Vence

A street view in the old part of Vence. Brush and ink wash on watercolor paper. Done on site, December, 1971. Original size: approximately 8" by 12".

Vence

A view of a small square in the old part of Vence. The town is situated to the northwest of Nice. This was one of the sites I frequented with a group of architecture students in what was called the cadre de vie (or environment) team. The task was to sketch urban architecture in the south of France. This sketch looks as if it took a lot of time. Drawn on site, pencil on paper, December, 1971. Original size: approximately 8" by 12". 

Beach House

Apropos of Provence and the Côte d'Azur, here is a beach house design that I made in 2006 using Google SketchUp. It is a composition of planes and pastels; a design that is a little bit Le Corbusier, a little bit Paul Rudolph, and a little bit Mid-Century Modern motel. The plan area is less than 1000 square feet; yet the variety in the volumes of space and the open plan make it seem larger. On my architect website, it uses different materials and is called a weekend cottage.

Nice Vieille Ville

Pencil sketch on paper of a doorway in the old quarter of Nice. Original size: 6" by 8", done on site, December, 1971. Image posterized in 2011.

Nice Vieille Ville

I had the opportunity to spend a month in Provence while I was studying in France in 1971. This is a typical street view in the vieille ville section of Nice. The location listed below is not the place where the sketch was done, but it gives the general atmosphere. Original size: 7" by 12", done on site, pencil on paper, December, 1971. The drawing image was posterized in 2011 using Moodboard.

Place Charles de Gaulle

Back to the right bank of Paris with a sidewise view of the Arc de Triomphe. Drawn on site in felt tip marker on tracing paper, October, 1971.

Place de l'Odéon

A rapid sketch done on site with the Odéon Theatre on the left. This Parisian public square reminds me of the Piazza della Rotonda in Rome, which also has a somewhat lunette shape in plan, but with the Pantheon as the focal point. Original size: approximately 3" by 3", felt tip marker on tracing paper, October, 1971.

Place de l'Odéon

Another approach to the place with the Luxembourg Garden in the distance and one side of the Odéon Theatre on the left. Original size: 3" by 4". Drawn on site with felt tip marker on tracing paper. October, 1971.

Place de l'Odéon

One of the least known (at least to Americans) Parisian public squares. A view down the Rue de l'Odéon toawrd the Odéon Theatre. As is typical in Paris, there is a vista pointing to a landmark, which is part of the architectural experience of the square. A rapidly drawn sketch, done on site, felt tip marker on trace, approximately 3" by 3" original size, October, 1971.

Boulevard Saint-Michel

A quick study done at a café, probably Le Lutèce. Felt tip marker on tracing paper, 2" by 3" original size, October, 1971.

Boulevard Saint-Michel

A sketch in front and under the awning of the papeterie Gibert Jeune on the Boulevard Saint-Michel in the Latin Quarter of Paris. Drawn on site in October, 1971; felt tip marker on tracing paper. Original size: approximately 5" by 4 1/2". As an aside, all of my tracing paper drawings were done on a sketch pad called a Croquis-Échelle Canson. This pad had a printed grid that I could tuck under the sheet of trace in order to assist in scaling and proportion.

Le Marais

This elevation of a student project that I worked on during my study in France in 1971 had the lofty title of "International Center for the Study of Diplomacy." The site was in the Marais district of Paris, near Place des Vosges. The building was a boomerang shape in plan that surrounded the Hôtel Salé (which much later housed the Musée Picasso). Ink and pencil on vellum (with Ock D. Eng); sepia tone added to image in 2011. Original size: 24" by 18".

Place des Vosges

One of the arcades in the place. Drawn on site, original size: 3 1/2" by 3 1/2", felt tip marker on trace, October, 1971; and posterized using Moodboard in 2011.

Place des Vosges

View toward Pavillon de la Reine leading into Place des Vosges from the north. Original size: 3" by 4", sketched on site, felt tip marker on tracing paper, October, 1971. The sketch image was posterized in 2011 on Moodboard, an iPad app.

Place des Vosges

The oldest planned public square in Paris, from the beginning of the 18th century. This sketch does not really convey the sense of the place, though it was drawn on site. The encompassing façades are more apparent in the actual space. Original size: 5" by 3", felt tip marker on tracing paper, October, 1971.



Cliff House

Now for something completely different. I recently worked on a small vacation retreat, 710 sq. ft. in area. Here are a perspective drawing of it and an interior motion sequence, produced using Google SketchUp. Another perspective of this project is used in the header block of the blog. It was made with SketchUp with a night setting and a fog rendition to give it some atmosphere. The "lights" were produced by the spray paint accessory in Paint Shop Pro. 

La Grande Arche

Regarding the subject of public arches, I made this drawing for a sketch problem, during my studies in France in 1971, to build a grander monument for Paris. Apparently there was already discussion at the time to construct La Grande Arche de la Défense. The original drawing  is approximately 8" by 12", felt tip marker on paper. The scale of the project that now exists is much larger.

Place de la Concorde

The original of this drawing is really tiny, no more than 1" by 2", felt tip on tracing paper, done October, 1971. It is rather diagrammatic, a view from the square with the obelisk in the foreground and the vista of Arc de Triomphe, one mile distant. The proportions and tones are accurate. As I remember, Arc du Carrousel in the Tuileries appears to be the same size as Arc du Triomphe as viewed from Place de la Concorde, though Arc du Carrousel is closer.

Place de la Concorde

Another drawing of the series for this iconic Parisian public space. Again, felt tip marker on tracing paper, approximately 4" by 3" original size, October, 1971, with sky tone added in 2007. The view is toward the Rue Royale with the Church of the Madeleine in the distance.

Place de la Concorde

Another felt tip marker on trace drawing from 1971, approximately 4" by 2", original size. I added the sky shading in 2007. This is a view of the National Assembly from Place de la Concorde. You can also see the dome of the Invalides to the right.

Place de la Concorde

Back to Paris. This is a view toward the Tuileries from Place de la Concorde. The original drawing is approximately 8 1/2" by 11", done in felt tip marker on tracing paper, in October, 1971. It was very rapidly drawn.

Airport

I made this drawing in 2003 when I acquired my first SketchUp version. It is based on a practice for the architectural licensing exam in 1982 (the program was a small airport). The original size of the drawing is 8 1/2" by 11", on paper. I hand finished the drawing using felt tip marker. The airplanes might be slightly out of scale.

L'Arc de Triomphe

To start off my blog, in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of my architectural studies in France, I am presenting a view of this famous Parisian monument. I drew it on site in October, 1971 using a felt tip marker on tracing paper. The original size of the drawing is approximately 4 in. by 3 in. I added the sky color to the scanned image in 2007 using Paint Shop Pro. I rather like the loose drawing technique.