Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping.

And I'm really looking forward to learning with you today about urban life through drawing and design.

We're going to do lots of thinking, talking, and exploring together in this lesson.

So shall we get started? Let's go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to analyse urban environments and create a cityscape drawing that incorporates key elements of urban design.

Before we start, I would like to introduce you to some keywords.

We'll be using these keywords during the lesson, so it might be a good idea to write these words down.

The first key words we'll be using today are urban design, public space, cityscape.

I'm going to say those again and I would like you to repeat them after me.

Urban design.

Public space.

Cityscape.

Good job.

Now let's think in more detail about what these keywords mean by taking a look at their definitions.

Urban design is the process of planning and shaping cities, towns, and public spaces to make them functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Public space refers to areas in a city accessible to all people, such as parks and streets.

And a cityscape is an artistic representation of a city highlighting its buildings, streets, and urban features.

Pause the video here to make a note of these keywords.

And when you're ready to continue, press play.

The other keywords we'll be using today are perspective and symmetry.

I'm gonna say those again and I would like you to repeat them after me.

Perspective.

Symmetry.

Good job.

Now let's think in more detail about what these keywords mean by taking a look at their definitions.

Perspective is a drawing method used to represent three-dimensional space or objects on a two-dimensional surface.

Symmetry is a balanced and proportionate similarity between two halves of an object or design.

Pause the video here to make note of these last keywords.

And when you are ready to continue, press play.

These are the learning cycles that we'll be working through together in today's lesson.

We're going to be observing urban design and creating cityscapes.

So in this first learning cycle, let's get stuck into observing urban design.

Have you ever noticed the different shapes, forms, and designs of the buildings and environments around you? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Have you ever noticed anything specific? Where have you been where the buildings have been different to maybe where you live? Urban design is the process of shaping cities and towns, including buildings, streets, and public spaces.

Urban design can be used to plan and shape environments so that they become more functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Architects, artists, and designers often begin the process of urban design by considering how environments might be used by people, by wildlife, and then by vehicles.

Each environment will pose different challenges and opportunities that need to be considered within urban design.

Cities all around the world like New York, Tokyo, and London use urban design to organise transport, housing, and public spaces.

Public spaces are areas in a city accessible to all people such as parks or streets.

You can see this panoramic cityscape here with buildings, trees, and the sky.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What is the primary goal of urban design? Is it to create rural landscapes, to plan and shape city environments, or to design clothing? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said the primary goal of urban design is to plan and shape city environments, you're absolutely right.

Well done.

Look closely at this cityscape image.

Discuss with a partner the shapes, patterns, and building types that you can see.

Pause the video here to have that discussion.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What do you discuss with your partner? What shapes and patterns could you spot? Well, Izzy says, I can see lots of squares and rectangles for the windows and buildings.

On some sides of the buildings, the windows become thin lines that look like patterns.

And Laura says, I see lots of cubes and cuboids in the buildings with some triangular shapes too.

There are lots of irregular shapes where only a limited part of the building can be seen.

Did you spot some of these things too? A cityscape is a view of a city.

Artists create cityscapes using line, shape, and perspective to show how cities feel and function.

This helps to give people a better understanding of how services and public spaces are used.

Perspective is a drawing method that is used to recreate three-dimensional spaces or objects on a two-dimensional surface.

In perspective drawing, objects get smaller as they recede into the distance.

You can see this photograph here of a street that's capturing perspective.

Now this replicates how our eyes see space.

When artists draw buildings or cityscapes, they will often use perspective to create the illusion of depth.

Can you notice how the windows are drawn smaller as the building gets higher and further away? Take a look at that drawing there.

Can you see that, how the windows have got smaller as the building gets higher and further away? How else does the artist create the illusion of height and distance in this drawing? Pause the video here and have a quick discussion with your partner.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Well, the lines recede inwards as the building gets further away and this creates the illusion of perspective.

Can you see that there where the purple lines are? Artists depict cities in many different ways.

Austrian visual artist and architect Hundertwasser created cityscapes that are sporadic and organic in their shape.

Artist Stephen Wiltshire uses his photographic memory to closely observe cities before creating accurate, realistic depictions of them from memory.

And Seula Yi creates paintings of cityscapes that highlight the geometric shapes often used as building blocks in urban design.

Urban design commonly deals with road layouts, transportation, buildings, parks, public spaces, and green spaces.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which element is not typically considered in urban design? Road layouts, public transportation, or kitchen layouts? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said kitchen layouts, you're absolutely right.

That's not an area of urban design.

