everything, and to select the focus of attention at the
outset is vital. This should prevent you from over-working
the subject and ending up producing what amounts to a
second-rate photograph.
Since the most prominent features of a building are
those that form a frame (doors, windows, trusses,
gateways), you should incorporate these into your picture.
As we move through a building, we have an impression of
prospects opening out of bigger rooms viewed through
narrow spaces. The transition between rooms is often
marked by a doorway that is deliberately framed. Since
we experience architecture by passing through these
framing elements, they are very much part of the scene
and therefore cannot be ignored. Indeed, successful
sketches frequently tantalise the observer with a glimpse
of a distant, and sometimes mysterious, world through
such ‘frames’ – the view through the solid gateway of a
medieval town being a good example.
As with all great buildings or fine cities and
landscapes, there needs to be an element of complexity
and richness in the freehand drawing. Such complexity
can be set against the plainness of unadorned surfaces to
heighten the drama of the sketch. Alternatively, any
repeated surface decoration can establish a rhythm or
beat as in music. Searching out such compositions can
result in well-informed drawing that not only sustains our
attention but also teaches us something about the nature
of the place.
As mentioned already, the positioning on the page of
the main subject of the sketch is important. A sketch can6.8
Modernist buildings often
express their design ambition
with great vigour.56 Understanding architecture through drawing