Reflections on Who Can Draw – How mushrooms end up at exhibitions

In Smart and Sustainable Design new designers are also drawing and sketching their ideas. But what if drawing is not your strength?

“Sketching is a priority for designers and creative professionals…” wait, wait a second. Let’s not be so sure of this judgment. We all sketch, regardless of our interests and professions. From time to time, we sketch something as best we can to convey our thoughts to the person we are talking to.

Sometimes, we involuntarily scribble some patterns with a pen on paper during conversations or a boring meeting. Other times, pulled by some impulse, we draw a face or something very primitive on a fogged glass.

Sitting on the beach, we draw, dragging whatever comes to hand along the sand. Many of us create inside our gadgets; we fine-tune photos with visual effects, use the language of emoticons, and turn to graphic applications for help with presentations and various projects. In all this, our creative side and inner emotional state reveal themselves, even though many people believe they do not like and cannot draw. Those who consciously enjoy drawing and deliberately expand their arsenal, either for a hobby or profession, offer us intricate and rich visual perceptions.

When I came to study at the design faculty I was worried about the limitations of my drawing and digital skills. Not only that – to be honest, I still worry. In my first Sketching and Visualization classes, I hoped the fundamentals would be introduced as a refresher – a chance to catch up and earn my white belt. However, I fell into a shuddering state when this did not happen, and instead, I just had to draw, a lot, often, and as well as I could. My motivation and solace became a book I accidentally found in the library, confirming that not all designers were masterful painters. Grounded, I realized that I would not become an artist in a short time or perhaps at all, but what I could master was conveying ideas with simple available means at hand.

“Do not despair” I told myself, even if I have not held a colored pencil since elementary school. Sketching is a skill that can be learned and improved over time. The main thing is, as the saying goes: “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

One of my first creations, doodled as a joke on a smartphone, was liked by many who saw it. Eventually, after a few artistic adjustments, this image acquired a physical form; it ended up as a T-shirt print for my daughter.

Despite the era of technology, having the ability to depict the imagined on paper by hand, quickly and efficiently, to illustrate an idea will remain a designer’s advantage. For example: in situations where digital tools are out of access, be it a dead battery, a power cut, or some remote location. Other times a client may want to catch you off-guard to test your capacity to generate creative ideas. But above all, in my opinion, nothing captures the imagination of a person more than when you start drawing right before their eyes.

Our design grade includes over a hundred students from various countries with different interests and unique visions. Their individual stories captivate me, adding zest and layered understanding to the works they create. For instance, one student is ardently passionate about fungi and everything related to them. From the other side of the globe, she chose Finland as her study destination because of the abundance of mushroom species growing here. Naturally, almost all of her works feature MUSHROOMS. Knowing her passion, I can appreciate her creations more fully now.

“Drawing is rather like playing chess: your mind races ahead of the moves that you eventually make.” –David Hockney

In the process of understanding another, I make personal discoveries. For example, influenced by her work, I learned about the presence of fungi in art and design works, particularly, about a fascinating field of bionics, for example how David Benjamin created an installation from fungus bricks.

One of another student’s works was inspired by his love of the pop group Coldplay.

There are further unique stories, and I would say that almost everyone has them. That’s why it was a joy when we got to present our sketches in an exhibition at the end of our first study module, from quick sketches to fully-fledged, painstaking drawings.

Although less remarkable works were not included this year, I would like to see them in future exhibitions and imagine a small experiment – how will the direction in technique and the style of the students’ progress and change over the next three years?