"I, still like to use a pencil and paper to draw......"

"God created paper for the purpose of drawing Architecture in it. Everything else is ,at least for me, an abuse of paper."

- Alvar Alto

Years ago, while working in an office , me and my colleague went to attend a seminar. During one of the sessions, which was a particularly boring lecture, in an attempt to stay awake; I pulled up my pad and with my pencil started to sketch a plan. It must have been the design assignment I was working on at the office. After a point, reaching a point of indecision ,I noticed my equally bored colleague was watching me make the sketch with an amused look on his face. I passed the pad to him. He added a few lines and strokes here, a few elements there and passed it back.

And it began -back and forth-a wordless game, reminiscent of "tic-tac-toe" we played as a child in a boring classroom. It was an amazing designer's dialogue where lines and strokes took the conservation forward and the intentions were perfectly understood. Looking back at the incident now gives me the insight that if that design idea was up for debate with say ,words-if would have taken a much longer time leaving a wide enough room for misunderstandings and misinterpretations. But there was no scope of that here. The act of drawing was an engaging act allowing the "composition" to stay open. To stay "wet" as in a water color painting giving room for each line to take its own course yet allowing for speculation.

The famous architect Le Corbusier once had said: "I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster and leaves less room for lies. "Practicing design for over fourteen years has given me the clear understanding that drawing happens to be the architects language. And quite like any other language ,the better they master it- the better is the form of communication.

This mode of communication is neither dependent upon the latest computer hardware or the most updated knowledge of the ever increasing gamut of softwares. All it needs is a paper and a pencil and a definite skill set. Thankfully unlike talent a skill set can be easily acquired-through practice. And once mastered ,this cheap ,easy yet effective tool allows you to capture any idea, anywhere - on the bus, in the bathroom, in a park or even while engaged in conservation with a client. The process of capturing an idea through a sketch allows you to take better control of your design in a way that computer programs generally do not.

Architectural drawings ,in my understanding of it, can be of three simple types: A reference design sketch: An idea preparation sketch and the final definite design drawing.

A referential sketch is like a study or may be a visual diary .I see it less as a drawing and more of a discovery of an idea that the architect has. These sketches can be just a shorthand notation of a concept or even a detail of a larger composition. These sketches can give you the freedom of being quite removed from reality just trying to capture an idea.

These sketches are a visceral connection to the thought process serving as a reminder of the idea that caused to record it in the first place.

Idea Preparation sketch is what takes the reference study forward progressing it to more elaborate design. These sketches may not be very liner but are used to build up on the initial idea, adding details of how to bring the idea to life.

I generally use translucent butter sheets that allows me to draw on top of the last drawing. This not only allows the process to stay open but forms a narrative in my mind of the process that is shaping the design: A clear collection of the choice I have taken, did not take or could have taken.

This progression brings in the emotional connection with my design.

The definitive design drawing is the more linear and structured stage which may allow tools other than the pencil to shape it. Bringing in the digital tools at this stage actually makes sense to me as the production of executable drawings become the focus rather than germinating a design idea.

Working with tech-savvy students and my staff who mostly prefer to draw on computers makes me feel something is lost. It is almost similar to hearing the words of a story being read aloud as opposed to reading it. Just as reading the words out of paper allows daydreaming and leaves room for associations beyond the literal sense, drawing by hand stimulates imagination and speculation of ideas- a sign of being truly alive.