Month: October 2017

Posted on by

Atlanta Skyline Drawing Of Downtown At Night #013Z

Atlanta skyline #815A pencil cityscape drawing of downtown at night.

This article is about Atlanta Skyline #013Z drawing of downtown, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about my Atlanta skyline drawing at night.

Atlanta Skyline Drawing Of Downtown At Night #815. When drawing such a theme it is wise to observe the following:

  1. Clear understand the line differentiation between the evening sky and the structures below.
  2. Have a clear grasp of the perspective, since it is dark and you need to understand the position of the structures to each other.
  3. Have all of your supplies on hand.

This drawing of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, has always been pleasing to me. It is one of those drawings where everything goes just right. The tone of the shadows of the evening sky gently compliments the contour lines of the buildings. When shadowing the sky, care must be taken as not to darken the sky too much especially near the edge of the building, because once you darken you cannot take back the strokes.

Always keep delineation in mind and you draw the contour otherwise you will make the skyline look flat. Shade and shadows are crucial in any skyline drawing due to the fact that perspective is never utilized.

Atlanta Skyline Art Link Is Below:

Skyline Art Of Atlanta

Chicago Skyline Drawings ~ 6/19/2018#169Z

Atlanta Skyline Drawings Links Are Below:

815, 819, 820, 818, 804

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Atlanta Skyline Drawing Of Piedmont Park #012Z

Atlanta skyline #804A pencil cityscape drawing is popular because of the views of Lake Clara Meer.

This article is about Atlanta skyline #012Z drawing of Lake Clara Meer is about my pencil drawing of Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans.

Skyline Drawing Of Piedmont Park Points

  1. Have all art supplies ready at hand.
  2. Choose a segment of the cityscape that you like and focus on it.
  3. Be alert to any obstacles that will affect the rendering.

Atlanta has always been one of my favorite cities because she is beautiful and has so much to offer. In this view I have chose the midtown view at Piedmont Park overlooking Lake Cara Meer.

Pencil unlike pen & ink always the artist to give a full range of tone to the drawing by using subtle degrees of shade and shadow to make the image. This is what I have done in this drawing. To the right side of the main boathouse you can see a smaller structure with a hip roof to the right. I have darken gradually the eaves and sides of the building so as to differentiate it from the trees. In the same manner I have shaded the central block of the main building to give it a sense of presence in the drawing.

The towering skyscrapers in the background make a wonderful support to this fine cityscape drawing.

Atlanta Skyline Art Link Is Below:

Skyline Art Of Atlanta

Atlanta Skyline Drawings Links Are Below:

815, 819, 820, 818, 804

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Atlanta Skyline Oil Painting Of Downtown At Night #011Z

Atlanta skyline oil #2878A cityscape painting of downtown at nighttime with crimson sky.

This article is about Atlanta skyline #011Z oil night downtown, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about my oil painting of the skyline of Atlanta, Georgia.

Skyline Oil Painting Of Downtown Key Points:

  1. Deep rich red night sky.
  2. Glowing yellow lights.
  3. Deep maroon foreground.

Since most all cityscapes and skyline are flat by nature I employed the above elements to give a three dimensional look to the painting. As you can see this use of the above elements really works. Lighting is the key to success in the painting for it beautifully weaves it’s way through both the darker tones in the foreground and the night sky above. The light seamlessly weave itself into the fabric of the painting. Atlanta, Georgia, is often referred to the as the “Manhattan of the south”.

Atlanta Skyline Oils Link:

Atlanta Skyline Art

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

The White House In Watercolor #010Z

White House watercolor #673A pen & ink landmark with views of the fountain and gardens.

This article is about the White House watercolor #673, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about the White House and the watercolor painting that I have done of it for use as prints. Prints & Scans Of This Watercolor #010A ~ Order Here.

