Evolution of Landscape Rendering Presentation

The original: shown to client

2nd Attempt: on trace, or as I like to say trash

Later attempt: evolved drawing style on Vellum

Backyard Patio story continues.

Single water falls, and tan sandstone walkways
More on the previous post. This was the 1st plan view color drawing that was shown to clients. Take notice that in this conceptual drawing there is only one waterfall, and the walkway is tan in color. the homeowners looked at this drawing and were very impressed.

I then remember them . . . starting to study the drawing and going over ever detail. It was decided pretty quickly they didn't want brown sandstone for the walkway-they were positive about this.

2nd they were very concerned that the one falls would not make enough noise to screen out the eat of the neighborhood noise, and would only one waterfall be loud enough to hear in the kitchen, and breakfast nook.

Normally, I would just show them a different color of stone (actual stone piece), and take some overlay paper and draw the other falls in the hillside. That wasn't going to work here, they wanted to see another drawing (specifically the wife).

So, I called the contractor and said I had to do another drawing for the homeowners, for x amount of hours to do the work (which he hadn't agree to pay me for). He asked me if they were excited about the conceptuals and were they close to jumping in?

I said; heck yeah, they're ready! . . . .

So the previously posted drawing is what they looked at, and of course they jumped in, over original budget request . . . because it was everything they wanted, in a logical layout, and the best parts could be enjoyed/viewed from inside the house.

Color rendering of pond and fire ring
Along with the plan view rendering, I showed the clients this conceptual rendering of how this area would relate to the new kitchen addition.

The addition is shown only in black line. I was trying to present the landscaping to add to the backyard, which is why my stuff is in color. We needed to excite them about tha landscaping, Heck they had already agreed to add the kitchen-no need to promote that.

I did; however, have to show how the new landscape would relate and enhance the new space. This rendering does a much better job than anything I could have done on a plan view drawing.

This drawing was the deal-clincher for this side of the backyard. I basically laid this on the table and it was over. Let's go, let's put it in, we can't wait . . . those were the comments.

I've said this before, and will say it some more (hey, I'm a poet!), if you design hardscapes, structure, level transitions, etc . . . you must render. This is the only way to really communicate what you are trying to achieve to the client.

Has for this drawing, I'll have more on my evolution as a designer . . . tomorrow.

Sectional, and Plan View Drawing

Sketchbook drawings, on-site

These conceptual drawings are from the same job site as yesterday.  Yes, I know  . . . I wrote yesterday about 
using a green marker for plant material, and boom! here we are showing plants in brown. Well it is the only 
marker I had with me on-site.

The top drawing is a rough plan view drawing of the site and the lower is a quick elevation drawing of the
site. If I remember correctly I drew the plan view drawing 1st then the elevation. On-site I would say I draw
the elevation 1st about 75% of the time. Even more than that if the client is standing there. After all this type of landscape rendering tells the real story.

The follow up of the plan view shows spatial relationship. The circles  for the plants are rough and fast, the idea is to show that I am looking at several varieties, and of several sizes. The elevation drawing even better shows the plant differences and height variations.

At no point though are we specific on the varieties. The only specific is the use of barnstone for the wall, and that there would be a terrace designed above and slightly back to the left.

p.s. This design did not go in. The owner was given a deal on a Unilock display, and since they are a Unilock dealer that's what they put in.

Landscape Rendering, and Elevational Drawing

Never Built

This was a fairly quick rendering that I have pulled out of my archives. Its dated Fall, 2002. The drawing show the possibility of a gazebo that has a stream and falls wrapped around on a hillside.

I always thought the contractor of record did a poor job of selling this job and lost it to another contractor who put in something much less substantial for almost the same amount of money. Sour grapes on my part-maybe so.

Then again maybe I could have come up with a better set of drawings to help sell the project. I know that if I were to draw this today it would be at more of an angle to the gazebo, and there would be some color thrown in .

Patio Design 2

More drawings and a continuation from the post on the 18th of this month.

This a a sectional drawing showing how all these elements will relate to each other in scale. This type of scale drawing helps show the human element and really focuses in on how much space is needed to pull this project off. The scale here is one-eighth of an inch equals one foot.



This color rendering is the overlay to show the client the potential for combining all these elements in one space. As of right now the grill is at one end of the backyard and the wet bar is at the other. There is no protection from the elements if you exclude to umbrella over the table which is not shown here.

Combining the rendering along with the elevation or sectional drawing helps paint a picture which enables the homeowners to move along in their decision making process to creat the best possible use of space for their requirements.


This structure will bring everything together under one roof and will extend the use of this patios season in this Zone 5 backyard.


This is a quick study drawing of how the roof line would work out for this design of a new patio space. One point perspective is my goal here, and I am hoping to do an overlay on top of this. whic is what the drawing above is.

I could use this drawing and just draw on it, but if the clients reject my proposal on the color rendering I would have to start from scratch, this way I won't have to do that.