Sherrod Drawings

Beach Bungalow

2016-01-27T07:57:00.004-06:00

Beach Bungalow

Coastal & Traditional Architecture becomes Art

The word Architecture is so closely tied to Art, one can imagine how many multitudes of young Architecture students grasp at using the term in some entry level class assignment. I've used the term and words fairly recently myself. What I enjoy about the "Art" in "Architecture", is less about what is left after the house is drawn, and more of the process to get there.

Let's Imagine the process in my little Beach Bungalow (pictured). There is a couple whom need help designing a home. We will meet to designed on a style that works in the neighborhood, the path of the sun, and fitting it on the lot. I will have to verify lot coverage through-out the process of design and during this time, begin to work with Engineering & interviewing Builders. Once Design is completed, the Owners will need someone available to help should any construction issues arise. Between the process of meeting with the "To Be Homeowners" and working closely to select a builder; we begin to design the house, usually using resources the clients have already found and brought in.

The process of review boards, budget meetings, and re-design are all part of a beautiful process it takes to get a custom home off the ground. That is the "Art" in "Architecture" in my eyes.

Construction: Bosco Co., Atlantic Beach
Engineering: Alexander Grace, Jacksonville Beach

Rendering a Contemporary House

2015-10-05T08:18:00.000-05:00

Modern Design Rendering

Contemporary vs Modern vs Classical

from sddrawings.com

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings continues to find fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture. Today, I would like to explore the several types of ideas in design and explore how renderings can tell a story to the potential client.I see Contemporary Architecture as what is being designed right now. Modern Architecture speaks of design after a certain point and has a look and feel most of us can point out, even if describing it is difficult.

I love the idea of a community where buildings all speak the same language. They have similar stories to tell in the way they look and how they meet the needs of the people they are built for. So when I see a very "Modern" House slapped onto a street of otherwise very classically designed homes, I see it as an eye sore, a slap in the face to the neighbors. Instead of a cozy quaint street with rich history in Design you get that one lone duck that Quacks, every time you drive by.

SO the picture following are trying to tell a story, I'd be interested in your interpretation. Shoot me an email.

That is not to say I have any qualms with modern design. I find much of it pleasing. Clean lines and unique features that would not work with a more classically designed structure. Today's Renderings are of a very modern house. With a great view overlooking whatever city you'd like to imagine it to be in. So I experimented in showing off this house and design in a story board. I will let you decide what you get out of the progressive scenes.

What I do take issue with in Modern Design, is that the buildings seem to represent to mother nature "Look, Look at us being able to construct a cave which rises up out of the ground to heat and cool us while keeping us dry". We can also take this further and get a feeling that these Modern structures laugh at locally sustainable materials and energy efficiency. They MUST use central heating and cooling, ignoring the geographical climate. A big statement from the ego "We're so cool".

The beginning or an evening?

This particular design actually trumps a good portion of those statements I just made. The Low-E rotating doors allow the house to capture prevalent breezes and a deep over hang give needed shade from the light of the sun. A flat roof deck above (we can tell because of the stairs in the background) allow for an additional exterior open space ontop while the pool deck has fruit bearing trees planted.

Opening the doors the next morning

So a modern house can be good in the right setting. Consider the quaint neighborhood I described previously. Most of the Architecture grows from a learned history of Construction in the area while using local materials. The learned Construction will include many items that deal with the local geographical climate. Some of these will be seen in the pitch of the roof, structural materials, exterior coverings and site conditions that all deal with weather, temperatures & climate.

So in the end, make good use of your local materials and design for what the neighborhood wants to say. A good Architect / Designer will help guide in the direction of finding the right design based on many of these parameters and will not make a building go "Quack".

-Michael Sherrod

Interior Design Studies

2015-09-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

Interior Design Studies

How Small changes make a big difference

from sddrawings.com

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings continues to find fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture. Today, I am going to look continue to look at the Great House interiors. In my previous post, we look at exterior renderings for the same building.

The life like renderings below should capture the design and true feel of the built structure. Some of the aspects we are going for when rendering is to capture the scale of the building. In the first "photograph", I wanted to show how large the opening to the dining hall was. To do this, using people (in this case, a very beautiful client in a blue dress has come for dinner; possibly meeting a date?) She is obviously flanked by the columns giving the viewer a feel for the height in the structure.

