Category: Chicago Skylines

Chicago Skylines by artist and architectural illustrator, Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, of Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, with JPEG & PDF scan and prints of Chicago skyline #026Q.

Chicago skyline watercolor Impressionist painting at dusk.
Impressionistic watercolor painting of the Chicago Skyline at sunset by artist Stephen F. Condren.
Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Brown Pen & Ink Drawing Of Near North Side #056Z

Chicago skyline #869A pen & ink cityscape drawing overlooking Lake Shore Drive by Stephen Condren.

This article is about Chicago skyline #056Z, 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 my brown pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois. The view of the skyline is looking southward from Lincoln Park, along Lake Michigan.

Chicago Skyline Brown Pen & Ink Drawing #869. Key elements to the fine drawing are as follows:

  • Brown Pen & Ink.
  • Lake Michigan.
  • John Hancock Center.
  1. Brown Pen & Ink: This drawing is done in brown pen & ink so as to compliment the soft tones of the drawing. Everything about this drawing flows gracefully and elegantly. The John Hancock Center, which is the centerpiece of the drawing stands aloft in triumph over the scenic cityscape. On the far left is Lake Point Tower, drawn with just the right line work and weight to give full account of that great residential building.
  2. Lake Michigan: The presence of Lake Michigan is all pervasive in the coast drawing as she quietly dominates the lower portion of the drawing from side to side. It is along here that Lake Shore Drive nestles among the trees as it moves traffic along the lakefront.
  3. John Hancock Center: The undisputed grand monarch of Streeterville, and among the greatest skyscrapers of history stands the John Hancock Center. The line work that portrays this great structure is exact and elegant at the same time, perfectly expressing with a few strokes this mighty structure. I have gently worked every detail of this building so as to bring out it excellent proportions, and in so doing leaving the giant exoskeleton out of the drawing.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks, Chicago skyline brown pen & ink,

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Red Bamboo & Ink Drawing #055Z

Chicago skyline bamboo & red ink drawing of near north side.

This article is about Chicago skyline #055Z, 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 my bamboo & red ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline of Streeterville and the John Hancock Center. Key points of this drawing are as follows:

  • Bamboo & Red Ink.
  • John Hancock Center.
  • Elevation.
  1. Bamboo & Red Ink: This delightful drawing is drawn from a large bamboo drawing stick that I have in my studio. With the thick surface of the bamboo it makes a wonderful stylus to make firm thick contour lines and you can clearly see here. I have made the contour of the buildings a flowing wave that characterized the structures and the bamboo pen has made this possible.
  2. John Hancock Center: The deepest red in the entire drawing is the apex of the John Hancock Center, a sort of “cherry on the cake” for the completion of the drawing which also ends this small series that I have done of Streeterville and the John Hancock Center.
  3. Elevation: The elevation is right at sea leave to maximize the height of the John Hancock Center.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Red Pen & Ink Drawing #054Z

Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing of John Hancock Center.

This article is about Chicago skyline #054Z Red Pen & Ink Drawing, 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 my red pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline in Streeterville with the John Hancock Center.

Chicago Skyline Red Pen & Ink Drawing #854. Key points to this drawing are as follows:

  • Red Pen & Ink.
  • John Hancock Center.
  • Negative Space.
  1. Red Pen & Ink: This drawing is done in red in so as to compliment the small series that I have done here.
  2. John Hancock Center: The John Hancock Center has been the focus of my small series here on red pen & inks of Streeterville. This famous building makes a wonderful centerpiece for all the buildings that cluster around it.
  3. Negative Space: The use of fine red lines as an outlines give full body to the skyscrapers that make up Streeterville. I have drawn these in such a manner as to give heft and strength to the images. The use of negative space has been maximized to the extreme without any sacrifice to the robust buildings that make up this great city.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #053Z

Chicago skyline red pen & ink drawing of near north side.

