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Research, Sketches, and Ideas Created by William Van Zyl (compiled 1 June 2026). Published in July 2026.
Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of the design process in many creative industries. While traditional freehand sketching remains an essential skill for Design and Visual Communication (DVC) students, AI offers exciting opportunities to explore design ideas in new and engaging ways.
This article explores how AI can be used alongside traditional sketching techniques in a Year 10 DVC and NCEA Level 1 Design and Visual Communication context (New Zealand curriculum). The focus is on developing freehand sketching skills, architectural communication, and rendering techniques while using AI as a tool to extend design thinking.
From Minecraft to Architectural Sketching
One of the challenges for many students is translating ideas from digital environments into traditional design drawings.
In this project, students begin by designing a Modern Sustainable Floating Home in Minecraft Education. Using their digital model as inspiration, they then create a series of simple freehand three-dimensional sketches.
The objective is not to create perfect artwork but rather to communicate design ideas visually. These sketches become the foundation for further design development and rendering practice.
Developing freehand sketching skills in Year 10 provides valuable preparation for NCEA Level 1 Design and Visual Communication, where students are expected to communicate design ideas using a range of graphical techniques.
Learning Through Urban Sketching and Watercolours
The rendering approach used in this project draws inspiration from the work of Australian architect and urban sketcher Liz Steel, whose architectural sketches combine fountain pen line work with expressive watercolour washes.
Students can experiment with:
- Fountain pen drawing
- Architectural line work
- Watercolour rendering
- Tonal values
- Shadow and shading
- Texture representation
- Material rendering
- Human scale figures
These techniques help students communicate atmosphere, scale, and realism while strengthening their visual communication skills.
Sustainable Design Features
Students were encouraged to develop a legend (key) that identifies sustainable design features incorporated into their floating home design.
Examples include:
- Solar panels
- Solar thermal panels
- Green roof systems
- Living walls
- Deciduous trees
- Wind turbines
- Rainwater harvesting tanks
- Triple-glazed windows
- LED lighting
- Reinforced concrete walls (thermal mass)
- Passive solar design principles
- Sustainable timber decking
- Greywater recycling systems
Including a design legend helps students clearly communicate the environmental performance of their proposal while linking design decisions to sustainability principles.
Example Freehand Sketch
CAPTION: PHOTO – Example of a freehand rendered sketch by the author. Below is part of a marking schedule used with 15-year-old students. Fictional Student’s work. Sketch done by William Van Zyl. Note: A random year was chosen for the sketches. Fictional marking schedule. In this image, AI was ASKED TO REPLACE THE BACKGROUND
The initial sketch was intentionally simple. The focus was on communicating form, sustainable features, and overall design intent rather than producing a finished presentation drawing.
Using AI to Render Architectural Sketches
After creating a freehand sketch, students can upload an image of their work to an AI image generator along with a simple legend explaining the sustainable features.
The legend can be printed, cut out, and attached beside the sketch before photographing or scanning the work.
The AI can then generate a rendered interpretation of the student’s concept.
Example Prompt
ChatGPT Prompt
“Please create a black ink and watercolour 3D image of this image. Also include one building of the influential designer (style Modernism). Show the building’s sustainable features. Label the features with annotations and labels. Important: include people and shadows. Choose the best place for the light source to showcase the shadows and shading (tonal values, textures, and materials).”
The resulting image introduces realistic rendering techniques that students may not yet be able to produce by hand.
The generated image can demonstrate:
- Tonal values
- Light direction
- Shadows
- Material textures
- Human scale
- Environmental context
- Presentation techniques
Importantly, students can analyse these features and learn from them.
AI Generated Result: Ink and Watercolour
CAPTION FOR THE ABOVE IMAGE: The top image is the student’s design, and the bottom image shows some research on Modernism. Media: Ink and watercolours. Tonal values, shadow and shading, including people in a realistic context.
Students often enjoy comparing the AI-rendered version with their original sketches and discussing the techniques used to create realism.
Creating a Floor Plan with AI
AI can also assist students in exploring architectural layouts.
After generating a perspective image, students can ask AI tools to create a simple plan view.