Studio Sky Design, Sherrod Artistry

I did very much the same thing in this second photograph. Using people as our scale (we all have a very good sense for how large something is when we put a person next to it). Let's check out another pretty lady in front of the screen door on the left. She is obviously not three foot tall, so we immediately get the feeling that this door is very tall. The couple at the bar also show just how high the beams are above their heads. SO people as scale is a fantastic way to show the size of something and give the "feel" of what we're looking for.

Studio Sky Design, Sherrod Artistry

The 2 Great House renderings above represented about 30 hours of work. It is 100% digitally composed in a combination of Sketchup with finishing touches in Photoshop. I've drawn upon 30+ years of real life watercolor and painting experience to help with all of these renderings. What's different when trying to render a scene completely realistic versus an abstract water color (as can be viewed in my last post) is that we have to remember a lot of different invisible variables. Because the two mediums require different expertise. If you want to learn, you have to do. Pickup a paint brush or download Sketchup's free version and just draw.

Thinking about the different variables between a realistic drawing and a watercolor, using today's example, if we draw the scene too perfect, it will obviously be seen as a fake by our mind's eye, because it is trying to be realistic. To compensate, I've worked on a few different aspects. Check out the vase in the foreground in the second photograph. It's slightly off center, giving a feeling of "real life happens". People come in, move things and someone else has to come back up and put it back, or we get to see a vase that is not perfectly centered. I also really liked how some of the people in the right hand side of the photo were cut off behind the column. That's real life. You can't see everything at all times. People move and talk and turn their back to you. I really wish the lady on the left would face us though, she's absolutely striking, reminding me of a dear old friend back in a tiny little town back in Alabama.

Some of the items I'd like to explore in future renderings: If we look back at the vase, I actually created a vase inside of a vase (using a free Sketchup object as a base). The outer vase is clear glass while the inner glass, I applied an opaque colored finish. I'd like to play with the mirrors in the same way. If you look at your bathroom mirror, you can see the depth of the glass before the light hits the reflective material behind it. I wonder if that would make a difference, however slight in these renderings.

Some of the other fun items I've played with was colored lighting at the bar. In several instances, the colored lighting from the bar bounces back and shows some reflection in the slightly reflective wood surfaces through out the photos. I do not think the intensity of the lighting is very realistic on a door or the coffee table. So I believe another change would be to modify this to a much more defused reflected color, though what do I know compared to rendering engines. This may actually help the mind to see that there's something else going on, things are not perfect and will help to tie the scene together as being more realistic because it is imperfect; as well as using the same color thought the photo. So I'll leave it for now. In my mind's eye, I also expect to see more reflection in the floor from exterior lighting though the french doors. So all of that being said, I could continue to pick this piece apart and never truly be done with it. So at the end of the day and when "Pencil's up" is called, I think it's good enough.

The lesson I am sharing is that not everything in life is as we "see" them. Consider a palm tree (if you're lucky enough to live in a tropical climate). My palms outside are not made of brown trunks with a green canopy. The trunks are actually grey. If you look closely at what we THINK something looks like and what something ACTUALLY looks like, you'll finally be find your artist's eye. I didn't officially go to school for any of this (rendering computer generated scenes like this wasn't even a possibility back in high school, the best we had was Doom). So, keep your eyes open, actually see what is in front of you, can you really see the tree, or are you making it all up as to what you see? i.e... a brown trunk and green leaves.

The end product of any CAD system and drawing mechanisms (which ever you choose to use) should be a beautiful useful end product. I'm pretty happy with this one. Pencils up.

-Michael Sherrod

Water Color Renderings

2015-08-21T08:37:00.002-05:00

Watercolor in Architecture

Reviewing an old style in a new way

from sddrawings.com

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings continues to find fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture. Today, I am going to look at the Great House water color recently completed.

Watercolor renderings give a wonderfully romantic and beautiful view of Architectural design. It allows the viewer to imagine the scene with a light hearted view, as opposed to a strict and harsh judgmental eye. Take a quick look at my past post with a night scene & dusk rendering. Where the building itself is fairly well composed, I can find several key elements that really stir my ire... for instance; the trees in the back and foreground leave much to be desired. This is from fast drawing and limited resources of hi-quality digital photographs).

