Pen & ink #106K drawing of your home is an article about house portrait stylus sketches, written by artist Stephen F. Condren, BFA-SAIC, at Condren Galleries, a Fine Arts Gallery, offering prints and JPEG & PDF scans, which are on sale at low discount prices. Because house portraits are great, their prints are great!
Pen & ink house portrait by artist Stephen F. Condren.
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 #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 house portrait #276Z, of a property sold by Broker/Realtor, Renee Devedjian, of @Properties, 2571 Waukegan Road, Bannockburn, IL 60015, 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 Renee Devedjian!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor house portrait #276Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing is the foundation of the house portrait. As you can see from the sketch below I have captured the image of the house precisely. The photo of the home was distorted making it recede down to the left, so I adjusted the perspective to a more natural view.
All that you need in the sketch is the simple clean line. I do not busy up the preliminary sketch with shade and shadows, that is not that task at hand.
Because the large ornamental tree and flowers were blocking the right side of the house, I moved them over to the right so as to get a clear view of the entire structure.
Pencil sketch of a house portrait by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing is where the rubber meets the road! There is no turning back at this point and you have to do it right! Once the ink hits the paper it is final, just like a house closing. You cannot use white out or other gimmicks to cover over mistakes because when you apply the watercolor it washes all the white out away! What you see is what you get.
In the drawing below you can see that I have carefully followed the outline given to me from the pencil sketch from above. I enhanced the tree behind the house to have grace to the composition. Generally, I do not put ink on the background trees but this drawing seemed to call for it.
Pen & ink house portrait by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor is very carefully applied because you cannot go back and fix it. Since watercolor is transparent you can see everything, so you have to set the colors in place correctly the first time.
On both sides of the composition I have put a touch of red for the Norway Maples which are there. The sidewalk and steps are brick pavers and so I used a touch of red and brown to bring out those tones.
Watercolor house portrait by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
As a follow-up after sending the house portrait to me clients, I email them the scan of the watercolor. The scan can be put into JPEG or PDF formats for making note cards or stationary as follow-up gifts for clients.
Condren Galleries Ltd. for Watercolor house portrait #276Z
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #276Z for Realtor Renee Devedjian.
Stephen F. Condren for Watercolor house portrait #276Z
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #276Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #276Z pen & ink drawing with prints by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
Related Links
Watercolor house portrait by artist and United States Navy Veteran, Stephen F. Condren.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #269Z, of a property sold by Anne Ferrante, Realtor, Kienlen Lattmann Sotheby’s International Realty, 68 North Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920, and written by artist 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 note cards. Congratulations Anne Ferrante!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #269Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
This is the pencil sketch or stylus sketch, that begins the drawing. I have done a nice layout of the drawing in relation to the landscape and the trees behind. I made special not of the large tree on the lawn to the right, so as not to let it overcome the right side of the landscape.
House portrait sketch for Realtor Anne Ferrante.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing, which is a stylus sketch, is carefully done over the pencil sketch as a guide for the ink. All changes, if any, must be made at the time of the pencil sketch because the pen & ink is merciless! When the ink touches the paper that is it, no going back.
If you look closely you can see the lines of the pencil in the background, under the house, and through the trees.
House portrait pen & ink sketch for Realtor Anne Ferrante.
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor rendering or house painting, is the final step. I have made if very clear to have the colors show through. I do not want the paint to look “worked”. Watercolor are at their best when they look fresh.
I have made sure that the ink lines show nicely for the tree trunks and blend in with the leaves. I did not make use of any hatching or cross-hatching in this rendering because the house is very wide and thin.
Hatching
If I had hatched the eaves it would have made the walls look too close to the brick below. Also, in the covered porch I did not us hatching either, because there were too many lines being used to show the curved of the door and entrance. Putting down more lines would have caused confusion. I did, however, shade the area under the entry with a nice lavender tone, but no ink lines.
Bird Bath & Fence
To keep in the charm I made sure to include the fence. Not much is showing, but that is all that you need to bring in the charm. The birdbath makes for the cherry on the cake!
House portrait watercolor for Realtor Anne Ferrante.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
As a follow-up after the closing for making note cards.
