Moving from 32 years in the corporate world (inc) to follow my passion for art and drawing, I create portraits of homes, cabins, and landscapes using pen and ink on watercolor paper (ink). Ink allows me to achieve technically realistic results, but my goal is to capture the emotional and sentimental attachment that my clients have to their homes or cabins. I create lasting heirlooms and keepsakes for families, visually preserving a home and its memories for generations to come. My principal influence to draw homes is a love of all types of architecture and the older craft of hand-drawn architectural renderings.

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The creative process is collaborative, beginning with a client's home photos and a discussion around any personalized additions. Next I lay out a rough pencil sketch to ensure basic composition, accurate perspective, and balance. Then begins the complex layering of detail, working from front to back carefully focusing on detail, depth, and value. Using a variety of technical pen sizes to stipple and draw, I add touches of brushed pure ink, or an ink wash, while utilizing the white paper to accurately achieve contrast between light and shadow. Ink as an art medium comes with a high risk for error, but the reward is in the visual results. I try to draw your gaze into the portrait and keep it there as long as I can.

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Thank you for looking!

Skip Sturtz - Plymouth, MN