This article is about Chicago skyline #053Z Pen & Ink Drawing, 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 red pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline of Streeterville, and the John Hancock Center.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #852. Key elements to the drawing are as follows.

  • Red Pen & Ink.
  • John Hancock Center.
  • Streeterville.
  1. Red Pen & Ink: This drawing is done in red pen & ink as a change from the standard black ink. I have used this color red to compliment the same red that I have used in the small series of drawings.
  2. John Hancock Center: The John Hancock Center has been the focus of my attention on this drawing and the other that compliment it in this small series. I like how this section of Chicago, called Streeterville, has all of it’s skysrapers gather around the John Hancock Center which is at the very center and makes a great point of culmination.
  3. Streeterville: This area of Chicago is called Streeterville and to most Chicagoans it is the near north side. This area is Chicago’s response to a “midtown” Chicago, but on the north side.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Red Pen & Ink Drawing #052Z

Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing with John Hancock Center.

This article is about Chicago skyline #052Z Red Pen & Ink Drawing, 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 my red pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline at Streeterville with the John Hancock Center in the middle.

Chicago Skyline Red Pen & Ink Drawing #851. Key features of the drawing are as follows:

  • Red Pen & Ink.
  • John Hancock Center.
  • High Contrast.
  1. Red Pen & Ink: I have chosen red pen & ink as a contrast to standard black ink. The red ink brings a warmth to the contour lines of the buildings and enhances there delineation.
  2. John Hancock Center: The center of the drawing is dominated by the world famous John Hancock Center, which was the world’s tallest residence for over four decades! I have deliberately omitted any suggestion of the famous “X”s that are so prominent to the structure. Personally I have never like the exoskeleton for it make the building look like a shipping case. My dislikes were later confirmed when research proved that the giant “X”s were not necessary for structural integrity.
  3. High Contrast: Having omitted the large “X”x completely from the drawing the image of the John Hancock Center is now free to stand and give grace to the other buildings that surround it.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of Streeterville #051Z

Chicago skyline #850A pen & ink cityscape drawing is popular because of it's view of Streeterville.

This article is about Chicago skyline #051Z Pen & Ink Drawing Of Streeterville, 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 my brown pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline viewing Streeterville, and the John Hancock Center.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of Streeterville #850. Key points in this drawing are as follows:

  • Brown Pen & Ink.
  • Composition.
  • Delineation.
  1. Brown Pen & Ink: I have chosen brown ink rather than black to offer a different feeling to the site. Brown ink offers a softer touch than black and is not so stark. This scene is not so demanding or high contrast or dramatic lighting. All of the line work is even and smooth as are the skyscrapers.
  2. Composition: I like having the John Hancock Center in the middle of the composition and then have the other structures gently cascade off from each side. The fact that the John Hancock center is so thin makes this a natural line recession. A large bulky structure would offer no flexibility of line or symmetry.
  3. Delineation: The line work is all very even, there is almost no darkening area of shade and shadows with cross hatched lines. The light is up and clear so it does not push over into dark regions to shadow deeply.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of East Randolph Street #050Z

Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing of east Randolph skyscrapers.

This article is about Chicago skyline #050Z Pen & Ink Drawing Of East Randolph Street, 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 my pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline at east Randolph Street.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of East Randolph Street #778. Key points of the drawing are as follows:

  • High Contrast.
  • Pen & Ink.
  • Elevation.
  1. High Contrast: What makes this drawing a success is properly utilizing negative space to give form to the images of the skyscrapers. Note how strongly and with great stealth the right side of the Aon Center anchor’s the center of the drawing giving it tremendous support. Because of this bold vertical line everything else falls into place.
  2. Pen & Ink: Nothing could better do the job of offering high contract images that pen & ink, if the very nature of it is “on and off”. In other words there is no in between when it comes to ink. You must use hatches and different line weights. To do pen & ink washes would be introducing a whole new topic which is not in the scope of this work.
  3. Elevation: I have chosen a low elevation so as to accommodate the height of the office towers. The view is looking north from Burnham Harbor, though this alignment of skyscrapers is long and thin it yields a massive cluster of office towers.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #049Z

Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing of east Randolph Street 777.

