In recent years, James’ comparatively expensive watercolor business model had trouble competing with both in-house and inexpensive offshore computer renderings, and he began to lose business. Design principals often come to him on a tight deadline to submit a proposal for a project and need a quick presentation for their initial design concepts. These renderings are more fluid – perfect for explaining your vision without committing to a photo-realistic likeness that may change later. James’ clients are primarily based in New York City and often prefer watercolor renderings for presenting their early concepts. I saw the difference the first time I zoomed in on a sample of wood texture while doing an in-app tutorial, and it blew me away.”īlack and white watercolor-styled rendering by James Akers (created using SketchUp for iPad and Procreate). It’s similar to the difference between an old 4-bit video game and the newest games.

“The first thing I noticed about SketchUp for iPad was its high-quality resolution. He’s recently started using it for early-stage concept design, schematic design development, and hand-drawn renderings. James affectionately refers to SketchUp for iPad as “SkiP” for shorthand and because it's light and friendly. He creates hand-drawn renderings for large-scale hospitality and residential projects using SketchUp for Desktop and, more recently, SketchUp for iPad combined with either Procreate or Morpholio Trace. James Akers, a longtime architectural design and visualization consultant, is passionate about designing and rendering by hand (with a bit of help from Apple Pencil) on SketchUp for iPad, and – even better – he’s already perfected the workflow to do it. SketchUp for iPad’s release in early 2022 means that architects can once again create with their fingertips – amplified by the power of 3D modeling. It’s not surprising, given your hands and your brain are two parts of your body that are firmly connected, and working with your hands is good for your brain. While the building industry has moved from 2D drawings to 3D models and virtual reality, some designers miss the tactile feel of designing and rendering their concepts by hand.

Two watercolor-styled renderings by James Akers, showing the initial drawing and the final overlay (created using SketchUp for iPad and Procreate).

Using sketchup to design a kitchen