Skip to main content

Architecture

Drawing architecture can be intimidating. A simple house or part of it is no problem. But something more complicated with lots of details tends to leave you overwhelmed. Where to start and how much detail to include?

I'm not experienced in drawing more complicated buildings. So when I came across this photo of a church in Arles I liked the perspective, but at first wasn't sure if I could draw this.


But I must have felt adventurous and went ahead. I grabbed a pencil and started with the basic shapes of the tower. Then proceeded with the basic shapes of the rest of the building - as much of it as fit on my page. Then the windows and some other, more detailed parts of the church. I didn't think much about perspective, just drew what I saw. With pencil you can always correct things if they don't work out. I would not have dared to draw this with pen from the start.

When the pencil sketch looked good, I went over it with a fineliner. I added some more details and a bit of shading. The result left me very satisfied. In fact, I am proud that I tackled this and succeeded.

When tackling something that is a bit intimidating to you, it's always good to remember that you decide how much detail you include. You can start with the basic shapes and then add to them. And pencil first gives you the security that you can correct your sketch when something goes totally wrong. Finally, your sketch doesn't have to be perfect to be lovely.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Sketchbook Syndrome

This is a phenomenon you often hear about when it comes to drawing in sketchbooks. Sketchbooks are not only a tool these days. They often are a piece of art themselves. People want them to look good. And they especially don't want to start a new sketchbook with a bad page. So there is advice out there about how to overcome this fear of ruining a new sketchbook with a bad first page. One tip is to start somewhere in the middle. If you then ruin your drawing it's at least not on the first page. For me this doesn't work, because I date my drawings and want them to be in chronological order. And then, sooner or later you have to tackle that first page and still don't know if it will turn out good or not. Another tip suggests to use the first page to paint your colour palette or the tools you are going to use or something like this. Well, if this is useful to you, why not. I would simply say, chose a subject that is familiar to you, something you know you are good at. ...
1 comment
more »

Introduction

I have been drawing for 20 months now. I started back then, because I wanted a creative hobby, that you can do on a daily basis without needing lots of material initially. So I decided to learn a bit about the basics of drawing, practiced and soon found out, that it is easier than everybody thinks. And after all, you don't have to be perfect for it to be fun and for your drawings to be valuable. You are free to find your own way of drawing. While drawing as often as possible, I often find myself thinking a lot about this craft and me doing it. I certainly like drawing and sketching in sketchbooks. They are like journals you can browse through again and again and see what you were up to when you filled them. I am going to share my thoughts about drawing here and hopefully will dare to share one or the other drawing.
Post a Comment
more »

Gouache

I have bought some Schmincke Designers Gouache and some Hahnemühle watercolour paper. I need to start practising with the good stuff, because my older niece has asked me to paint something for her 16th birthday in October. So I have done this little painting in my mixed media sketchbook today. The paint is great, so much smoother and easier to handle than the cheap stuff I have used so far. After getting to know it better and practising a bit I will also test the new paper. I‘m looking forward to more painting adventures.
Post a Comment
more »