A brick course is a small study within Brick & Span, our collection about brickwork patterns and everyday structural forms. The aim is to give one ordinary detail enough attention to become useful. Begin with brick patterns, keep a notebook and a soft pencil nearby, and let the exercise set the scale of the session.
Begin with the outline
Draw one horizontal row and the joints above it. This is the central task for this page. Before beginning, write the subject as a short heading and leave space for a drawing or a few measured notes. Your first record should show what was actually in front of you rather than what you expected to find.
Observe from a public place and draw the largest shapes before the details. Mark the ground line, the main opening and the edge of the roof or upper wall. Keep dimensions approximate unless you have measured them. A simple drawing can show the relationship between parts without claiming to be a technical survey.
A useful way to work
Draw the large outline before filling in detail. Look for transitions: inside to outside, solid to open, rough to smooth. Record where a material changes and how the parts meet. Separate what is visible from your guess about construction. A second drawing from another public viewpoint often answers a question that a more detailed first drawing cannot.
- Give this session a clear heading: A brick course.
- Draw one horizontal row and the joints above it.
- Draw the large outline before filling in detail.
- Save one observation and one question in your own words.
Try a second pass
For a second pass, keep the subject of a brick course and change the way you record it. A short diagram can replace a long description; a paired comparison can replace a single impression. Keep the first attempt alongside the second so the difference remains visible. If the result is uncertain, name the uncertainty instead of filling the gap.
Keep the useful detail
Close the page with one sentence about brick patterns and one question that arose from this particular exercise. An arch outline offers a related direction: sketch the curve and the opening it surrounds. The connection is a starting point, not a requirement to complete the journal in order.