1) This week I did the research paper for my architecture project. So, I learned alot about the Notre Dame. For example, they demolished an existing church (which was aalso built on a very grand scale) so they could build the Notre Dame. Also, there is no one architect for the Notre Dame. In fact there are so many that not all of them have been recorded.
2) Next week I really want to improve on autoCAD. Honestly, I forgot alot of it from last year. For this project I only ended up doing one drawing on autoCAD (plan view) which I actually traced. Also, I want to learn more about other buildings in the world
3) I can only get better on autoCAD if I get an opportunity to use it next week (or sometime later). As for other buildings, all I will have to do is listen to the presentations next week and absorb the info.

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I managed to forget about blogging for around 10 days but this new method will work way better. This way I will actually remember to blog. I need to do all the hand-drawn parts of the project at home because there is no way I will finish. I got the research paper done at home on my sick day off yesterday and I felt really accomplished until I realized how much more I had to do. Hopefully I will make it through like I have on my other stuff.

Overload

I'm extremly nervous about getting this project done. My value drawing is taking much longer than expected and I feel like I won't get time for the other drawing in class. I want to do my value drawing at home but I don't seem to get time. I think I will just have to force some time into my schedule sometime early next week and do no matter what. If I do work on this is class I have decided that Monday will be my absolute last day for the value drawing. Even with all this pressure I still find comfort in the fact that I can actually find example of the drawing I need to do for my building on the internet. This reminds me: I need to download AutoCAD on my laptop.....

Trying to Chug Through

I honestly feel like the remaining 16 or so classes will not be enough for me to finish my drawing so I'm going to do my Notre Dame value drawing at home... along with my research paper. Problem is, I barely get time with all my other schoolwork. Hopefully I can make up a plan to make this work. As for now, in class I started my value drawing and I'm actually feeling pretty sucessful. I found this great website which basically has all the drawings I need. Even with the extreme pressure I'm actually enjoying myself. Let's just hope it continues this way...

New Project

On Wednesday we got a new project. We have to pick a famous structure and do a series of drawings on it. Originally, Architecture 2 was supposed to pick a residential building except it was really difficult to find floorplans of famous residential buildings. So, Mr. K opened it up to any structure. I really want to do Notre Dame but I'm afraid it will be very difficult. I also saw images of Barcelone Cathedral and its beautiful. Regardless, any type of gothic architecture might be hard and that's what I want to do so I might as well get started. I think Notre Dame will be the one...

Finally Done

I think we are finally done with our value drawings and we will be doing something new. Honestly, I actually enjoyed doing the drawings. I'm really happy that I finished my Falling Water drawing... I actually think this is the first drawing I have actually finished since our last review day (Yes, I really need to catch up). The problem with the drawing is that if someone's never seen the building before, they would never know what it was. Making the leaves around the structure was super challenging but I think I finally pulled it out. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Now I just want movie days for the rest of the week because I feel exhausted. Too bad it probably won't happen. Hopefully I will have the pictures up soon.

Value Drawing 2

I swear: this week is one of the slowest weeks in my life!!!!! It's only Thursday but it's supposed to be Friday. Really. Today we started our second value drawing. Apparently this one is also a building but I swear to god it looks like a racoon or a bear or something. I just really want to see what it actually looks like. I guess it's good we don't know what it is since it will help us just draw what we see but it's killing me. I started smearing with napkins and it actually seems to give a more sucessful outcome. Also it makes it easier to erase (which I really appreciate). For some reason the magic rubs weren't being very magical in my case. Since I'm getting a hang of this style I think I'm getting a bit faster and won't be behind on each slide. I'm starting to feel like I'm in a semi-art class... and I don't mind it at all.

Pantheon Sickness

I think today was the last day we could work on value drawings of the Pantheon. After looking at the Pantheon with so much attention it hosnestly hurts to look at it. Unfortunatly still have one side of the Pantheon to finish since I missed a day of school. I hope I can find the picture online so I can finish it at home...which reminds me; I have another drawing I need to finish. Mr. K says he has a new drawing planned for us tomorrow and I'm wondering if its something more artistic like the Pantheon or technical like to isometric. I honestly need a longer break from the isometric so I hope it is artistic. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

Value Drawings

Today we started a new project. They are called value drawings. Basically you draw/color all the values present in the shapes they form. You are not supposed to actually draw the image. Mr. K put a super blurred image on the smart board. After coming from a Calc test I really did not want to deal with drawing dimension lines but this was a pleasant surprise and change. It was actually super de-stressing and it reminded me of my drawing class 3 1/2 years back. Since I do oil-painting now, it was a nice flashback. I think we will be doing a couple more of these and I'm actually super excited about it. Hopefully I'll have my Pantheon up soon.

NO SCHOOL

After the massive flooding yesterday (yes, this was the first time in my life I saw Big Creek filled with water) and around 6 straight days of rain, Fulton County finally decided it would be a good idea to give us today off. The best part is, for the most part, it stopped raining. I don't even think it rained as much as it was supposed to rain last night. Honestly, it feels kind of odd that it's not raining...
So back to drafting. We are still doing the "igloo" isometric drawing in class and this is by far the hardest drawing I have done yet. There are 7 curves which are al halves of isometric circles. At first I was glad I wouldn't have to use the french curve but in all honesty this is no better. On the positive side I actually am managing to get decent curves ( or I think so until I see the curves of the people around me). I really want to get this done (I'm kind of sick of this drawing) but I don't think I will for a while. Hopefully I can manage by maybe Thursday (yeah right).

