching user experience’. I found his book in the library and read about how he attempts to explain what sketches are to him. For Buxton, sketches:
– are quick
– are timely
– are inexpensive
– are disposable
– are plentiful
– use a clear vocabulary
– use a distinct gesture
– have minimal detail
– have an appropriate degree of refinement
– suggest and explore rather than confirm
– are ambiguous.
I personally identify most strongly with Buxton’s penultimate point that sketches suggest and explore rather than confirm. I think this is a powerful way to think about what we are being asked to do in this IM1 course, and I will try and embrace this over the coming weeks.
I told my friend about Buxton’s attributes of what a sketch is, and she seemed interested to hear what he had to say. I wonder if our conversation has made her think about the act of sketching in a different light.