Creativity support tools are most effective when they are easy, quick, and inexpensive
(Buxton 2007, p. 111). Resnick et al. (2005, p. 2) suggest that creativity support tools must be:
“facile and unencumbering, so that expert users can try out the different alternatives
very quickly”.
Resnick M, Myers B, Nakakoji K, Shneiderman Pausch R, Selker T & Eisenberg M 2005
<http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/CST/Papers/designprinciples.htm>.
One of the most widely discussed attributes of two-dimensional sketching
on paper is practicality. For artists and designers, it offers a quick, easy and inexpensive
way to generate and demonstrate ideas. Two-dimensional sketching uses materials that are
portable and accessible, and the resulting artifacts can be easily modified and
disseminated. In addition, sketches are particularly useful as a tool for communicating and
recording ideas. In Cognitive Catalysis: Sketches for a Time-lagged Brain, Fish (1981, p.16) writes that an important function of sketches is to “support the user’s brain as he or she imagines possible objects”.
Neptune and Amphitrite1616
Elias Wolff, the Elder
Above, the sketch Neptune and Amphitrite (Wolff 1616) has several elements that
demonstrate the practical attributes of two-dimensional sketching. Distant clouds are
indicated with minimal tonal variation. Selected features of the buildings in the middle-ground are represented using some lines and cross-hatching. Two figures complete with
windswept drapery occupy the foreground. Depicting these elements using physical
media would be far more time-consuming and complicated.
Justine Wallace 