House Portraits

I love drawing cars, and that’s what I’ve drawn since I was a kid. Mechanical objects make sense to my brain, where people and character artwork tends to not make sense to me. One of the most fun things about drawing cars for people is the sentimental reaction I get when I deliver a drawing of someone’s beloved car. Providing a piece of artwork of a vehicle that has many memories attached to it brings me joy as well. Memories are also birthed in homes, and that’s one reason I’m stepping into house portraits.

Homes are really even more sentimental than cars in many ways. Couples buy their first homes together and reminisce about that mountain top experience. They come home from their honeymoon to their home, have kids, and raise their families in their homes. I always joke that you can sleep in the car but you can’t drive the house – but home really is where the heart is.

For many people, looking at a house portrait of the home they grew up in brings a flood of memories – playing in the front yard or in the bay window, waiting for Dad to come home for work, or waiting out front for the school bus. For some, house portraits are a memorial of family heritage. Even if they didn’t grow up in that particular house, perhaps someone in their family lineage did.

This is a new endeavor for me, and so far I’m very happy with the results. Houses are a mechanical structure, so they make sense to my brain and are enjoyable to draw. In this case, I’m also particularly happy with the contrast between the white siding on the house and the gray paper.

The process is the same as drawing cars. First, I start with a line drawing using Micron pens. The trees and bushes require a bit of a unique strategy, but I’m happy with the way they turned out.

The white portions of the siding are shaded with white charcoal pencil. Finally, I shaded the roof and shadowy parts of the house with Copic grays.

I love these house portraits and hope they can bring some joy and memories to others as well!