Samuel Gray created a sketchbook portfolio documenting different architectural styles from historic civilizations as part of an Architecture in Context module. He enjoyed researching Gothic architecture and included sketches of Neo-Gothic buildings in Nottingham. Gray also studied Roman architecture and included his most successful sketches of the Roman Coliseum and the Maison Carree in Nimes. While his early sketches of the Byron Building lacked detail, Gray improved over time by using different pens and pencils to add shading and texture. He believes the sketching skills developed will help him as an architecture student and later in his career.

1. FirstTerm Sketch Book
Samuel Gray

2. Introduction
In my first term we were given the task in our Architecture in
Context module to research the ways in which Architecture has
risen and developed in historic civilization and how it has
influenced the design of buildings in contemporary society. One of
our tasks was to create a portfolio of sketches within our sketch
books showing an understanding of the various types of historic
building and their styles and documenting them as sketches
showing different characteristics for the different time periods.

3. Sketches
Architecture in Context is my favourite module
within our course.This is because It allows us
to study the history ofArchitecture and we can
really see what has influenced us in modern
society.The researched which I enjoyed the
most was regarding Gothic Architecture. For
me this was an interesting period in
Architecture history due to the extravagant
buildings and the attention to detail in every
part of the building. Having a neo-gothic
building as ourArchitecturalTechnology studio
helped as everyday when I walked into
university I could recognise the characteristics
and style that Gothic buildings have. Here are
some sketches of the Gothic buildings around
Nottingham. I have
This is my
interpretation of a
Neo-Gothic arch in the
Pitcher and Piano bar,
Nottingham,
This is my sketch of a
neo-gothic window in
the Arkwright Building
of NottinghamTrent.

4. Along with the studies of the Gothic Architecture
period I also enjoyed looking at the Roman history.This
was where I think my most successful drawings and
sketches came from. In terms on my most successful sketch I could not choose one.The two to
the left are the two which I am most proud of. My first sketch is of the
Roman Coliseum. I created this sketch using pen. I felt that this gave the
image a bold outline and I find using easier than pencil when drawing. I feel
this was a successful because of the detail of the left side of the building. It
was hard to capture the detail of the façade from using picture from the
internet and this is something I can improve on when I'm drawing again.
However I feel I done well by keeping the curve of the building involved
giving the image a 3-d effect.The right of the building looks poorly detailed
however the scanner did not pick on of the shading which was created using
pencil to give the sketch a nice finish.
This is another sketch from the Roman period of Architecture which I completed.This
is a sketch of Maison Carree in Nimes, Southern France.This was an area which was
occupied by the romans during their empire.This is also one of my favourite sketches
which I completed in the first term as I feel the shading I used gave the image a good
3-d shape. Also I kept the proportion of the building in a realistic size which is another
reason why I believe this was one of my most successful sketches.

5. How my sketches could have been improved?
While completing all of the sketches I found various
parts difficult. Mainly, this was the small details on
buildings. For example as you can see in the sketch
below of the Byron Building. I could of improved this
sketch by using a range of different pen and pencil
thicknesses for the different renders. However I did
not do this and this led me to having a disappointing
final product. However this was my first sketch and I
learnt a lot for my sketches I needed to complete in
the future. I discovered that I had to take more time on
each sketch and also make sure in involve a selection
of different pens and pencils to create a nice effect for
the image.

6. Here is another selection of my sketches. As you can see from the images
my favourite method of documenting a study through sketches is using
pen.You can get a vast selection of pen nib sizes which can offer a range of
expressions when sketching a building which I believe is vital in a
successful sketch.This is the method which I use most of the can see this
throughout my sketches which I have completed.
Sketch of a
cantilever for the
Make or Break
Project.
Sketch of the Burj
Al Arab, Dubai.
Sketch of the Giza
Pyramids, Egypt.

7. Sketch of typical Roman
Architecture and the conventions
that followed.
Sketches of the different
Greek Columns.

8. The Future?
The skills which I have gained from this task will help me a lot in the future, not
just in my life as a student but also in practice when I get the chance of
working in the industry. Being able to sketch down ideas is a very important
part of anyArchitects job as you have to be able to come up with solutions to
problems on and off site and these can be expressed through sketches.