Architectural Illustration

Peter Jarvis

• Publisher: Crowood
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781785004049
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

This practical book looks at the fundamental principles that underpin the process of architectural illustration: to represent architectural design and the built environment in a way that the general public can understand. Focusing particularly on watercolour, it explains the full process from site sketching to finished rendering. Case studies follow the process of an illustration, using demonstrations specially selected from the author's own work and profiles of leading practitioners. Illustrated with over 200 colour images, it is a unique guide to the work of the architectural illustrator and will be invaluable for artists, illustrators, architects, builders and planners. Instruction is given on drawing methods and processes, good composition and effective use of colour, and detailed diagrams show how to set up a perspective drawing by hand and using 3D modelling. Worked examples and step-by-step sequences explain the fundamentals of architectural illustration and case studies follow the process of an illustration, using demonstrations specially selected from the author's own work and profiles of leading practitioners. Superbly illustrated with 270 colour images and step-by-step sequences explaining the fundamentals of architectural illustration.

CHAPTER 1

Context and Applications

Having unrivalled powers of truth-telling it can also magnificently lie. It IS the honest architect’s most candid and Inconvenient friend: it is the dishonest architect’s most artful and convenient con-federate.

H.S. Goodhart-Rendel on the perspective drawing

Architectural illustrations are not just used in the architecture and building sector but also across a range of applications in the design, advertising and publishing industries. Commissions emanate from different sources and for a variety of reasons from historical reconstructions, through to the representation of existing buildings and the prediction of future built form, the appropriateness of each being central to its purpose. This chapter looks at the breadth of requirements and uses of illustration.

Detail of an aerial perspective view of a proposed housing scheme. The illustration gives a realistic representation of each building with indications of material type and colour as well as overall landscaping.

The commission

A commission can take a variety of forms and arise from a diverse range of sources, from an individual requesting a house portrait, to an international firm of architects who require a series of artist’s impressions. A new client may have found your website directly or through representation via an agent or membership of a professional body. Experienced or long-standing illustrators gain a large percentage of work though recommendation achieved through successful completion of prior commissions. Most illustrators will sign their work or have credits printed alongside the image which give name and contact details or website address. This is important and is the best way to acquire new commissions.

Most commissions arrive via an email message and the first step for the illustrator is to provide a quotation. In order to give a quotation the illustrator will need certain pieces of information which would normally include a set of architect’s drawings (sometimes referred to as a set of plans) if the project is a new build development, or photographs if the building is existing. Sometimes, information is less than forthcoming and it may be necessary to use Google Maps, or the equivalent, in order to identify the site, and Street View to see the building from street level. If the building or development is within reasonable travelling distance then there is nothing better than to make a site visit. Having an intimate knowledge of a project can save you much time and often means you can anticipate problems that may arise. It is often the case in the process of commissioning illustration, that the illustrator will spot an inconsistency on a drawing or identify a feature on-site that has been overlooked. It is usual to incorporate the expenses of a site visit into your quotation.

The client

Who, then, are those who commission architectural illustration? A client’s needs can range from an illustration in a magazine or journal to a complete advertising campaign; from a TV programme to a planning application. In the architectural and building sector, architectural illustration is generally accepted as a term that refers to a specialist service not normally available ‘in-house’. This service is often provided by a self-employed freelancer working as an independent or by a studio offering a range of styles. A client may be looking for a particular style or technique to fit in with a specific project or, in the case of a magazine editorial, a certain house style. Let us, then, look at potential clients and their needs.

The planning process

In England there are six stages in the planning application process for permission to build on land and illustrations can play an important role in achieving planning consent. For larger housing or mixed-use developments permission is considered through a committee, whereas for smaller and non-controversial schemes a planning officer will decide on the outcome. Either way, a visual of some kind, usually a perspective drawing, is often the best way to show what the scheme will look like once built. Sometimes it will be the planning committee, on receiving an application, who will request that a visual be prepared in order to clarify a particular building design or overall scheme. This is clearly an additional expense but can save time and money later on in the process. Planning officers and the make-up of committees vary in knowledge and experience and particularly in the ability to understand 2D plans and elevations. This is where the role of a perspective illustration comes in – by making the architects’ design intent accessible to all.

At other times an illustration may be needed to accompany an appeal when an application has been turned down and the developers need to give more visual information surrounding a particular project. The illustrator and designer often form a partnership in this process, the aim being to present a scheme in as convincing a way as possible in order to achieve planning approval. In this context the illustration is a means to an end. There’s a famous story about the design of a well-known cricket clubhouse which was presented using a perspective illustration drawn by the great architect and illustrator Cyril Farey. Farey portrayed the scheme with a game of cricket in progress and the committee spent all their time arguing about the way the cricket teams were placed on the field of play. This took the whole of the meeting and after a long argument at the end they approved the scheme without opposition – just like that!

Illustrations and visuals prepared to accompany a planning application can present many challenges, often determined by sensitive aspects relating to a site or scheme. Sometimes it may be as straightforward as blending new build materials and colour with local buildings in the immediate vicinity; at other times it could be the maintenance of existing trees protected under a preservation order or consideration for a historic landmark. This can be time consuming and expensive for the developer or client who would normally be instructing an architect or, in particularly difficult circumstances, a planning consultant in order to achieve a satisfactory result.

An illustrator may be brought in when the design is at an early concept stage requiring a ‘sketch’ approach and then later on when the design has been approved at outline planning. A concept sketch may be concerned with a building’s ‘massing’ in order to give the client an idea of the overall scheme, or just an indication of how a new building will look alongside adjacent buildings or landscape features. (When dealing with listed buildings this is always of prime concern.) A more finished illustration would normally be commissioned when the design is finalized and for promotion and selling purposes. Achieving planning consent is rarely a straightforward business and for good reasons: after all, most of us live and work in and around urban environments as well as in rural towns and villages so we would expect the process to involve consultation, particularly with local groups and other interested parties such as the Environment Agency. For example, the presence of protected species or wildlife habitats would necessitate some form of provision and this may need to be represented in illustrations of a scheme. The most common example of this is the presence of bats or newts, which can delay planning approval for more than a year giving time for observation as to whether a habitat is still in use.

Generally speaking, perspective illustrations are the most useful form of visualization and can be understood by the majority of people. However, they are also the most subjective and this means that it is the illustrator’s responsibility to portray a building and its setting honestly. This can be done purely through drawing or by superimposing photographs onto a background. Through image-manipulation software such as Photoshop this can be an effective method of communication and a way of explaining aspects concerning scale and proportion, particularly when blending new buildings with existing.

Advertising and marketing

Art directors regularly commission illustration and...