About Chris Fothergill FSAI
For more than twenty years I have been producing watercolour artist’s impressions for architects, property developers and estate agents. My work is primarily created in traditional pencil and watercolour. I produce artist’s impressions, coloured elevations, aerial views, site maps and architectural illustrations for both planning applications and property marketing.
During the early years I was also running a gallery business in the Cotswolds. Since 2010, however, I have devoted myself full-time to the drawing board, working from my home studio in Great Malvern as an artist and architectural illustrator.
The character of a hand-drawn image
In an age when computer-generated imagery dominates architectural marketing, I believe there is still a special place for the hand-drawn image.
There is a softness and warmth to watercolour that can communicate the character of a building and its relationship with its surroundings in a way that highly realistic CGI sometimes cannot. Rather than simply showing what a development might look like, a watercolour illustration can help convey the atmosphere and feel of a place.
Once completed, my illustrations can of course be scanned at high resolution and digitally manipulated where required, making them equally useful for modern print and online applications.
House portraits are another popular part of my work, and I usually have one on the drawing board.
People commission me to paint their homes for all sorts of reasons — as anniversary or 60th and 70th birthday presents, wedding and thank-you gifts, or simply as a lasting reminder of a much-loved family home before moving on. I work from photographs, carefully capturing the character and architectural details that make each house individual.
You can see examples of my house portraits in my House Portraits portfolio.
A studio-based service
Modern technology means that I rarely need to make a site visit, either for architectural illustrations or house portraits.
With a high-quality scanner, laptop, printer and large-format screens alongside the traditional drawing board, I can complete most projects from my home studio.
This allows me to work efficiently and respond quickly when deadlines are tight — something that is particularly useful when an architect or developer suddenly needs an illustration for a planning submission, presentation or marketing campaign.
And, as my clients will know, those last-minute ideas do occasionally arrive!
Drawing for pleasure
Being an artist isn't simply my profession; it is something I continue to do for my own enjoyment whenever I have the time. I am an inveterate sketcher and regularly fill sketchbooks with drawings made on my travels and in everyday life. Some of these drawings appear on the website page ‘Sketchbooks’. There is also a ‘Gallery’ showcasing a selection of watercolour paintings from past travels.
I don't generally sell original work through the website, although I occasionally make prints available and from time to time hold exhibitions. Details of forthcoming exhibitions will be posted here.
More than twenty years at the drawing board
Whether you need an architectural illustration for a planning application, a presentation or marketing campaign, or a personal watercolour portrait of a much-loved family home, I offer a traditional, individual approach backed by more than twenty years' experience.