The White House In Watercolor #673. To do a good watercolor of any structure it is recommended to do the following:

  1. Either get a good photograph of the structure, or if on site, position yourself so that you have a full view of the subject.
  2. Determine the perspective vanishing points.
  3. Have all of your artist materials close at had so as to avoid interruption on the work do to breaks.

The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is without doubt the most famous house in the world. This Georgian style house is the focal point of many political issues, however, my interest in the house is from the standpoint of Art. I will address only the central block of the house in this article.

The two-story mansion is the residence of the President of the United States and his or her family. This splendid home is difficult to address because it is so famous and is the focus of so many images. So please try to think of the house as a work of art rather than the center of political attention. Looking at the White House immediately we see that it is simple in design and not at all as lavish like many other mansions in the country are, e.g. The Breakers in New Port, Biltmore House in Asheville, and Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

Architecture of the White House

The central block of the building is rectangular in shape and is wider than it is long, the main entry faces north with a grand portico supported by two-story tall white Grecian pillars. The driveway is ample in servicing residential traffic needs. The back side of the house faces the south and is the garden entrance. The difference of the facade is that the center of the house is curved with a balcony around the curve. Many people wrongly think that the Oval Office is located here on the second floor when in fact it is located on the ground floor in the corner of the west wing a good distance from the central block of the house (though connected by internal corridors).

Both sides of the home have extensive gardens and each has a large fountain with sprays at the center. The fountain on the front lawn is usually decorated with ornamental flowers in the patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. When looking at the windows of the house you will note that there is a staggered pattern of a curves that angel above each window. There are four windows across on each side and the second floor windows are aligned with those directly below. The upper floor windows are smaller and are not as embellished with as much details as their counter parts below.

With regard to proportion the garden face is far superior to the main entry. The portico proportions do not match the scale of the house and it is too tall, whereas the proportions on the garden face are splendid needing no adjustments.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Manhattan Skyline Watercolors #009Z

Lower Manhattan skyline #581A pen & ink cityscape watercolor with it's reflection in the water.

This article is about Manhattan skyline #009Z watercolors, which are for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about Manhattan Island which I have created watercolors of for making prints.

Manhattan Skyline Watercolors. Key elements of this work of the Manhattan skyline are as follow:

  1. Make sure the lighting of the day is not overcast.
  2. Clear all obstacles and elements that may obstruct your view.
  3. Use a good angle for setting up your perspective so as to incorporate all of the building proportionately.
Watercolors and prints of Manhattan impressionist skylines from Central Park at sunset.
Watercolor of Manhattan skyline from Central Park at sunset.

Manhattan Skyline Watercolors. No other city in the world can boast of the skyline that Manhattan Island has. The invention of the sky scraper started here (many will argue that the Home Insurance building in Chicago was the first but that is speculative) and it continues to grow.

Manhattan Skyline Watercolors. Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

With the invention of the elevator in the 19th century and in conjunction with modern construction. New architectural construction methods the path was paved for the development of the modern skyscraper. It makes sense that Manhattan Island was the first to really take hold of these giant towers because it was the largest city in the country. Already businesses had set their wheels in motion on Manhattan so it made perfect sense to stay there. All of the banking firms and of course the New York Stock Exchange made Manhattan a destination for business. So with the growth of business and a small plot of land Manhattan was destine to grow tall.

Manhattan Island’s skyscrapers are clustered in two regions, the first at the bottom or downtown in the financial district. This is where the World Trade Center was located along with many banks and insurance companies. Further north on the island is Midtown Manhattan. This is where there is another cluster of buildings (the most notable being the Empire State Building) which is close to Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Chrysler Building being the most famous buildings of the group.

