The 2013 IFVP Conference is fast approaching… and this year it’s being held in the Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps.The Empire City. Gotham. All names for one place: New York City. And when I think about iconic symbols that represent New York City, one icon over them all rises to the top: the Empire State Building.
Here’s How To Draw a Good Enough Empire State Building:
(Thanks to all the New York City films, from “An Affair to Remember” to “Elf,” for making this my number one New York City association.)
Three Tips:
The Empire State Building is more than a long rectangular box with a spire on top. When drawing the Empire State Building, I start with the giant H that comprises most of its midsection. This provides some context and form for the recessed wall and windows at its center, and allows me to build the building up from both ends.
The top part of the “H” is where the Empire State Building gets its height. The bottom part grounds the base. Draw the top part of your “H” too short compared to its width, and it doesn’t look quite right… it looks a bit smushed. So make sure you give the top of that “H” its due. If the bottom of the “H” is as wide as my index fingernail, then the top can be as long as my index finger. (Roughly. Again, this is the “Good Enough” Empire State Building!)
When drawing the Empire State Building, be sure to add in some detail to communicate her stateliness. To my eye, the essential details are to reflect that recessed panel down her front and top… which I do by drawing a series of lines close together down the inside of the “H” and across the top of it. That one thing adds depth and allows the architectural detail to start to say “Empire State Building” instead of “big building with a Spire on top.” Another detail I enjoy is drawing in a light city skyline behind the building, to emphasize its height.
I invite you to play with the details and have fun drawing this building! (I was sorely tempted to draw King Kong batting at an airplane from the top of that last drawing stage, but thought it might be a bit distracting… )
And that’s it! What could YOUR Good Enough Empire State Building look like? Draw yours up, Tweet it out to @jeannelking #goodenough, and stand tall!
Want to have fun drawing AND inspire others to pick up the pen at the same time? Got something you wish you could draw, but you’re not sure how to approach it? Tweet your drawing or idea to @jeannelking and tag it with #goodenough: it could be featured in an upcoming “how to draw good enough” blog post!
Looking forward to seeing what you draw forth!
