Drawing and Illustrating Architecture: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Art of Drawing and Illustrating Beautiful Buildings

An insightful and comprehensive guide to mastering the art of drawing and illustrating architecture.

Inspiring  architecture and beautiful buildings are all around us. Artists often  gravitate toward building facades, doors, windows, and roofs that tell a  story, convey history, and contain intricate detail. But learning to  successfully capture these works on paper can be quite a challenge.

Artist  and illustrator Demi Lang has been creating beautiful architectural  drawings for years. Working in ink and colored pencils and using  reference photos in her studio, Demi specializes in creating artwork  that is highly realistic, representational, and incredibly detailed. In  this book, she shares her knowledge and techniques so that you, too, can  learn to create and illustrate your own architectural drawings.

With  inspiring illustrations, clear writing, and an encouraging tone, Demi  makes the process of learning to draw architecture both approachable and  enjoyable. Writing for artists of all levels, Demi guides you step by  step through her entire drawing process. You will learn:

• How best to set up your workspace, and the materials you’ll need

• The importance of building a photo reference library and choosing good images to work from

•  Three methods to use for transferring a reference photo to paper for  the initial drawing (using a grid, drawing freehand, and a measuring  method)

• Techniques for achieving realistic tone, value, texture, shadow, and light in your drawings

•  How to add layer upon layer of color, lines, details, and highlights to  create works that leap off the paper with exciting dimensionality and  life

In the final chapter of the book, Demi works  through several complete projects from start to finish so you can see  her method in action. Better yet, by providing the reference photos for  each project, you can follow along and put your skills to the test!  These projects help you work and practice in different ways with varied  subject matter: a freehand black and white sketch; an intricate  architectural detail; a monochrome study; a full color drawing; and a  drawing that features gold leaf gilding to really take your work to the  next level!

Throughout the book, Demi emphasizes the  importance of practice and patience, and encourages you to not put too  much pressure on yourself to complete a perfect drawing every time. If  you take your time and work methodically, you will succeed! Whether you  are an artist, a professional illustrator, or simply someone who loves  to draw, this book provides you with the skills, techniques, and  knowledge to draw stunning illustrations of buildings and architecture.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: Art Materials and Getting Set Up

Chapter 2: Building a Photo Reference Library

Chapter 3: Art School Theory and Techniques

Chapter 4: Overview of Process and Techniques

Chapter 5: Five Projects from Start to Finish

Appendices