SketchUp your next creative idea from concept to composite

We see so many innovative ways that creative people are using their personal experiences to solve design problems. Skills acquired from many different occupations, even those that aren’t viewed as being traditionally creative, can be leveraged to express visual ideas in unique ways. We discovered one of our community members Farah was using software from her career in architecture in a clever way to bring her own fantasy visions to life. 

SketchUp is a professional 3D modelling program used by architects to plan designs and document the construction of buildings. Farah has been using this software in unconventional ways for her personal artworks and using it to create whimsical wonderlands that would not be possible using traditional methods of photography.

Coming from an architectural background myself, I was instantly intrigued and compelled to discover more about Farah’s process. Scroll on down to immerse yourself in Farah’s SketchUP world and discover how she brings her creative visions to life in this innovative way.

Meet Farah!

Hello, my name is Farah. I’m a wife and a mother to our 2 year old son, Heston. It was during my maternity leave that I started blogging. This inevitably led to my creative side coming out. I found my niche to be a combination of expressing my motherhood journey in my blog and getting creative with fun whimsical composites. 

My creative process is unique. Sometimes it’s random thoughts I want to bring forward or a topic that I convert into a visual platform. Then there are times when I get inspired by other artists and create my own perspective on it.

Since my maternity leave ended, I’ve gone back to working full time in Architecture but I still love to create what lives in my imagination.

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Modelling my imagination

Most people are familiar with using Photoshop to create a composite image, but I complement this with a program called SketchUP. It helps me model, build and create what I am imagining from scratch. If you are not familiar with SketchUp, it is a 3D modelling program that I was introduced to in Architecture school years ago. It is also used for landscaping and video game design.

There are a lot of different 3D programs out there but I found SketchUp to be extremely user friendly. I think it was a game changer for me when I discovered 3D Warehouse, a huge collaborative library of ready-made 3D models that you can use in your own designs.

I have used Sketchup for years architecturally but it wasn’t until recently that I thought of translating it into my creative work and combining it with my composites. I must say, a big thank you goes to 3D Warehouse. I love how efficient it makes my work having a huge library of components to choose from and how I am able to play with new worlds and create my whimsical wonders.

Thank you Farah for sharing your unique way of working. Farah is an active, supportive and engaged member of our community. You can see more of her unique artworks on Instagram at @farah.manley. If you are interested to dive into the world of 3D renders you can try SketchUp free for 30 days.