Sunday, March 25, 2012

2200 block of Estes, 1916

To the right is a very nicely maintained Craftsman-style home on Estes, between Ridge and Western.  I'm not giving an exact address because this is a commissioned home portrait and I don't want to freak out the owners. Although with a little investigation you could figure it out.

I don't usually do commissions of any sort, but now and then I'll donate a drawing for a good cause. In this case there was silent auction to benefit my son's new school, Stone Academy.  Stone does an amazing job supplementing its curriculum in technology and the fine arts, and much of that is through parent-led fundraising.  So this is my small contribution to that effort.  The winner of the bid got to choose whatever they wanted to include in the drawing.

It's been a while since I've focused on a single building.  It makes me think about technical issues rather than historical ones.  For instance, what's the best way to match the scale of the drawing to the level of detail needed? What's the correct balance of black and white?  What's the proper relationship between realistic and impressionistic detail? What's the best way to focus attention on the house while still suggesting street context? All of these are important to the overall effect, and I haven't even touched on the distribution pattern of Craftmen-style homes throughout the West Ridge neighborhood.  Maybe next time.

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