Department of Art and Design
College of Design NC State University
ADN281 – Basic Drawing
Instructors: Marc Russo
PROJECT TITLE: Semester Sketchbook Journal, Initial Drawings and Warm up
OBJECTIVE: To gain a baseline for our abilities and a way to warm up for a semester of drawing, and to develop a
good practice in using and documenting your work in a sketchbook or journal.
DISCUSSION: Keeping a sketchbook or journal is more than a good idea for an artist or designer. Many accomplished
designers (but also illustrators and authors) keep one on hand all the time. You never know when and where a great
idea is going to come from. There are many great ways to use a sketchbook or journal, and as you grow as a designer
you will develop your own sketchbook methods or habits. For this class we will use our sketchbooks as a way to
practice the techniques that we learn in class.
PROCEDURE part A: Keep a sketchbook for the entire semester. You will start with 4 initial drawings and add to the
sketchbook as the semester progresses. After each class you will do two drawings that let you practice or expand on
what we did in class.
You will find an assignment on the class website: http://www.marcrusso.com/basicdrawing/
Dates Sketchbooks are due:
September 3rd
September 24th
October 15th
November 5th
November 26th
All the sketchbook assignments will be uploaded/placed on Class Store in the assigned folder.
Scanning:
There are two methods you can use for scanning your work.
1. You can use any of the flatbed scanners throughout the College of Design. If you use a flatbed scanner it is
likely that you will get a series of JPEG images. Please label these images with names that make sense and put
them in a folder that keeps them together and separate from other students’ work. Use your name in the file
name.
2. If you choose to use the book scanner in the library it will make a PDF for you. There is a book scanner in DH
Hill and the Design Library.
Class Store:
For instructions on accessing Class Store go to the following web page:
http://design.ncsu.edu/it/classstore-and-transfer/
PROCEDURE part B: Start working in your sketchbook this week. Before next class do four drawings from memory. Do
not look at any reference.
Of course I expect that you will use this journal for more than just the work that you do in this class. This is the perfect
place to record ideas both written and illustrated doodles, and scribbles, or tape small treasures that you would like
the hold onto. Please label each assignment in your sketchbook with the class date that it is associated with and a title
or brief description.
On the website after each class I will post a sketchbook assignment that looks like:
Class: August 20th:
Sketchbook Assignment: 4 Drawings from memory: a common kitchen utensil, a plant in a pot, two chairs in a room,
and a city street.