Architectural Illustration can be a collective term that includes multiple ways of interpreting ideas and concepts in design practice. Some professionals prefer using traditional hand-drawing methods and others prefer high-end software. Either way, the core idea is to accurately and aesthetically convey the details of your project.

In this article, you’ll discover the essential steps, skills, and resources needed to become a successful architectural illustrator. Whether you’re identifying potential career scope or exploring your unique style, this blog clarifies how to prosper as a successful architectural illustrator.

Your Guide to a Clear Pathway

Architects hone their imagination skills as they progress along their educational and professional paths. They train themselves to think, visualize, and approach an idea in a critical way that will define a notion. 

The effective process of communicating ideas through expressive illustration can be ambiguous if you’re unsure of your starting point. Here are 5 straightforward steps that can help you in defining your goals and setting milestones as an architectural illustrator. 

1. Skill Development

“Hand drawing is a clearer, faster and more original means of design communication than digital images these days.” 

                                                                                                                   – Jim Keen, Architect, Illustrator & Writer

The traditional way of expressing your designs and ideas in architecture starts with a rough sketch. And that is the foundation of architectural illustration. Acquainting yourself with the basics of drawing and illustration techniques such as perspective, color theory and composition will improve the accuracy and depth of your future digital works.

Incorporating daily sketching into your routine is the best way to practice your illustration skills. Observing and documenting every single detail around you can enhance your drawing style. Getting out and sketching spaces and buildings from real life improves your drawing accuracy. These early-stage habits give you the freedom to learn and analyze the works of experts. 

2. Building a Portfolio

Having worked on multiple styles will give you a better understanding of your interests. This way, the next step is building a diverse portfolio. It is not always required to start with a professional website. Rather, you can start by sharing your progress on any social media platform. It can be an Instagram account with snippets of your sketches or just a physical sketchbook. 

Compile all of your hand-drawn sketches and publish them as a printed zine in your local library to make them more accessible. Building a portfolio gives you confidence in sharing your work with the world and, eventually, your potential clients. To better strengthen your work, seek feedback from your mentors, peers and online communities to identify areas of improvement.

Remember, a portfolio is never a finished work. It keeps evolving as you create new illustrations. So, keep up with the latest trends and update your portfolio regularly.

3. Gaining Experience

The initial phase of gaining experience involves proper planning and execution, as it might take time to develop a client base. One of the best ways to showcase your works is by collaborating with small practices and helping them communicate their ideas through your sketches and illustrations. 

Having a reliable network can help you build your business without adding too much pressure. Keeping a strong online presence is another way to accomplish this. Social media, such as Instagram and YouTube, can help you build a community that resonates with your work. As you grow your audience and client base, you can also diversify by hosting workshops teaching your skills to interested students or professionals. It can reinforce your knowledge and expose you to new perspectives. Build your brand by sharing your processes and techniques by creating video tutorials or through blogging.

4. Defining Your Style & Its Significance

Be it architectural practice or illustration, creating your style will make you stand out from the crowd. However, there is no streamlined pathway to defining your style. The more you practice the skill daily, the more you will discover your unique approach to it. Analyzing and experimenting with various techniques will let you know your best tool. Inspiration can spark out of nowhere, and you must be observant enough to capture it. Document your ideas in a sketchbook and bring them to life without abandoning them. 

It is an agreeable fact that the design process resonates more with the beholder rather than the results. It is well captured in every work of architectural illustration. Architects use them at every stage of the design process, from concept to execution.

5. Networking and Professional Development

The profession of architectural illustration lets you work both individually and for an organisation. While the early stage can be challenging, once you build a community and set an audience for yourself, it is a rewarding career. The more you get your work published, the better it reaches the right audience. Networking is one of the strongest communication tools that speaks for yourself and your skills. It organically leads to multiple opportunities, including finding potential clients, if not valuable acquaintances. 

The key to staying inspired and motivated is to be connected with networks who have similar interests. There are multitudinous architectural illustrator groups available around the world. To list a few:

• American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI)
• Society of Architectural Illustrators

To Wrap Things Up

Architecture is an ever-evolving field, and the opportunities are endless. Given the high demand for architectural illustrators in recent years, new styles are being introduced. Becoming a successful architectural illustrator involves a well-rounded approach. Push your limits and start at any phase of your career. If you’re interested in exploring a beginner-friendly style, check out Sketch Like an Architect: Step-by-Step from Lines to Perspective.

Keep learning, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep illustrating. 

The post 5 Easy Steps to Kickstart Your Career in Architectural Illustration appeared first on Archipreneur.

