THE PROOF IS ON THE PAPER

Visual Facts is a concept introduced here at transparent drawing. For a very brief primer on Visual Facts, this link takes you to a previous page.

The word fact is, etymologically, an act or a deed. In the 13th century, anything that was a fact needed to be verifiable by evidence and a method of inquiry. Our first definition of the word fact was dependent upon empirical evidence.

So for the idea or thing that is witnessed, truth derives solely from the evidence. In short, there was nothing hidden. And this culture of fact persisted into the nineteenth century. As facts were based on empiricism, they built upon themselves so as to create a compelling world view.

The key here is that for centuries, facts were operative. They could not exist unless you demonstrated their truth, their accuracy.

This demonstration of truth is one of the drivers of Transparent Drawing. We create visual facts precisely because we must empirically prove on our paper that what we are drawing works.

And we are creating our proofs completely analogue. We are creating our truths with analogue methods. Our proof is in our pudding. We do not want for evidence because everything is there to see. Our analogue deeds create our truth.

So in this way, the methods that are espoused here at Transparent Drawing are a throwback. TD puts the designer in the position to draw truth. And you have to verify truth every time you draw.

In the cut and paste age that we live in, hopefully TD is an antidote to that.