This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to sketch a basic building you find in an urban city environment.

You should use a pencil and a ruler.

Incorporate use of vertical lines and repeated windows.

And aim to capture a sense of perspective.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at sketching that building.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Were you able to use your pencil and ruler and capture that sense of perspective? Well, maybe you created something like this building here.

In this example, a pencil sketch of a tall city building was created using a ruler to create straight lines for the repeating windows at different angles.

And the lines of the building slope inwards to a central point to create a sense of perspective.

So well done for having a go at sketching your own urban building.

This now brings us to the second part of our lesson.

We're going to have a go at creating cityscapes.

Just as different artists depict cityscapes in varied ways, we can also observe, imagine, draw, and design them in many creative ways.

Before designing our own cityscapes, it is helpful to closely observe the types of buildings and cities around us.

You might want to use your own photographs of cityscapes to work with, or research examples through books or websites.

When looking at cityscapes, try and identify the types of lines, shapes, and patterns you can see.

For Jun, he can see lots of vertical lines, rectangular and cuboid shapes, and repeated windows in this image of a cityscape here.

As well as buildings, urban design also includes planning, entire city environments, the streets, the public spaces, the transportation systems, and the relationships between urban elements.

Have a look at this cityscape here, which features the buildings, parks, and the streets all in one image.

Now you might also notice the use of symmetry in cityscapes, buildings, and urban design.

Symmetry is a balanced and proportionate similarity between two halves of an object or a design.

Look closely at cityscapes and urban designs to see how symmetry has been used to create a sense of similarity and balance.

You can see in this image here.

This large building has been designed to create symmetry.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Urban design is solely about constructing buildings.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that statement is false, you're absolutely right.

But why is that statement false? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner to explain why this statement is false.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you discuss? Well, maybe you said something like, urban design encompasses the planning of entire city environments, including streets, public spaces, transportation systems, and the relationships between different urban elements, not just buildings.

So well done for explaining that.

What do you notice about the size and appearance of objects that are closer or further away from us? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you notice? Well, objects that are closer to us look larger and objects that are further away look smaller.

This is a key characteristic of perspective.

When using the drawing method of perspective, artists aim to depict three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.

Artists and designers can use different types of perspective.

Different types of perspective include, one point perspective, two point perspective, and three point perspective.

And each of these types of perspective use vanishing points.

And you can see those there.

And you see there's one on the one point, two on the two point, and three on the three point.

In one point perspective, there is one vanishing point.

Everything in a one point perspective image converges towards the one vanishing point.

It is often used when drawing rooms, corridors, or streets.

So can you see there how all of this street scene then converges towards that one vanishing point there? In two point perspective, there are two vanishing points.

Notice how it aligns towards one of the vanishing points and the vertical lines are perpendicular to the horizon.

Two point perspective is often used for drawing buildings and street corners.

And you see that there.

We've got the two vanishing points on either side.

And then in the three point perspective, there are three vanishing points.

By using a third vanishing point, objects can be depicted from below or above.

So look there, there's lots of areas in which all move into those three vanishing points.

The one at the bottom and one either side.

Look for perspective as you walk near buildings and see if you can identify how many vanishing points there are.

It is important to note that not all scenes will be in one, two, or three point perspective.

Sometimes you can find multiple points of perspective.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What does perspective in drawing help to achieve? It creates depth and dimension.

It adds colour.

It hides mistakes.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that it creates depth and dimension, you're absolutely right.

So well done.

Now this brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to create a cityscape.

Choose a photo or view of a cityscape.

Then look carefully at the image or view.

Notice the window patterns, the roof lines, the variety in heights, and the type of perspective scene.

Then sketch a section of it in pen or pencil using a ruler.

Focus on the shapes, lines, and the overall building structures.

And focus on developing an effective line drawing, rather than adding shading or colour.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at creating a cityscape.

And press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Well, shall we take a look at an example? Well, you should have created a drawing of a cityscape, and here's an example of one.

Jun says, I created this drawing of a cityscape in pencil.

I used two-point perspective and lines drawn with a ruler to make it look realistic.

I used some symmetry to make it look balanced.

Can you see that there, how he's included those different heights of those buildings as well.

And all those lines are straight.

So well done for having a go at creating your own cityscape.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about investigating urban design.

Urban design is used to plan and shape cities, towns, and public spaces, which impacts city living.

Artists represent urban environments in different ways through various artistic techniques.

Observational skills can be developed through drawing, by focusing on architectural features of cityscapes and use of symmetry and perspective.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you next time.