The Story Behind My Taj Mahal Drawing

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is often described as the crown jewel of Mughal architecture. Built between 1632 and 1648 by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, it stands as a symbol of eternal love and one of the most recognisable monuments in the world. Constructed from white Makrana marble and inlaid with precious stones, it blends elements of Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Indian architectural styles. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts millions of visitors each year.

My hand drawing of the Taj Mahal was created from photographs and quick sketches I made on the day I visited, celebrating my 30th birthday with close friends. We woke at 5am to beat the crowds, taking an auto-rickshaw through the still and hazy streets of Agra towards the gates. After paying our entrance fee, we joined the slow-moving stream of visitors walking down the long path. The anticipation was tangible.

As we passed through the red sandstone arches of the main gateway, the view opened up to reveal the Taj Mahal perfectly framed ahead of us. Its pristine white marble glowed in the soft morning light, mirrored in the long reflecting pool that runs through the gardens. It was one of those rare moments where the scene looked exactly like the postcards, yet somehow felt even more unreal in person.

We spent hours wandering the gardens, tracing the intricate calligraphy carved into the marble, and stepping inside to see the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The craftsmanship was breathtaking - from the delicate floral motifs to the symmetry of every arch and dome.

Eventually, we found a shaded spot to sit and take it all in. Surrounded by the buzz of other visitors and the scent of flowers, I remember looking around at my friends and feeling such gratitude. We had travelled far, shared so much life already, and were now here together in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

When I look back at my sketches from that day, I am reminded not just of the Taj Mahal’s elegance, but of the vivid colours of India - the bright orange saris, the mint green tuk-tuks, the powdery blues of painted walls, and every shade of pink in between. For me, this drawing isn’t just about an architectural masterpiece; it’s a snapshot of friendship, adventure, and a moment in time I’ll always treasure.

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open for commissions

5 Tips To Create Your Perfect Studio/Office

Welcome to my studio, aka home-office but I'm guessing that's what many people are rocking. Today I'm taking you through my studio setup and offering up my 5 top tips to help you in creating yours. Art, design, and crafting can [and does] take over our homes, and whilst this can be amazing, it can also drive others insane. My Dad used to threaten to 'clean' with a black plastic bag. 

But that doesn't stop us. 

In my apartment, of course, I have a studio. It’s in the corner of our living room and separated by an open bookshelf for privacy. I have amazing daylight from our south-facing windows out to the balcony and a wall with my certificates and some artwork on it.

My desk has everything I need on it, or by it, and it can get pretty cluttered...it's organized chaos.

1. Pick a location with lots of natural light

   but also power sockets for artificial light. I sit near the window so I get natural light, and a view of the neighbours but I am not too distracted by what is going on outside.

2. Surround yourself with inspiration

   This will be different for everyone but for me, it’s pictures of family and friends, inspirational quotes, images and art, stationery, and so on. I have some of my work framed to remind me of my recent works and I use objects I use regularly as display pieces too.

3. Set the atmosphere

   I do this with music. I have a Sonos speaker and I use the Apple Music app or the Calm app. I love a bit of background noise to distract my mind and all those random thoughts, or an audiobook on audible - I'm currently listening to The Happiness Project. I also love scented candles and often have one or two burning as I work.

4. Stay organized

   we all love stationery and washi tapes and paper and so on but clutter will only distract and put you off. Make your desk welcoming and easy to work at. Use cups, glasses, empty candleholders, or whatever you can to help store all those pens and pencils you have.

5. Workspace and surface

   keep this relatively empty so you always have a space to start a new project and remember to protect the surface you're working on. I use a large cutting mat to protect the tabletop and often put down a large sheet of white paper as a background for photos. The more you have lying around, the more your mind will wander to it. Even if that pile of to-do papers aren’t a priority, the fact they are sitting on your desk means your mind is thinking about them, even when you think it’s not.

10 Ways To Have A Good Day

It's midweek and I want it to be the weekend again but I'm going to make the most of it and have made a list of ten ways to have a good day, try them out:

1. Start it with a coffee

2. Take a hot shower

3. Wear something that makes you feel good

4. Smile at everyone you meet

5. Phone [or Skype] a friend

6. Take a walk around the block

7. Tackle one thing from that 'to-do' list

8. Tell someone you love them

9. Paint your nails

10. When all else fails, spend some time on Pinterest

A post shared by 'Living In Iceland' 🇮🇸 Sonia (@layoutlines) on Mar 9, 2014 at 3:06am PDT

Returning to Incredible India: An Academic Trip Back to Where My Journey Began

I can hardly believe it has been almost two years since I left India. I packed my suitcase, said my goodbyes, and closed a chapter that had shaped both my career and my character. This week I found myself packing that same suitcase again, boarding a flight out of Heathrow and heading right back.

My adventure in India began in 2009, mid-recession. I flew out via Singapore with a laptop, a suitcase, and a CD of briefing documents. I had been hired to help set up and run a new campus for a Singaporean design college. I had no idea what to expect, and in truth, there is no real way to prepare for building a design school from the ground up. But somehow, we did it. It was “bohot acha” - very good. I left with lifelong friends, talented students who taught me just as much as I taught them, unforgettable memories, and an experience that drastically reshaped my career.