Since the digital rendering is so much more life like, it's easier to judge the picture and find faults, it's the minds natural way of working. "Hey", says the brain, "this is close... but I don't want you to be fooled, you know this isn't real and here's why... (dot dot dot)". So we can appreciate the time put into a drawing, unless it's absolutely perfect, our brains are going to find a way to show us how it is not a real scene. A watercolor rendering (and this one is digital) gives the viewer permission to use their own imagination and "feel" the house as opposed to critiquing it; because the picture is so abstract (not abstract enough that you can not tell what something is) though abstract enough to not trigger the brain into complaining. Then we are allowed to appreciate and find other emotions associated with the drawing.

Studio Sky Design, Milan Velimirovic Technical, Sherrod Artistry

The Great House rendering above represented about 8 hours of off the clock experimentation in this new style. It is 100% digitally composed in a combination of Sketchup and Photoshop. I've drawn upon 30+ years of real life watercolor and painting experience. One of the big things I had to think about, was how do objects actually look and what colors do they give off. Purple hues on the shadows and blue greens in the distance. I wanted the clouds to just barely be viewable so as not to be a focal point, though composed in a way, that they work with all the other elements to direct the viewers eye and point to the Great House.

Other elements I've taken from water coloring for years, is the bead around the palms and tree line. In this instance, the bead is prob. a little heavy, though that was on purpose. I could actually watercolor this scene and have a real one, though time is a huge factor. From drawing the actual house to sketching in the foliage, it's 8 hours versus 40+. The question is, is a digital watercolor "good enough"?

The end product of any CAD system and drawing mechanisms (which ever you choose to use) should be a beautiful useful end product.

-Michael Sherrod

More renderings

2015-07-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

Renderings & Drawings

New direction for Arch design

from sddrawings.com

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings has found fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture. Before the pen hits the paper (or in our brave new world, the first ray is drawn on a blank digital canvas), we have to have an idea of the best way to go about drawing in 3D. The entire process is far more complicated than just making a pretty picture or straight up 2D drawing.

I basically begin with the foundation in a group and draw up from there. The model itself is always the base point, keeping as many pieces as possible as components for easy modification during and after client meetings. There have DEF. been client meetings where we are designing on the fly and completely changing the direction the design is going to head on screen, during the meeting. This is a far cry from the typical "This is what I came up with and this is what you are going to get" mentality. A lot has to do with the climate of business in a busy beach town.

I want to stress that accuracy is of the utmost importance in my craft and my work. Something I will always continue to excel in, any problems in field always stem from changes made in field; except one instance a few years ago (2013) where extenuating circumstances caused a slight hiccup during construction, and I'll say the house still came out absolutely beautifully. (For the record, 4 separate professionals should have all caught the computer error, my faux-pas for being so trusting).

Irregardless.... the end product of any CAD system and drawing mechanisms (which ever you choose to use) should be a beautiful useful end product. Then comes the next fun part: renderings. Renderings are life like visualizations of your product (in my case, architectural design). Below, you will see two times of day, the first is a night scene with the house illuminated, probably for a dinner where the host is having a dinner party. The next, is where the guests have obviously left all the lights on in the early morning hours.

Starr Sanford Architecture, Sherrod Drawings Technical & Artistry

I personally love the twilight scenes, getting to see the houses during those magical moments of the day when the light is just amazing.

All photographers know there are 2 hours a day... those magic hours when the sun is rising or setting, and the lighting is most dramatic and casts the best shadows. SO in these renderings, what I can point out is my flaws. Less flaws and more time constraints. If you look at the trees on the left had side of the screen (background foliage), they are cut off and look irregular. The palm trees are not high enough quality and the lighting is a little blown out in both renderings. It's a trial process, using different plants, creating new ones in photoshop type software and importing into the 3D world. I also think the clouds in the dawn photo are flat and do not give off enough depth.

So to get these 2 renderings probably represent about 12 hours of time rendering, processing, rendering again, fixing mistakes, rendering and processing again.... It's a vicious cycle, though if you love it, the process and the end product, then it's nothing to keep at it. Thanks Starr Sanford for using my services to help create another beautiful residence!

