Brick by Brick: The Timeless Beauty of Inking a House Portrait

Most people know me for my watercolor house portraits, but fun fact: I also offer fully hand-drawn ink sketches.

This recent 8x10 was illustrated for a local client, and it was a doozy in the best way--a stately brick home, a whole field of front-yard shrubbery and what can only be described as a full forest looming in the background. So yes, I'm now on a first-name basis with every single brick and branch.

I learned to ink back in my U of M, Scientific Illustration days (crosshatching, stippling, etc.)--all done with the tiniest of pens, the most permanent of inks and the steadiest of hands.

The result is a more vintage, minimalist take on a house portrait. No color, but definitely not lacking detail. The look is classic. Timeless. The kind of thing that could sit on a library shelf next to a brass lamp and a globe.

And the best part? The client's response:

"I just received the house [sketch] and it is gorgeous!!! Thank you so much -- my Dad will be absolutely amazed and very emotional at seeing his home beautifully recreated. Thank you!"

Which is why I do it. That, and for the meditative joy of drawing seventy-three thousand bricks.

Learn how to commission a hand-drawn custom ink house portrait ➜