• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Architecture Sketch Ideas

Press for a piece of architecture to sketch: an arch, a stair, a roof, a street corner or a column.

Architecture Sketch Ideas

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  1. A grand stair dividing in two at its landingOne wide flight up to a landing, then two narrower flights turning back along the side walls.

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Doors, windows and arches 12

  • A bay window pushing out from a brick wall A bay window projects outward from the main wall and forms a bay in the room behind it.
  • A dormer standing up out of a sloping roof A dormer is a small roofed structure, usually with a window, that projects upright from a pitched roof.
  • A half-round fanlight, glazing bars spread like a fan A fanlight is a window set over a door or another window, often a half circle, with bars that radiate.
  • A horseshoe arch, narrower at its foot The curve carries on below its widest line, so the opening at the bottom is narrower than the span.
  • A pair of lancets: two tall pointed windows side by side A tall, narrow window topped by a sharply pointed arch, named for its likeness to a lance.
  • A paneled door under a transom window A transom is the crosspiece between a door and the window above it. In the US the window takes the name too.
  • A pointed arch drawn from two crossing circles Its two curving sides meet at a fairly sharp angle at the top. The shape comes from two circles that cross.
  • A rose window: circle, mullions, then tracery petals A circular window cut into segments by stone bars. Draw the circle, then spokes, then petals between.
  • An arcade of round arches along a shaded walkway An arcade is a run of arches side by side, each resting on columns or piers, often over a walkway.
  • An arch built stone by stone from voussoirs Each stone of an arch is a wedge called a voussoir. The keystone at the top goes in last and locks them.
  • An ogee arch: two S curves meeting at a point An ogee is a double curve shaped like a long S. Mirror two of them so that they meet at the top.
  • An oriel window on brackets over the sidewalk An oriel is a bay window that projects from an upper wall on brackets and does not reach the ground.

Stairs and interiors 12

  • A doorway framing a second doorway beyond it Two rectangles, one inside the other. Darken the nearer room so that the far one looks lit.
  • A grand stair dividing in two at its landing One wide flight up to a landing, then two narrower flights turning back along the side walls.
  • A mezzanine looking down into the room below A mezzanine is a part floor between two stories, open to the taller room beneath it.
  • A roof skylight and the slanted patch of sun below it A skylight is a window that forms part of the roof. Draw the opening above and its slanted twin below.
  • A spiral stair from underneath, steps overlapping Each step is a wedge that hides part of the next one up. Shade the underside of every wedge.
  • A spiral stair seen from directly overhead Draw a circle with a small circle in the middle, then divide the ring into steps like slices of a pie.
  • An atrium with a gallery on every floor An atrium is a large open space inside a building, often several stories high and lit from above.
  • Clerestory windows lighting a hall from high up A clerestory is a high section of wall with windows above eye level, there to let in light.
  • The inside of a gable: an attic with two sloping ceilings A gable is the triangular piece of wall between two roof slopes. Indoors the ceiling follows the slopes.
  • One straight flight in side view: treads, risers, rail Stairs split one big height into small ones. Draw a zigzag of equal steps and a rail parallel to it.
  • Three balusters and a handrail, close up A baluster is one of the upright supports under a rail. Draw one, then repeat it at even spacing.
  • Two stair flights that meet at a square landing Stairs commonly change direction with two straight flights that meet at a landing set at 90 degrees.

Roofs, towers and skylines 12

  • A cupola crowning a larger roof A cupola is a small rooftop structure, usually shaped like a dome, often letting in light and air.
  • A flying buttress leaning against a tall wall A sloping arch from the top of a wall to a heavy pier, carrying the sideways push down to the ground.
  • A gable roof and a hip roof, side by side A gable roof leaves a triangle of wall at each end. On a hip roof every side slopes down to the walls.
  • A gambrel roof, shallow above and steep below Two slopes on each side: the upper one at a shallow angle, the lower one steep.
  • A mansard roof dotted with dormer windows Two slopes on each side, the lower one steeper, and often dormer windows set into the lower slope.
  • A pyramid hip roof on a square pavilion On a square base the four triangular sides rise to one peak.
  • A roofscape of gables, hips and dormers from above From above, a ridge is a line and a hip is a diagonal. Shade every slope that faces away from the sun.
  • A row of buttresses in low, slanting light A buttress is built against a wall to support it against sideways forces. Each one throws a long shadow.
  • A slender spire tapering to a point A spire is a tall, pointed structure on top of a roof or tower, shaped like a cone or a pyramid.
  • An invented skyline mirrored in still water Draw the roof line once, then again upside down below a level line, a little paler and broken by ripples.
  • An onion dome sitting on its drum Often wider than the drum it sits on and usually taller than it is wide, tapering smoothly to a point.
  • Gable, hip, mansard, gambrel and pyramid roofs compared Draw five identical boxes in a row and give each a different roof, so that only the roof changes.

