DRAWING BUILDINGS
thathavealwaysbeenpartoftheir
surroundingswillnormallyholdno
attractiontothelocalinhabitants,
yettothecreativeeye,warehouses,
shacks,stations,kiosks,cafésand
barscanbea goldminefullof
potentialmaterialfora drawing.
Evenathome,theabsurd
proliferationofsuburbanhouses
frontedwithelectricgatesandCCTV
cameras,andgoldeneagleson
entrancepillarscanbeusedto
produceanappealingimage,albeit
onethatis decidedlytongue-in-cheek.
Thesudden,startlingappearanceofa
houseina terracedrowthathasbeen
cladinimitationCotswoldstonewill
havemereachingformypen.
Mucharchitecturethatwascutting
edgewhenit wasdesignedcannow
lookrathersadandill conceived,
soit’spossibletomakea statement
abouthowyounowregardit by
drawingit ina ratherirreverentor
satiricalmanner.Drawingit nextto
a pieceofclassicalarchitecturethat
hasstoodthetestoftimeis allthat
is requiredsometimes.
Findingyourpurposeformaking
a drawingis animportantwayof
connectingwitha subject– and
creatingsubtlybetterresults.
I findthatdrawingdifferent
buildingsoftencallsfora different
approachwhendepictingthemtoo.
Forinstance,I wouldautomatically
optfora loose,scratchylinewhen
drawinga dilapidatedcollectionof
buildings,whereasanultra-modern
houserequiresa cleaner,crisper
treatment.
Althoughit’snaturaltowantto
drawanythingthatinterestsyou,
I regardarchitectureasjustanother
themetobeminedforpossiblevisual
material,andI treatit inmuchthe
samewayasI doanyothersubject
fordrawingandpainting:the
possibilitiesareendless.
http://www.kevinscully.co.ukFinding your purpose for making a
drawing is a good way to connect
with a subject – and get better results
TOP LEFT AND
ABOVE Coverack,
Cornwall, fineliner
and markers on
bleedproof paper
“The vehicle was
left white, as it may
have taken the
focus away from
the buildings.”RIGHT Office Block,
London, fineliner,
sign pen and
markers on paper
“The building’s
geometric lines
were drawn briskly
to suggest its
functional design.
The dull façade
was enlivened by
the addition of
spring foliage.”