DRAWING WITH AN ARCHITECT'S EYE With Blake Gifford

This workshop is about more than just drawing buildings – it’s about learning to see the world differently.

Architects are trained to notice patterns, proportions, and underlying geometry in everyday life. In this workshop, we’ll slow down and practice that kind of seeing – learning how to break complex scenes into simple shapes, lines, and relationships that make them easier to understand and draw. We’ll explore how the built environment is full of visual clues: how objects relate to one another in scale, how lines lead the eye, and how perspective gives depth to what we see. You’ll learn to read these cues and use them to build more confident, structured sketches – whether you’re drawing a street corner, a chair, or just a shadow across a wall.

Topics will include:

How to simplify what you see into basic forms
Using perspective and proportion to create depth and accuracy
Drawing as a tool for understanding space, not just copying it

This isn’t about perfection – it’s about observation, interpretation, and clarity. You’ll come away with a new way of seeing the world and the tools to start translating that vision onto paper like an architect does: with purpose, structure, and curiosity.

SUPPLY LIST

9”x12” sketch paper – unlined, medium-weight (easy for quick sketches and handling perspective lines)
Pencils – HB, 2B, and 4B for a range of light sketching to darker emphasis.
Eraser – kneaded eraser (good for soft corrections and lightening) and/or white vinyl eraser (for crisp clean-ups).
Straightedge – a 6–12” ruler or architect’s scale (useful for perspective exercises and proportional studies).
Tracing paper – for layering over initial sketches to refine proportions and experiment with corrections.
Optional – Colored pencils – a small set of earth tones/greys (helpful for shading, emphasis, or highlighting geometry).

Blake Gifford

is a licensed architect with more than a decade of experience as a designer and project manager in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. He currently manages historic preservation and state museum projects across the Commonwealth with the Department of General Services in Harrisburg. While he always loved drawing, he found it largely absent from day-to-day architectural practice. In 2021, he launched York Architecture Illustrated – a website and social media platform dedicated to hand-drawn studies of York’s historic buildings – bringing together his professional expertise and passion for visually interpreting the city’s architectural heritage

Website: yorkarchillustrated.com
Facebook: York Architecture Illustrated
Instagram: @york_arch_illustrated