Street corners in perspective 12

  • A colonnade curving around one side of a square A colonnade is a long row of columns joined along the top. On a curve, the gaps close up at the ends.
  • A corner building with a round turret over the junction Two vanishing points. The turret is a cylinder on the corner, so its floor lines are curves.
  • A covered arcade walk, arches shrinking with distance One vanishing point at the far end. Each arch is narrower and closer to the last than the one before.
  • A crossroads at eye level, all four corners showing Two vanishing points for the two streets. The near corners are tall and cropped, the far ones small.
  • A footbridge joining two buildings over a lane One vanishing point under the bridge. The bridge itself stays level because it faces you.
  • A glass tower seen corner-on, floor lines fanning both ways Keep the horizon low, at street level. Every floor line on the left face runs left, on the right face right.
  • A stepped street climbing between two rows of houses One vanishing point above eye level for the slope of the steps, another at eye level for the houses.
  • A street closed by a tall archway at its far end One vanishing point in the middle of the archway. Draw the arch first and run the curbs out from it.
  • A wedge-shaped corner block where two streets split Two vanishing points, far apart. The sharp end of the block points at you and both sides run away.
  • An alley of blank walls narrowing to one point One vanishing point at eye level. The top and bottom of both walls run straight to it.
  • An underpass framing the sunlit street beyond it Draw the dark frame first. One vanishing point sits in the bright opening, and the road widens toward you.
  • Matching townhouse fronts turning a street corner Two vanishing points. Space the doors closer together as each row moves away from the corner.

Columns, vaults, concrete and glass 12

  • A balcony slab cantilevered from a concrete wall A cantilever is fixed at one end and unsupported at the other. Leave the space under the slab empty.
  • A barrel vault receding down a long cellar A barrel vault is one curve carried along a length, usually a half circle, like the inside of a tunnel.
  • A brutalist block of bare concrete Brutalist buildings show their bare materials: exposed, unpainted concrete or brick in angular shapes.
  • A building lifted on pilotis, open at street level Pilotis are stilts, pillars or columns that raise a building off the ground.
  • A column in three parts: base, shaft and capital The capital is the topmost part of a column and spreads the load on it. Draw it wider than the shaft.
  • A column with entasis beside a straight-sided one Entasis is a very gentle outward curve in a column that narrows as it rises. Exaggerate it a little.
  • A fan vault opening overhead like a row of fans In a fan vault the ribs all have the same curve and are spaced evenly, spreading like a fan.
  • A fluted column shaft, grooves catching the light Fluting is a set of shallow grooves running up the shaft of a column. Shade one side of every groove.
  • A glass curtain wall reflecting the sky A curtain wall is an outer wall that carries no load but its own weight, so it can be light.
  • A Greek Doric column standing straight on its platform The Doric order is known by its simple circular capital. The Greek column had flutes and no base.
  • A groin vault where two barrel vaults cross Two barrel vaults meeting at right angles. The groins are the edges where they cut into each other.
  • A portico of four columns under a pediment A portico is a porch on columns leading to an entrance, sometimes topped by a triangular pediment.

How it works

Architecture sketch ideas, 60 of them: doors, windows and arches, stairs and interiors, roofs, towers and skylines, street corners in one- and two-point perspective, and columns, vaults, concrete and glass.

Read the full guide

Easy drawing ideas for architecture

Begin with a part, not a whole building: a pointed arch, a pair of lancet windows, a gable roof beside a hip roof. Each has a name and one feature that makes it that thing. Choose a group under the button; Level waits under More filters.

From one part to a whole street

Street corners use one or two vanishing points at eye level, and each hint says where they go. No named landmark is on the list: every block and tower is invented, so as building art ideas they can be changed freely.

  • Draw a round arch with a compass or around a cup, then set the keystone at the very top.

Questions and answers

What is cool architecture that's easy to draw?

An onion dome, a half-round fanlight and a spiral stair seen from overhead look striking and are a few curves each. A pointed arch is two arcs that cross. Easy holds 23.

What are nice easy buildings to draw?

Small whole ones: a portico of four columns under a pediment, a slender spire, a cupola crowning a roof. For real buildings with names, the site has a separate list of famous buildings to draw.

What are art project ideas for a building?

Sketch one building as five studies, one from each group here: a door or window, a stair, the roof line, the street corner it stands on, and a column or vault.

What is the difference between one-point and two-point perspective?

In one-point perspective you look straight down a street or at a flat wall, and receding lines meet at one vanishing point. In two-point you face a corner, and each side runs to its own point.

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