Drawing and Perceiving

Book excerpt: A complete guide to drawing, perception, and analysis for architects and designers The observation and drawing of real objects are the starting points for the designer's visionary constructions and inspirations. A longtime favorite of architectural students, Douglas Cooper's Drawing and Perceiving: Real-World Drawing for Students of Architecture and Design instills an understanding of the basic principles of drawing that are universal to all design disciplines-mass, volume, form, contour, texture, shadow, and more-as it explores the knowledge, rational thought, and expressiveness that designers rely on to create successful drawings. Now including a CD featuring Cooper's own dynamic instruction, this new Fourth Edition combines theory and technique to prepare students of architecture and design to carry on a dialogue between their perceptions of the physical world and their understanding of the elements of design.