House Portraits by artist and architectural illustrator, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, with JPEG & PDF scan and prints of House Portraits #014Q.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #401Z, of a property sold by Frankie & Michelle Nunez of Remax Suburban in Libertyville, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Frankie & Michelle!
This article is about watercolor house portrait #400Z, of a property sold by Sarah Lyons of @Properties, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Sarah!
@properties | Real Estate Broker 30 Green Bay Road Winnetka, Il 60093 p.847.881.0200 f. 847.881.0222 c.847.436.4351 [email protected]
Property Sold
554 Earl Drive, Northbrook, Illinois.
554 Earl Drive, Northbrook, Illinois
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #400Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the staring point for making the house portrait, because it is the foundation of the rendering. Drawing the sketch of the house is needed, because it is the patterned for the rendering. It is always important to use a guide, because you will drawing the house accurately.
Pencil house portrait.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing is commenced after I finish with the pencil sketch, because I use the sketch as a guide.
Pen & ink house portrait.
Pen & ink house portrait.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering is done after the ink has dried, because the ink will not bleed. Watercolor is translucent so the pen and ink show through, because it is clear. I use the ink lines as guides, because they are clear.
Watercolor house portrait.
Watercolor house portrait
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #400Z by artist Stephen F. Condren.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #302Z, of a property sold by Broker Cindy Kief, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Cindy Kief!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #302Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing below shows the basic outline of the house. I really liked this view of the home because of the angle and most Importantly, because of the fabulous tree! The landscaping is outstanding and I so wanted to capture it.
The large stone as the bottom of the photo make for an excellent support to the large tree above and the house. Because of the large stones, the trees is permitted to show the glory of it’s posture as it leads you to the entrance of the house.
The pencil sketch is the most important step in the creation of a house portrait, as it is putting the foundation together.
Pencil house portrait
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing below show the delineation of the house. If you look closely you can see the address “25” in the driveway light. Underneath the ink you can see the outlines of the pencil sketch.
As always there are adjustments to be made. For example; I removed leaves from the tree that were blocking the view of the house. Also, I had to move the lamp post to the right so as not to block the front window.
Pen & ink house portrait
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering below is the finished product. This brings together the pencil, pen & ink, and color.
Watercolor house portrait.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of watercolor house portrait #302Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. For Watercolor House Portrait
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #302Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portrait #302Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #302Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #302Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
House portraits #300Z, watercolor and pen & ink for Elizabeth Henning, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints. Congratulations Elizabeth Henning! Order House Portraits Here.
This lovely Georgian house has been commissioned by Elizabeth Henning of her home. Because the commission entails to works of art, one in watercolor, and the other in pen & ink, it was a great way to do one in color and the other in pen & ink. The two pieces are of the same house but from different angles. The perspective of these renderings will be discussed below.
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portraits #300Z
Below are two pencil drawings of the Henning home. The top sketch is of the façade, and coach entry of the home. This is truly and grand old estate and beautiful in every way. The proportions, the scale, and the position on the lot are all well done.
Of course the pencil drawings lay out the foundation of the house portrait, much like the basement of a house.
Pencil house portrait.Pencil house portrait.
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawings below show the façade and side of the home. This property is located on a corner lot and it really showcases the architecture. I have employed the use of hatching and cross-hatching to bring out the shade and shadows of the home.
The nice thing about doing a drawing of a home like this is that you cannot go wrong. Because no matter how you draw it, the rendering always look great because of the beauty of the home. Most importantly, I always find it a challenge to get a simple suburban ranch to look like this!
Pen & ink house portrait.Pen & ink house portrait.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering is the final product and I have to say that it look just grand! This house is truly a lady of grace and high station.
Watercolor house portrait
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of house portraits #300Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor house portraits #300Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portraits #300Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portraits #300Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portraits #300Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portraits #300Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #290Z, of properties sold by Broker/Realtor Cathy Litoborski of Realty Executive Elite, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Cathy!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #290Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the foundation of the house portrait. As you can see from the two drawings below, I have drawn the basic elements of the house to convey the size, landscape, and proportions of the composition.
