Chapter 20
Interiors
Many of the rules that apply to the drawing of exterior
space are equally applicable to interior volumes; in both
cases one is depicting the play of solid against void, of line
against plane, and light against shade. To sit and draw
a room is rather like drawing a courtyard and the
same general principles apply. After all, a room is little
more than a square with a roof, and a corridor a scaled-
down street.
First, select a good place from which to view the
room – a position that shows its design attributes to
best advantage. Choose a location that does justice
to the subject, whether it be the interior of a
Baroque church or of a modest café. Look at the play
of light upon the surfaces, how the space is used,
and how the function of the room determines its
general organisation and level of detail. Activity, though
difficult to draw, defines the function, and hence
character, of the room. Some interiors are frequently
empty, devoid of human bustle, whereas others
are always alive with human activity. A typical pub or
railway station cannot adequately be drawn or understood
as a space without the rich layers of human life
found there, while the composition of the inside of a
church or of a power station may benefit from their
emptiness.
In sketching a scene you are seeking to understand
space – the objective is to look, draw and learn. The
picture is important, but the heightened awareness
obtained through sketching is perhaps more rewarding
and ultimately more useful to the potential designer.
Select your subject with care, therefore, and be critical in
the approach to drawing it. If the subject is complicated,
then either focus upon a detail that is typical of the whole,
or abstract the view in order to pare the subject down to
essentials. Never attempt too much; you will quickly tire
and lose any pleasure from drawing, and the learning
process will also suffer. If a complicated interior has to be
recorded, then use a camera – the sketchbook is for
analysis, understanding and, one hopes, pleasure.
The sketch of the Europa Bar in Prague shows an Art
Nouveau interior typical of those to be found in many
European cities, from Glasgow to Moscow. The design of
the space is perceived as an ellipse within a rectangle,
with a pair of columns defining the cross-axis. In this
sketch much of the detail is left out – the key elements
are highlighted and Art Nouveau decoration is added to
enrich the overall geometry. As the room was nearly
empty at the time of the sketch, the seating level is
merely hinted at, and this allows the eye to focus upon
the splendid gallery and ceiling.170 Understanding architecture through drawing