This article is about Chicago skyline #049Z pen & ink elevation drawing in perspective, 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. Most importantly this article is about my pen & ink drawing of east Randolph Street in Chicago, Illinois. Prints & Scans Of This Drawing #049Z ~ Order Here.

Chicago Skyline Drawing. Key points in the drawing are as follows:

  • Elevation.
  • Pen & Ink.
  • Contrast.
  1. Elevation: Because I have chosen a low elevation for the horizon line it will accommodate the height of the tall buildings. Because these are some of the tallest buildings in the world including Trump Tower, Aon Center, Two Prudential Plaza, and the John Hancock Center.
  2. Pen & Ink: Because the drawing is done with pen & ink that accommodate a high contrast in the imagery that I was looking for. A good amount of hatching is utilized in this drawing so as to keep the images architectonic in form. I have omitted all clouds so as to focus on the structures.
  3. Contrast: Most importantly, I am particularly pleased with the Prudential Building and the Aon Center. Because the beautiful white space enhances the structure of these giant. It must be understood that high contract must be used as an accent and not the rule for a drawing, that is why I have not reaped this used of negative space throughout the drawing.

Alt Image Tag

Chicago skyline pen & ink elevation drawing of east Randolph.

Related Links:

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #048Z

Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing of east Randolph Street.

This article is about Chicago skyline #048Z Pen & Ink Drawing #776, 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 my pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline at east Randolph Street.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #776. Key features of this work of art are as follows:

  • Pen & Ink.
  • Elevation.
  1. Pen & Ink: The drawing is making use of black pen & ink and put down on paper in terms of using hatch lines to make the forms of the buildings. There is a heavy use of line work in this drawing leaving little room for “air”. The detailing of the skyscrapers has a complimenting affect on the cityscape all together. Bold lines are not seen here, but rather many fine lines that make up the bold look.
  2. Elevation: The elevation of this pen & ink drawing is low on the horizon line and looking north from Burham Harbor towards Randolph Street. The horizon is foreshortened here and you have both east Randolph Street and Lake Shore Drive under the trees in front of the skyscrapers. Among the skyscrapers you have Trump Tower, the Prudential Building, Two Prudential Plaza, the Aon Center, Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower, the Outer Drive East, and the John Hancock Center, an impressive array of very tall buildings in a very small space!

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

Posted on by

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of Near North Side #045Z

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of Near North Side.

This article is about Chicago skyline #045Z Pen & Ink Drawing Of Near North Side, 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 my pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline at the near north side.

Key points to this drawing are as follows:

  • Hatching.

  • Elevation.

  • Subject.

  1. Hatching: This drawing has a lot of hatching and cross hatching in it. Generally I like to reserve cross hatching for intensification of shade and shadow. In this drawing there is of course shadowing, but I have also used my hatching to create the structures. If you look at the John Hancock Center, I have omitted the famous “X” for the exoskeleton and used simple vertical hatch lines. Likewise with the Water Tower Place just behind and to the life, I have use a series of gentle cross hating lines. These hatches are clearly not shade and shadow but rather structural.
  2. Elevation: The elevation of the drawing is low in comparison to the heights of the buildings in it. The view is from the lake near Lincoln Park and gives a good representation of Streeterville, the beloved neighborhood of the near north side.
  3. Subject: The John Hancock Center is the real subject of this drawing. All of the other building are a “supporting cast” to the scene. Even the titanic Willis Tower is dwarfed by the John Hancock Center in the view due to its distance and recess in the vanishing line plane.

Discount Prices

Free shipping within 48 hours and always on sale at low discount prices ever so cheap by artist Stephen F. Condren.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA