Architecture Rendering Question

[hanhnguyen]

15 years ago I had 4 years in architecture school in VN but never get a degree. Came to the US I found a job as drafter in a civil engineer firm because it was the only one with avalable bus line. I wanted to get up and leave right at my first drafting asignment: a storm drain drainage area map; It was so urgly, not like the beautifull buildings I used to draw, but I was desperate, I sat down and kept working, and working for the next 13 years. With architecture drafting skill, I was able to make my engineering drawings look better. However, I never get the same feeling as doing architecture drawings. Recently, I try to do some architecture perspective rendering drawings to somehow get back to architecture. My problem is I don't have anyone to brainstorm with; My fellow engineering coworkers would "oh & ahh" at my drawings, but that's not what I need, I don't need compliments, I need CRITIQUES. I have good books and am selfl-learning, but I feel missoriented. Please give me some advises. Thanks.

[JWmHarmon]

I would suggest you contact the nearest architect or architectural firm and try to get an appointment to see anyone who is available in the office. Think of yourself as a salesperson who is making a cold call. You are selling yourself and your talents. Be prepared with a small portfolio showing your skills. Expect to be rejected on your first or second or third try. Leave a message that you would like to take one or two of the employees out to dinner to find out more about their architectural firm. Expect to be turned down. After all, you are a stranger. Talk to all of your acquaintances and ask if they know any of the people who work at the architectural firm. Ask them if they can introduce you. Many people get jobs because of someone they know. This is called networking.

Before you go, check out the architects' work. Acquire as much knowledge about the different projects they have completed. Tell them how much you admire some of the work they have done. Show them that you are interested in what they do. Architecture can be a somewhat lonely profession in the sense that there are really not that many people who are conversant in the demands of the profession.

Write a letter to someone at the firm and include a picture of some project they have just completed or some standout project from years ago. Compliment them on how it contributes to the built environment. They rarely get letters of praise for their work. Follow up with other letters and suggest that you would appreciate meeting with someone in the firm. The goal here is to get noticed.

Inquire about future job opportunities after establishing some kind of contact. Enlist the help of a mentor who has some contact with the architectural firm. This could be someone for whom the architect has recently performed some work.

Be persistent, but be very careful that you are not annoying (how you develop that balance is a real concern). Sharpen your architectural skills so that if there should happen to be a job opening, you will be ready to step in.

Don't be surprised if you make less money in architecture than you do in engineering. This may be a trade off for more interesting work.

And now for the most important advice already alluded to above:

Network, network, network, network, network, and modestly toot your own horn. If you are not convinced that you have something to contribute to the architectural firm, how do you expect someone else to believe in you?

[hanhnguyen]

Thanks Harmon, for trying to help me out. I guess I din't make myself clear. For the time being, I don't think of applying for a job. Eventhough I never work as an architect I understand that it requires talents. You can work hard to be a good engineer, but working hard only cannot make you a good architect,and I'm not sure I'm gifted enough to joint the group. I like to do some architecture rendering as an escape from my boring engineering life, but I do also like to perfect my skill even I don't know where it leads me to. I search the web for classes but none of the type is available. Should I approche some architects and ask them for critique? If you, as an architect, were asked by someone like me, how would you feel? Are you willing to give out advices. Thanks.

[kotok]

perhaps take a class in a community college that offers an arch. program. Search in their directory under arch program and look for stuff like advanced graphics or presentation techniques ect. your teacher will definitely critique your work. If you can digitize it and post it on this forum im sure people would comment as well. perhaps you need personal webspace for that.

[hanhnguyen]

Thanks Kotok for your input. Problem is Art schools normally teach you fine art, not particularly architecture rendering. They can teach you how to do perspective drawing , light and shadow,..a lot of rules that can apply to architecture rendering. But architecture rendering has a specific touch that is only "architects" know how to do. Look at comic books or graphic novels, some architecture features are drawn beatifully, but not in architectural style. However, I'm still looking for a class. And thanks again.

[gus_webb]

hanh-
have you considered putting up a little website of your own, with a guestbook for critiques? otherwise, www.cgarchitect.com has a forum for "standard" drawing and renderings, besides computer-generated images. you have to poke around a little bit to find it, but it's there.
do you want to render buildings that are to be built, or are you more interested in drawing existing buildings as art? do you want to profit off these, or is it mainly a hobby that you want to get better at?
arch-renderers tend to be a friendly bunch; besides getting critiques online, you may be able to find some like-minded people in your area by searching for some renderers in the yellow pages. everyone wants to get better, and constructive criticism can be a productive way to exchange ideas. you may get more interest in forming a little "club" than you might expect.
hope some of that helps...if not, good luck anyway, and have fun!

[hanhnguyen]

Thanks Gus_webb, for the tip of a cool web site and your advice. Actually, I even know a little bit about how to create a web page. Remember the time that everybody's crazy about the Net. And the if-you-know-how-to-make-Web-pages-you-gonna-make-big-bugs believe. Yeah, I was one of them! But I soon found out that after 8 hours sticking my eyes to the flashy screen, I don't want to deal with it no more. However, you're right Gus, like it or not, advantually, I have to do that.
You also brought up a very good "for art or for money" point here. It's nice to get paid for what you do, the more the better, yeah? Let me tell you a story about a guy I met when I was at the architecture school. Unlike me, he took only 2 years of training (at that time, there are 2 and 5 years programs). Of course, he couldn't make decent perspective rendering drawings with such a short time of training. But he continued to practice and practice on it with such a dedicate love to the art. I met him when we both helping a mutual friend to prepare for her graduate project. And five year from then I heard that he became an instructor of the rendering class in a private school. He finally got paid for what he loved to do. Back then, all he had were some rendering examples from magazines and books and black ink (water colors were expensive, let alone markers and colored pencils), yet I still remember how beatifull his work became. Today, I have several of very good books which show all the tricks of the trade, I have markers and colored pencils in zillion color shades, I have the best CADD applications : Microstation, Autocad, Photoshop. I even have spacy, nice working place. Yet I still can not make it!!! What's wrong with me?

Again, thanks to all that contribute to help me with my quest. Good luck to you too.