About The Artist - Kev Hardy

I studied graphic design and graduated with a Higher National Diploma in 1981 and began working for a small print firm in Hammersmith, London.

I had always been fascinated by buildings. Not just famous landmarks, but the ordinary places that become extraordinary because of the memories attached to them. I began taking private commissions to draw people’s homes while living and working in Chichester, West Sussex in the 1990’s and, after being asked to draw a few local pubs and churches, realised I could also sell prints of my work, not just the original illustrations.

When I began architectural illustrating I used a drawing board, a real pen, and real ink. These days technology has moved on a bit, and I now use a digital drawing board - a large touch-sensitive screen that reproduces the experience of drawing using pixels rather than ink. It gives me the freedom to undo mistakes, experiment with ideas and make changes without destroying hours of work. It also allows me to zoom in and create a level of detail that would have been difficult to achieve using traditional methods.

I generally work from reference photographs, but my aim is not simply to produce a perfect architectural facsimile. I try to capture something of the character and emotional feel of a building, particularly the details that make it familiar and memorable.

My illustrations can be highly detailed, but I also believe that knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to put in. Plenty of white space and a clean, uncluttered approach allow the details to breathe, making the finished work suitable for a wide range of interiors.