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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Chicago skyline pen & ink elevation drawing of east Randolph.

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Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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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

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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.

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Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #044Z

Chicago skyline #757A pen & ink cityscape drawing with intense shading and cross-hatching.

This article is about Chicago skyline #044Z 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 about my pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline as seen from North Lake Shore Drive.

Image of a chain link with text.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #757. Key elements to the drawing are as follows:

  • Location.
  • Light.
  • Horizon.
  1. Location: The location of the drawing is looking south from Lincoln Park to the near north side of Chicago. It must be understood that this is not the Chicago “Loop” or central business district. Rather, it is more like a “midtown” if you will. This area caters more to hotels, restaurants, and shops. The John Hancock Center is the dominant image in the drawing and it is surrounded by a cluster of smaller, yet tall buildings. To the east of the John Hancock Center is the famous east lake shore drive, tagged as being one of the highest per capita neighbor hoods in the country.
  2. Light: The light is open and full letting the viewer see everything. I have omitted clouds because there were just a few stratus clouds that did not yield and shadowing effect on the scene. The cross hatching is firm and abundant as much of the area is in shade.
  3. Horizon: I have placed the horizon near the base of the drawing so that the John Hancock Center will not be “crushed down” from the top of the picture plane.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #043Z

Chicago skyline #740A pen & ink cityscape drawing with a tree lined view of North Lake Shore Drive.

This article is about Chicago skyline #043Z 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 about my pen & ink drawing of the Chicago, Illinois, skyline.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing #740. Key points in the drawing are as follows:

  • Time of day.
  • Location.
  • Light.
  1. Time of day: It is later in a summer afternoon. At this time you can see most of everything. I am not one that likes overcast days, though Chicago is famous for them. Rather, I prefer clear days with lots of light to see as much as I can. In general I prefer the afternoon sun.
  2. Location: North Lake Shore Drive looking south to the downtown and more specifically to Streeterville, where the John Hancock Center looms over ominously. This is an outline sketch that puts the elements of the cityscape together. I wanted the John Hancock Center to hold command of the scene and then use the tree line of  Lake Shore Drive to soften the images to the left.
  3. Light: Since we are in the afternoon this makes the lighting full thus making it good for me to get a good view of all the details of the scene.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of 600 North Lake Shore Drive #042Z

Chicago skyline #207A pen & ink city scene drawing with a view of North Lake Shore Drive.

This article is about Chicago skyline #042Z Pen & Ink Drawing Of 600 North Lake Shore Drive , 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 in an article on my pen & ink drawing of 600 North Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Ink Drawing Of 600 North Lake Shore Drive #207. These are the key points of this article.

  • Time of day.
  • Lake Shore Drive.
  • Perspective.
  1. Time of day: This pen & ink drawing of 600 N. Lake Shore Drive was done in the afternoon. The sky is clear and the sun is bright making for an excellent day to draw. Since it is a sunny day I am able to clearly draw all the details o the building for I can see everything. My focus is on the two main buildings and then I have gently lightened the detail of the adjacent buildings so that they do not take away from the subject. This trees in the foreground ad a soft touch to a concrete and steel subject.
  2. Lake Shore Drive: The location of this building is on Chicago’s North Lake Shore Drive, directly across from Chicago Navy Pier. Lake Shore Drive is famous for it’s towering skyscrapers, beautiful vistas of Lake Michigan, and luxury residences. This area of Lake Shore Drive is a mix commercial, residential, and educational structures. Chicago Navy Pier is directly across the street and just up the drive are a number of hospitals, clinics, and educational institutions.
  3. Perspective: I have made use of 2-Point Perspective in the creation of this drawing. The left side vanishing point is not far off of the paper whereas the right vanishing point is quite a bit to the right side. If you look carefully at the drawing you can see the alignment of the rays to the respective points. I have done with my eye rather than with T-Square and ruler as I am doing a drawing and not an architectural rendering.

Chicago Skyline Pen & Inks Link

Chicago skyline pen & inks

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA

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Chicago Skyline Paintings And Prints #003Z

Chicago skyline #627A pen & ink cityscape watercolor with the sunset reflecting on the waters of Lake Michigan.

This article is about Chicago Skyline #003Z, 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. Chicago has one of the most spectacular skyline in the world. The lakefront of Lake Michigan makes for a wonderful entry to this city famous the world over for it’s architecture.

Chicago Skyline Paintings And Prints. Key elements of this work of art are as follows.

  • Architecture
  • Color
  • Light

The Chicago skyline is something of a miracle that rose out of the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. It is my interest, as an artist, to do paintings, watercolors, and prints of this great American city.

When doing a painting or drawing of any cityscape or skyline, keep the follow points in mind:

  1. Distance of subject.
  2. Lighting.
  3. Sufficient detail.

In this horrific event the entire center city was burn to the ground and hundreds of people were killed. The fire is one of the greatest tragedies of American History. However, with the vision of men like Potter Palmer and Marshall Field the city grew. Chicago was able to take up its vision of being a great metropolis and moved forward to build what was at the time the most modern city in the world.

Art Institute of Chicago:

Across Michigan Avenue on the east side is the world-famous Art Institute of Chicago home to some of the most famous paintings in the world. I the collection the internationally celebrated “American Gothic” by Grant Wood. The Art Institute is the only permanent building permitted to be on the east side of Michigan Avenue.

Chicago Skyline Watercolors Link

Chicago skyline watercolors

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Chicago skyline watercolor sunset paintings, Chicago skyline at sunset, Chicago skyline watercolor painting at sunset,

Stephen F. Condren ~ Artist

312-303-0207

School of the Art Institute of Chicago ~ BFA