Challenges and Research Trends for Drawing Ability in Design Education: A Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51596/sijocp.v4i1.43Keywords:
drawing, drawing ability, drawing decline, design education, drawing researchAbstract
“I can’t draw” are three simple words, yet they formulate a statement that might conceal students’ feelings of drawing inability and powerlessness. These words also represent the major concern perceived among lecturers in design, that many students lack the necessary drawing abilities to transform ideas into representations. Discussions about this problem occur where drawing is the main language of communicating ideas, particularly in the classroom where the problem reveals its (harsh) reality. What are the roots of the design students’ lack of drawing abilities?
In an attempt to formulate an answer to this research question, this paper presents a literature review within the lens of contemporary design production and education. Based on a systematic literature search of conceptual works and empirical studies, this paper employed a narrative approach to discuss the results, with particular attention to design praxis and design education. The main findings revealed that the problem of drawing ability has its roots in a) the use of the computer and loss of design thinking process, as well as the decline of hand-drawing practice; b) reduced drawing tuition and change of the meaning of drawing in higher education. All these factors tend to contribute, explicitly or implicitly, to the lack of drawing ability of design students. The aim of this paper is to invite educators to a critical reflection on drawing ability and its practices in design education and to provide an opportunity where drawing debates are not only encouraged but a necessary part of the learning-teaching paradigm.
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