Toward the end of last year I was commissioned to create these illustrations for a youth center in Grass Valley, California. Previously called NEO, this after-school youth organization is now Bright Futures for Youth, serving Nevada County youth. It’s an existing space on Litton Drive in Grass Valley that is going to be renovated with the improvements shown in these interior views I completed in December. Pool tables, a small stage, a cafe, and video gaming lounge. The architecture and space planning was done by Siteline Architecture of Nevada City, California, which is just a few miles from the site. I was given a Sketchup model as a starting point. With that digital model we were able to choose a couple of perspective view angles that would help highlight the improvements. My next task was to add lots of teens and a staff member or two inside the space–enjoying the various activities that are happening. The first view shows what you would see standing near the entry, looking into the space with the stage on the right, a small administration desk in the immediate foreground, pool table in the center, with cafe on the right and video game area at the back of the space. The second view is more or less the opposite–looking back with the gaming area in the immediate foreground, cafe beyond, etc. As an artist, I particularly enjoy creating the scene as the individual teens are interacting, playing video games, taking selfies, talking trash, playing 8-ball, or maybe enjoying their friend’s music. Of course, you still need to render the selected materials, surfaces, and light fixtures correctly, too. But I think what really makes these kind of illustrations successful is the human element–if you can portray the kids well, including the way they dress and wear their hair, those details go a long way toward making a successful drawing…..These illustrations are hand-drawn and painted in the watercolor technique by Jeffrey Michael George, Architectural Illustration. Jeffrey creates many architectural illustrations for projects located in the San Francisco bay area, the Sierra foothills, Sacramento, as well as his hometown of Chico, California.
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