Location
Cathedral of Santa María la Menor
Instructors
Frank Ching
Liz Steel
Cathedral of Santa María la Menor is one of the most significant buildings in Santo Domingo and has the distinction of being the oldest Cathedral in the Americas. It is a large imposing structure with numerous styles and a complex form. How do you go about recording this building in your sketchbook?
In this workshop we will explore ways of sketching architecture without the need to achieve ‘perfect perspective’ or draw ‘every brick’. Regardless of your architectural knowledge, or perspective skills, our goal is to build confidence in your own personal response to architecture and to have fun sketching it!
To start with, we will experience the building spatially — walk around it, go inside, look at it from afar in its context and then up close in detail – even touch it. A number of different approaches and techniques will be suggested which can be used to describe our response. In addition, a framework will be provided to aid in the understanding of the cathedral’s architectural form, components and composition which can be also used on other similarly complicated buildings.
The emphasis of the workshop will be one to one instruction with the aim of assisting participants to develop their individual style.
Different approaches might include the following:
- Explore the composition and elements of the building. Undertake an elevational study or a collage of details and views.
- Draw the building in its context: How does it relate to the surroundings? How do people interact with it? Maybe the building will only be a backdrop and recorded with a minimal of linework
- Distort your view. Sit up close and look up. Have fun with a single point perspective or distort straight lines into curves
Different techniques might include the following:
- How loose can you go? With linework or with colour – or both!
- No lines – perhaps paint the shadows only.
- Pushing the colours – how much can you push the building and shadow colours?
Learning goals
- Experience a building spatially before beginning to sketch and use these differing view points to understand and respond to the building on its own and/or in its context.
- Gain confidence in your own personal response.
- Use different approaches to sketching architecture – such as telling a complete story with partial details or exploring how far you can distort your view of the building.
- Gain an understanding of basic architectural components and composition as an aid to drawing more accurately.
- Experiment with different media and drawing/ painting techniques.
- Provide experienced architectural sketchers with different approaches with which to experiment.
Workshop format
- Introduction and handout including suggestions of different approaches and techniques.
- Exploration of the cathedral before sketching – either individually or as a group with some features being highlighted and potential views suggested.
- Participants free to choose own subjects – one to one instruction for the majority of session.
- Sketchbook sharing period for the last 30 minutes.
Supply list
No particular requirements. Participants are free to use whatever medium they are comfortable with.
Reference images
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| By Frank Ching |
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| By Frank Ching |
"I am passionate about teaching and drawing and to be able to do both while traveling and meeting interesting people is a real treat."—Frank Ching
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| By Liz Steel |
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| By Liz Steel |
"I want to encourage more people to have fun sketching architecture without worrying about achieving perfect perspective or drawing every detail."—Liz Steel
