The Making of:
The Samuel Williams House
Although each piece is different, they begin pretty much the same way. I use photos that are given to me by the owner or I go and take them myself. I also like to use Google Street View if there is a good image. It helps with the context of the neighborhood, etc.,
With the Samuel Williams House, the owner invited me for a visit so that I could capture the views that I thought were best suited for my illustrations.
Background info: The house was built in 1905 by Samuel H. Williams, heir to the J.B. Williams
Co., which was once Glastonbury's major employer. Its products included the Lectric Shave and Aqua Velva shaving products, along with other toiletries such as soap and talc. The house is on a huge amazing lot tucked next to the Glastonbury High School and other neighborhood houses. It cannot be seen from the road.
Inspiration / Photos
The house is amazing! It was hard to decide what angle to draw as each one offered something interesting and so much detail. After a tour of the grounds, I selected the two views above.
Sketches
Once I have my photos ready to go, I set up my laptop and begin sketching. I use a combination of regular copier paper and tracing paper. I drew these several times, cutting out pieces from one sketch and taping it to another until I got it the way I wanted it. I keep my sketches simple for layout and composition only. Once completed, I outlined the sketch with a black marker.
Tracing
I traced the drawing onto the watercolor paper using a light table. This is why I don't make super detailed sketches and why I redraw it with a black marker. It is the only way I can see it through the 300lb watercolor paper.
Why use 300lb paper if it is so hard to trace onto? Because it's the best! It's so thick it doesn't warp no matter how much paint I apply. (and because they told us to in Art School!)
Washes
Next, I taped the edges to keep them clean and prepared my initial washes of blues and greens. I started with the sky and lifted the paint up with a tissue to create clouds.
More Washes
I like to paint in all the large areas such as the grass, trees, driveway, house, and roof. It also helps to have two paintings going at the same time to allow for drying time. I switch back and forth.
Details
Once I got the initial washes down and dry, I choose an area to begin drawing in the detail. I keep my laptop directly in front of me with all my photos on hand so that I can reference them easily. I like to outline my drawings in Micron Waterproof Pens, then I paint inside the lines like a coloring book.
I developed the details with layers and layers of colors and lots of outlines. I use a large magnifying glass to finish the up-close work such as the window mullions and trim.
The Samuel Williams House - Final View 1
The Samuel Williams House - Final View 2