As a former architect, buildings and the built environment are subjects close to my heart, and I’m sharing some pointers this month about my approach to them. I sketch buildings because I enjoy the short-lived, usually intense experience. I often uncover interesting details that a cursory glance would not, and the finished (or even half-finished) sketch is a good record of a day spent or a place visited. By the way, there are lots of examples in this series of my building sketches, which might be worth a recap, showing techniques and approaches I’ve used. Similarly, sketching buildings needs a good working knowledge of linear perspective so look back to my December 2023 article in Leisure Painter. Here are some generalities that I look for:
A decent overall composition. Interesting massing (the basic forms) in the building itself. Distinctive shapes within it (either Contrasting values (to get my teeth into and which help capture a building’s identity). An artist-friendly subject. This is subjective but I know it when I see it. Basically, it’s a subject I feel I can capture well. A simply recorded context.