Condren Galleries Ltd.
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #269Z for Realtor Anne Ferrante.
Stephen F. Condren
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #269Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #269Z with pen & ink drawings, prints, and by artist Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portraits #266Z, of properties sold by Realtor Daniel Soldano, of Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Brooklyn, New York, and written by artist 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 note cards. Congratulations Daniel Soldano!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portraits #266Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing, which is a clinker stylus sketch, is the first thing that I do. This is the foundation of the rendering. I look at the MLS images that are emailed to me by Daniel Soldano, so that I can get a good understanding of how to approach this work of art.
It must be understood that these renderings are commissions and unique works of art that go up in value.
Black BMW 3 Series
As you can see from the sketch below, I have captured the essential form of the structure, and given just enough detail so that I can move on to the next step which is the pen & ink. If there are to be any changes to be made, this is the time. For example, I texted Mr. Soldano these two sketches for him to view. He came back to me as asked me if I could put a black BMW Series #3 in front of the condominium building. I was pleased to do this, so I took the sketch and then penciled in the BMW, which you can see below. This car was not in the original as you can tell from the bolder line work. Naturally, I had to tease Danny by telling him that I would have to draw the BMW with a boot since it is illegally parked!
Rendering
The rendering of this duplex structure is very pleasing. The well designed structure rests firmly on the lot with ample setback from the street. The pencil sketch nicely captures the proportions and scale of the dwelling.
Pencil sketch rendering by artist Stephen F. Condren for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Perpective
Below you can see the vanishing lines of the perspective heading down to the horizon line to the left. Like spokes in a tire, these lines all radiate from a fixed point on the horizon. On the bottom right you can see the BMW 3 Series sketched in place.
Pencil sketch hand rendering by artist Stephen F. Condren for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
Pen & ink, as stylus sketch, is where we separate the men from the boys. Unlike the loving and merciful lead pencil, the pen & ink lacks all kindness and can truly be called merciless. When that ink touches the paper the party is over, there is no going back, or asking for favors. What you see is what you get! With that in mind, it is crucial to follow the guidelines of the pencil so as to have direction. The purpose of the pencil sketch is to make the foundation of the drawing, the pen & ink is the drawing!
Hatching & Cross-hatching
The best way to give accent to a pen & ink drawing is through shade and shadow, and this is done through hatching and cross-hatching. To effectively bring out the depth of field in the rendering, as well as give strength to the image of the structure, I have done fine line hatch marks, in parallel under the awnings. Further, I have encapsulated the hatched lines with a contour line so as to make sense of the hatch marks. Pen & ink lines are strong, and they make their image strong!
Pen & ink hand rendering by artist Stephen F. Condren for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Hatching
In the rendering below you can see the same use of hatching done to give shadowing to the lower section of the building, especially the garage entry, and the shops. I have eased up on the hatching under the trees because that is not the area of focus it is not prudent to put attention to minor spots.
Pen & ink hand rendering by artist Stephen F. Condren for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Watercolor
Painting
Now the fat lady sings, for we are now in the watercolor painting. This fair lady is the crown jewel of the rendering as she brings in her grace and finesse. Because the hard work of the pencil sketch, and pen & ink lines have done their part, this ballerina gently flows across the image and fills it in with life. Look how fresh and natural the rendering looks with tones and color!
Watercolor hand rendering by artist Stephen F. Condren for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Landscape
Both in the renderings below and above the touches of green bring the architecture to life. Green is the most restful color to the eye, and thus is a comfort to those viewing it.
Watercolor hand rendering by artist Stephen F. Condren for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Scans
JPEG & PDF
The images of watercolor house portrait #266z are capture with JPEP & PDF scans.
Condren Galleries Ltd.
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is pleased to have been to participate in the execution of watercolor house portrait #266Z for Realtor Daniel Soldano.
Stephen F. Condren
Artist
As an artist I have made watercolor house portrait #266Z a staple of my architectural rendering works.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #266Z pen & ink drawing with prints by Stephen F. Condren at Condren Galleries.
This article is about watercolor house portrait #264Z, of a property sold by Broker/Realtor Ray Wade, owner of Legacy Texas Properties in Houston, Texas, and written by artist 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 note cards. Congratulations Ray Wade!
