1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
NAME: CANISIUS BONG WEI PHENG
STUDENT ID NO: 0318914
WORD COUNT: 1066
ENGLISH 1 (ELG 30505)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: PROCESS ESSAY
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSION DATE: 2ND
MAY 2014

2. How to Produce an Attractive Sketch
Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about sketching these days.
Some absolutely hate the thought of putting their ideas to paper because they
can’t draw to save their lives. Others couldn’t imagine their creativity surviving
without it. Love it or hate it, there’s much more to a sketchbook than old-school
charm. Here’s the thing, sketching is great for rapid idea generation and also
offers us the freedom to explore alternative ideas. Although simple, sketches are
often done to show the main features of a subject. Some of the people might
think that sketches are hard and is just a waste of time doing something
meaningless. On the other hand, certain people enjoy sketching and spend their
free time doing some sketch. Well, everyone can sketch whatever they want but,
to produce an attractive sketch is not an easy task and not everyone can make it.
Everyone can sketch decently and produce a truly beautiful piece of art once
they know the right methods.
First of all, to produce an attractive sketch, it is important to identify the
required materials which depending on the sketch suitability and convenience.
For example, we need different types of pencils to sketch for different effects and
shading such as 2-B pencil, HB pencil and more. H stands for ‘hardness’, F
stands for ‘fine point’ whereas B stands for ‘blackness’. When shading, hard
pencils are usually used for first sketches. Textures are important for an

3. attractive sketch, so we cannot simply substitute by using other type of pencil.
Cheap pencils have grainy quality for drawing. So while drawing, you might
suddenly hit a hard bit that doesn’t give the same line as the rest of the lead.
Paper can be personal and depends very much on the pen, pencil, or marker you
plan to use with it. Generally smooth paper that has enough weight is more
suitable to keep sketches from showing through to the back of the sheet.
Furthermore, Moleskine sketchbooks and notebooks are always a great choice
for pencil and pen, though thinner paper in the notebook can bleed through on
markers and some pens. For that reason, thicker sketchbook paper is well-
received compare to the thinner sketchbook paper. The advantage of a book is
that your sketches all stay together in a nice package without any mess, yet can
also be removed if needed. Therefore, it is advisable to choose our materials
wisely, having the right tools are a must because the hardness of pencil affects
the look of drawing. So, explore and try new tools for yourself, until you find the
best fit for your own needs.
Once you have your materials well-prepared, choose a subject to draw but
don’t be heavy-handed. To get a nice and creative idea for your sketch can be
easily done but also tough at the same time. Ideas can be anything from your
surroundings such as chair, table and many more. If we had a crazy idea, it was
relatively easy to sketch it out and see if the idea would hold up to scrutiny. Even
the unusable ideas were helpful in that they helped narrow the field of winning
ideas without nagging “what if” thoughts. However, we are encouraged to take
several minutes to study the subject prior to begin a sketch. Find an image of

4. something you like or look for an object or person around you to draw with shirt
and quick strokes. Hence, people tend to make mistakes so during sketching,
use a light hand for the first sketches, as they are supposed to be light and thin.
For darker pencils are required for obvious lines. Once we chosen our subject
and not heavy-handed, it is easier to make sketching a routine, comfortable
thing.
Concentration from the surroundings is also important for us to produce an
attractive sketch. ”You learn better when you concentrate on learning, if you just
expect to learn” this phrase best describe that if you can produce a sketch that
acknowledged by people when you concentrate on your sketching. Choose a
tranquillity environment to draw a sketch because educational and psychological
research by various universities and the American Psychological Association has
stressed the importance of possessing strong mental concentration skills and
keeping internal and external distractions. Distraction can lead us to careless and
inefficiency especially when we are doing our sketches which may also fail us to
reach the requirements to produce an enticing sketches. Concentration is the key
for everyone because the creative process is anything but straightforward. The
process requires a strong and rare connection between our thoughts, hands and
source of inspiration. Its rarity is, indeed, the reason why some of us don’t sleep.
There is evidence that sketching aids concentration. Jackie Andrade, of the
University of Plymouth’s School of Psychology, tested whether doodling
correlated to higher levels of concentration among 40 participants, who tested
while taking a telephone call. Her discovery shows that it can reduce

5. daydreaming, increase concentration and curb boredom is fascinating. Some
believe that we reach deeper levels of concentration and develop richer concepts
when we are sketching. Therefore, mental concentration is very important to
produce an interesting sketch as sketching is a sense-making tool which
supports the synthesis of visual imagery.
Sketching is actually a fun thing and can be so beneficial because it can
convey messages easily to each of us by just observing on the sketches.
Besides, sketching is also a good way of self-expression whenever we are stress
or facing some difficulties in life. It is fair to say that most of the problems we face
are confounding, fuzzy, indeterminate during our sketch and we often hear “I
can’t sketch” from people but, if there’s a will, we will always be enthusiastic to
sketch. Artistic quality of a sketch is not the main point, the real goal of sketching
is to be functional. It’s about generating ideas, solving difficulties, and
communicating thoughts more effectively with everyone. So, when you feel
inadequate in your sketching, stop and reconsider you perspective. Stop
worrying how bad or well you draw. Instead, think of your sketching as visual
thinking, which works regardless of your drawing. Even if you fail to produce a
decent sketch, keep moving on instead of quitting. As the saying goes “If you fail
behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds”.
These steps might seem to be a little tussle, but to produce a winsome sketch is
worth the time.

6. daydreaming, increase concentration and curb boredom is fascinating. Some
believe that we reach deeper levels of concentration and develop richer concepts
when we are sketching. Therefore, mental concentration is very important to
produce an interesting sketch as sketching is a sense-making tool which
supports the synthesis of visual imagery.
Sketching is actually a fun thing and can be so beneficial because it can
convey messages easily to each of us by just observing on the sketches.
Besides, sketching is also a good way of self-expression whenever we are stress
or facing some difficulties in life. It is fair to say that most of the problems we face
are confounding, fuzzy, indeterminate during our sketch and we often hear “I
can’t sketch” from people but, if there’s a will, we will always be enthusiastic to
sketch. Artistic quality of a sketch is not the main point, the real goal of sketching
is to be functional. It’s about generating ideas, solving difficulties, and
communicating thoughts more effectively with everyone. So, when you feel
inadequate in your sketching, stop and reconsider you perspective. Stop
worrying how bad or well you draw. Instead, think of your sketching as visual
thinking, which works regardless of your drawing. Even if you fail to produce a
decent sketch, keep moving on instead of quitting. As the saying goes “If you fail
behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds”.
These steps might seem to be a little tussle, but to produce a winsome sketch is
worth the time.