Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This class teaches drawing skills that are intended to compliment the skills learned in Landscape Drafting, LAT 217. As aids in the visualization of landscape plans, the skills learned allow the designer to explain concepts and ideas to their clients in three-dimensional forms. These drawing skills are helpful in bringing the plan view to life.

1.       Development of “right brain – left brain” thinking skills used to visualize and draw plants and landscapes.

2.       Familiarization with drawing and sketching tools and media as used in landscape design.

3.       Utilization of drawing tools and media along with the theory and techniques of perspectives used in illustrating landscape design elements.

4.       Utilization of drawing tools and media along with the theory and techniques of isometric drawing used in illustrating landscape design elements.

5.       Utilization of drawing tools and media along with the theory and techniques of botanical illustration to illustrate plants.

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

1.       Visualize and then draw plants and landscapes.

2.       Use industry standard drawing and sketching tools and media to illustrate landscape design elements.

3.      Illustrate landscape design elements by applying the theory and techniques of perspectives. 

4.       Illustrate landscape design elements by applying the theory and techniques of isometric drawing.

 5.     Apply the theory and techniques of botanical illustration to illustrate plants.

The Instructor prepares hands-on labs before class (e.g. architectural rendering sites, drafting exercises). During the lab period, the Instructor teaches landscape illustration and drafting skills through active demonstrations in real time. Students then work on and complete illustration and drafting projects (e.g. perspective drawings, elevations, drafting, rendering) with the Instructor's guidance and receive verbal feedback as they work. The final renderings are submitted and the Instructor evaluates the work outside of class time - providing a score and feedback on technical accuracy, completeness and professionalism.

This is a pass/no-pass course. Passing will be considered as successful completion of 75% or above. Evaluation will be based on the contents of the landscape sketch notebook, botanical drawing, perspective, isometric plan projection and final collage presentation.

Themes, concepts, and issues:
1.  Understand “left brain thinking” as applied to the visualization and drawing of landscape elements.
2.  Understand drawings techniques of line, shading, and pattern used to illustrate landscape elements.
3.  Use of three-dimensional drawings to visualize two dimensional landscape plan concepts.
4.  Use of accurate, concise representation of plants and plant parts as compared to the use of line, form and pattern to simulate plant and       landscape elements.
5.  Emphasis of drawing as a learned skill and not just an inherited skill.
Competencies and skills:
1.  Complete simple quick exercises to explore line, texture and pattern techniques used in drawing.
2.  Develop basic drawing techniques using line drawing, form development and quick sketching.
3.  Set up and maintain a daily landscape sketch notebook.
4.  Develop line techniques and patterns to simulate plants and plant parts.
5.  Use perspective techniques to illustrate landscape plan concepts in the third dimension.
6.  Use isometric projection techniques to illustrate landscape plan concepts in the third dimension.
7.  Develop landscape perspectives from photographs.
8.  Draw free hand perspectives in the field.
9.  Use botanical drawing techniques to illustrate all of the growing parts of a plant from root to flower.
10. Combine a series of drawings into a collage for display.