Sketch: Casa Papelillos

The Summer II Semester has started up, and I'm buried in "Introduction to Architecture" and loving it. In some ways I'm torn between wishing I'd been able to take this class in the Fall Semester, so I'd get more information over more weeks versus being glad I am taking it in the summer so I could have this class four nights a week. It's a rare thing to be taking a class I enjoy so much. In any event, I have to regularly do sketches now, and since I've got a scanner, I'll try to get them up here on the blog as often as possible. Anyway, today I present you with my very first freehand architectural sketch of a building I fell in love with a month ago. You can click on the images for a larger view.

This is Casa Papelillos, designed by architect Diego Villaseñor. It's located in a quaint little fishing village called Punta de Mita, Mexico. It's a 19,000 square foot residence consisting of a main hacienda and a guest house. It's capable of housing about 20 guests comfortably, and is located in the Ranchos Estates (an exclusive, gated community). It has all the modern accoutrements you could want, the list goes on. Suffice it to say that you need to visit Villaseñor's site to see more of his works, and the Papelillos site to see more of it. This house is one of the reasons I want to be an architect so much.

In any event, this is only one view of the estate, but is one of the most beautiful. I had to sketch it. And here it is...

In case you're wondering what that smudge is in the lower-right, it's my signature. I'm not keen on posting that to the web for obvious reasons. Anyway, I'm not that great...yet. But with practice I hope to become great. . And along the way, perhaps I'll gain more inspiration. I can tell I'll be studying Villaseñor's works for a long time. As soon as I get it back, I'll post my other, non-freehand sketch (a gridded enlargement).

I will try to keep this blog updated at least three times a week. Perhaps more often as I get into sketching everything in sight, but between homework assignments, work, wife, kid, house, temple, etc, it will be difficult sometimes. Still, I love doing this, and god-willing, even if I become a Starchitect one day, I'll still be keeping up this blog.