Endless Summer

2015-07-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Magazine Spread

Shameless Self Promotion or discussion on how to get there

from sddrawings.com

Today's submittal is way less about self-promotion and more about a great team brought together to make something amazingly unique and beautiful. Under the direction of Julia Sanford @ Starr Sanford Design, this team created a stunningly beautiful residence. Apparently so interesting, Jacksonville magazine decided to cover it in a really great spread this past month.

Take the jump to see more about this project !

photo from http://jacksonvillemag.com/endless-summer/

What is so great about this particular project, was the local talent. From the lead designer Julia Sanford, to the technical production & Architecture by Architect Peyman Abadi and Master Builder Jeff Brecko with Aurora, and to continue, we must include the Clients who had the foresight and wisdom to trust their house and design in someone else's hands.

From the before to the after, there is a lot of trust put in a Designer's or Architect's hands. We are in charge of a family's savings and hard work. If we go over budget, the project may never even be built, and we have designed for naught. We also have to be very careful not to over build, or design to show off our own ego.

Great Architecture, should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness -Frank Gehry

One of my favorite Architects (Frank Gehry) speaks so eloquently about the timelessness of our craft. If the clients with the house pictured above decided to go with a Contemporary home in a traditional neighborhood... how long would any of us love the house? Would the neighbors love us for doing that to their street? Let's imagine plopping a modern sleek, concrete poured and steel house right in a Classic Beach shingle community. The house would be so out of place, and the neighbors would probably question our sanity, as well as stir up their Dandruff. So designing to fit into the surrounding area is super important, we use the local Architectural language of the community to help guide our design, or risk losing neighbors as friends.

I question how long we will have individual Architectural language from each region. If I were to make a prediction, it is that our Architecture is going to become as homogenized as our commercial landscape in America; countless miles of strip malls and big box stores, all the same in every city. How long are we going to love this fashion trend in construction? American's answer is usually just long enough to do some damage; like the suburbs. Yes, they work well in theory, though totally car dependent, not walkable nor healthy for a true community. We are turning around slightly. Walkable communities with an urban shopping center are coming back in vogue.

So how does this design fit into the neighborhood on a larger scale? Julie did an amazing job designing this house to help speak the language of Florida's Northern Coast. This house says "it is a part of the Ponte Vedra beach community and worthwhile". I wonder what your house says? Long story short, please do not build the white elephant on the block and Kudos to the design / construction team, as well as the Owner's. It is a beautiful home and a gorgeous story.

More Completed Construction

2015-07-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

Completed Construction

From 2D to Real D

from sddrawings.com

Today's submittal is a very well designed and built Carriage House in Florida. Working with Starr Sanford Design out of Jax Beach, FL; we accomplished an absolutely beautiful structure. This 2 Bed, 2 Bath Carriage House features a Full Kitchen and Living room upstairs, while the 3 Bay garage downstairs holds all your toys and leads out to the covered porch on the House's Side entry, creating a fantastic Courtyard effect.

Take the jump to see more about this plan and others !

Renderings & Drawings

2015-07-09T15:09:00.001-05:00

Renderings & Drawings

New direction for Arch design

from sddrawings.com

Renderings & drawings have been an integral part of architecture since we've been putting together log homes, and probably before that. Now that we can design and plan for every conceivable notion a client may have... Designers and Architects find that they sometimes become more of an artists than a building planner. Simply drawing what the client asks for while trying to gentle guide them towards good design choices and explaining why.

Today's submittal has been a fun contemporary piece in Florida. The project starts out on a side street from a main thorough-fare. There is a curve at the location of the main street that radiates a block into the side street, affecting all the lots where the original planner(s) and to disperse the curve before the land ends in the Atlantic. This curve made this lot especially difficult to design for as it is more of a wedge shape and sub 8,000 sq ft.

Taking into account the small lot, we are also constrained to coverage one a certain percentage of the lot. This is where my expertise really helped the Owners to understand how much house they were going to be able to build, and how their ideal changes would affect the lot coverage; meaning: Calculate lot percentage, then recalculating, then recalculating again. At the end of the day, we have a great Courtyard home centered around the pool area.

If we break down the rendering, there are several items I may adjust to create a more appealing elevation. One is the window glare, notice how there is hardly any reflection (okay, there is non at all). Additionally, more light should come out of the house to cast shadows on the pool, which should also be illuminated. Other lighting should be amped up (Pool patio) to show off the exterior better during this twilight scene. The effect I have now is a darker "before the storm" affect, where additional lighting would create a "Someone is home" effect and a more welcoming environment.

