This is just a catch up of what I accomplished during my first semester of Interior Design in my Introduction to Architecture course. A course that some may view as having been quite difficult..in a sense, it was; but in reality..kind of not...
Learning Lettering and Line Weights
We started the semester by learning handlettering basics. I enjoyed this because I love writing and neat handwriting is something I beautiful. Especially when it's writing as sharp and clean as handlettering- all the same size and form. We were given guidelines on how it's written, then told to make it our own, which will come in time.
Next, we moved on to learn the different types of leads in our pencils, and how and when to use them.
- Hard Leads: Used for light layouts and drawings requiring a high degree of accuracy. (construction lines and guidelines). Hard leads include- 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H.
- Medium Leads: Used for sketching, architectural line work, lettering, and general purposes. (general use, lines and lettering). Medium leads include- 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B.
- Soft Leads: Used for sketching, rendering, and graphical elements. (boarders and shading). Soft leads include- 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B.
And the same with pen nibs.
- Small Details and Hatching: .05 or .01
- Hidden Lines and Other Hatching: .1 or .2
- Symbols: .2 or .3 with .1 text
- Section Lines: .2
- Break Lines: .2 or .3
- Text: .2 or .3
- Dimensions: .2 or .3
- Doors: .3
- Arcs (for door opening): .2 or .3
- Object Lines (furniture/fixtures): .3
- Walls: .5
- Border Lines: .7 or .8
Knowing the different line weights and what they are used for is crucial in hand drawn architecture because helps you read different types of information on a drawing. The difference in thicknesses will not only create depth within an architectural piece, but also guide the eye aesthetically through the drawing, while establishing importance in key designs features.
My Take Away
This lesson holds great importance to me, not for it's architectural purpose, but more so for drawing sketches in other fields of interior design. As technology advances, hand drafting is becoming more obsolete, however it's still beneficial to know how to draw and read a drafting sheet. When drawing a quick, yet elaborate, sketch of a floor plan, elevation, piece of furniture, etc., it is good to understand the different line weights so your drawing can show the client depth within the piece and give them a clear visual of how something is intended to look.
I hope you can walk away from this with a general understanding of each pencil and pen's line weight difference and maybe practice some handlettering!
-Rochelle.