technical illustration research

I feel that it is very important to understand the way technical illustration is traditionally done in order to recreate the process. From my research, I learned things about technical illustration that I never knew before, such as, the different types of tools used, why it's important, different symbols used to indicate certain details and measurements about the illustration, etc.

Doing this research helped me a lot when it came time for me to create a technical illustration because I had a more definite grasp on what types of elements I needed to incorporate into my illustration. For example, I learned that different weights of line are used in certain parts of the illustration. The object lines are solid heavy lines, usually .7mm to .9mm. These lines define the outline of the shape. The section lines are drawn at angles, normally 45, 30, or 60 degrees to show a feature more clearly. A center line is .3mm to .5mm line that alternates between short and long dashes. This information helped me to understand that there are a variety of different line weights among straight lines, angles and dashed lines.

I also found it helpful to understand the importance of technical illustration and why it is used. Technical illustration is used for a visual aid to "concisely and clearly communicate all needed specifications to transform an idea into physical form (wikipedia..com) It's valuable to understand why technical illustrators do what they do because it shows what type of things they are illustrating and for what purpose.

All in all, researching the way things are traditionally done helped me have more of a direction on what details I needed to add to create a more credible technical illustration.

technical illustration research:
http://www.ehow.com/list_5810766_types-lines-technical-drawing.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_6570934_tools-used-technical-drawings_.html

http://www.yourdictionary.com/dictionary-articles/Definition-of-Technical-Drawing.html

http://www.ideabuyer.com/news/the-importance-of-technical-drawings/



artists:
1) KEVIN HUSLEY: http://www.khulsey.com/
                        http://www.khulsey.com/bio.html

I particularly like Kevin Husley's technical illustration because he does it more as an art form. For example in one of his illustrations (http://www.khulsey.com/suspension.html) he drew a neat technical illustration but than added other elements of design to make it look more like art rather than a details drawing of an object. I also like the fact that he works in all different types of mediums to create his technical illustrations. He using anything from pencils to oil paints. An example of one of his illustrations done in oil painting: http://www.khulsey.com/lactc.html. Kevin Husley is someone who creates beautiful technical illustration because of the different types of medium used and by designing them more as an art form.

2) JAMES PROVOST: http://jamesprovost.com/technical-illustration/

I enjoy James Provost's work because of his ideology which is his idea of "building information modeling is a virtual system that takes the kinks out of the real world. This illustration (http://jamesprovost.com/technical-illustration/in-living-color/) demonstrates the design flexibility made possible by a new generation CAD software, which gives architects the ability to manage all aspects from concept to construction" I think it's neat how James allows his work to be more conceptually based and than turn it into a reality.

3) LEANNE KROLL: http://www.leannekroll.com/

I like Leanne Kroll's technical illustrations because she uses her technical illustration skills to create a political statement. For example, in one of her illustrations (http://leannekroll.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/thesise.jpg) she demonstrates and explains that her illustration is, "a political statement of the current view with alternative fuel technologies, in particular electric vehicles and the factors that play into where we stand as a society. These include government, car manufactures, gas companies, coal manufacturing plants and consumers. We all play apart in what is happening now and where our environment is headed in the future." I think it's neat how she used her technical skill to create a political statement on an issue she cares very much about.