How to Work With Us on an Architectural Illustration
It’s always an honor to bring a designer’s vision to life, but this one felt especially meaningful.
First of all, Samantha was a joy to work with. Kind, collaborative, and someone who really understands what goes into our process. And that makes all the difference. When a designer respects the sketch-to-finish journey, magic happens.
She chose Arcades A and B inside the iconic mansion as her canvas. The concept was bold, dark, moody, rich with layers. Inspired by the beautiful city of New Orleans, Samantha’s vision felt cinematic from the start. Think shadowy elegance, atmospheric tones, and a hint of old-world mystique. And she pulled it off. Beautifully.
My job? To take all of that, her palette, her story, her style, and translate it into a detailed architectural illustration. By hand. No shortcuts, no digital tools, no AI stand-ins.
Just pen, pencil, and paper.
THE PROCESS WE FOLLOW AND WHY IT WORKS
If you’ve never worked with us before on a custom architectural illustration—our service is different. It’s structured, personal, and intentionally designed to make things easy for you.
We walk you through every step.
We stick to deadlines.
We stay organized, so your renderings show up on time and exactly how you envisioned them.
And we don’t just guess at your ideas, we work with you to really see them.
Here’s what that looked like for Samantha’s rendering:
She delivered everything up front. A full presentation with paint colors, wallpaper, flooring, photos of the existing space, and links to every selected item. It gave me a clear picture of where she was headed.
2. We started with sketches. Before we ever touch a marker, we sketch various views to land the perfect angle. Samantha reviewed and approved every layout, because the right view sets the tone for the whole rendering.
3. Next: to-scale pencil drawings. These aren’t loose doodles. We draw the entire space to scale, incorporating all the chosen elements—furniture, lighting, textiles—so you can see the room come together before color is ever applied.
4. The pencil phase also gives room for design tweaks. This part is key. Once Samantha saw the drawn space with her furniture selections in place, she actually adjusted the sofa back. The sketch gave her clarity—and helped her refine the design before final install.
5. Then we build the color palette. We match markers to your actual finishes, paint, fabric, flooring. Once the palette is approved, we move into full color rendering.
6. Finally, we scan and deliver. The finished piece is scanned at high resolution, emailed to the designer, and the original rendering is mailed directly to you.
This is our system. It’s been tested. It’s consistent. And it gives you total confidence in how your space is being represented, down to the smallest detail.
Why I Loved This One So Much
Honestly? Samantha’s rendering is one of my favorites to date.
Maybe it’s because of her vision. Maybe it’s because of the synergy we had as collaborators. Or maybe it’s because this rendering felt like a true celebration of hand work, storytelling through scale, shadow, and detail.
It came out exactly as she imagined.
And that’s always the goal.
If You’ve Never Worked With Us, Here’s What You Should Know
We’re not a “plug and play” service. This isn’t fast food. This is craftsmanship.
We create hand-rendered architectural illustrations that are built around your vision, step by step, sketch by sketch, with your design DNA baked into every line.
Whether you’re working on a showhouse, a client pitch, or a portfolio piece that needs to stand out—we can help bring your space to life in a way that feels human, expressive, and real.
And we do it all by hand.
If you’re curious about how it works, or you’re ready to see your vision illustrated on paper, I’d love to walk you through the process.