Professors: Ricardo L. Castro and David Covo
Place: Quebec City, QC
Dates: The dates of the course are Thursday, August 24, to Friday, September 1, 2017. The course begins with a workshop at 9 am on Friday, August 25, and ends with a final discussion of the work on the evening of Thursday, August 31. Travel days are Thursday, August 24, and Friday, September 1.
ARCH 325, Architectural Sketching:
Seven days of supervised field sketching outside Montreal in the late summer, followed by coursework and fieldwork in Montreal examining architectural sketching as a process that develops an intellectual and physical framework for encounters with the urban environment. (Students are required to include Sketching School (ARCH 325) in the B.Sc.(Arch.) program.)
ARCH 680, Field Sketching:
Observation, notebook recording, sketching in a range of media in the field in Montreal and other urban sites. Seven days of supervised field sketching outside Montreal, followed by local fieldwork and coursework examining architectural sketching as a process that develops an intellectual and physical framework for encounters with the urban environment. (Students in the M.Arch. professional program are required to include Field Sketching, ARCH 680.)
Accommodation
A wide range of hotels, motels and inns are available and students are expected to arrange their own accommodation. The Google.ca search engine will provide you with a full list of inns, hotels, motels, B & B, chalet rentals and campgrounds. https://www.quebecregion.com/en/where-to-sleep-hotels/
PLEASE NOTE: QUEBEC CITY IS A VERY POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATION. PLEASE RESERVE EARLY!
Transportation
A variety of travel choices are available to students. The School has looked into travel costs and recommends car or van. Some of you may also want to consider travel by rail or bus.
NOTE: Please book your tickets as quickly as possible.
Health Insurance
Please remember to bring with you the Quebec Medicare Card, and proof of any other supplementary health insurance you have to cover your stay in Quebec.
Required Equipment
Watercolours, watercolour paper, brushes, pencils, pen and ink, conte crayon, sketchbooks (including the standard 13 x 21cm Moleskine with heavy-weight paper) and drawing paper of varying size and type. Sketch pads, sheet material and watercolour blocks should range from 9" x 12" to 18" x 24".
If you need to buy a set of watercolours, you could consider a set with ‘cakes’, or you could purchase separate tubes of pigment. If you decide to buy the separate tubes, you will need to develop a versatile palette. Below is one suggestion for a 12-colour palette – please note that the palette does NOT include black or white, which are unnecessary.
Reds: Alizarin Crimson, Indian Red
Blues: French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue
Yellows (difficult): Cadmium Yellow Pale, Yellow Ochre
Greens: Hooker’s Green, Olive Green
Browns: Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber
Other: Payne’s Grey
Our first experiments in watercolour will be based only on French Ultramarine and Burnt Umber, which produce a surprising range of values and colours.
As for sketchbooks and pads, we recommend, in addition to the list above, a small pocket notebook or sketchpad for thumbnail sketches and experiments with wash and watercolour. A few good sable hair or synthetic brushes will also be required: a small and medium round, with a medium to large (1/2 inch or ¾ inch) flat are always useful.
Bicycles have always been valuable additions to the standard "kit" and are highly recommended. We have also found that a folding camp stool or small foam pad can make 2 - 3 hours on the cold ground much more endurable.
Please click here for additional notes on media and equipment: 
Media and equipment notes 2016.
Schedule
We will meet formally as a group 7 times: 3 morning workshops at selected locations in the city, and 4 evening crits. All crits will take place at 6pm at the:
Carter Hall, Cathédrale Holy Trinity (31 rue des Jardins, between City Hall and the Château Frontenac)
Our first formal meeting will be at 9am on Friday, August 25, for the first workshop, on the:
Dufferin Terrace (the boardwalk in front of the Château Frontenac)
Here is the schedule for the week:
First workshop: 9am, Friday, August 25, Dufferin Terrace (the boardwalk in front of the Chateau Frontenac)
Second workshop: 9am, Saturday, August 26, location TBA
First crit: 6pm, Saturday, August 26
Third workshop: 9am, Monday, August 28, location TBA
Second crit: 6pm, Monday, August 28
Third crit: 6pm, Wednesday, August 30
Final crit: 6pm, Thursday, August 31
Please visit this webpage for any changes to the schedule and meeting places.
Evaluation
During the course, students are expected to explore both townscape and landscape and to make sketches that describe what they find. Final evaluation is based on a portfolio of at least twenty pieces, the majority of which must be substantially worked. The meaning of "substantially worked" is one of the topics that will be discussed during the course.
REGISTRATION NOTE:
Students currently registered in the B.Sc.(Arch.) program are required to attend ARCH 325 Architectural Sketching. Students currently entering U2 or U3 in Fall 2017 will register for ARCH 325 with the remaining Fall 2017 courses. Early Registration is open.
Students in the M.Arch. (Prof.) program are required to take ARCH 680 Field Sketching.
If registration (including withdrawals) is problematic, please contact Mary Lanni-Campoli by e-mail: mary.lanni [at] mcgill.ca or by telephone at (514) 398-6702, before the commencement of Sketching School / Field Sketching.