Example Prompt
Prompt
Please create a simple floor plan of this floating home:
- Open-plan lounge, kitchen, and dining area
- 1 bedroom
- 1 bathroom (toilet, shower, and wash basin)
- Clear room labels
- Dimension lines showing 6 m width and 6 m depth
- Clean architectural plan-view presentation suitable for DVC work
Using AI to Explore Floor Plans
The generated floor plan allows students to investigate:
- Spatial planning
- Room relationships
- Human circulation
- Furniture placement
- Functional design
Students can compare multiple floor plan options and evaluate which arrangement best meets occupants’ needs.
CAPTION: Simple plan view created by AI from the ink and watercolour sketches. See the prompt for details. Fictional student. Note: A random year was chosen for the sketches.
No Rendering Version
Not every student wishes to work digitally.
An alternative approach is to print a clean line drawing and allow students to complete all rendering by hand.
This approach develops traditional design communication skills and gives students greater control over:
- Colour choices
- Tonal values
- Material textures
- Rendering techniques
CAPTION: Sketch without rendering. Students can print this image and complete the rendering themselves using watercolours or pastels. Alternatively, it can be done in charcoal and pencil, acrylic, oil paint, or other styles like vintage, sepia, black-and-white, pop art, and any other style or genre.
Pop Art Style Rendering of the given images (an example):
ABOVE IMAGE: POP ART STYLE. Fictional student photo. AI PROMPT: Please render this image in pop art style. Credit: Canva.
I include some more samples of different AI-rendered styles.
Pencil and Charcoal Style:
Vibrant Acrylic Paint version:
Delicate Oil-paint Style
Typical Pop Art Style:
Contemporary Maori-style (New Zealand Context):
Typical Art Deco Style:
Typical Bauhaus Style:
Rendering with Pastels
Soft pastels offer another exciting rendering medium for students.
Pastels can be used to demonstrate:
- Strong tonal contrasts
- Atmospheric effects
- Reflections
- Architectural materials
- Human activity
CAPTION: Ink and pastels. Tonal values, shadow and shading, including people in a realistic context.
Creating a life-like “scale model”:
Prompt: Please create a typical contemporary actual model of the image (realistic small-scale model): Floating home. Add barges under the floating home to keep it buoyant. Use materials like wood, plexiglass (windows), thin concrete walls, and more.
CAPTION: Actual Life-like Model (wood, concrete, glass and steel). See the prompt for details.
Minecraft-style design (AI-generated):
IMAGE: Modern sustainable floating house modelled in Minecraft Education. AI-generated July 2026.
Assessment Considerations
Teachers should carefully consider how AI-generated images are used within assessment contexts.
If AI is used during internal assessments, schools should ensure that usage aligns with:
- NZQA assessment conditions
- School AI policies
- Authenticity requirements
- Teacher professional judgement
One approach is to use AI-generated imagery for exploration and inspiration while ensuring that assessed evidence remains the student’s own work.
Conclusion
Artificial Intelligence is creating exciting opportunities within Design and Visual Communication. While freehand sketching remains a fundamental skill, AI can enhance student learning by providing visual examples of rendering techniques, architectural presentation methods, and design possibilities.
By combining traditional sketching, watercolour rendering, urban sketching techniques, Minecraft design work, and AI-generated imagery, students can develop a deeper understanding of architectural communication and sustainable design.
Most importantly, students learn that AI is not a replacement for creativity—it is another tool that can help them explore ideas, communicate concepts, and develop their skills as emerging designers.
As AI continues to evolve, the challenge for educators is not whether to use it, but how to use it thoughtfully, ethically, and creatively within authentic learning experiences.
Copyright © 2026 by William Van Zyl
TAPPING INTO AI: Rendering Ink and Watercolour Design Sketches for Architectural (or Product) Design: Modern Sustainable Floating Home.
All rights reserved. This eBook/article or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
without the publisher’s permission, except for using brief quotations in a book review.
Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)
First Publishing, July 2026
More eBooks and articles are available at https://fivehousepublishing.com/
More about the author at http://williamvanzyl.com/
