ARCHITECTURAL ILLUSTRATION COMMISSIONS : WADDESDON MANOR
(A Rothschild House & Garden, and National Trust property)
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“The drawings are stunning and encapsulated the architecture of the Manor beautifully. It has been a real pleasure working with Katherine on these projects and I am delighted with the finished artwork and the beautiful products we have collaborated on.”
- Nicola Mertens, Retail Manager, Waddesdon Manor |
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In 2023, the retail team at Waddesdon Manor (a Rothschild House & Garden, and National Trust property) commissioned me to draw three illustrations to create a series of prints and cards to sell in their gift shop.
The set of architectural drawings included a beautiful large-scale drawing of the manor plus an A3 architectural map of the extensive grounds, as well as an A3 illustration of their latest sculpture: Joana Vasconcelos’ extraordinary 12-metre-tall 'Wedding Cake'. The initial collection of the manor and map focused on two key drawings, arranged into a six-piece collection of different sized prints as well as a range of cards at different price points. This collection will be expanded to products too, which are in development. The range of prints was varied; some were standalone drawings, whilst others were crops of the highly detailed and intricate drawings. |
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The process of creating these architectural line drawings
To begin, I visited this amazing site to discuss what drawings the retail team had in mind. I was guided around the landscape and the building, to orientate myself for the map and to take photos of the buildings. This provided me with reference material from which to begin drawing. The landscape map of the grounds is extremely detailed and brings together the different elements of the estate beautifully. This project featured a tiny 12mm tall manor house alongside other key elements including the Parterre, the North Fountain and the Stables. Whilst being visually stunning and very intricate, it is also highly accurate. The pops of colour add depth and tone to the drawing. This drawing has been turned into prints at two different sizes as well as a collection of two cards, and will be put onto products too. “I commissioned Katherine to illustrate Waddesdon Manor and it’s grounds after seeing her work at a trade show and sensing her genuine enthusiasm for the project (and the challenge!). Katherine has kept me up to date at every stage with exciting progress images and is always happy to jump on a call to talk through ideas and queries." - Nicola Mertens, Retail Manager, Waddesdon Manor |
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The Wedding Cake Sculpture was designed by Joana Vasconcelos for Waddesdon Manor, and the Manor commissioned me to draw it. The 'Wedding Cake' is an immersive ceramic art installation. Its three tiers are inspired by exuberant Baroque buildings and decorative ceramic traditions of Lisbon, the artist’s hometown. This made for an extremely complex drawing - capturing the minutia detailing of every ceramic element and the thousands of ceramic tiles, sculptural ornament and intricate objects.
My final drawing of the sculpture has been turned into an eight piece collection of cards and prints. Products including a tea towel and notebook are in development. “After receiving the drawings [of the manor and map], which were stunning and encapsulated the architecture of the Manor beautifully, we quickly planned a third illustration. This was to showcase the new acquisition of a 12m high sculpture made of 1000s of ceramic tiles and ornaments. Again Katherine has perfectly captured the dramatic and decorative construction.” - Nicola Mertens, Retail Manager, Waddesdon Manor |
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The final, stunning designs articulate the interesting and richly complex areas of Waddesdon Manor.
I’m pleased to say the prints and cards have been received well by the Manor, and are already out on the shelves of the gift shop! |
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