20.10 (far left)
The lesson to be drawn from this
interior is the play of horizontal and
vertical lines. The gallery and columns
divide the space into units once used
by the Glasgow tobacco merchants.20.11 (left)
The harmonious proportions of
this mosque in Mostav, Serbia, are
expressed by the use of dark shading.
By selecting a position on the centre
line of the space, the drawing conveys
something of the spiritual qualities of
the interior.awareness. Thus the artist should not begin a sketch in
too precipitate a fashion, but only after much careful
contemplation of the subject. The interior of a building
reveals a more personal world, by contrast to the
public image of its exterior. Portraying the human
dimension is often critical when evoking the quality of the
interior – be it in the choice of furnishings, furniture or
colour scheme. For instance, a room full of plants has
quite a different character to one filled with paintings,
or one left unembellished. Modernist interiors are
often difficult to draw, but they can have a poignancy
that would be lost in rooms where every surface is
trimmed with mouldings and divided into panels.
The artist’s choice of drawing materials and the
selection of shading or colour should suit the
mood or complexity of the subject. For example, un-
adorned modernist interiors are best rendered in
washes, using pencil or magic markers to provide
highlighting. Classical rooms suit pen and ink with
pale blue and pink washes. By contrast, the interiors
of churches require deep tones and dark shadows
to emphasise their weighty structure; yet the details
need to be picked out, too, perhaps in pen or sharp
pencil.176 Understanding architecture through drawing