4111 is the top drawing and you can see the large chimney in the center of the house, which is the anchor of the rendering. The large round bushes nicely enhance the brick house.
20208 is the fine ranch home below the sketch of 4111. As with the drawing above, the focus has been on the composition of the house and it’s relationship to the perspective. In both drawings all the key elements are in place and never do I go and detail sections of the work of art. Detailing comes later.
Pencil house portrait sketch by artist Stephen F. Condren.
On the left side of the drawing you can see the garage and from there is the front walk that leads to the entrance. I have detailed where I would like the trees in the background to be. I have deliberately spaced the trees so as not to crowd out the image. The hall my of my work here is the space above the apex of the garage, this is what I call “breathing” space, for it give room for the rendering to be seen. If you busy up the drawing with details then you cannot see the forest through the trees.
Pencil house portrait sketch by artist Stephen F. Condren.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawings below are taken directly from the pencil sketches above. At this point I have to look at both the pencil sketch and the MLS Photos. The general outline is given in the sketch, but I have to make sure that everything is exact, so I look carefully at the photos.
In the drawing directly below, I have made the shadow of the chimney show onto the left side of the roof. In keeping with the shadow lines I have made the shading on the bushes up front to the left side as well. The canopy over the roof had shadows as well, however, I did not want to cover up the address on the wall, so I shortened the hatching of the lines at that point.
Pen & ink house portrait by artist Stephen F. Condren.
I have made use of the eaves to bring out the shading along the roof line. There is no overhang on the front of the garage. The ranch is a nice level structure that lends itself to being landscaped with ease. The font lawn is wide open to let your eyes go right to the house and rest upon the trees behind.
Pen & ink house portrait by artist Stephen F. Condren.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering is the final phase of the house portrait. Directly below you can see the bring detail of the ink rendering. The power of the pen & inks come through at all times so it is imperative to be accurate with every stroke. I am very pleased with how well balance the colors of the landscape are in relation to the house and the perspective.
The sidewalk gently leads you up towards the entry and you are protect by the shade of the canopy. I have made use of fall colors to ad variety to the landscape. Prints can be made easily from the scans that come with the house portraits.
Watercolor house portrait by artist Stephen F. Condren.
The atmosphere is light and fresh as can be seen with the lightly colored landscape in the rendering below. Because the house rests firmly on the front lawn it has a commanding stance upon the composition of the watercolor. Poster prints can be made from enlargements of the scans provided.
Watercolor house portrait.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of house portrait #290Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor house portrait #290Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #290Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portrait #290Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #290Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #290Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #285Z, of a property sold by Brokers Michelle and Frankie Nunez Jr. of Remax Suburban in Libertyville, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Frankie & Michelle!
Michelle Nunez Broker Associate RE/MAX Suburban 1344 S. Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville, IL 60048 Direct Line: 847-557-8502Mobile: 847-400-6718Fax: 847-637-8196 Email: [email protected]Website: www.NunezHomesTeam.com
Property Sold
345 Hoxie Avenue, Elgin, IL 60123
Photo of 345 Hoxie Avenue, Elgin, IL 60123
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #285Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the starting point for the house portrait. As you can see from the sketch below, the outline gives you the basic form of the property and the house in the background. I have used a 6B lead to make the sketch so that you can see the delineation more clearly. Also, a darker lead makes it much easier for the scanner to pick up the image for reproductions and prints.
Pencil house portrait.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing below shows the lines of the pencil sketch from beneath. Unlike the pencil sketch, the pen & ink drawings have to be exact. There is no room for error here, for what you see is what you get.
Vertical Lines for watercolor house portrait #285Z
I really enjoyed doing this house portrait and in so doing I took some risks with the composition. As you can see from the photo above, the scene is in winter and there are woods and trees all over. I of course had to reduce the about of trees to that you could get a good handle of the house in the rendering. However, a favorite thing of mine is hatching and cross-hatching. To capture the background woods of the house, rather than move the pen in many cross and haphazard patterns to denote the trees, I used loose vertical lines. This makes for a great screen and backdrop for the scene.
