“It is like someone tracing over a photo, with accurate vanishing points and perspective to create realistic depth perception. This was Kodak or Polaroid in the flesh!” Phil Stahl
Mechanical and architectural drafting by hand using parallel rule, triangles, protractors and compasses became a skill to be taught by the science of mathematics and the understanding of depth perception. It was challenging even to the most talented and creative people at their initial exposure to this rigid art form. Add to this the ability to colorize drawings with marker, colored pencil, watercolor or paint. Among architects and draftsman, natural talent launches a select few to the top. My North Dakota State University architecture class was talented, but out of 30 or so, only three were so amazing that we jealously craved their talent. These students were able to sketch what they envisioned in their head, and they naturally sketched— without drafting tools—in three dimensions. Their coloring skill did not lag far behind.
The Thomas Residence, south of Sioux Falls SD, overlooks Newton Hills State Park. Architect Phil Stahl, asked Novak to show various color schemes to help owners decide material selections. The Swift Lake home on Little McDonald MN sits on a 40 foot bluff on this clear lake. Native MN White pine adorns the middle gable with a king post truss. Novak rendered this image as a marketing tool for the architect. Interior of the Swift home project is shown here. Novak, like most architects, share a love for classic Stickley furniture of the Craftsman era as seen sketched into this image to compliment the wood work.
34 | MARCH/April 2017
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