Manhattan skyscrapers

With the advent of the skyscraper the city took on a new look and could be seen from miles away. The skyline of Manhattan is distinctive because of its thick cluster of tall office buildings. Being located off of the Long Island Sound gives Manhattan a wonderful setting for artist to do drawings and paintings of this great city. Many artist have made prints so that they could reproduce them for tourists and also make stationary or note cards. The works of many New York artists can easily be seen with a simple Google search of Manhattan prints. The wonderful thing about the Manhattan skyline is that there are so many angles that you can paint from. Very popular are views from Central Park looking down the tree-lined path to the skyscrapers rising above. Manhattan is truly a destination for artist to make watercolors and prints of their great city.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Lincoln Memorial Watercolor Painting #008Z

Lincoln Memorial watercolor #676A pen & ink landmark with it's Classical Architecture.

This article is about the Lincoln Memorial #008Z watercolor painting, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This is an article about the Lincoln Memorial that I have painted in watercolor for making prints.

Lincoln Memorial Watercolor Painting #676. Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

  1. Check the lighting and make sure the day is not too overcast.
  2. Distance your perspective so as to get a solid view of the subject.
  3. Take account of people and other actives that may be an obstacle in creating the work of art.

In Washington D.C. at the far west end of the National Mall sits the Lincoln Memorial. This Classical Greek structure is one of the most beautiful in Washington D.C. and perhaps the country.

Architecture

What makes this building so wonderful is it’s proportions, no other monument in Washington D.C. is so well designed and proportioned. When first looking at the structure you are taken by it’s solid massive form that dominates the western end of the Washington Mall, however, as you study the structure you will see how “light” it appears despite the massive marble and stone that are the building materials for the memorial.

There are twelve fluted columns that run along the facade and rear of the building and eight along each side. The capitals of the columns are in the Doric style. The base of the pillars have no base to rest upon, which in keeping with Classical Architectural tradition (the bottom of the pillars at the Parthenon in Athens have no base). Like the Parthenon the end pillars on each side of the facade are set in slightly closer to the adjacent pillar so as to off-set the optical illusion of appearing to “bend” way from the structure when you look at it from a distance.

Architectural details are as follows.

At the entry of the memorial is an imposing marble staircase that leads right up to opening. There are no doors to be see from the outside of the structure. From a distance looking at the memorial you can see that the opening of the entry takes up the three center spaces between the center columns. Behind the entry are two more pillars that form a rotunda to the hall that contains the famous statue of President Lincoln by Daniel Chester French. This statue is positioned right in the middle of the room and recessed towards the back wall. The space is not as dark as it would appear from looking at it from the steps because there is a glass paneled roof above the statue that emits light into the building.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Washington Monument Watercolor Painting #007Z

Washington Monument watercolor #675A pen & ink landmark is popular because of it's view gardens, and the print is matted 11"x14".

This article is about the Washington Monument #007Z pen & ink watercolor, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This article is about the Washington Monument which I have drawn a watercolor of for making prints.

Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

  1. Time of day.
  2. Subject’s relation to the landscape.
  3. Proportionate perspective of the subject.

At the end of the center of the eastern section of the Mall in Washington D.C. stands the Washington Monument. The monument rises just over 555′ tall and was finished in 1884.

The shape of the Washington Monument is that of an Egyptian obelisk which stands as an anchor for the Capital of the Nation. What is unique about this structure is not only its enormous size (it is the tallest obelisk in the world) but its change of material color of the monument from the bottom third of the structure.

The monument is accessible to the public where there are elevators that go to the top and viewing of the city can be seen from. What makes the Washington Monument very special is its placement on the Mall of Capital Hill. It stands just about half way between the Capital Building at the east end of the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial on the far west end of the Mall. There is a circular walkway all around the monument with flag poles hold the State Flags of every State in the Union. On the west side is a long narrow pond that extends to the Lincoln Memorial and gives off a shining reflection by day light.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Taj Mahal Pen & Ink Drawing On The Yamuna River #006Z

Taj Mahal #2957A pen & ink landmark drawing on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra.

This article is about the Taj Mahal #006Z pen & ink drawing on the Yamuna River, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This is an article on how I do pen & ink drawings for prints of the Taj Mahal. The angle that I have chosen is a view from the banks of the Yamuna River. The Yamuna River flows directly behind the Taj Mahal. I utilized quick broad strokes to capture the essence of the structures that comprise the funerary artwork of complex. The architectural style is clearly Mughal.