Tardis Blue Prints

2015-05-19T15:19:00.004-05:00

Police Call boxes

3rd printing submittal

from sddrawings.com

Art and prints are so much fun to work on. There is a growing trend in digital art. A lot has to do with the availability of high quality cameras as well as easy to manipulate those images easily. Today's post/submittal has taken years in the making. From an old school project, I have since modified these plans and got my first copyright (how exciting).

These are 18" x 24" 'Blue' Construction plans Version 3

The Metropolitan Police Telephone box (also known as a Tardis

from the popular television show Dr. Who) was the successor to the old

'watchbox' established in the London area early in the 19th Century.

The first Police Telephone boxes were introduced into America in 1888.

The earliest Police Box resembling Drawing G/A1 was erected in Newcastle

in 1929. Originally built of wood, the design had changed to reinforced

concrete, weighing in around two and one-half tons.

Police Call Boxes, after which this design was drawn upon, were first

built and placed in London in 1930.

The cost was 43 L each, and by December 1953, there were 685 in existance.

With the introduction of personal radio equipment, the Police Telephone

Boxes were gradually phased out.

This plan is nearly a full reproduction of the original plans used to build

these icons of the past.

Carriage Houses

2015-04-21T07:25:00.000-05:00

Carriage Houses

Homes above Garages

from sddrawings.com

Carriage houses can be beautiful and elegant. This morning's submittals feature 3 new designs with a Beach flair. Far from "Just" a Garage, you can build and have a very elegant functional structure. See more of each plan after the jump!

from sddrawings.com

2015-03-18T10:44:00.006-05:00

Years worth of Drawing in one image

sddrawings.com

Xmas for Architects

2014-12-24T10:35:00.004-06:00

Looking for that perfect gift?

Happy Holidays

2014-12-22T09:41:00.000-06:00

sddrawings.com

Please Touch

2014-11-19T07:09:00.002-06:00

Please Touch

Bricks & Lighting

from sddrawings.com

Natural elements in a home are such great materials. Whether it's a brick wall, clay mugs, real wood floors and true cedar siding. We all love "truth" in materials, where the items we surround ourselves with not only look and feel real, though truly are. It has to do with our longing to be closer to the land, closer to the natural environment.

It doesn't take long to compare the differences in houses:

1: A house wrapped in vinyl and simulated wood siding

2: A home with true wood or brick

Truth in materials give us the feeling that our houses are real. That they will be there to stand up to the elements, keeping us warm and safe. Plus, when we see that brick chimney, we know we can touch it and it feels good, like it isn't going to fall over.

But this post is really a study about light and what your Architect or Building Designer can help you obtain using it.

It wasn't long ago that the electric light was created, allowing us to stay up way past sundown. Continuing our lives as if nothing ever changed in the outdoor environment. So we also would design our homes and streestscapes to take advantage of the sun's path across the sky.

One aspect of designing for light was creating homes "one room wide". This allows natural light to infiltrate both sides of a room, taking advantage of the morning sun light and the evening sun light.

Case study in pictures:

The scene is completely the same in both rooms. Though I blew out the lighting in the second picture (over exaggerated with too much light), it's easy to see which room feels less like a cave, and which one also feels more open and livable. Creating rooms we love.

On the left hand side of this Kitchen, you can see the brick wall; feel free to touch. So let us as Designer's help you to understand these types of ideas.

from sddrawings.com

Design for an interior remodel project

2014-11-04T11:04:00.001-06:00

New Project Moving along

Interior design remodel

Big pictures from sddrawings.com for a local Jax Beach home

Not there yet

2014-11-03T07:23:00.000-06:00

Not quite there yet

Interior design practice

From September's Post, we are still working towards a very interesting mix of 3D rendering from Sketchup & trying out new rendering software. This time, we take it inside at sddrawings.com

Cabin 2

2014-09-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

Cabin 2 Updated

Another Update for our line of Cabin Designs

From yesterday's Post, Working towards a very interesting mix of 3D rendering from Sketchup & trying out new rendering software.

