Post on 17-Jan-2016
BAC
Architectural Sketching/Rendering Techniques
The Nature of COLOR
Color is a visual reaction to a light source. An illusion of the senses.
The “True color” of an object can only be seen accurately by sunlight or its equivalent, since sunlight contains all colors of the spectrum.
Black is not a color, it’s the absence of color.
…color
Primary Colors -Subtractive mix (pigments) - The color wheel can be constructed our of three basic colors or hues: Red, Blue, and Yellow. The sum of primaries= black
Primary Colors -Additive mix- The color wheel can be constructed out of three basic colors: Cyan, Magenta, and light yellow. The sum of primaries= White
…color
Secondary colors: the result of the addition of two primary colors
Complementary color: The opposite color in the color wheel has the property of balancing the first
Hue: The definition of the color. Example: blue, red, orange.
Value: The scale of darkness Chroma or tint: The saturation of the
color
Value
Grayscale
Value has visual “weight”
Value
Grayscale
Value has visual “weight”
Art Elements Line –do not
define lines Space –Empty
space counts as visual weight
Color –limit palette
Volume –equal weight
Empty space
Angled chair in foregroundcreates depth
Isolation creates focus of Attention =visual weight
=
Mid-ground
Background
Depth
BackgroundMid-ground
Foreground
Composition All images are essentially arrangement
of lights and darks, or linear arrangements
You cannot avoid making your subject a tonal statement or a linear statement
Or both Line is contour Tone is form, space and the third
dimension
Formal Composition
Informal Composition
Informal Composition Applied
A Rendering Put to the test
Watercolor Techniques
Wet on wet – essential for skies- wet paper, wet brush
Dry brush – Do not pre-wet paper, only dip color in brush
Image reference –wet on wet
Image Reference -Dry Brush
Dry brush
Combined Wet and Dry
Skies and trees
Use a sponge with dissolved pigment to wet a sky, lift some areas with a tissue for clouds effect
Suggest bark of the tree, do now draw it, the least definition and more suggestion, the best.
Apply green strokes to suggest trees by pressuring and lifting bamboo brush off he paper.
Always combine different hues of green and yellow for leaves
Acrylic Paint With Artist Knife
Use of spatula and acrylic paint
Charcoal
Ink Rendering
3 Renderings One Theme
pen & inkcharcoal
pen & ink with watercolor
Freehand Photoshop
RenderingImage
To remember
A bad sketch can be improved with color An excellent sketch can be DESTROYED with
color Do not “finish” your work Limit your palette Use the white of the paper Cast shadows are darker than object shadows Do not use black, use ultramarine blue Start with the lighter color and work your way
to darker hues Work from background to foreground Mountains are always blue (its an atmosphere
effect)
The 12 rules of watercolor rendering1. Select point of interest2. Select mood (warm or cool) depending on time of the day3. Choose a limited palette (no more than 6 colors, ideally 4 or 5)4. Find your light source (where is the light coming from?)5. Background mid-ground and foreground in that order6. Apply a base color, the lightest chroma of your main hue (leave
white highlights unpainted)7. Apply darker chroma to designated spaces (do not abuse it, keep it
transparent)8. Do details effects (suggest a little, do not paint an entire brick wall,
suggest a few bricks only)9. Balance it out with trees and people. Scale creates perspective &
dimensional reference10. A watercolor should take minutes to complete, (it dries fast), work
at 45 degree angle for fluid control11. It’s a reference, not a masterpiece, its documentative, not
anatomical.12. Capture the gist of the scene! PRACTICE
Materials for watercolors (essentials)
140lb Hot or cold press watercolor paper (cold press is more grainy –more textured)
Bamboo brushes (they can produce any width of line by applying pressure on paper)
Small Large Very fine (for details) Square brush for sky or wide areas Use animal hair brushes, they hold more liquid. Never leave a brush inside water (it widens the brush like a fan)
Spray bottle (to work wet-on-wet) Salt for sand effect Napkins tissue Natural sponge (for clouds) Masking tape Tooth brush (to spatter on trees and/or create sand effect or
rocks, also can be used to suggest brick, or other grainy materials
Charcoal Work
Charcoal is a media that captures the quality of light Types or charcoal: Vine stick or
compressed: vine for gesture drawing soft compressed for volume studies
Apply a layer of tone and work your way to light
Apply darker tone in deep shadowed areas
Artist Knife and Acrylic Paint Work
Use a small spatula for detail A large spatula for larger areas Be sure to have enough paint in
the edge Use the edge for lines
Ink Work
Crosshatching Technique Technical pen
Bamboo Brush Technique Brush, ink stick and grinder
Scribbling technique Technical pen or fine brush
Book references The Watercolourists Guide to Painting Buildings -Richard
Taylor
(This book is the best of its kind, architecture illustrations with an “unfinished” touch that emphasizes suggesting rather than detailing)
Architectural Drawing Course –Mo Zell (This book is a good reference for different rendering
techniques both free-hand and computer based)