Aaron Tober Microteaching - Graphic Organizer Planner May, 22, 2020

Introduction Time Allocated: 2 minutes

Hello,
My name is Aaron. I have enjoyed drawing my entire life. Particularly I enjoy drawing
buildings and scenery. I have an education in Architectural Drafting and Design as well as 3
years’ worth of experience working as a professional Architectural Drafter. However art has
always been a passion on mine. I hope today that we can learn together to strengthen our
knowledge and skills in art.

Today our lesson will be about how to draw a building in a three dimensional or 3-D
perspective. Our focus in the lesson will be to illustrate a basic architectural drawing of a
house. I will be drawing a two story Dutch Colonial House from an on the ground perspective
view. This will allow us to see two sides or facades of the house. I chose to draw this style of
house because I have always admired the beauty of historical architecture. This style of house
can be found in both Europe and North America. One of the defining features of Dutch
Colonial houses is the barn like gambrel form of roof.

An architectural sketch can help us visually conceptualize what a building or for that matter
any object looks like before it is created. Construction contractors use plans and sketch
renderings to understand more clearly what they are building. Drawing is another way for
people to communicate ideas they have about a certain topic. The subject matter that we are
learning today can be applied to a variety of uses. Drawing does not only have to be used for
work. It can also be a channel of creativity or a pleasurable hobby in one’s leisure time. Either
way sketch drawing in particular has the potential to expand ideas beyond words or written
literature.

In this short lesson we will explore how to draw simple yet relatively realistic illustration of a
house. Features commonly found on the exterior of a house will be drawn. I will include useful
techniques that will guide us in our process of creating a perspective drawing to completion.
Development Time Allocated: 8 minutes

To start with we will be using an HB pencil to begin our sketch. I am using an art sketch book
with a perforated edge which gives us the option to easily tare about the page for framing or
scanning. Our perspective lines which lead to an eventual vanishing point will be important.
These perspective lines will act as a guiding framework to the drawing today. The foundations,
walls and roofs will roughly follow these angled perspective lines. In addition doors and
windows drawn on the wall facades will also follow perspective lines that are pitched at some
degree of angle.

First we will draw our horizon line across the entire length of the page. As a helpful tip or
suggestion draw the horizon line more towards the bottom of the page. This will give you the
ability to have enough space to adequately draw your entire illustration. Second by drawing
the horizontal line lower down you can achieve a scenic background if desired. Remember as
we go along during the course of the sketch we can erase and adjust the lines drawn according
to how we want the house to appear.

Second we will draw our center vertical line down relatively the middle of our page. These
horizontal and vertical lines do not need to be too dark. Simply draw them in lightly using a
light line weight. Now that essentially our x and y axis have been drawn in we can begin
drawing our angled perspective lines.

The first perspective line we can draw is out foundation line or the bottom of our walls for the
house. Notice that since we are going to be viewing the house from its one corner we will need
two elevation lines projecting in two different directions while ensuring that they are both
angled. These two lines will follow the horizontal one that we drew across the entire length of
the page. As you can see these two lines create a somewhat of a squished upside down “v”.
Now that these very bottoms of the house lines have been drawn we can draw the two lines
representing the top of our walls. As you can see the two lines also create another squished
upside down “v”. These two upside down v’s will now have to be connected with two vertical
lines. These lines represent the outer corner walls of our house drawing. In reality these are the
two corners of the house which are diagonal to one another.

Next we are drawing the gambrel roof. For this house I am drawing the gambrel roof on the
right hand side of the sketch. For referencing we will call the right wall the front of the house
facing a hypothetical street. To draw this roof we start by drawing a steep line roughly three
quarters of the height of our first floor walls. The intriguing feature of the gambrel roof is that
its lower steep sloped portions act as dual functions which are as a wall and a roof. The lower
sloped roof is now drawn. The end of this sloped roof line forms our roof peak ridge or the
very top of the house. Next we simply repeated the two last lines we have drawn but in reverse
mirroring the first side of the gambrel roof. Your mirrored roof side connects to the outer right
corner of the house’s walls.
After we have the basic outline of the front façade drawn we now draw the left or rear side of
the roof outline. Start by drawing the same steeper sloped lower roof portion the same as what
was drawn on the right or front end of the house. Then draw the upper lower sloped shorter
line for the upper portion of the rear of the gambrel roof. However now we only need to show
the one side of the gambrel roof outline due to the perspective from which we are drawing the
house. Ensure at this point that your roof peak ridge line is angled appropriately which leads to
the eventual vanishing point as well. Lastly for the roof outline we draw the slope change in
the gambrel roof on the left side of our drawing. Extend this line across the entire length of the
side of the gambrel roof. Now we have completed the outline of our house walls and roof.

To add further features to the house we can now draw in some doors and windows. I am
drawing a door outline on the right wall which will be the front door. The top of the door will
be an angled line as all the other lines are on the right side of the drawing. As a reminder the
slightly downward sloping perspective lines will create a visual appearance of someone
looking at the house from the ground level. Adjacent on either side of the front door I am
drawing a window for a total of two windows on the main floor on the right wall of the house.
Above in the gambrel shaped second floor wall created by the roof line we drew earlier I am
adding one large window. This window consists of a fairly rectangular shape as the other
windows and front door do.

Now the left side of our house drawing requires some windows and doors. We sketch three
trapezoids or roughly rectangular shapes on our left main floor wall. These windows will all be
approximately the same size along the majority of the length of this wall façade. At the very
left end of the left or side wall I am drawing the second door. On both doors I am drawing a
window that is roughly a third of the door’s total size. Inside each window we can draw what
is called window sashes or muntins. These sashes add a decorative touch and character to the
exterior design of the house to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Conclusion Time Allocated:

Now that the illustration of the house is complete we get a better idea of how to draw a
building in perspective from two directions. The use of perspective guide lines demonstrated
to us the importance of planning our drawing early on. However we also learnt that it is
acceptable to alter the sketch lines as we progress through the drawing process. Temporary
lines should be drawn in pencil and final lines in pen. Today for the purpose of this video I
only used a pencil for the sketch. As a tip for future drawings I have found from experience
that it is best to draw what is further back on your building first. Ordering your drawing
sequence appropriately makes adjustments later on easier to accomplish. Considering from
what angle you want the view of your drawing to be orientated at is another key to effectively
drawing a perspective sketch. Thank you for joining me today for this beginner’s architectural
drawing lesson. I hope that you learnt something that sparked your interest or that you can take
with you in other areas of your life.

Additional Things to Think About and Plan For: Adjustment needed to make drawing more legible,

Resources you need to prepare or bring for your lesson: Ruler, Drawing sketch paper, pencil, pens.

Safety Issues? Paper cuts, pencil led and pen ink stains

How you want the classroom organized for your lesson? Clean, neat and tidy. Free from debris or
unnecessary clutter.

Time needed for set up and take down? Yes, a minute or two. Quick set up process.