See this Cabin House Plans and Floor Plans here

(This Render didn't go as planned)

sddrawings.com

Next Cabin Update

2014-09-18T07:52:00.001-05:00

Cabin Designs

Another Update for our line of Cabin Designs

Working towards a very interesting mix of 3D rendering from Sketchup & trying out new rendering software. These still have an almost "plastic" feel to them.

sddrawings.com

A draftsman's position in the design world

2014-09-12T15:44:00.002-05:00

A draftsman's position in the design world

Where we can find places to land in the professional world

Unlicensed Architects & Architectural draftsmen have a great place in the design world. Counting myself as one, I can say we are not relegated to simply drawing bathroom details. If you find yourself in such a position, do not fret as it will not last forever. There are so many opportunities available. If anything, a lot of us have been in the real world design field for many years. We understand principles of design. Regardless of formal school training. We have likes, dislikes and can apply them to a well thought through design. After years of design & study in the field of Architecture these professionals can help many clients find the resources they need to help them in their project. Whether it's full blown residential design, or a Draftsman's clients may be to produce drawings for other design pros.

Residential design is one of the first things I think of for these people. It's also the biggest part of the field that I understand. We usually charge less than a Registered Architect who has all the trappings of a full blown firm, with employes on payroll, a separate office and insurance to pay for. Note, in most cases; whether you opt for a lesser known name (such as a design by myself) or a big name firm, you're more than likely going to also be paying for additional structural engineering on your house design. It's the nature of the world in modern design, to pass the liability buck to the next guy. Plus, most municipalities are moving towards requirements to have plans engineered for the safety of the community.

Other work models for Unlicensed Architects and Architectural Draftsmen may include:

Drafting for other Architects, Civil, Electrical, Aerospace, Nautical Engineering, machine shops, etc…

The idea is is that you are good at using a tool, many other people are afraid to pick up a computer and use it / learn it to draw something. That’s all it is, being good at drawing to start with. A guy like myself, who can not drop everything to finish a degree in Architecture has to find a niche in the design world in some form. Does my lack of formal education make me any less relevant in the world of design? I would argue not at all. If anything, I am human as well, and have likes and dislikes. I have lived enough to experience the human condition of good design and poorly executed design. Unfortunately I have also experienced this in my designs as well as others. Are my design mistakes due to a lack of formal education? I will argue that it is not. After 15+ years working for some of the best and brightest Architects out there, I feel like I have learned more about Architectural design than anyone else leaving a BS in Arch. Though we all know work in the field far surpasses studying out of books.

So where does that leave an Architectural Draftsman?

(Yes, You better believe I used that term naysayers)

Place # 1

My primary business model is to provide drafting support to Architects. They need something drawn, and I get it done. So that's place #1 for an Architectural Draftsman.

Place #2

Residential housing. I have only had a handful of houses that would stand as a full fledge residential project you would typically see in an Architectural Firm. Most Draftsmen will be relegated to more modest homes. Working closely with a Builder (usually the home owner in this case) to help them get what they want. Draftsmen usually charge a much smaller fee due to lower overhead and responsibility.

Place #3

A million different industries. From Civil to Electrical, mechanical, aeronautics disciplines to naval. The reach is far and wide for Draftsmen (peoples)

Problems

The problem draftsmen come into is new software. Companies want to hire someone who is a seasoned veteran in THEIR system. Even if you've been in the field for years, they still want you to produce for them. Essentially that's why we are hired, to get stuff done for someone. So you'll need to stay unto date on the myriad of software options out there.

Self-Employed Problems:

Even when I have a hand full of different Architects as clients work can and does dry up. There may be a period where you can not get your individual house clients to meet, and your Architects may have nothing to hand off as well. In that case (this weeks case) I surfed a lot this week. If Monday starts off the same way, I’ll go put resumes out there to eschew the self-employed thing for awhile. I’m not sure it’s the best position for someone who doesn’t have an Architectural License.

naysayers: Architects that are so concerned with keeping the term Architect under their thumb, they will not allow an entire side of the profession to use it in their title, for instance, "Architectural Draftsman". However, they will allow an entire industry to steal the term "Systems Architect", so if you were to use the Official AIA's website to search for jobs, your results get you MORE jobs in the IT field, than you will get returned in Architecture. To be honest; it may be very telling where the work is in the field of Architecture, and it's not in traditional Architecture, it's with little computers, networks and wires. Though that's a whole other post.

