John Walsom - Architectural and Streetscapes Illustrator, UK

Traditionally painted architectural illustrations are a specialty of John Walsom, who uses his background in architecture and watercolor skills to produce works that are beautiful, accurate, and that evoke the exact mood his clients are after.

Inspired by painters like JMW Turner, Lucien Freud, Frederick Cuming and Ken Howard, John combines structural understanding with a deft use of light, color and texture to evoke the atmosphere, resulting in a client list that goes well beyond architectural practices and developers to include leading publishers and global brands. He has a BA in Architecture from the University of Sheffield and has practiced as an architect, architectural photographer and illustrator, as well as a scenic artist at the Crucible Theatre.

Approach

John’s more accurate illustrations are done in watercolor, while he uses acrylics or oils for more expressive pieces. He sets up perspective views on a drawing board in the traditional way and uses a range of stencils for ellipses and curves, working with pencils, brushes and paint.

Styles

Varying his style and media, John can lean towards greater realism or expressiveness according to the brief. He spends more time on the drawing than the painting, which is fairly loose and adventurous, with a rich color palette. He likes painting oils en plein air – working fast with the changing light.

Client list

John has been commissioned by clients including The University of Cambridge, Oxford University Press, Harrods, Royal Bank of Scotland, Historic Royal Palaces, Rolex, Andrew Winch Designs, Corbin & King, The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph.