Architectural Illustration Tutorial: Add Light and Shadows to an Object

Enhance Your Drawings with Expert Techniques Using Fine Liners and Pencils

If you’re an aspiring architectural illustrator or a seasoned artist looking to refine your skills, mastering the use of light and shadow is essential. In this tutorial, Chris Henton, an experienced architectural illustrator, shares invaluable techniques to elevate your drawings and create impactful illustrations.

Chris emphasizes the importance of using the right tools for different stages of your drawing. For this exercise, he uses a fine liner and an HB pencil, starting with a 3H pencil for construction lines. This light pencil allows for rough sketching of main shapes, providing a foundation for adding details later.

To maximize the impact of your drawings, understanding the play of light and shadow is crucial. Chris demonstrates how to use a fine liner pen to pick out the darkest areas, while leaving lighter areas to suggest the play of light. This technique helps in creating a realistic sense of depth and dimension.

Establishing a tonal range is another critical aspect. Chris uses an HB pencil alongside the fine liner to establish this range, incorporating different tonal values to represent light, medium, and dark areas. He also highlights the importance of negative space, leaving certain areas blank to emphasize contrast and light.

A sharp pencil is essential for achieving clean and crisp lines, which convey detailed information about an object. Chris selects the darkest edges of the object to play around with shadow, ensuring a realistic representation.

By combining different tools and techniques, you can create a more dynamic and realistic illustration. Chris's approach to using a fine liner for the darkest sections and a pencil for lighter areas allows for a versatile and effective method to depict light and shadow.

For those interested in delving deeper into the art of architectural illustration and understanding Chris’s creative process, you can join his online course at Domestika. This course offers a comprehensive look at his techniques and methods, perfect for enhancing your artistic skills.