HYBRID HAND DRAWING from SketchUp and Photography

by Jim Leggitt

HOW TO:

This is a streetscape improvement project in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

This eye level view in front of a popular coffee house was a perfect opportunity to create a hybrid drawing that blended together a photograph, a 3D SketchUp model, hand illustration and coloring with markers.

Step One: Base Digital Photograph

The two digital photographs above were taken in front of the coffee shop. I selected the right image for several reasons - I stood in the street looking back at the storefront to create a better composition, the view had no foreground “clutter”, and it emphasized more of the coffee shop entrance and its beautiful curved glass window.

Step Two: SketchUp “Stage Set” Model

Our design team developed a new sidewalk configuration that included an outdoor dining space against the existing buildings.Once I built the base model and populated it with people components, I carefully matched the eye level SketchUp model view with the perspective in the photograph. I then exported a 5000 pixel wide high resolution jpeg from the SketchUp model.

I combined the SketchUp view with the sidewalk photograph using Adobe Photoshop. All image resolutions were at 300dpi. I first deleted the background from the SketchUp scene (upper image) and then carefully sized it to fit into the street scene of the digital photograph. Notice the man sitting with his bicycle from the original photograph and how well he integrated into the new composite scene!

Step Three: Photoshop Composite View

Print the composite image and then go over it with hand drawn linework and colored markers. I first lightened the image before printing it. I printed the 9”x13” image on 11”x17” matte finish coated bond paper using an ink jet color printer. Using a fine point water-based roller ball ink pen, I traced over many of the edges of the SketchUp model and added more casual linework to the people in the foreground. I added some colored markers to “soften” the image and make it less photographic or computer dominant in appearance.

Step Four: Hand Drawing on a Print

Completed Hybrid Drawing

Notice how the perspective is a blend of the photographic detail (reflections in the window). and the rich character of the hand drawn linework and marker coloring. I love experimenting with new hybrid visualization methods and if you have a design project where this composite process would be beneficial, give it a try!