Architectural Printing Services

2014-09-01T11:51:00.002-05:00

Printing Services

What to expect and how to work with your print shop

Printed on paper

Cad and blueprint printing services are numerous and easy to find in almost any city. So quality and responsiveness has to be the next thing to look for. As someone who utilizes printing services quite often, I run into stumbling blocks with different printer services. Where your typical home or office based printer solutions have pretty much been solved, print shops are a completely different animal.

Print shop availability is as easy to find as doing a quick internet search. What you're looking for are the independent places. I'm always surprised when I specifically tell clients to go to a specific print shop and they still go to the much more expensive office supply stores. Steer away from your big name office supply stores that will charge over $1 - $2 per sheet.

For one, you have people running the presses for you who want to stay in business and get your repeat business. They will use your PDF files from your Cad program. Versus buying your own wide format printer, there is a huge cost savings in outsourcing your printing which makes this service cost effective. Unfortunately, They will not be versed in your style of drafting to know if something is off, it always takes a few prints with the printer to make sure everything goes well. That means getting the print shop your drawings and swinging by to make sure the quality is where you want it to be.

Since I moved to JAX Beach, I have tried several printers. Aimhere.net has been very quick and willing to work with me on keeping my print quality high at a reasonable cost. Sure, we could do everything on their ink jet printers, which would insure near perfect matching, though there are not a lot of Contractors who want to pay $0.70 per sq ft. on their drawings. So an economical option is to use their production printer (I like their series 8000 printer after converting my PDF’s to tiffs). It’s an interesting process. I assumed all PDF’s were universal, though that remains to be seen. This is due because PDF printing is based on the creating machine’s setup & program that originally exported (printed) the CAD files to PDF. Then the machine that reads them and how the printer is set up to see fills and hatches. Converting the PDF’s to a tiff file format seems to save the original fills & hatches.

Screen shot from CAD

Check out the images in this post. Specifically looking at the shading on the images. These are a little more detailed for construction drawings. For large scale client presentations, these look fantastic and give a scale of depth to an otherwise boring 2 dimensional drawing.

sddrawings.com

Cabin lineup Update

2014-02-07T08:14:00.000-06:00

Cabin Designs

Update for our line of Cabin Designs

Very proud to share an update on our line of Cabin Designs. Many of them have all new Isometric Views to check out and one brand new design has been added into the mix.

Art in Architecture

2014-01-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

Art in Architecture

Why drawing systems matter and what that means to all of us

Like so many of my associates, I have always felt that in Architecture, the labor of craftsmen should stem from a well thought through design. The design process itself should come from a carefully thought through plan and executed as a work of art. So the entire process of getting something built can be a beautiful form, from start to finish. Otherwise, what is the purpose of just throwing something out there as technical garbage to be built from. If Designers & Architects expect something beautiful to come from their drawings, shouldn't beauty be built into their plans and design? Is it really enough to just have a technical drawing in hopes to have a structure built?

Maybe I'm over romanticizing the idea that blueprints and construction drawings have always been a thing of beauty. If I look at Jefferson's designs and blueprints, using the University of Virginia's design (as seen above); I could very well imagine this piece framed in my office. That is my intent and purpose during design, the entire process should be a worthwhile endeavor.

So, in order to follow through and produce a set of plans; I don't think it's enough to simply have ideas and not implement them. They need to be put into action. For years I've been adding fills to technical drawings to give them the appearance of the material they represent (learned under Architect Mouzon), I've since began to add shadows and color to roofing for my 2D drawings.

Take a look at the following house:

The Top picture is more representative of conventional technical drawings. Flat & Bland.

This bottom picture shows shadows & a fill applied to the following: The Ground, Windows & Roof, each more closely representing the material they are graphically representing, such as glass & shingle roofing.

Shadows come last, it's not an exact science, most "Art" isn't. It's there to convey an idea and give a feeling.

There are further ways to graphically show material such as glass. Industry standards dictate a series of diagonal lines. Though what is standard in Construction Drawings becomes too muddled to try and show everything exactly as standards dictate, giving the drawing a feeling of "busyness" Combat this solid or greyed fills, such as seen in the windows above

For future projects, I am experimenting in another direction, leaving behind the world of 2D elevations and implementing 3D rendering from Sketchup PRO, and will begin using it for Construction Drawings.

