Design Next: Seeing & Sketching

Design Next: Seeing & Sketching is at the Peachtree Branch of the Fulton County Library on Saturday, October 17, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. It's a free session for students in grades 9-12, part of Design Next, the Museum of Design Atlanta's educational series for young people, run in partnership with the library.

This particular session is all about observational sketching. You'll work through blind contour drawing, line weight, and one-, two-, and three-point perspective. The exercises are designed to sharpen drawing skills and encourage you to see the built environment in new ways, and the work you do adds to your design portfolio.

It's one part of a larger series. Across several sessions, each focused on a different design skill, students explore how architects and designers use drawing to observe, communicate, and develop ideas. The topics range from reading floor plans and creating room layouts to testing compact structures, turning 2D drawings into physical models, and 3D modeling. This session on observational sketching is just one piece of that broader look at how design actually gets on paper.

Gabi Madrid leads the session. She's an Atlanta art educator who earned a BFA in Sculpture from the Savannah College of Art & Design and is pursuing an MFA in Sculpture at Georgia State University. The session runs from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 17, at the Peachtree Branch of the Fulton County Library, 1315 Peachtree Street Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30309. It's free for students in grades 9-12.