Pedro Alves is a prolific and talented sketcher, he was recently invited as a guest instructor at Malagráfica-Sketch Point, one of Europe’s largest sketching festivals. He is a qualified Architect but works as an illustrator at Broadway Malyan’s Lisbon studio.
At Broadway Malyan we are truthful to the roots of the practice and the value of hand sketches as a powerful tool for architects to communicate. In the early phases of a project, fast sketches allow the designer to visualise their ideas and take the next steps in the design process. Also being an architect allows me to solve problems through sketching while also providing vibrant imagery for the client in the process. It is an artistic approach that is fading across the industry under the pressures of economic and corporate interests and the other elements of architecture that we used to call art – like aesthetics, urban/environment integration and the use of lighting – are often seen as techniques rather than the artistic disciplines they are. I am an urban sketcher and I live attached to my sketchbook, basically sketching the world as it goes on around me.
I am addicted to watercolours and determined to unveil its secrets. I am captivated by its colour blending and the opportunity to capture light like the Impressionist painters of the 19th century. I am fascinated by perspective and how to make a dynamic and cinematographic record of daily life, including multiple vanishing points and distorting reality to create the most dramatic scenes possible. All the knowledge that has been acquired from years of non-stop sketching, from colour usage to composition techniques, is then applied to my work at Broadway Malyan, bringing a creative and vital perspective to the design process.
Pedro Alves cityscape