Pencil Drawing For Watercolor House Portrait #264Z
Clinker Stylus Sketch
The pencil drawing, which is a clinker stylus sketch, is the foundation of a house portrait and it can be seen under the pen & ink in the image below under Pen & Ink Drawings. It is against aesthetic practice to erase any work done by the artist, no matter how small. The same holds true for house portraits, which are Fine Art as they are private commissions. Each house portrait is a work of Fine Art and must be treated with utmost respect. In the case of pencil sketches that I do for my clients, I only erase the writing of the note. So if you look at the note in the pen & ink below you will see my hand writing.
Because I am going to write the note in ink, the pencil is merely a guide and not part of the work of art. If you look at the watercolor below you an see that my pencil notes are gone. However, if you look closely you can see the pencil sketching under the house and the landscaping, that is good artwork!
Pen & Ink Drawing
Stylus Sketch
The pen & ink drawing, which is a stylus sketch, is the blood and guts of the house portrait. Nothing can be hidden from the all might pen! Because the pen & ink lines are so bold and clear you have to make sure that they are correct from the start. Most importantly, pen & inks are very demanding and very unforgiving. If you make a mistake it is there forever. There is no use in using “white out” or other slick patches to “fix” the error, for when the watercolor come it will expose all of that folly! When you do pen & ink you have to do it correctly.
Picture Plane
The picture plane is the paper, or the TV screen, or a movie screen. This is the surface that everything that your eye sees rests upon. In the rendering below you can see that I have left space for the trees. Thus, when I drew the eave lines I stopped and made a pause and then continued, leaving room for the tree trunk. This hold true for the bushes and other objects in front of the house. The use is that any object in front gets priority seating. Thus, the bushes in the front of the yard get the highest priority as they are in front of everything.
Shade & Shadow
Because the nature of pen & ink is linear, they express form and motion through hatching and cross-hating. If you look at the front porch you can see a series of short vertical lines going along from the left to right. Please note that I have left space for the columns. If I had just kept making the vertical lines through the columns then it would have ruined the depth of field for the porch, flattened the image, and ruined the drawing. Hatching makes a pen & ink drawing strong!
Pen & Ink House Portrait
Watercolor
Painting
The watercolor of the rendering is the final step in doing the house portrait. Watercolor like pen & ink is very demanding and very unforgiving. When the brush hits the paper there is no turning back, what you see is what you get! And since your client has paid for this commission it had better be good!
Freshness
The most important element in a watercolor is freshness. You should be able to smell the roses! When you try and work the brush over the paper the drawing will immediately fall into ruin. You have to be fresh, clean, and clear when applying watercolors. You cannot undo what is wrong. It is better to live with error than ruin the work of art over a detail. Every work of art in history, form Leonardo Da Vinci to Picasso has errors in every single work that they have done, and I have as well.
Sunset
The time of year in the watercolor is winter and the time of day is sunset. I have put a suggestion of crimson in the yellow sky to give the warmth of the evening sun to the rendering. A bit of lavender sets the tone of the evening sky and a touch of green in the trees gives hope for spring that is almost here.
Watercolor House Portrait
Scans
JPEG & PDF
As a follow-up after the closing, every good Realtor know that you have to stay in touch with your clients. A good way to do this is to come offering something. So at a later time that the Realtor deems appropriate he or she can call upon their client with a nice box of note cards or stationery with the watercolor of their home!
All house portraits come with scans in JPEG format. You can email this scan to any local printer and they can make note card or stationery at your request of watercolor house portrait #264Z.
Condren Galleries Ltd.
Fine Arts Gallery
Condren Galleries is my place for art and it is here that I offer paintings and watercolor of any subject. Because I have done house portraits and architectural rendering for my entire career and I am pleased to offer this to all of my clients.
Stephen F. Condren
Artist
As an artist I can do figure drawings and paintings as well and portraits of people, the range is great and I love my work. I am honored to do watercolor house portrait #264Z for Ray Wade.
Alt Image Tag
Watercolor house portrait #264Z, pencil drawing, pen & ink, JPEG & PDF scans, Condren Galleries.
