Sketching Solutions

How does your artwork depict the contribution of engineers to a better world?

Engineers’ contributions to a better world can be found everywhere. First, engineers create the physical world around us. They bring their imagination to life through two-dimensional and physical visualizations. This is depicted in my drawing through the physical drone, robotic arm, and airplane, which represent how everything in life must first be designed and created by engineers. Their blueprint parts emphasize the visual representation that all engineered products must first start out as. Thus, intentional engineering designs turn abstract ideas into tangible, everyday creations that fill our world.
Second, engineers innovate through creative solutions. They create efficient, adaptable, groundbreaking solutions to human needs, such as airplanes that revolutionized travel and computers that are constantly being improved. This is depicted through the blueprint sketches in my drawing. Engineers must create solutions to new problems that arise, which typically begins with designing a solution. By depicting a team of girls building an airplane, my artwork emphasizes how engineers constantly adapt and improve upon existing inventions to further improve our lives, just like how airplanes have evolved from their first prototype.
Third, engineers must collaborate with others - fellow engineers of all fields and those in need of solutions - by combining their diverse experiences to create stronger, more effective solutions. This is depicted in my artwork by the diverse backgrounds of the team of girls. They come from various ethnic cultures, which gives each member of the team a distinctive perspective on possible solutions. Additionally, their varying skills, such as electrical, designing, and coding, come together to create a final solution that wouldn’t have been possible with only one person and one skill, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in creating a better world.

Describe how you think viewers from at least two different audiences might view or interpret your work.

My artwork speaks to three main audiences- girls, children, and engineers- in different ways.
Girls might view my work as encouragement. In aviation and engineering as a whole, such an interest is stereotypically viewed as masculine, and both are male-dominated industries. This perception is detrimental to girls and women who might be interested but are afraid to enter a space that has historically pushed them out. My artwork is a reclamation of these spaces for women, sending an encouraging message that they can be themselves despite judgmental peers, societal expectations, and gender barriers; that they are equally as capable as men; that they can be successful anywhere they want. It is a message that transcends engineering and is applicable in a wide range of spaces where women feel discouraged by gender disparities.
Secondly, children who are hesitant or unsure about their future in engineering may interpret my work as a possibility of all the things they can achieve. The message is clear: don’t be intimidated by engineering. While the idea of creating an entire plane from scratch seems impossible, engineering, at the end of the day, is an entire process with a whole team of people. Your peers support you, and everyone utilizes their unique skills to contribute to a final solution. Engineering feats don’t occur overnight. Engineers take their creations step by step with an end goal in mind. You can build off the skills you have now; after all, you don’t have to be a genius to be an engineer.
The third main audience, engineers, may view my artwork as an accurate visual representation of the engineering process, not just a symbolic manifestation of their result. My artwork can be seen as an emphasis on the engineering process rather than the product, as that’s what allows engineering to succeed. Engineers may find value in the emphasis on the engineering process, as it results in more effective and efficient iteration, deeper innovation, and more meaningful solutions. Since engineering’s value is derived from its impact, there is no better place to find value than in ensuring solutions are creatively and effectively designed- a unique perspective that others may overlook.

Briefly describe the materials you used and the process you went through to create your piece.

I primarily used Adobe Photoshop, a digital art application, and a digital art tablet to create my artwork, and initial ideations were sketched on paper. My process closely followed the engineering design process, starting with identifying and defining key elements of the prompt: the art of engineering, engineers, and changing the world. To me, the art of engineering is the creative design that engineering feats rely on; engineers are those who play a role in the creation of an engineered product, and changing the world is solving problems our society faces.
Next, I brainstormed possible artworks by sketching thumbnails with different subjects and layouts. I then selected the thumbnail that most clearly conveyed my answer to the prompt while emphasizing the artistic elements that contribute to engineering. With my selected idea, I drew the lineart and did multiple rough color variations. The next step was to test my idea, which I accomplished through asking my family, friends, and teachers for their interpretation of my artwork’s meaning and which parts of my work could be improved. After receiving feedback, I improved my drawing. Some changes I made included multiple background variations and more design components. Finally, to communicate my solution to the prompt, I selected a title, Sketching Solutions, that I felt conveyed my message best: engineering solutions begin with a sketch.

Explain anything you learned from the process. Ideally include any failures you experienced along the way. Failure and subsequent improvement are critical to engineering design, so please tell us how you failed, how you dealt with it, and how that influenced your submission.

I learned many lessons from utilizing the engineering design process, primarily that the process is just as important as my vision for the final solution because the final product will fail without a well-developed procedure for execution. A failure I overcame was the difficulty in selecting a main subject for the girls in the artwork to be designed. I initially selected a rocket to be the main focus due to its symbolic representation of advancement and innovation for the future, but it was difficult to create an artistic composition with multiple girls around it. As a result, I developed iterations with various objects- including cars, bikes, and ever smaller engineering products such as laptops, before selecting a plane. Its representation of innovation, the future, and engineering complexity, combined with the ease of placing subjects around it to display teamwork, made it a fitting final choice without losing the symbolic meaning of a rocket. Having multiple iterations taught me the importance of creativity and open-mindedness in engineering solutions, as my first idea may not always be the best. With this solution came another problem: I wasn’t familiar with how to draw an airplane. As a result, my initial sketch of a plane wasn’t detailed enough for an engineering sketch. Thus, I researched airplane parts and referenced other engineering sketches to make my representation as accurate as possible. This taught me that effectively utilizing the engineering design process will constantly lead me to learn new things as long as I am willing to persevere.
Another struggle I overcame was the selection of a background. I initially drew pipes and electrical designs, but the message failed to resonate because of its lack of connection with the overall aerospace engineering theme. I fixed this problem by replacing the background with cutouts and sketches of airplane parts, allowing me to emphasize the role of design in the final engineering system that wouldn’t have been possible with unrelated electrical system sketches. This failure taught me to keep my focus on the final solution rather than try to cover many subjects without a clear focus.
All of these struggles influenced my submission because they made me realize the importance of being well-prepared in all steps of engineering and to always have multiple options in case one fails. Additionally, my failures further emphasized the importance of art to engineering, as the final product needs to first be planned and visualized. Without a clear vision, a prototype cannot succeed.