Marischal College, Aberdeen

About the painting

Marischal College is one of Aberdeen’s most impressive historic buildings, admired for its pale granite, Gothic detail and commanding presence on Broad Street. For this painting, I chose not to show the whole façade, but to focus on the main entrance, where the building’s strength and character are at their most concentrated.

The composition looks upward from the paved foreground, giving the entrance a strong sense of height. The large arch sits at the heart of the painting, its dark interior creating depth and contrast against the pale stone. Above it, the row of coloured shields adds a small but important note of colour, drawing the eye before it rises towards the vertical towers, pinnacles and decorative stonework.

The clipped green hedges on either side soften the base of the building, while the patterned paving in the foreground helps lead the viewer into the scene. The blue sky and soft cloud forms give the granite room to breathe and prevent the architectural detail from feeling too heavy.

Process and materials

I sketched and photographed the entrance on a sunny day after a dry spell, when the granite showed its best colour. The drawing was carefully developed on A3 paper over two weeks, with close attention paid to the relationship between the vertical towers, horizontal window lines and the central arch.

The colour of the stone was one of the most important challenges. Aberdeen granite is not simply grey; it carries cool blues, warm creams, soft browns and subtle pinkish notes depending on the light. I used burnt sienna, French ultramarine, cadmium yellow, cadmium red and titanium white in varying proportions to build the washes and shadows.

Fine pen work was used to define the architectural structure, including the windows, tower edges, tracery, pinnacles and carved details. The watercolour washes were kept controlled so that the drawing remained crisp, while darker tones within the arch and side recesses helped create the three-dimensional effect.

Artistic focus

This painting is about scale, proportion and stone craftsmanship. The full façade of Marischal College is magnificent, but in painting terms it can become overwhelming. By narrowing the view to the entrance, I was able to give more attention to the features that make the building so distinctive: the great arch, the twin vertical towers, the carved ornament and the cool granite surface.

The tonal range is deliberately balanced. The strongest dark is placed inside the arch, making it the focal point, while the surrounding stonework is treated with softer mid-tones. This allows the viewer to enjoy the detail without one area overpowering the whole composition.

This artwork is both a celebration of Marischal College and a tribute to Aberdeen’s granite architecture.

Details

Medium: Pen, ink and watercolour
Subject: Marischal College, Broad Street, Aberdeen
Style: Architectural watercolour
Focus: Main entrance, granite façade, towers, shields and carved detail
Original drawing size: A3
Orientation: Portrait