River
The river beautifully enters the drawing from the left side and curves towards the background. Because along both sides of the river are trees and bushes. I made a point to boldly delineate these elements to give strength to the drawing. The long low wall that borders the river by the playhouse I have made bolder to as to bring out that form.
Tree Shadows watercolor house portrait #285Z
One of my favorite parts to the house portrait are the shadows made by the tree from the far right side of the drawing. Because these trees cannot be seen as they are off of the photo, however, the afternoon setting sun is shining through them casting their shadows along the driveway and lawn to the river.
Bushes
The cluster of three mid-size bushes in the front left of the drawing are the anchor for the piece as everything is balanced from them. Without these bushes you would not properly understand the driveway, as they are adjacent to it.
Pen & ink house portrait
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor is the glory of the painting. I am very pleased with how the watercolor of the trees in the foreground blend in perfectly with the vertically lined trees in the background. Most importantly, I have made the brush strokes light and fresh.
The beauty of the river is made manifest with the mix of blues that I have blended to achieve a gracious tone.
Watercolor house portrait by artist Stephen F. Condren.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of house portrait #000Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor house portrait #285Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #285Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portrait #285Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #285Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #285Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #281Z, of a property sold by Broker John Blair of Baird & Warner, Lt. Colonel, USAF (Ret.), and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations John Blair!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #281Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the first step in creating the house portrait. This is the foundation just like the basement of a house. It is not polished and refined like the finished product but it is fundamental to the core elements of the work of art.
Below you can see that I have put the tree in on the left side of the drawing leaving room for it when I apply the pen & ink and watercolor. I have lowered the angle of the house so that it looks more natural than the photo.
All of the doors and windows are clearly denoted so that it is ready for more permanent detailing. The sidewalk out front give the support from below to delineate the composition of the house portrait.
Pencil house portrait.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing is the final permanent drawing of the house portrait. It is absolutely mandatory to watch carefully all the detail because you cannot make any mistakes. What you see is what you get. Any attempt to use white out to patch up an error only gets washed away when I apply the watercolors.
Pen & ink house portrait.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering is the final phase of the house portrait. Here you can see that I have applied color to the landscape and house to give a rich full look to the home.
Watercolor house portrait.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of house portrait #000Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor house portrait #281Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #281Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portrait #281Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #281Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #281Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #283Z, of a property listing by Realtor Roger Schluter of Windermere Real Estate, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the rendering is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Roger!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #283Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the beginning of a house portrait. Like the house itself, the preliminary sketch is just like the foundation or basement of a home, being rough and basic, but offering supported to the superstructure.
I make use of a 6B lead to draft the sketch so that it is easy to see and I apply the ink and shows up much more clearly in the scans. As you can see from the sketch below, the image of the house is loose and vague. This is important for this is only the guide for the pen & ink which come later. Also, most importantly, this sketch lets me know what objects are closest to the picture plane.
For example, the large bush on the lower right is at the beginning of the driveway and so it has to be delineated first so that I do not draw through it. In the same manner, the large tree at the center has to be delineated so that I know not to draw the lines of the house though it.
Pencil sketch of a house portrait.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing is the tough guy. This is where the rubber meets the road. When you apply the ink it has to be correct. You cannot us white or other office supply store “fix it” paste, this is because when you apply the watercolor it washes away the white out!
When I apply the ink I carefully look at both the sketch and the photo at the same time. I cannot make any mistakes.
When you look at the drawing below, you can see how well the pencil sketch worked for leaving space for the large bush at the front of the driveway, and also for the large tree at the center. You have to leave these spaces open.
The hatching and cross-hatching of the pen & ink lines give great structure and contour to the rendering. Most importantly, they offer volume with the shade and shadows.
Pen & ink house portrait.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering is the final product and the summation of the efforts provided by the pencil sketch and the pen & inks. You can see by looking at the watercolor below how nicely the tones fit with the pen & ink. There are variations on the greens and yellow to balance out the landscape. Also, I have mixed a number of chrome colors to attain the intensity of red for the front bush.
Inscription for watercolor house portrait #283Z
The inscription at the bottom runs nicely along the sidewalk at the lower center of the watercolor. I am very careful with the use of the pen & ink for this.