This week’s interview is with Jim Keen, an architect, illustrator and author from Brooklyn.

Jim has been working as an architect in London, Sydney and New York for twenty years, before he pursued a career in illustration and literature.

In a time when architects have unprecedented means to depict ideas, with an explosion in technology from photo-realistic rendering to virtual reality, Jim took a step back. But his architectural hand drawings are no sentimental approach to good old sketches, rather is he using latest technology to shift the focus back to the essence of the architectural idea. His clear line drawing style communicates the design, atmosphere and space in detail but “without the fake-realness that can so easily derail presentations.”

See for yourself and enjoy the interview!

You have a lot of experience as a practicing architect. When and why did you decide to shift your focus to illustration?

I really enjoyed my architectural career, and over twenty years I was able to work in London, Sydney and New York for both Grimshaw Architects and KPF. I feel very lucky to have achieved what I did.

However I was feeling increasingly restless and wanted to try other approaches to life while I still could. I’ve always wanted to write fiction and I’ve used hand drawn illustrations in successful presentations for years so decided to take the plunge two years ago. I work on illustration in the day and my novel, ‘The Streets and The Skies’ at night while my children are asleep.

Did 20 years of working in an architectural office prepare you for your life as a freelance illustrator and author?

It is a huge help. After working so long ‘on the other side of the table’ there is a sort of short hand you develop in architectural conversations. This means the amount of time architects have to spend explaining the design or revising my work is very small compared to cheaper non architect renderers.

I’m also fluent in the 3D software architects use so they can just provide the model and I do the rest – camera set ups, whatever is needed which is very different from the ‘traditional’ illustrator who wants everything given to them.

Fiction is completely different but being self disciplined and working to tight schedules is something that definitely crosses both careers!

What differentiates your illustrations from photorealistic renderings, which are flooding the architectural world?

Renderings have become so overused they no longer have any impact. Clients are bored of them and the same old presentations give the same old results.

Hand drawing makes your work stand out from the crowd so you immediately make an impact. As it is looser in its character it allows the designer more time to design and helps the client focus on what is important – the space not on the details.

Hand drawing is a clearer, faster and more original means of design communication than digital images these days.

How do you promote your illustrations? Do you do marketing?

I had a lot of plans when I started out but the work came in so quickly, I so far haven’t done any marketing at all apart from my websites – www.jimkeen.com and www.mechanical.one. I’m finding there is a reason startups have two people, one to get the work and one to do the work! I’m looking for a marketer now to help if anyone wants to reach out to me …

What are your tools for “spacial” storytelling?

Apple chose my work to publicize their new iPad Pro as I’ve worked very hard to develop a style of illustration that explains space as clearly and simply as possible with iOS tools. I draw with a 12.9” iPad Pro and use a MacBook Pro when needed.

They’re just tools though – it all starts with the design intent. What is the image to convey and why? Once I understand that I mock up the layout first, proportions, entourage, colors then add as little detail as I can. Less is more if you want the client to appreciate the space quickly.

Look at the illustration style of Hergé in Tin Tin for instance, so much is communicated so simply. There is a great quote from him, “I would have drawn less but I didn’t have the time.” Which explains it well,

like minimal architecture minimal illustrations take far more work than throwing everything possible into the image.

What software do you use to create your illustrations?

iOS – Morpholio Trace and Procreate on an iPad Pro and Photoshop on MacBook Pro for illustrations. Scrivener for writing.

Do you have any advice for archipreneurs who are interested in starting their own business?

Why should anyone use you or your product? You have to be extremely clear about that and have a good reason. (I’ve spent far more time explaining why I draw than I expected!)

Oh and be prepared for most people not to understand why you’re leaving your day job :)

How do you see the future of the architectural profession? In which areas (outside of traditional practice) can you see major opportunities for up and coming developers and architects?

AI and automation are going to reduce architectural employment significantly over the next 30 years. Any job that is rule based (space planning, zoning, scheduling etc) is going away sooner rather than later. However AI will struggle with social interactions so the future is more than ever dependent upon how we interact with each other and the space around us.

About Jim Keen

Jim Keen is an award winning architect who worked for Grimshaw Architects and KPF in London, Sydney and New York. After twenty years in the profession he switched to pursue a career in illustration and literature.

He has perfected a style of visual communication so effective that Apple commissioned art work from him to promote their new iPad Pro. This clear line style communicates the design intent instantly without the excessive detail computer renderings are forced to provide. This enable the client to focus on the design and space instead of details.

He has written three novels, the third of which, “The Streets and The Skies,”  is due out next year.

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