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The Art of the Measured Drawing Sketchbook

On Saturday September 19th, a group of 6 students met Instructor Stephen Chrisman behind the New York Public Library at the William Cullen Bryant Memorial, for a day of measured sketchbook drawings. The Art of the Measured Drawing Sketchbook is a new course that focuses on measuring and drawing architectural details at scale in a sketchbook. This approach to sketchbook drawing differs from the typical pictorial sketches that most architects have done on travel studies, by focusing on carefully accurate line drawings of architectural details in elevation and section.

Students at work

Prior to the day of field drawings, Chrisman presented a lecture on the history of measured sketchbook drawings and showed images from Palladio’s drawings of ancient Roman monuments and details, John Soane’s numerous sketchbooks, rarely seen sketchbooks from the architects of the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, field drawings from the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) and sketchbook drawings from Quinlan Terry, Francis Terry and George Saumarez Smith.

Measurements in Bryant Park

At Bryant Park, the students started with drawing the balustrade of the Bryant Memorial, and in the afternoon each student selected a particular detail from the front facade of the Library to draw, including the rustication of the NYPL’s base, details of the fountains and a cross section of the bronze front doors.