Basically, my idea is to not even bother drawing flat 2D CAD elevations or building sections, since those are really there to tell a story. I'll draw it in all in sketch up, export it to DWG or DXF and do a take off for floor plans and Wall Sections.

It's not as robust as Revit, but it seems to be working out well. I'm still developing the ideas to implement them; clients love it, Contractor's seem in different.

I wanted to share all of this, because as a community, I think we can knock heads and build a more beautiful world. I also think Art should be brought back to the entire process of Architecture, which begins when you put pen to paper or hear the chimes of the MAC fire up.

Sddrawings.com

Parking Blots

2014-01-23T09:45:00.001-06:00

Parking Blots

Parking Lots

Very cool link about Phoenix Arizona, check out the rendered Orange rooftop of the building top of page. Now look at the "Parking Blots" in front of the building.

Can you see the difference of the blots on the left & right? The proposed "Parking Blots" on the right are surrounded by "Liner buildings" which encompass the blots & face the street to create a walkable and aesthetically pleasing street scape.

http://www.gizmodo.in/science/How-Do-We-De-Suburbanize-the-Suburbs/articleshow/29176448.cms

Something extraordinary

2014-01-20T15:30:00.000-06:00

So today, I am reminded to always be pushing to do something extraordinary, regardless of the naysayers.

And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit -MLK jr

Cabin #6 Update

2014-01-16T12:56:00.002-06:00

Late Night Projects Update

okay okay, I'm setting this one down

A few shots of the cabin with terrain. Currently only exterior sheathing is shown as a finished product.
Will hope to continue as time allows with Trees, exterior siding, more fenestration & completion of door & windows. Interior space planning will also be completed.

Sherrod Drawings

Beach Bungalow

Beach Bungalow

Coastal & Traditional Architecture becomes Art

Rendering a Contemporary House

Modern Design Rendering

Contemporary vs Modern vs Classical

Interior Design Studies

Interior Design Studies

How Small changes make a big difference

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings continues to find fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture. Today, I am going to look continue to look at the Great House interiors. In my previous post, we look at exterior renderings for the same building.

Water Color Renderings

Watercolor in Architecture

Reviewing an old style in a new way

In this next part of Renderings & drawings, Sherrod Drawings continues to find fast and accurate renderings to be an integral part of architecture. Today, I am going to look at the Great House water color recently completed.

More renderings

Renderings & Drawings

New direction for Arch design

Endless Summer

Magazine Spread

Shameless Self Promotion or discussion on how to get there

More Completed Construction

Completed Construction

From 2D to Real D

Renderings & Drawings

Renderings & Drawings

New direction for Arch design

Tardis Blue Prints

Police Call boxes

3rd printing submittal

Carriage Houses

Carriage Houses

Homes above Garages

Carriage houses can be beautiful and elegant. This morning's submittals feature 3 new designs with a Beach flair. Far from "Just" a Garage, you can build and have a very elegant functional structure. See more of each plan after the jump!

Xmas for Architects

Happy Holidays

Please Touch

Please Touch

Bricks & Lighting

Case study in pictures:

Design for an interior remodel project

Not there yet

Cabin 2

Next Cabin Update

Cabin Designs Another Update for our line of Cabin Designs Working towards a very interesting mix of 3D rendering from Sketchup & trying out new rendering software. These still have an almost "plastic" feel to them. sddrawings.com

A draftsman's position in the design world

Architectural Printing Services

Cabin lineup Update

Cabin Designs Update for our line of Cabin Designs Very proud to share an update on our line of Cabin Designs. Many of them have all new Isometric Views to check out and one brand new design has been added into the mix.

Art in Architecture

Parking Blots

Something extraordinary

Cabin #6 Update

Cabin Designs

Another Update for our line of Cabin Designs

Working towards a very interesting mix of 3D rendering from Sketchup & trying out new rendering software. These still have an almost "plastic" feel to them.

sddrawings.com

Cabin Designs

Update for our line of Cabin Designs

Very proud to share an update on our line of Cabin Designs. Many of them have all new Isometric Views to check out and one brand new design has been added into the mix.