Watercolor house portrait.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of house portrait #283Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor house portrait #283Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #283Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portrait #283Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #283Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #283Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor architectural rendering #282Z, of a property listing by Realtor Trisha Kannon of d’aprile properties, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the rendering is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Trisha!
Since the property is unimproved, working drawings of the site structure are provided in the four images below. The architectural rendering that you see at the top of this post, was created from these four elevation working drawings.
When making a rendering from blueprints, it is best to look everything over, for there are always errors in the elevations and this can catch up with you when you are doing the rendering. Watching for all the details is paramount.
Front Elevation Working Drawing,Right elevation Working Drawing.Left Elevation Working Drawing.Rear elevation Working Drawing.
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #282Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the start of the house portrait. If there are changes to be made, this is the time to make them. Generally, I do a light sketch to give an over all scope of the drawing. Then I detail the important parts. For example, I have taken care to make the “tower” structure to the right a part of the design, rather than an element jutting out front. This detail has to convey the message of the house design.
The other important element to the sketch is the foreshortening of the garage which is located to the left side of the house. The garage does not “come out” very far at all, as it is really a side load garage from the left elevation of the home, which cannot be seen from the angle.
1, Pencil architectural rending sketch.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing is where the rubber meets the road. You cannot make any mistakes here because everything shows. Using whiteout to cover up mistakes get exposed when you apply the watercolor because it washes away the whiteout! I am careful to use the outline of the pencil as my guide when I do the pen & ink. It should be noted that I look at both the working drawings of the house at the same time that I am looking at the pencil sketch as my guide. All has to be done with care.
Steps of pen & ink drawing progression
Below you will see five pen & ink drawing is chronological sequence until the final rendering in ink.
The watercolor rendering is the final product, which can be seen below. It must be understood that this rendering was made from working drawings, or blueprints. Therefore, there is no landscaping to work with, and thus I have to create my own landscape.
Working from blueprints is always far more complicated than from a photograph, because with the later you have the image of the house right before you. Whereas, in working from blueprints you have to use your mind to create the perspective because all of the image on the blueprints are flat!
7, Watercolor architectural rendering.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of watercolor architectural rendering #282Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor architectural rendering #282Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor architectural rendering #282Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor architectural rendering #282Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor architectural rendering #282Z a staple of my delineaton works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor architectural rendering #282Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #279Z, of a property sold by Broker Nano Engdahl of Baird & Warner, and written by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery ~ the house portrait is done first as a pencil drawing and then a pen & ink, which comes with JPEG & PDF scans for making prints, note cards, and stationery. Congratulations Nano!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #279Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is first done for layout. As you can see in the image below, I have put the note in the right spot and moved the driveway light in a bit more so that it fits well with the landscape. I can look the whole thing over to make sure that the house properly fits in the composition. If you have changes to make this is the time to make them.
I particularly like the two oaks to the far right of the composition. The branches reach out over the top of the house with look really cool. Also, I like the fir tree on the front lawn next to the lamp light.
Pencil House Portrait Sketch
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing is where the rubber meets the road. You have to get it right the first time or you are dead! You cannot use “white out” to “fix” mistakes because the watercolor washes it away. So do it right!
Below you can see how I have gone over the lines of the pencil to keep the form the same. I do not trace the image, I merely draw with pen & ink over the pencil. The pencil sketch is a guide, sort of like a prompter at the opera house. Do not worry about making it perfect. The perfect lies in you drawing with the ink. Remember, I am drawing from the photograph not the sketch.
Pen & Ink House Portrait
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering is the last phase of the house portrait. You can easily see the work of the pen & ink below and now the fresh tones of color are applied. I have erased any of the salient pencil marks, like those on the note and part of the landscape. I like the pencil to compliment the work of art not compromise it.
Watercolor House Portrait
Scans
JPEG & PDF
Scans of house portrait #279Z are available in JPEG or PDF formats for making prints, note cards, or posters.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for watercolor house portrait #279Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #000Z.
Stephen F. Condren for watercolor house portrait #279Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #279Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #279Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
