Today, different approaches co-exist to illustrate architectural projects or existing buildings, from watercolour illustrations to photography and virtual reality. They all convey a different feel and some might work better than others depending on the context and the intended message. For instance, virtual reality might suit modern projects while a hand-drawn illustration could illustrate the story of an old building more effectively.
As suggested, I looked at the work of illustrators working in that field and selected a few in order to observe their illustrations in further details.
Anthony Sheeran (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/anthonysheeran/)
Anthony Sheran uses mainly watercolour and/or black pen to draw his illustrations depending on what he tries to achieve. Some of his sketches in black and white are very detailed and this traditional style works well with more traditional buildings.
On the other hand, one of his watercolour sketches that depicts a building in Venice is less detailed and might be less representative of what we expect when we think of Venice. We tend to associate the place with old buildings with marks of age whereas this building looks more modern. I particularly like his sketch of Queen Street in Bath. All the details such as pub and shop signs, street lights together with brickwork and cobblestone streets gives us a feel of the place through time.
Louise Inchley (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/louiseinchley/)
Louise Inchley illustrates interiors as well as buildings.
Her watercolour illustrations depicting interiors are particularly interesting. They are so rich in details with the different patterns and intricacies of the accessories such as chandeliers and cushions. At the same time, the use of highlights and shadows ensures that there is plenty of contrast between the different objects and areas of the room.
As for her illustrations of buildings, I particularly enjoyed looking at her sketch of a street in Cheltenham. The addition of people walking in the street or sitting on the terrace together with the detailed shadows of the tree leaves on the building bring the scene to life.
Don Coe (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/doncoe/)
Some of Don Coe’s line and wash illustrations are both detailed and hurried at the same time. This gives some dynamic to the sketches and works well to depict the organic evolution of a street. In some of his illustrations, the colours are particularly vibrant with a strong contrast between the lightest and darkest colours. As a result, details stand out and the atmosphere of the place comes through (e.g. illustration of the High Street in Burford). All the elements such as the people, the cars, the trees remind us that this is a lively place in movement.
Mark Sheerman (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/marksheerman/)
Mark Sheerman’s style is different from the illustrators mentioned above. In a sense, his illustrations feel more accurate with straight lines and more practical, like a plan that would indicate the dimensions and location of everything. He draws only the outline of people as if to suggest what the place would be like with people. It gives a sense of the potential of the site.
Esther Clark (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/estherclark/)
Esther clark has a very different approach and uses pieces of fabric stitched together. She explains how she start from an accurate drawing of a building and then uses patterns and textures that evoke the feel of the place, rather than the way it actually looks. This is a very subjective approach that gives interesting and colourful results.
Christian Coop (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/christiancoop/)
Christian Coop’ s illustrations in sepia colours work well with old buildings as we associate sepia colours with old documents and pictures. The strong shadows and highlights give a lot of depth to the sketches. He also creates illustrations in a different style with brighter colours that complement modern sites. Adding people interacting with each other in the street contributes to add life to the picture.
Jonathan Leavens (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/jonathanleavens/)
Jonathan Leavens’s style reflects his background in landscape architecture. The trees and plants are prevalent and the buildings and people are often drawn in white with black outlines, resulting in strong contrasts between the buildings and the vegetation. The different spaces (paths, buildings, terraces) are very clearly defined a bit like a plan, so in a sense more practical.
Jon Willcocks (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/jonwillcocks/)
Jon Willcocks’s illustrations are colourful. he is often creative with colours with touches of blues and greens on some buildings that add some contrast and vibrancy to the illustrations. Combined with hand-drawn lines, this gives a playful and lively feel to his work.
Amanda A Fletcher (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/amandafletcher/)
Amanda A Fletcher’s illustrations are quite dramatic with strong contrasts and rich colours. Her style works well with rich interiors that are enhanced by vivid highlights and shadows. Her illustration of an American restaurant for instance comes to life with the reflections on the floor and the bright touches of colour in a background of browns and golds.
Helen Thomas (https://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/helenthomas/)
Helen Thomas is trained as a landscape designer and this is apparent in her illustrations. The buildings are incorporated in the landscape. Many of her illustrations look like 3D as if a given piece of land had been cut out. This increases the sense of perspective.
Alex Hillkurtz (https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/6439-10-architectural-illustrators-to-follow-and-get-inspired-in-2021) (https://www.alexhillkurtzart.com/gallery)
Alex Hillkurtz’s illustrations are very delicate with the black lines very faint in places and more assertive in others. The colours are also applied only in places to add strong contrasts and shadows.
Carlos Stanga (https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/6439-10-architectural-illustrators-to-follow-and-get-inspired-in-2021) (https://www.carlostanga.com/en_EN/154/online_portfolio_carlo_stanga_italian_illustrator)
Carlos Stanga’s illustrations of cities are very interesting with a mixture of traditional and digital media. The vibrant colour palettes associated with the details and the contrasts result in very rich illustrations.
When I looked at the work of all these illustrators and others not mentioned above, I noticed that, although their styles are very different, certain aspects are common to their work. Highlights and shadows are very important to make a building three-dimensional and make the details stand out. It is not always necessary to add people, elements of nature or other to the illustration, but the choice of adding or keeping some elements out will have an impact on the final result. People will bring life to the scene and maybe indicate how the building can be used whereas a building on its own can be imposing and have the accent put on the details and structure of the building itself.
Sources:
http://www.sai.org.uk/illustrator/
http://www.architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/architectural-illustration/
https://www.designstack.co/2021/05/precise-architectural-illustrations.html
Catherine Roux Degree in Illustration 