"I paint a lot of bricks"
Olivia Jane is an architectural illustrator, painter, and printmaker.
Hand painting bricks takes discipline. Even on a small painting, hundreds of bricks create the facade of a classic Tudor-style home. Artist Olivia Jane paints so many bricks she even stocks Hampshire red brick washi tape in her Etsy shop, livpaintsbuildings.
Based in Norwich, United Kingdom, Jane is an architectural illustrator, painter, and printer. Starting with lots of straight lines, Jane brings buildings to life in a sketch-like style. Each artwork is incredibly clean and precise with muted tones in watercolor and defined outlines and details done in ink.
Inspired by the city of Norwich, she likes to capture the essence of structures that tend to be overlooked in daily life. Jane writes on her website,
“I’ve always been intrigued by art that romanticises the mundane, as it makes my everyday life feel a little brighter. It influences my own aims to capture the brightness in the lives of others, through their homes, shops, and special places.”
Jane does commission work of buildings from all over the world but also creates illustrations inspired by holidays or social trends. One collection, heavily featured on her Esty shop here, is inspired by comedian Bo Burnham’s “Inside,” a comedy special on Netflix released in 2021. The black and white illustrations each depict one song from the special and are available as prints or stickers.
Jane is using digital drawing more in her process drawing precise structures but also uses it to craft fun colorful cards and other illustrations.
Follow Jane on Instagram and TikTok @livpaintsbuildings to see her shop updates and process videos (with lots of bricks featured). While she is not currenty taking commissions, there is plenty available on her Etsy shop here and on her website here.