How to learn to draw architectural structures:
Street work

Table of contents

Street work

Open Sketches

Working outdoors often means rushing, as you have to capture a scene before the lighting changes or interesting figures leave. But no matter what you draw, you definitely need to consider what style will best convey the feeling of your subject image and how much time you can devote to this sketch. Quick pencil sketches are best able to capture fussy human figures in the market. But if you want to draw complex carvings on the church portal, you will have time for detailed work with pen and ink.

Where to sit or stand

Find yourself a place where you will not attract attention. When working on the street, it’s more difficult to concentrate, so try to find a place where no one would distract you.

This place must certainly be convenient. It’s rarely possible to combine convenience with a good overview, so outline a few places for yourself.

Drawing tools

Take along convenient tools that fit easily in your bag. It’s best to take notebooks with you as they provide you with a solid work surface.

Think about the conditions of your work. Water and jars are needed for paints and inks, so they are hardly suitable for such sessions. Start with a set of pencils and pens. Other useful things include clips, masking tape, tissue paper, and possibly a sealed container of water to rinse your brushes or achieve some interesting effects. Watch your tools and don’t forget anything after work!

Distance from the subject of the image

The distance between you and the nature you choose is determined by both your composition and practical considerations, especially if this item is in a private area or in some unsafe place.

Try to see the whole thing. Even if you draw part of a building, you will understand it better if you see the whole.

How to draw glass

To draw glass in the windows is like trying to draw the invisible. To make this task easier, think about how windows look under different conditions.

Consider the most different types of windows, compare windows that are close to you with remote ones that are lit by the sun with those in the shade. Curtains, shutters, interior windows and even window frames affect the appearance of glass.

Transparency

The glass is transparent, and this means that often you do not see it at all, although you know when there is glass in the window and when not. Despite the transparency, light, shadows and various objects are reflected in it.

Glasses in windows can be drawn using color. Change the tones when you draw each window sash, trying not to get the same. To avoid monotony in your drawings, try not to draw every plane in detail.

Reflections

Another quality of glass - it reflects the outside world. This can be difficult for both the artist and the viewer, as other buildings, trees, and even people can be reflected in the glass. On tall buildings, the upper windows will appear brighter than windows close to the ground, because tall windows reflect the sky, which is brighter than buildings and other objects reflected in the lower windows. It is often recommended that you limit the number of reflected details that you intend to include in the picture.

Street life

You can revive your drawing by adding street life and its signs. People, cars, bicycles, lights, benches and telephone boxes will add realism to your drawing and enliven it. Small details will give your work a certain mood. For convincingness, you can include graffiti on the walls, shreds of posters and rubbish on the sidewalk.

Street life and its details

Street markets, busy city streets, and even rural roads are full of objects typical only for this environment. The more information you include in your drawing, the sooner the viewer will feel the atmosphere of the scene you portray.

So, on a French street, mailboxes, rubbish bins, telephone booths, and even store signs look their own way and give your drawing a French atmosphere.

People and animals

People are able to revive any scene. The presence of people and animals gives your work proportions and scale, adds local flavor, conveys a sense of culture and customs, and possibly the uniqueness of the place you depict.

Just be careful and do not overload your drawing with unnecessary details. First draw a few figures and other details, then the buildings and the surrounding area. Then you can always add some more shapes.

In a square like this, it’s always lively. Therefore, to be more convincing, include people in the drawing. People are always in some kind of relationship with their environment - they stand at a traffic light, leave a store with purchases, sit on a bench in a park, wipe windows or take pictures. Running or walking figures add dynamism and focus to the picture. Do not forget that people communicate with each other - draw couples walking hand in hand, parents scolding a naughty child, playing children, etc.