Architectural Sketching by Alex Hillkurtz

Learn to capture the mood and character of a place by combining loose ink sketching with watercolor washes. This course focuses on moving beyond accurate depiction to portray the feeling of a location.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Combine ink and watercolor to create expressive architectural sketches.
• Understand perspective basics for drawing buildings.
• Create dynamic compositions that tell a story.
• Use watercolor washes to build light, shadow, and texture.
• Develop your own personal style in urban sketching.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: No previous experience with watercolor sketching is needed.
• Tools: Sketchbook, pencils, three different watercolor brushes (one round, one flat, and one mop), an ink pen or fountain pen with waterproof ink, and watercolor paint.
• Hardware: None

📝 Description

This isn’t about architectural drafting. Alex Hillkurtz, a seasoned storyboard artist, teaches you to use watercolor and ink as tools for storytelling. He breaks down his process into clear steps, starting with the fundamentals of perspective and composition. You’ll learn how to find the horizon line and vanishing points, then move on to creating dynamic thumbnail sketches.

The real magic happens when you combine the two mediums. Alex shows you how to use loose ink lines to define a structure, then layer transparent watercolor washes to build light, shadow, and atmosphere. He covers everything from creating textures with color washes to mixing the perfect palette for an urban scene. The goal is to move beyond a simple copy of a building and instead capture its unique character and the feeling of being there.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Watercolor artists looking to add architectural subjects to their repertoire.
• Urban sketchers who want to improve their technique and storytelling.
• Professional illustrators seeking a looser, more expressive style.
• Anyone who wants to learn a practical and rewarding approach to sketching buildings.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Alex Hillkurtz is a renowned storyboard artist based in Paris. His film credits include major Hollywood productions like Argo, Almost Famous, and It’s Complicated. He brings a cinematic eye to his sketching, using composition and light to guide the viewer’s focus. Alex believes sketching and painting invite us to move at a more deliberate pace, revealing unexpected stories in the hidden corners of a city.

🏁 Final Result

• A finished watercolor and ink painting of a building that demonstrates your understanding of perspective, composition, and the interplay of light and shadow.