1:500 and sequential sketches

My 1:500 plan is a bit more updated, but still far from good enough.  I have to admit I am struggling with this and yet it is not as if I don't know what I am doing isn't making the grade as it were.  I look at my work and it lacks depth both in presentation and in detail.  I also seem to have lost track of the fact I am ment to be designing planting!  I have been looking at shapes, circulation, building function, how the wind will react to these elements and yet I've almost forgotten about the soft landscaping.  I suppose this is where I feel I am studying landscape architecture and not garden design.  I know, I know they are basically the same thing.

Andrew Wilson gave us a talk about starting a small business during our professional studies week.  Someone asked him to define the difference between the two and his answer was this.  It's about the client.  Garden design is about designing for basically one person or a family, but essentially the client is who you are designing for.  Landscape architecture is designing for a client on behalf of many others.  You are designing public spaces and large facilities which essentially have to please a much broader 'clentelle'.

So I am side tracking again.  My plan.  I accept my annotation is pretty week at the moment and I should be going into alot more detail.  In fact looking back at my 1:2000, I have shown more layers of thought here than in the 1:500!  Blow....am I going backwards, I'm ment to be getting better at this.  As my Saltwater Marsh Habitat is key to my design I have not really communicated more than this.  This  I fear needs to be addressed and fast.  I need to show the planting for each level.  It's essential a large pond by the sea, so why I have such a problem with this I do not know.

I'm not going to put the plan on the blog now as it is not important and looks very similar to how it was on my last post.  I will however, get it up there very shortly when I get it finalised and looking like something I can be proud of.

The Sequential sketches are yet another stumbling block.  Again, annotation is key and I have not put enough thought into what I am communicating.  I don't think I have an issue with this, I just need to give myself some time and thought and get it on paper.  The big issue is how I am visually communicating.  My style is sloppy, the choice of media (dry pastel) is certainly not helping.  It lacks punch and depth, having said that they did look better once I had shrunk them down and got them printed.

Looking from the harbour entrance towards Martello Tower

 Looking from the boardwalk over the new saltwater marsh

 Looking towards the eco build education centre through the wave landfroms

 The promenade towards the harbour entrance

 Connecting pathways of the main promenade, boardwalk and entarnce to education centre

The woodland shelter picnic area

I think I should get myself I descent set of coloured pencils.  What does everyone else think?  Is this just too limited on detail and tonal quality.?  I initially drew on A3 trace in pencil.  I then traced the pencil work with black ink onto another set of trace.  Then I rendered with dry pastels on a separate sheet of trace, placed the inked line work underneath and scanned through the two sheets.  I felt this took the blacknes out of the line work, but in saying that I have no line hierachy.  Is that where I am going wrong?  This is so frustrating because there really isn't the time to be experimenting.  I need a process that works and that I can achieve productively.

Bahhhhhhh!......Hopefully one of these blogs soon will read how happy I am with what I am doing and that 'it' has finally clicked.  I have more luck learnig french......even though the 'click' hasn't happenened there either!