Do you Get Lost in Drawing Bricks?

Does your line work for bricks overwhelm your buildings? Do they end up looking al wonky and detract from the more interesting architecture you've drawn? The technique for drawing brick walls in this video may just be the answer you've waited for!

[@kerchpics]

Thanks very much Stephen. I was struggling with bricks and clay roof tiles in an urban sketch, and your video helped me to simplify.

[@stephentraversart]

Great to hear Brian. Roof tiles are much the same. All the best with your drawing. 😀

[@kerchpics]

@@stephentraversart Love to see a demo of cobble stones. I've got some pics from our trip to Lisbon that I want to sketch and the streets are full of cobblestones. I don't think I have the patience to draw in every stone!

[@danielgrezda3339]

Thanks! I have to draw a lot of bricks and wood for my latest oneshot so this helped a ton!!!

[@stephentraversart]

Really glad it was helpful. 😀

[@NayadetGhio]

Hi Stephen! A brickwork fan here :D I normally work with a lot of detail on my drawing and due to the scale, most of the time I end up doing all the bricks ahhahah I'd like to draw some smaller facades to apply your suggestions though. It's great to see that your YT channel is doing so well :)

[@stephentraversart]

Or larger facades with small bricks. It works for roof tiles as well. All the best with your facades 😀. If you think my channel is helpful, please tell your friends. 😀

[@pattyadams4]

Brilliant brilliant brilliant - I sooooo needed this!!!

[@fr59pro]

Interesting and useful ! Many Thanks ! 😊

[@stephentraversart]

Excellent to hear 😀

[@ronanlegall3337]

Great video . Especially problem vs solution, making it so obvious. thanks a lot

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Rohan. It’s helpful for me to know. 😀

[@TheDeathclawhunter]

dude youre a friggin genius! backgrounds get me all the time but this really narrows down what im actually trying to do! and i can use it for other elements in my work as well! thanks for the video!!

[@stephentraversart]

Haha. Thanks for the enthusiasm! Glad to have been helpful. Hope you check out my other videos. 😀

[@milehighslacker4196]

Thank you for this. One thing that throws me is that, in the original photo, the mortar (which forms the "lines" of the bricks) is white, and we (artists) are drawing the lines as black. I almost want to use the pen to draw the rectangles of the bricks themselves so as to leave the "lines" of the bricks in the drawing as the white they are in the original (by leaving spaces of the paper to show thru between the bricks). I like what you are saying and I agree with it all, I just have a hard time seeing what should be drawn and what should be left for the brain to interpret. Your description is helpful.

[@stephentraversart]

Sometimes, when a wall is really close, I draw some of the brick outlines, so I get a white strip. Usually the scale of the area and thickness of the pen as well as practicality makes this not feasible. Sometimes I draw odd bricks in place via vertical hatching, leaving a thin gap between bricks. It all depends on the scene and scale. 😀

[@pattyadams4]

I am amazed at the tiny details you put on with a 0.5 finrliner!!!!

[@stephentraversart]

Holding our pens lightly and changing the speed really lightens the effect. 😀

[@MrSmilykid]

Thank you for these amazing videos you have helped me greatly. By any chance would you be willing on making videos on props design

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks. That’s great to hear. I’ve only made a stage backdrop once in the 90s for a kid’s school production. I’m not real sure what you mean, which probably means I don’t really have any experience in the area. 🫣

[@windywednesday4166]

Gasp, what a cute little building! I feel like if I just follow along with your videos I'll end up with a nice set of skills.

[@stephentraversart]

I hope my videos help you develop your own drawing style. Good videos give you options to consider adapting to whatever you are already doing. All the best with your art. 😀

[@windywednesday4166]

@Stephen Travers Art LOL, you don't need to worry about me making things my style! I just need a few more tips in the skills department.

[@caiomaltaferreira4709]

thank you so much, i just started archictecture in college without previus drawing experience, you really just saved my poor sketches with this trick

[@stephentraversart]

So great to hear. Thanks😀

[@troygoggans5495]

In the 1960s I drew details for small architectural firms usually one or two architects. And to save time and nerves I did basically the same technique but without the shading. Particularly for two point vanishing points to draw with any kind of accuracy would have taken hours and hours to draw and no one was going to pay for that.

[@stephentraversart]

Yes, it’s a very useful technique. Thanks for sharing 😀

[@wollkoff]

Amazing guide! Thank you very much !

[@stephentraversart]

Glad it helped. 😀

[@wollkoff]

This video lesson just saved my time and fixed the understanding of effects on sketches. I just started to learn drawing and sketching and had some troubles with this tiny details and understanding how to represent them without suffering of drawing each small brick @@stephentraversart

[@richardlowell2564]

Thanks!

[@stephentraversart]

Appreciate this Richard. Thank you

[@kenschwartz2035]

Would the same technique apply when drawing the effect of vinyl siding on a building?

[@stephentraversart]

It can. 😀

[@atheransari8038]

Good video

[@stephentraversart]

Thanks Ather

[@wolfgangnn8669]

Sehr interessant. Vielen Dank 🙏

[@stephentraversart]

That’s great Wolfgang. My pleasure. 😀