Victorian Houses

IN THIS ART LESSON, YOU WILL LEARN

ABOUT
ARCHITECTURE…

What IS architecture?
Architecture: The art of designing and creating buildings; It is also
a style of a building

Examples of architecture:
*Houses
*Office buildings
*Museums
*Stores
*Schools
*Churches

Today we’ll be talking about a specific STYLE of

architecture called VICTORIAN
 VICTORIAN HOUSES
A Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of
Queen Victoria (1837-1901)

Victorian style homes can be smaller, charming cottages to towering

mansions

Victorian architecture can come in many sizes and shapes, but there
are some common key elements that make it a Victorian style home
 VICTORIAN HOUSES

Let’s take a look at some of the common key

elements that a Victorian style house has …
 Gables are very common in Victorian houses

Gables: Triangular sections of the roof. Some can be obtuse, some can be acute.
 Gingerbread details: Decorative accents (here you can see them along gables)
They are very common in Victorian homes.

Fish scale shingles: Used on the outside of the house OR on the roof.
Very common in Victorian homes (notice how it looks like the scales of a fish!)
Gingerbread details Fish scale
along a gable shingles
Gingerbread details
along gables of
different Victorian
houses
Bay window: A window that sticks out from the house that has windows on the side of it
Bay windows are very common in Victorian houses.
Turret: Rounded tower that sticks out from an upper level. Turrets are
very common in Victorian architecture.

Gingerbread details

Victorian Homes usually have a lot of windows, like in this house.

This Victorian style home also has a turret
 Gables Fish scale shingles on the roof

Tower: Towers are tall, rounded parts of the house that stick out and start at the ground level.
They are usually on the corner of a house. Towers are very common as well in Victorian
houses.
 This Victorian house also has a
tower

Two (or more) floors:

Victorian homes usually

have at least 2 floors (or levels)
in the house.
You can tell since there are rows
of windows above and below on
the front of this house.
 Victorian homes often have porches

Gables with
Gingerbread details
Fish scale
shingles

Bay windows

2 levels
porch

Some Victorian homes have a mixture of materials like this one, with fish scale
shingles (on the roof, and house) as well as brick.
Gable with gingerbread details

Some Victorian homes are

mostly made of brick

2 Levels

Bay window
Gables Turret

Some Victorian homes are mostly made with wood siding (horizontal slats of wood)
as seen in this house
 And some have a combination of all 3- (Fish scale shingles, brick, and wood siding)

Gables

Turret

Porch
Wood siding Gingerbread details along the gable and above the window

Gable

Front porch
Bay Window
Multiple chimney’s: Victorian houses usually have 2 or more fireplaces in the house.
 Look closely…

What similarities do you notice in these two Victorian style houses?

 More than one chimney
Gingerbread details

A lot of
Windows
(Turret:
Rounded
tower that Gables
sticks out from
an upper
level)

(Front Porch)
At least
Two Levels
(1st floor
And 2nd
Floor)

(Fish scale shingles: Decorative siding that resembles a fish’s scales)

 More than one chimney
Gingerbread
details

Gables
Turret

Two
levels
Fish scale
Shingles
Front porch

Gingerbread A lot of
Details windows
under the
rooflines
STUDENT EXAMPLES
STUDENT EXAMPLES
 Create your own Victorian style house- (Day 1 of 5)
GOALS:
Using the images as a reference on your table, draw your Victorian house in pencil.
Make sure you:
• Use a ruler to draw any straight lines
• Sketch lightly at first
• Draw the house large on your paper (almost touching the top and bottom)
• Show your best effort!
Think about if you want your house to have fish scale shingles, brick, or wood
Siding- OR- a combination of any of the above.

INCLUDE THE FOLLWING IN YOUR DRAWING:

1. Draw all straight lines using a ruler
2. The house is at least 2 levels (Draw rows of windows to show this)
3. Include 5 or more windows (making at least 1 window a bay window)
4. Include at least 2 gables
5. 2 or more areas showing gingerbread details (decorative detailed woodwork along either
the gables, over doorways, at the top of windows)
6. 2 or more chimneys (made out of brick or stone)

****OPTIONAL: INCLUDE A TURRET, TOWER, FRONT PORCH****

 Create your own Victorian style house- (Day 3 - 5)

Today you will start coloring in your Victorian house

using a MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEME

SO WHAT IS A MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEME?

?
A Monochromatic color scheme = coloring with lights and darks with just 1 color
(“Mono” in the word monochromatic means “one”)
 Example monochromatic color scheme in blue

Example monochromatic color scheme in red

Example Monochromatic color scheme in purple

 3 ways to create a monochromatic look with colored
pencils:

1. Press hard with white over your chosen color to make tints /draw
very lightly with black over your chosen color to create shades

2. Apply light and hard pressure on your colored pencil to make

various shades

3. Color in using a variety of shades of your chosen color from

COLORED PENCIL bin
 Create your own Victorian style house- (Day 3 - 5)

BEFORE COLORING IN MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE FOLLWING IN YOUR DRAWING:
1. Draw all straight lines using a ruler
2. The house is at least 2 levels (Draw rows of windows to show this)
3. Include 5 or more windows (making at least 1 window a bay window)
4. Include at least 2 gables
5. 2 or more areas showing gingerbread details (decorative detailed woodwork along
either the gables, over doorways, at the top of windows)
6. 2 or more chimneys (made out of brick or stone)

Color in using a Monochromatic Color Scheme – (Monochromatic

means coloring in using lights and darks of ONE color).

3 ways to create a monochromatic look:

1. Press hard with white over your color to make tints /draw very lightly with black
over your color to create shades
2. Apply light and hard pressure on your colored pencil to make various shades
3. Color in using a variety of shades of your chosen color from the colored pencil
bin