To make a pen & ink drawing work it is imperative that you work the lines as efficiently as possible. The more that you crosshatch and darken the more difficult it is to see and understand the image. For example, the opening lines of a late Mozart symphony at first seem simple and almost easy, however, as you become more involved with the symphony the complexity of the symphonic structure becomes apparent. So too with pen & ink drawing, keep your lines simple and to the point.

Taj Mahal Pen & Ink Drawing On The Yamuna River #2957. When doing pen & ink drawings keep the follow points in mind:

  1. Clean lines.
  2. Not too much crosshatching.
  3. Minimal line work to express the image.

In this pen & ink drawing I have kept the line work to a very clear and simple form so as to bring out the forms of the architectural forms. The domes above all had to be handled with the greatest delicacy. Clearly, throughout the ages, the Taj Mahal has endured as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Taj Mahal Pen & Ink Drawing On The Yamuna River #005Z

Taj Mahal #2958A pen & ink landmark drawing on the banks of the Yamuna River.

This article is about the Taj Mahal #005Z pen & ink drawing on the Yamuna River, which is for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. This is a pen & ink drawing that I did, at 8:30 am this morning, from a photo of off Steve McCurry’s Blog. It immediately inspired me as I had never seen the Taj Mahal from this angle. It is a most tranquil scene.

Taj Mahal Pen & Ink Drawing On The Yamuna River #2958. When drawing remember to be:

  1. Clean.
  2. Clear.
  3. To the point.

The Taj Mahal has always been an inspiration for me since childhood as I did drawings of it from the Encyclopedia Britannica. Below is a watercolor of the Taj that I did a few years ago.

The Taj Mahal is located on the banks of the Yamuna River, in Agra, India.

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

National Mall Watercolors and Prints #004Z

Washington Monument watercolor painting with pen & ink lines.

This article is about National Mall #004Z Watercolors, which are for sale at discount with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering JPEG & PDF scans. Then National Mall is a host to many famous museums and monuments. Below are some watercolors of the most famous places at the National Mall.

National Mall Watercolors and Prints. Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

  • Color
  • History
  • Landscape

The National Mall is the anchor or even the heart of the Capital of the United States. The Mall runs east and west and near the center is the grand obelisk of the Washington Monument, the world’s tallest obelisk. My interest in the National Mall is doing watercolors and prints of it.

Watercolor painting of the White House in Washington D.C.
Watercolor painting of the White House in Washington D.C.

When considering a site to do drawings and paintings of, consider the follow:

  1. Scale of subject to landscape.
  2. Light and time of day.
  3. Access to visible structural details.

At the east end of the Mall sits the Capital Building on Capital Hill. There are many important building surrounding the Capital but the two most important are the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court, both lie directly east of the Capital Building. In the center of the Mall on Pennsylvania Avenue sits the White House.

Other museums:

Directly on the Washington Mall on the north side nearest Capital Building are the two buildings that form the National Gallery of Art followed by the museum’s gardens. Continuing along the Mall you are at the National Archive and then the Museum of Natural History. On the opposite side to the south lies the National Air And Space Museum and Smithsonian Institute. These cluster of buildings make up the most important section of the Mall with is the educational and historical repositories of the nation’s capital.

Watercolor painting of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
Watercolor painting of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

At this point you come to a break in the Mall and are standing face to face the Washington Monument. Going past this point to the western side of the Mall are the memorials crowned by the Lincoln Memorial at the head of the west end pond. It has been general held that the Lincoln Memorial is the most beautiful memorial in the Mall for its proportions are exquisite and it follows that same forma as that of the Parthenon in Greece.

Watercolor painting of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
Watercolor painting of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.

Related Links

Manhattan Skyline Watercolor,  Chicago Skyline Watercolors, Philadelphia Skyline Watercolors,

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA