Jonathan P. Williams, RLA

I was always taught rise over run. 

Edward I think you touch on a good point. I have passed all sections and although I feel the test does not always match up to what a LA really does/ or needs to know I think it is there for testing the basics. 
The biggest area I think people are having issues is that they think they just have to study the material. This is a big mistake! You…[Read more]

We have found that wash out can be a problem even if well compacted. Proper Drainage is important. 
As for 20 years…not without maint.

As the test as been switched over to the computer for over a year now I would be curious to see if people still have the same impressions on all this.
I agree with you Andrew on some of your reasoning why licensed professionals don’t really care about it. The older LA’s in the office did not even know what CLARB was much less that the test was now…[Read more]

First I love your picture…GO Rams. 
Second what is your reasoning for wanting something different than Photoshop? It is a very robust program that has served me well. What are the end results you are going for? Are you painting, just doing collages, want to have shadows and perspective capabilities, layers, and so on. 
I would think having a b…[Read more]

Well put. Never thought about it but I try to put the house/buildings in most of my renderings for scale and most all done by others I admire have buildings. 
This is partly due to the fact that most all landscapes are a part of a much larger project that includes buildings and so you want to make that connections visually. 

I agree. I have found I use my skills I learned in my Site Design class way more than I ever thought I would.

I think this is true on some level but all this talk really should be about at what scale each time of representation is needed. If it is a larger project you are selling to a community of 1000’s then perhaps a 3d computer fly over can make it seem real. But if you are updating planting in an existing landscape or even a complete new construction…[Read more]

I agree it is not real at all. What really sells is your past work. Your built body of work. Walking a client through a past project that is well maintained sells more jobs than a perspective ever could. 
With that said many a client will do the opposite of what you are saying and hold you to the artistic representation as being real and what it…[Read more]

Luke it takes me about 5 hours to complete a perspective like that. From blank page to signature. I don’t know about talent. I think most all of it can be taught if the person is willing to learn. Granted everyone learns at their own pace and confidence is key.
The best way to ruin a perspective is not having confidence. Beyond that it is…[Read more]

I have found from experience that the time it takes me produce a good rendering by hand is faster than can be done in a computer 3-d program.
The clients we work with really enjoy seeing the work we put into the hand drawings. If I where to present my clients with a 3-d computer rendering chances are they would not put much value into it because…[Read more]

Having gone through the process recently I agree. I have learned, or remembered, many things throughout the process that has made me better at my job. More than just a stamp for sure.

This is an awesome article. I especially like;

“Such challenges are likely to make the fine art of landscape architecture the most exclusive field of all for super collectors.”

Landscapes are not cheap that is for sure.

I agree with Calico on the pdf format. It is not stable and creates funny issues across platforms.

I have dealt with http://www.marlinlandscape.com/
We did not end up completing the project but the dealings we had with them were professional.

 A good old set of blocks or tangrams is a good place to start. I likeTegu blocks. 
Other than that I was in the yard digging at that age. 
This is a very interesting question and I hope others have some unique ideas.

Did you read those specs? He is good at it. i7 with 24 gb Ram….Awesome! my office computer has 16 gb Ram. I should look into getting 8 more!

Don’t know if this will help but when I took the exam I did not look for the correct answer. I went through every choice and proved it wrong until I found one I could not prove wrong. That was the correct answer. Helped me pass. 

#6B is better. Get it messy.

Oh how the young ones are not the same as they used to be.  

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their…[Read more]