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Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks #168Z

Chicago skyline #871A brown pen & ink cityscape drawing of east Randolph skyscrapers.

This article is about the Chicago skyline pen & inks, 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. No other medium better expresses the landscape of a city than pen & inks. The elements of a skyline are architectural and thus lend themselves to delineation. The clean clear lines show all the intricate details of the buildings. The get the proper tones of shade and shadow hatching and cross-hatching is employed.

Hatching and Cross-Hatching For Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks

Since pen & inks do not make use of water to cast shadows the use of hatching is employed to provide this affect. Hatching is the process of carefully moving the pen & ink lines closely together all parallel to each other. This “screen” or “grid” is the matrix of the shade and shadowing process. The darker that you want the background to be the closer you make the lines. When you want to make things very dark such as in a sunset or night scene you make use of cross-hatching. This is where you drawing the pen & ink lines perpendicular to each other. This makes a screen like affect on the drawing and is very effective.

Architecture for Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks

The subject of skylines is architecture and the line is the backbone of this great topic. The pen & inks better than any other medium bring out the boldness of the cities great architecture. Pencils are excellent but they lack the boldness. Watercolors and oils are good as well but fall short when it come to delineation. It is the power and strength of the pen & inks that set the stage for outstanding architectural renderings and illustrations. When you have sections of a scene that require a lot of fine detail the pen & inks come to the rescue. With razor like accuracy the pen & inks zoom in on the details that you are seeking and produce them with clarity.

Chicago Skyline Art Link

Chicago skyline art

Related Links

Chicago skyline drawings, Chicago skyline of the near north side,

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Chicago Skyline Art #163Z

Chicago skyline #1449A pen & ink cityscape watercolor reflecting in the waters of Lake Michigan with views of the near north side

This article is about Chicago skyline art, 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. I have categorized my Chicago skyline art into four groups: Watercolors, Pen & Inks, Drawings, and Oils.

Watercolors Of Chicago Skyline Art

Chicago skyline watercolor painting of near north side at sunset.
Chicago skyline watercolor at sunset.

Watercolors lend themselves naturally to architectural themes. This genre is the most popular and they sell very well. The beauty of watercolors is the fact that they are translucent and thus let other mediums show through. In the case of skyline art this is an excellent thing because of the linear nature of architectural draftsmanship. Thus with watercolor you get the best of both worlds. You have the fine line detail of the pen & inks and the robust special dimension of the watercolors making a wonderful offering.

Pen & Inks Of Chicago Skyline Art

Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing on Lake Shore Drive with John Hancock Center.
Chicago skyline pen & ink drawing.

Pen & inks are my favorite medium to use for skylines. I am immediately at home when I have the pen & ink in my hands. There is just something magical and pure about the way ink moves from the pen and onto the paper. Also, when it comes to creating architectural works of art the delineation of the ink is a perfect compliment to the subject.

Drawings Of Chicago Skyline Art

Chicago skyline pencil drawing of downtown at night.
Pencil drawing of Chicago skyline.

When I hold a pencil in my hand I feel as though I am a poet. The pencil is like magic for me, it just lets me put down what I am thinking immediately.

Oils Of Chicago Skyline Art

Chicago skyline oil painting at sunset
Oil painting of Chicago skyline at sunset.

Oils of the Chicago skyline can be a daunting task. There is so much architectural activity along side a lake that is as large as a sea, that it is hard to capture. No other medium is stronger than oils. When you compare the image of the skyline oil that you see before you with the others on this page you can see it’s strength.

Skyline Art Link:

Skyline Art

Related Links

Chicago skyline watercolors, Chicago skyline pen & inks, Chicago brown pen & ink drawing of near north side, Chicago skyline drawing with John Hancock Center

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Chicago Navy Pier Pen & Ink Drawing #046Z

Chicago Navy Pier pen & ink drawing with Chicago skyline.

This article is about Chicago Navy Pier #046Z Pen & Ink Drawing and John Hancock Center, 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 Chicago Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Navy Pier Pen & Ink Drawing #941. Key elements to this drawing are as follows:

  • Chicago skyline.
  • Pen & Ink.
  • Horizon.
  1. Chicago skyline: The backdrop of this scene is the cluster of skyscrapers that are at the core of Streeterville, on Chicago’s near north side. At the center of the cluster is none other than the famous John Hancock Center. The skyline makes for a wonderful support to the balance of the Drawing which centers on the Centennial Wheel and then move to the right and stops on the sail boats that are casually sailing on Lake Michigan.
  2. Pen & Ink: I have chosen to draw this scene in pen & ink. Pen & ink work very well with this kind of scene. The sail boats on the right balance out the composition and all the images are gently resting in the hands of the John Hancock Center. The line strokes are ever to carefully places so as not to give that “hatching” effect, but rather I wanted all of the line work in the drawing to be structural. Note the delineation on the John Hancock Center and it’s neighbor, Water Tower Place. All of the ink lines in these buildings have nothing to do with shade or shadow but rather with contour and structure. Because of this, the lines that form the other elements of the drawing all fall into place.
  3. Horizon: The vantage point for this drawing is square on the horizon line. It looks as though we are a bit below the horizon line but we are not. We are close to the water’s edge and above the decks of the sail boats. The horizon line has to be low for this kind of drawing to fit in all of the tall elements, even the tips of the boat sails go up beyond the half way point!

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA