Sketching – The whirrrrrr of forms

Machine Flow

I’m spending time of late just working on flow. I want to see how I can fit things together, not just in the forms I draw and the way I fit those shapes together, but also in how those forms move across the canvas. When I reflect on a piece and try to visualize my way around  it, my eyes move in a manner that triggers the sounds of clocks and the beats of pumping pistons in my mind.

There is a definite whirrrrr to the process. And the degree to which I hear the whirrrrring-purring-clicks is the degree to which I feel that a drawing might be okay or not. If it keeps going, like a well-designed machine, then I stick with it. If I start to hear something breaking down (clanks instead of clicks, hard-stops where I expect smooth spins) then I know something is off and I need to find a way to work it.