Half-Day

Today is by far the most relaxed day in drafting. Today's assignment is just to blog... so I'm blogging right now. Thank goodness because I'm starving and wouldn't be able to concentrate on drawing anyways. We also got back our review grades. I got an 18/20 and I'm pretty pleased about it... considering I think I did better than some drafting 3 students. I just had to be a bit more specific on my grading sheet and I got a 4/5 on my drawings because my arrows weren't that great and my dimension lines too dark. It's still an A so I don't mind. Just the fact that I was able to present my drawings without having a nervous break-down and actually finished them alot meant alot for me for now.

Isometriphobia

Considering how pathetic our isometric circles were, Mr. K pitied us and decided to demonstrate. I prefer free0handing any day; except its not very accurate... Anyways making isometric circles are a bit of a pain but maybe they won't be so bad after we get a hang of it. Today, another student demonstrated another method on the board for making this "circles". It seemed like it would work better and much more easily but when I tried it out my circle was completly off. I will have to try again tomorrow. Also, we have to do the igloo-esque isometric drawing (aka THE HARD ONE) and its pretty mind-boggling. I also really want to improve on time so I hope all of this actually happens

Review Day

Today was our first review day. I was just told that I really need to work on line weights. This is the first year I'm actually using it so I don't mind too much. It wasn't as nerve-racking as I though it would be. Actually it was pretty laid back. This week hasn't been too eventful... probably since it's a four day week. Tomorrow, Mr. K is going to teach us how to draw oblique circles for our isometric drawings. This is really going to help out since the circles and curves are the most stressful parts in these drawings.

First Test

Yesterday we had our first test in drafting. We were given a multi-view drawing and had to draw it as an isometric drawing. I found it relatively easy although time was an issue (considering how slow I am) and I know it effected a bit of my quality. Still, I never knew I could finish something in that much time. Hopefully these test won't mess up my grade too much but can still help me alot on speed.

Almost done

All of our drawings that we did by now are due tomorrow. It's been pretty stressful but I actually think I may be done on time. I started my last isometric today and although it looked really hard, I think it might just be the easiest on that page. Thankfully there aren't any major curves so my inablity to utlise a french curve correctly won't be highlighted. I wonder what we will be asked to draw next...

Stress

Never before have I been so stressed in drafting class. After two days of being absent, I'm pretty behind on my drawings. We have two more isometric drawings left and they have to be by friday. I'm almost done with the first one but creating curves is seriously delaying my work. Again, I'm having the same French curve problems. I seriously think I'm french curve deficient. I just hope to get my next drawing statrted tomorrow at any cost. Also, we wil have a test on Tuesday. I still don't understand what we will be tested on since this will be my first drafting test in my life (not counting the joke of a final). I think I will actually have to work harder than usual in this class. However one thing is true, this class feels more like a drafting class than it did last year...

Out Sick

I was just starting to feel better from my sore throat but now I have a cold thats two times worse. So I'm not at school today. I will probably be really behind in Architecture now since I would have finished the drawing today. This worries me even more since I had problems creating the perfect curve and ovals on my isometric drawing. Never in my life have I used (or actually even touched) a french curve. By the end of class yesterday I think I was able to get a decent curve but it may still not be good enough. We are supposed to draw the oval by creating a rectangle first. However, I am not sure whether we should free-hand it or use the curve. Hopefully I can figure it out tommorow. Unfortunatly I will have to go to school tomorrow regardless of whether I feel better since I have to catch up in all my classes. Hopefully I things will be better by tomorrow (since drawing with a heavy head is not a very pleasing task...)

Isometric Drawings

Today was the first day we actually drew something this year. He had a demo about isometric drawing. For some reason we never learned it last year... Anyways it's actually very easy and all we really need is a 30-60-90 triangle. I'm also almost done (I was just too lazy to get up and get a hold of the french curve). I should be done by tommorrow. I also finally bought some drafting pencils over the weekend and got a chance to use them today. It's the third week of school and it feels like forever. I don't think I'll be able to last until Labor Day. I'm just praying that somehow school will start gaining some more speed.

Done With Lettering

It's finally the end of week two but it still feels as though it has been about 4-5 weeks. I finished my lettering page 3 today (first time in my life that I have finished any drafting assignment early). I finally think I have a pretty consistent style and thankfully my last [age looks a hundred times better than my first. The next assignment we will do will be orthographic drawings and he is actually going to demonstrate. I think that will be the second time anything was taught in this classroom. Also, it turns out that only yesterday he figured out I was in Drafting 2 not 3. So basically I'm not supposed to be in this class but I don't think it is going to make much of a difference (hopefully).

Rewind to the First Week Of School

Yesterday we started off the week by rewinding and doing what should have happened on the first day of school. We played the infamous "Name Game" (this time we played the right way) and had story time the rest of class. By far, this is my most favorite unproductive moment of the year. Today we continued with our lettering. I finally finished the first page and I think I'm starting to gain a style. I'm also trying to get faster. Hopefully I'll get my drawings done on time this year (unlike last year).

A Complete 180

Today was probably the first time someone taught in our classroom. In fact it's a complete 180 from what we did last year. We started lettering today and we were asked to develop our own style. Last year everyone's lettering had to be exactly as the book had it. He told us to look on the internet for some inspiration. We were also asked to buy some actual drafting pencils. I think this year I'm going to feel like I am really drafting. I wonder how many other changes there will be. It's the third day and the clock is still working. I wonder how long it will stay like that...

Second Day

I still can't believe that we are supposed to "blog" for Architecture II class but I guess we have no choice. Yesterday was the first day at school. When we went into the lab the lab looked much cleaner than last year and the windows (which I forgot existed) were actually uncovered. Today we got our pouches sorted and got our first drawing assigned. The Engineering class learned how to properly carry wood. I didn't think he was serious at first but turns out he was (honestly it did seem a bit more exciting). We haven't truly started "drafting" yet but hopefully I will get more accomplished further into this week.