Jim Keen

I am an award winning architect that has lived and worked in London, Sydney and New York. For as long as I can remember I’ve been obsessed with communication - whether by text, photography or illustrations - and have spent my whole life working in this field. I started my illustration career in the 1990’s when computer renderings were exotic and spell binding creations. Since then I’ve watched their power be extinguished by over use and poor quality work. The excessive detail computer renderings are forced to convey, especially in the early stages of a project, detract from what the designer is trying to communicate. It was searching for a new way to present ideas that lead me to develop the clear line style you see on this website. This illustration method communicates the design, atmosphere and space in detail but without the fake-realness that can so easily derail presentations (and believe me after 20 years as an architect I’ve seen this happen way too often!) Alongside my visual work I’ve always loved the hardest and simplest form of communication, the written word. I’ve spent the last decade developing a writing style to match my illustrations - clear, direct and with emotion. In that time I have written three novels, the third of which is due for publication next year.

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In Praise of Drawing: A Case for the Underrated Craft

In Praise of Drawing: A Case for the Underrated Craft  - Featured Image
© Jim Keen

I was part of the last generation of architectural students who didn't use computers (we’re only talking the early 1990’s here; there was electricity, color TV’s, rockets, just no renderings.) In my final year at college I miscalculated how long it would take me to finish my thesis project. As the deadline approached, I realized it was too late for me to match my fellow students’ presentations. At the time Zaha Hadid, and her deconstructivist paintings, set the style for architectural illustration. That meant many student projects being rendered in oil paints on large canvases.