Stroke Sequence in Digital Sketching

Abstract

This paper explains how to use animated drawings created with a commercial portable pen to understand and teach design process. By recording and replaying pen strokes, the Logitech Io digital pen allows us to examine the drawing process. We have been using the pen to collect expert drawings, analyse the techniques and then teach drawing strategies. The software’s animation timeline engages viewers by giving narrative sequence to a drawing, revealing sub-steps of the design or drawing process for interactive examination and discussion. The timeline allows viewers to pull apart layers of information, revealing initial strokes of complicated drawings, separating overlaid corrections and facilitating stroke counting for protocol analysis. In the classroom, students can see a variety of expert drawing techniques, use the pen in class and then immediately compare animated versions of their own efforts and expert examples. The ease of collecting new examples makes it possible to widen the range of examples to unconventional techniques.