Back to the drawing board? Exploring process drawing and pathways to drawing participation in Higher Education for graphic design students.

My thesis clarifies the value of a rough sketch, or ‘process drawing’, in the creative processes of Visual Communication Design students at Western Sydney University (WSU).

Through the development of improvisational drawing activities, such as doodling and squiggling, my research explores strategies to encourage drawing participation and demonstrate the value of a quick sketch or thumbnail in the creative process.

Back to the Drawing Board? employs the following qualitative and quantitive methods:

• Classroom observations
• Pre and post questionnaires
• Student interviews and conversation analysis
• Analysis of speed drawing exercises
• Analysis of my creative processes

The development of activities was informed by my visual arts and design practice.

This research adds to the critical discourse in drawing research, which argues that process drawing should continue to be clarified, demonstrated, and encouraged in design schools.