Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Research Point - Architectural illustrators

Graham Green makes detailed, semi realistic watercolours of private houses which would look very much at home in a brochure for a new development. Because they aren't totally realistic the viewer is invited to use some imagination to consider what they would look like when built, and whilst making this transformation they are invited to imagine themselves in the houses that he illustrates. The watercolours are safe, no unusual colours, not too bright, good perspective, maybe slightly exaggerated to make the houses seem more attractive.
Alan Whittle draws both finished buildings and architectural detail. His work hovers between illustration and technical drawings but the way that he cuts away part of the architectural detail to reveal the structures beneath is illustrative. His illustrations of complete buildings are detailed and in a classical style, they wouldn't look out of place in a book from the first part of the 20th century. This means that they are suitable for brochures about historic buildings or pretty villages, but would not work for developers trying to sell new housing or business developments.
Simone Ridyard focusses more on cityscapes although there are illustrations of individual houses. Her work has a more contemporary feel, clean lines with splashes of bright colour. There is a feeling of space within her illustrations which comes from large areas of white and a restrained use of colour. Her work would help to sell a new development or a change in urban design but lacks detail which could be required by some clients or projects.
John Pumfrey has a slightly more abstract approach which sometimes juxtaposes different elements of a scene. His work creates an atmosphere for a space, traditional and serene for a riverside view,  or more complex for a view of a cathedral soaring over houses and a bridge over a dark river. His charcoal and conte drawings have a slight naivety to them and some of the painted illustrations are quite frenetic. His work would be good to illustrate the atmosphere of an area, maybe for a magazine or newspaper, or to set the scene for a project.
Archigram better explained by Wikipedia  challenged established architectural practice. They pushed the edges of what could be designed to change views and ideas so that although hardly anything that they designed was actually built it made others look at the world differently. This is a bit like scientific research which sometimes it undertaken with no concern about how any discoveries can be utilised but just for the aquisition of knowledge. Although Archigram was made up of architects they made fantastical designs which are more illustrative than practical. Without boundaries how could things be?
David Forden has a rather irritating website which try to engage you in conversation. He makes representative illustrations in watercolour and life-like computer rendered digital images. These are for the council and dubious members of the public to show them how a proposed scheme will actually look. They must take hours to make but they are clear and easy to understand
Claire Rollet makes a base drawing in ink which is scanned onto a computer then flat areas of colour are added. Similar style to work by Micheal Craig Martin. Sometimes mixes photographic figures into the drawing. Cheerful, cartoon like feel because of the line work and the bright colours although the drawings can be quite detailed. Pictures are in perspective. Work doesn't look very serious so not suitable for all areas of architectural illustration.
(Another example of mixing drawing with photography by Patrick Hodgkinson. This is more of a diagram for a potential developer, Hodgkinson was an architect and I can't find any other illustrations by him.)

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