Inside/Outside: From the Basics to the Practice of Design, Second Edition

Student Assignments

The Form of a Maple Leaf

“The eye, which is called the window of the soul, is the chief means whereby the understanding may most fully and abundantly appreciate the infinite works of nature.”

LEONARDO DA VINCI

On the first day in class I try to give students a sense of what my course is all about. After some casual conversation, I assign a five-minute exercise: I ask how many of them are from New England. This leads to talk about the weather, fall colors, trees, and leaves. I ask if they know what a maple tree leaf looks like. They say, “Yes.” I ask them to draw one in five minutes or less. Then I ask them to pass these drawings ...