Incredible Architectural Drawings by Artist Emi Nakajima

As kid, I used to say to my dad: “Let’s go travel around the world when I grow up!” Wanting to travel the world might be the reason I like looking at architecture photos, especially the gothic and baroque ones. They are highly unique and stylish. I fall in love with their grandeur details. Also, I want to visit those places to fulfill my childhood wishes. Unfortunately, my dad passed away but I still draw my dreams.

I started drawing toward the end of my high school years. Then I had some free time after my entrance exam. I wanted to draw buildings because I wasn’t good at drawing people and using colors. I never studied art. I started by drawing small pictures and found out that I was good at sketching and liked to draw detailed architectures.

I am interested in architecture and I intend to use my drawings to communicate the beauty of those buildings. Doing so, I need to keep as many details as possible in my pictures.

Another reason I draw buildings or tourist attractions is that I want to travel the world and be actually at those places in each country.

I started drawing since 2012. It’s been 10 years. I learn something new and make development every time I draw a picture, because I always challenge myself by drawing bigger, more detailed pictures. I always find mistakes every time I draw and learn from them. I always try to revise the lessons learned from the mistakes and improve on them in the next picture I draw. The process gives me patient and goal to improve my work.

Sure, art comes from the heart, loving and believing in what one’s doing. I have been asked by many whether I graduated from a school of architecture. Well, I have never gone to such school and I did not even have any drawing background. Even so, I have always been practicing and learning by myself to draw a picture which is better than the last. The most important thing for my is to give it all for what I love. @emi_nkjm

“Dream Traveler” 2020 – I felt like drawing myself in this picture. All the places are my dream destinations. I felt like drawing my dreams in this work.

“Time of passion” 2022 – A little girl with her earth globe. This drawing is the first chapter of dream traveler.
My dad bought me an earth globe on my birthday. This is the reason why I started to draw my dream destinations.

“Notre-dame de Paris” 2020 – My most realistic drawing was the Notre-Dame de Paris I drew in 2020. I usually give more emphasis on the building, but I also added the surrounding plantations. I began with the rose window at the middle of the picture. Then, the left and right buildings, respectively. Apart from drawing lines with pens, I used pencils to add shadows to the picture. One of my followers said that my drawing looked more realistic than a monochrome photograph.

“Wat Rong Khun” or white temple in Thailand – I think my most successful work was the picture of Wat Rong Khun, one of my most favorite places in Thailand. Its white and silver chapel is otherworldly beautiful with its signature finely detailed curves and lines designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat, an internationally renowned Thai artists. Chalermchai inspired me to challenge myself and draw the picture. At first, I was worried that it wouldn’t come out alright. I started by visiting the place to observe the chapel and its details. Then I started sketching with pencils. Then, I used drawing pens to add detailed lines, part by part. I paid attention to the different weight I gave to each line to instill dimensionality into the picture. It took me almost 6 months to draw this picture as I spent only weekends and nighttime to draw it after my work at the company.

I got a lot of positive feedbacks from this picture. Because of it, I had much more exposure and more people became interested in drawings that are more than “sketches”. My work may not be strictly abiding by the drawing principle that emphasize distances and not details. According to the principle, more details should be put into nearer objects than farther ones. But I want to collect all the details on the piece of paper that I use to draw. I want my drawing to present all the alluring details of my architectural subject to the viewers. Although I may not seem as professional as those educated in architectural drawings, I do what’s shunned by many others. This kind of drawing requires unwavering determination and a will strong enough not to give up all the way. I want to create new work to challenge myself and improve my techniques with unique pen strokes that amaze you will all the details.

“Duomo di Milano” – My favorite drawing.
You will be astonished by the effort I put into each drawing and you will fall in love with the details which are the charms of my works.

My pen technique is to apply different weights, pressures, and the speeds of my wrist movements. The result are lines with different thicknesses that add dimensionality to the picture. If I want thicker lines to represent the architecture’s framework, I will apply more weight to the pen tip. As for shadows, I will draw thin, slanting lines by moving my wrist like I’m painting with colored pencils.

I would like to thank you for the interview and the chance for me to share my story. I do hope that this interview helps inspiring those who are determined to walk the path of an artist. Keep moving toward your dream goals. Do not stop, do not give up. I believe that it is somehow worthy to devote one’s life doing what one loves, regardless of the results. One day you will be successful.