Steps to Draw Sagrada Familia
The iconic Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain, is one of the most celebrated architectural wonders of the modern world. While its beauty makes it an attractive subject for drawing, it can also be an intimidating structure to attempt recreating as an artist. But with practice and understanding of the key features, anyone can learn to draw the Sagrada Familia.
The first preparation step to start your drawing is to research the Sagrada Familia itself. Understanding the history, design elements and significance that the church holds can bring more characterization to your artwork. Many great resources exist online and in book form to help you understand the Sagrada Familia more in-depth.
Once you have a deeper understanding of the Sagrada Familia, it is time to collect your drawing materials. Watercolor paintings, colored pencil drawings or even charcoal sketches are all valid forms of art to use when creating your drawing. Choose whichever materials you are comfortable with and have readily available.
Next you must explore the main features of the Sagrada Familia itself. While the church has a variety of distinct elements, some of the most important aspects to focus on include the façade and spire. Both are unique and contain intricate details that are best captured when you draw them with precision.
When mastering the façade, it is complicated by the structure of each level. The main focus of your drawing should revolve around the three-tier layered façade, which is designed to represent the Holy Trinity. Typically, the lower tiers have more intense detail, while the upper tiers are less decorated.
With the many pointed spires, one of the most time-consuming elements while drawing is mastering their geometry. Ultimately, it is important to observe their shape and placement on the building, rather than focus on perfect geometry. This allows the viewer to appreciate the building as a whole, while still being captivated by the beauty of each individual spire.
Overall, by taking the time to research and understand the Sagrada Familia and its many features, you can approach your drawing with the reverence and knowledge the church deserves. Through practice and observation, the beloved Sagrada Familia can be captured through your eyes.
Creating Perspective in Your Drawing
Now that the building’s key elements have been captured and understood, you can begin to build the rest of your drawing and work on perfecting the perspective. The Sagrada Familia is an iconic structure that’s filled with intricate design, so it’s important to ensure that your drawing renders them with accuracy. When adding perspective, consider your point of view, line of sight, and any details that could be incorporated to deepen the sense of depth.
To accurately represent the Sagrada Familia in your drawing and begin adding perspective, it is wise to start sketching the parts of the building that are closest to you first. Then work on those parts of the building that are further away so the viewer can get a sense of the vastness and depth of the structure.
Detailing can be added when the drawing is complete, but the horizon line should always remain a thin and barely visible line without tightness. Referencing photographs of the church also makes a difference in the accuracy of your drawing. This will help you identify the nuances and details of the Sagrada Familia that should be understood and incorporated within your art.
By applying practice and focus to both elements of deep understanding and more precise artistic execution, your drawing of the Sagrada Familia can become a realistic representation of the great church. Working on perspective, accuracy and adding details within the composition can bring a life-like sense of authenticity to the artwork.
Capturing Emotion and Feeling in Your Drawing
Drawings should not be just illustrations, but instead encapsulate emotion and feeling as well. It is important for viewers to feel an enchantment and connection to the art, in addition to viewing its precise details. When capturing the emotion of the Sagrada Familia, try embracing some of the background history and data you researched.
For instance, the Sagrada Familia was designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi and has had an over 140-year construction timeline. Emphasizing the craftsmanship and artistic visions of the building through your own interpretation of the famous church can bring life to the drawing.
It can also be beneficial to focus on the purpose of the church and the architecture that supports this. As the Sagrada Familia is a place of spiritual community and devotion, reflecting a sense of awe and magic can add enthusiasm to your drawing. In the end, the purpose of designing the church was to exemplify the beauty of holiness within the design and your artwork should follow a similar intention. Incorporating the magic of the Sagrada Familia through spiritual symbolism, color choices, and textures within your drawing can bring the result you are looking for.
Adding Finishing Touches
The final step to creating your drawing of the Sagrada Familia is to add finishing touches. A key component of this final step is to begin defining color and texture to the drawing. Working with two or three contrasting colors and featuring subtler tones within the drawing itself can create an alluring effect.
Also consider portions of the building that could use more depth or darker tones to emphasize the length of the spires. Incorporating thicker shading in a certain portion could also bring a bolder look to the building and highlight certain angles.
In the end, it is all about finding a balance within your art that appropriately artists the Sagrada Familia’s harmony. Each shade, hue, and texture should be considered in relation to the church’s overall unified design, and how the pieces all come together.
Incorporating Your Own Style
Drawings of the Sagrada Familia should reflect your own personal style and interpretation of the iconic church. This is made possible when each artist focuses on the details of the Sagrada Familia and how it narrates a message in terms of interpreting something larger. It is okay to take some artistic liberties and make the artwork your own.
This could involve changing up the orientation of the perspective or adding additional details within the composition. It can also mean reverting back to the research and data component and considering the impact the church has on Barcelona and its people. Working to see the often unseen and showcasing this intertwining of emotion, beauty, and spirituality in the artwork itself can bring the extraordinary Sagrada Familia to life.
Perspectives of Experts
In order to fully understand the importance of the Sagrada Familia, it is important to hear the perspectives of experts. Benson Ma, curator at a renowned architecture museum in Barcelona, expands on the power of the church’s architectural design: “The temple reflects the same idea of an intimate relationship with God that Gaudi envisioned; one that is complex, intricate and awe-inspiring.” This notion speaks to the idea of how the Sagrada Familia was built not only as a place of worship, but to bring its viewers closer to a spiritual connection.
The temple also conveys its importance through its functions and the integration of design element. María Lozano, an architectural designer, puts it this way: “The Sagrada Familia has multiple functions of worship, contemplation, education and leisure. Its organic structure and Gothic elements, such as the spires and stained glass windows, make it a work of art and a place of spirituality.”
These perspectives of experts on the Sagrada Familia show how viewing the church from its origins helps to bring an understanding of its magnificence. Furthermore, its connection to spirituality is noteworthy and key to the success of the beloved structure.
Interpretation for Unique Artwork
At the end, drawing the Sagrada Familia may be a daunting task, as techniques are important in producing a reliable end-result. However, the twist comes from each artist’s ability to create their own interpretation of the church.
By understanding the history and background of the church and its place in Barcelona, a special connection can be created between the sketch artist and the structure itself. Adding emotion and feeling to each drawing can capture the significance of the Sagrada Familia’s design and allow viewers of the artwork to explore its beauty through your eyes.
Exploring Other Mediums
Whenever drawing is discussed, it usually involves using a pencil on paper. But many other mediums can be explored when capturing the design of the Sagrada Familia, such as digital art and photography.
Digital illustrations of the church involve the same practice and focus on precision and detail when drawing, but the art will be through a digital platform and the results can be quite different. Photography, on the other hand, can involve utilizing angles and light to capture the magnificence of the building and allowing viewers to see the grandeur and awe of the structure.
Each of these mediums can be used as a tool to convey your individual perspective on the Sagrada Familia. Whether it be painting, sketching, photographing or drawing, the results can be extraordinary.
Conclusion and Application
In conclusion, anyone can draw the Sagrada Familia if they follow the right steps and dedicate enough time and practice. Educating oneself on the history and knowledge of the church can create perspective and inspire emotion when creating the artwork. Additionally, exploring other art mediums can be beneficial when expressing your own point of view on the design of the structure. As long as dedication and creativity are applied, a realistic and accurate drawing of the great Sagrada Familia is possible.
