the space. Often squares have more interesting paving
details than do the surrounding roads, and these should
be included in the sketch. Such details bring the
foreground towards the viewer, and help establish the
shape and configuration of the square. Equally, squares
are frequently planted with interesting trees and shrubs
whose foliage can provide much fascinating detail to set
against the hard-edged buildings. Your sketch should
demonstrate how good urban design consists of
considering the buildings, spaces and landscape of the
city as one, rather than as separate entities.
Squares that are distorted or uneven in shape can be
more taxing to draw than regular ones. Remember that
although the walls are not parallel, they have vanishing
points along the same eye level. You may find, however,
that one side of the square is strictly geometric in layout
and often has buildings of fine proportion. You should
exploit the differences in your sketch – contrasting the
regular with the unplanned, thereby capturing the charm
of the place.
Squares come in all sizes, from small domestic
courtyards to broad civic spaces. The latter are the
hardest to draw since they contain much complex detail
and are often so wide that the sketches become
panoramas. Beginners should start with small spaces and
only attempt scenes such as London’s Parliament Square
after much practice.
If you do attempt a big public square then a grasp of
perspective is essential. However, scientific perspective
may not provide all the answers in terms of composition
or for capturing the action within the square. Here you
may choose to adopt a more personal system of
representing space, not unlike the Oriental system of
perspective, which sets images (represented with no
regard for geometric accuracy) layered in front of each
other so that they become larger the nearer they are to
the observer. With large squares, no matter which
technique of perspective is employed, it is often
instructive to try to enter into the space through the
medium of drawing. If the artist chooses a position, not
so much on the edge of the square looking in, but within
the square and surrounded by its action, then something
of the character will come through. Photomontage can
also be employed to represent the background
architecture, thereby allowing you to focus upon the
activity in the square.
The most interesting urban spaces are those
surrounded by buildings such as shops, cafés or bars. If
the activities of these places are encouraged to spill out
on to the square, so much the better. In addition, the
square will frequently be edged by an arcade containing
shops and restaurants. Hence it is surrounded by
buildings that respond in form to the activities that it
encloses, providing a richness of visual and social detail at
the perimeter of the space. It is unfortunate that these
traditional qualities have been eroded by the ubiquitous
presence of the car, which in many European cities has
usurped the city dweller from many areas.
Squares with much activity around the edge often
have a focus of attention in the centre. Fountains, seats,
an area for gossip under a few trees form the centre of
many European civic spaces. In Britain it is more common
to find a group of large plane trees growing within a railed-
off enclosure. The relationship between the geometry of
the space, its activities and planting are excellent subjects
for a sketchbook analysis. Often there is room within the
square for the internal activities of the enclosing buildings
to spread well into the space. If a railway or underground
station is located on the edge of the square then its
influence will be felt more directly than in the case of a
café. Now there will be bustle and bursts of movement –
at rush hours and when trains arrive. A similar situation
can occur if a theatre faces a square; the times of the
performance will be reflected in an increase of activity.98 Understanding architecture through drawing