Getting started is often the biggest hurdle when it comes to architectural sketching. It’s ironic because you can see what’s in front of you but somehow, your brain freezes when your pencil hits the paper. I think this is partly because of our tendency to imagine the end result too soon. It’s always easier to think of the initial lines as discovery rather than definition. Rather than trying to outline the entire building, I find it easier to start with a couple of quick lines that block in the basic masses you see. Use those lines to frame the view and provide a guide for your eye. I like to start with a horizon line and a rough block of the largest mass I see. Start with a quick gesture that blocks in the basic shape of the building mass.
Don’t worry too much about getting proportions right at this stage. I’m looking to establish the basic proportions, height to width, and to get a feel for the angle of the object. I might spend 15 minutes or so working with these large masses before I feel like I have something that looks solid. Once I do, then I can start to fill in the details.
It seems like many beginners are too quick to erase. Those initial lines look funny, so there’s a tendency to rub them out as soon as possible. But those first attempts are full of information. They give you a sense of the proportions and angles involved. If the building starts to tilt, or the roof pitch looks wrong… don’t erase. Instead, draw another line, right next to the first one, and compare.
The relationship between the two lines will help you judge which one is more accurate. I often draw the same building multiple times during a single session. Once I’ve completed a sketch, I’ll start another one in the same basic location, without looking too closely at the first sketch. This forces me to observe the building again, rather than simply copying the lines from my first sketch. As I do this more often, my lines become more confident because now my hand is starting to understand the forms, both from memory and observation.
Ultimately, the goal of architectural sketching isn’t about creating a great drawing. It’s more about learning to see the way buildings fill space. Each sketch is a snapshot of a moment when you observed, corrected and refined your understanding of what’s in front of you. And when you think of that blank sheet of paper as a playground for experimentation rather than a test, then the process of drawing architecture becomes much more fluid and enjoyable.