I guess most of our work is a bit overblown and overplanned.

On V11 for a trelliswork feature from last fall… they keep changing their minds and now I hear they consulted with the largest (and most expensive) landscape designer in Toronto.

I do like the idea…for laying out organic structures… but not so much for woodwork.

Might be an interesting exercise–but then again… would I do it on my house?

L

I’ve seen her speak on this subject, I believe she is fond of orange spray paint and a lot of flags . . . a lot of flags.

I think it depends on the client and the site as to how effective this process can be. I can usually see where I want to go with a general design direction pretty quickly, but the cool details come later, during the pondering, challenging your own ideas when you can’t sleep at night kinds of times. I often go back and review and look at the things I missed the first time, whether through photos or another site visit. But I’m, you know, old….and from Ohio, too.

I would maintain that you can get 80-90% there with a creative, interactive client, or another design team member, but the excellence of detail comes after some contemplation and percolation of ideas, especially if there are site problems to deal with.

Thanks for your great questions.

John

I’m a Landscape Designer in Northfield, Minnesota (just south of the twin cities.)

I can’t say that I do many of these draw, stake and paint type jobs, but it actually sounds like it would be fun. You may not have as much time to think things through from all angles like you do when drawing, but it sounds like a really dynamic process. There’s lots of creative energy when you do something on the spot.

I’ll be interested in seeing how other people who have done this kind of work feel about it.

Your blog is great…keep it up!