Hi everyone, Mandy from @a_heartened_calling here to show you how to illustrate a famous lighthouse from my home state of Maine. I can truthfully say Portland Head Light is indeed famous. It’s the most photographed lighthouse in America. It has also appeared on the fifth season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and on a postcard in the opening credits of National Lampoon’s Vacation. I grew up about 30 minutes from this lighthouse and visited it often. It sits on cliffs of the Atlantic Ocean in a park called Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth. If you were ever to visit Maine, Portland Head Light is a MUST to visit!
Today, I’m creating this lighthouse in a loosely sketched style. It’s been my favorite way to illustrate lately! Let’s gather our supplies and get started!
MATERIALS
- Mixed media or marker paper
- Reference photo
- Tombow Dual Brush Pens N35, N60, N95, 055, 291, 885 & 905
- Tombow MONO Drawing Pens 01 and 08
- Tombow MONO Graph Mechanical Pencil
STEP 1 – Sketch and Add Base Color
Using the MONO Graph Mechanical Pencil and a reference photo, sketch out the lighthouse onto your paper. Just focus on the simple lines of the building. It does not have to be perfect!
Next, add your base colors using the Dual Brush Pens. Use Dual Brush Pen 905 to color in the roof. Next use Dual Brush Pen 291 to color in the windows. Use the bullet tip of Dual Brush Pen N35 to add black lines to the outline of the building and roof.
STEP 2 – Add Depth
Using Dual Brush Pen 885, add color to the roof around the dormer and corners to add depth and dimension. Add Dual Brush Pen 055 to color in the light in the lighthouse. Use Dual Brush Pen N60 to add a little color to all the windows.
STEP 3 – Add Sketched Lines
Using MONO Drawing Pen 01, outline all the windows in loosely sketched lines. Then, add loose quick lines along the edges of the roof and corners of the building. You want the lines to be loose and not uniform, so it’s totally okay for them to be wobbly and crooked! This creates that loose sketched look.
Use MONO Drawing Pen 05 to outline the outside edges of the roof and building. Lastly use Dual Brush Pen N95 to add shadow to the corners and edges of the building.
PRO TIP: When illustrating things that are white, use light gray to add shadow and dimension. That way it doesn’t look so white and plain!
Your lighthouse is finished! Thanks for following along today! For more inspiration, check out these posts:
- Floral Illustration Tips, Tricks and Tutorial with Adrienne
- Fashion Illustration with ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Marker 12pk Fashion Palette with Jessica
- Pop Art Illustration Inspired By Roy Lichtenstein with Jennie
See you next time!
Mandy