There were also the things that don’t go on a CV - the dosa and sambhar served on banana leaves, the colour of the markets, the heat, the chaos, the chai, even the local cola that could revive a dead soul before a lecture. India embedded itself into my daily rhythms.

Returning in a New Role

Almost two years later, I returned not as a resident, but as the academic representative of my UK university. Over two weeks I travelled through Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore - the city I once called home - visiting prestigious schools, colleges, universities, education fairs, and agents across the country.

I gave talks and lectures, ran workshops and drawing sessions, interviewed potential students, reviewed portfolios, and spoke with hundreds of young designers eager to study abroad. The energy was exactly as I remembered: ambitious, fast, and full of possibility.

Unlike my first move to India which was long-term and deeply personal, this visit was intense, professional, and mission-driven. We worked hard and did good work. We will be following up on applications and enquiries next week, but I already know the trip was a success.

Why It Still Matters

Walking back through Bangalore nearly two years later confirmed what I already knew - some places don’t stop being part of your story just because you leave them. India still carries that sense of urgency and optimism in the air. Returning reminded me why I do the work I do: to help shape the next generation of designers and to open doors the way someone once opened them for me.

It was exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure, and I feel lucky to have a job that allows me to teach, to travel, and to stand in rooms where futures are decided.

It was, again, bohot acha to be back in Incredible India.

Book me as a visiting tutor/speaker

If you are looking for a visiting tutor, guest lecturer, or speaker for workshops, reviews, or academic events in architecture and design, I am available for in-person and virtual engagements. Email me to enquire about availability and speaking bookings: hello@sonianicolson.com

Interior and Architectural Ink rendered Hand Drawings

Rendering, by hand, with Ink Marker Pens

Over the last few weeks, I have been creating a series of hand-drawn renderings for my Design Communications class. I always believe it is best to show students my work rather than pulling examples from Google, as it is proof that I can actually do what I am teaching, and it builds their trust.

In today’s fast-paced design world, we are often too quick to jump onto a computer to create polished images. While programs like Photoshop are industry standards, there is an undeniable beauty and value in mastering hand-drawn and hand-rendered work first. This tactile skill sharpens your eye for detail, helps you understand light and shadow, and brings a unique warmth to your drawings that software cannot replicate.

I am sharing these examples with you, walking you through my process, the materials I use, and tips so you can start creating your own architectural and interior design renderings by hand.

Ink Marker Pens for Interior Design Rendering

Over the years, I have built up a small collection of marker pens, from ProMarkers and Tria to my current favourites, Copic markers. I am not loyal to a single brand, for me, colour range and ink flow matter most. Whatever I have to hand often does the job perfectly.

If you are just starting, I recommend investing in 3 to 4 essentials:

• A light grey and a darker grey for shadows and depth

• A warm brown for wood tones

• A blender pen if the budget allows

You can also layer in details with coloured pencils over your marker work; it adds texture and subtle variation that brings an image to life.

Choosing the Right Paper for Ink Rendering

Working with marker pens can feel intimidating at first, but it gets easier with practice. My biggest tip is to always make multiple copies of your line drawing before you start rendering, that way you can experiment without the fear of ruining your work.

Paper choice can make or break your result. Poor-quality paper causes the ink to bleed, feather, or soak through, while thin sketchbook paper can warp or become semi-transparent. I have had the best results using:

• Thick card stock with a smooth finish

• Watercolour paper with light absorption, great for layering ink

• Marker pads, ideal but often pricey if you are not using them regularly

Look for a smooth surface to avoid streaking, and always test your markers on a scrap before starting.

Try It Yourself

If you have never worked with marker pens, remember, less is more. Build up your tones gradually. Add a wash of your lightest colour first, step back, then layer in mid-tones and shadows. Keep checking your work from a distance so you can see the balance of colour and contrast.

If you do not have your drawing to render, take an image from a design magazine, sketch it out with a fine liner or pencil, and start there. Begin with light tones, then layer darker colours for depth, adding texture and highlights last.

The hardest part is knowing when to stop. It is tempting to keep adding more, but sometimes the most beautiful results come from restraint, allowing the white of the page and the looseness of the lines to shine through.

The Big Apple, New York City

Back at work for a few weeks and I am already reminiscing about my summer travels. So today I share my few days in NYC, madly rushing around to see as much as physically possible, with you. Personally, I think New York is one of my favorite cities. I've been twice and can't wait to go back. I love the energy, you can really feel it in the air, I love the architecture, the food, the 'cwaffee' and the shopping!! I can go on...

Even though it's a huge city, you get the feeling whilst walking around that it's much more of a personal scale with its different districts and villages.  People smile, they say Hi!, they stop and take a minute to ask where you're from...and they are actually interested.  

On this visit, I walked my little feet off. I tried to do an area a day but when you start walking you just can’t stop and you know there is something really interesting on the next block...before you know it you have walked miles, and there’s no point getting the Subway back cos you would miss out on more. This is basically what happened and I didn't miss much out.  

NYC has it all; the parks, the bridges, the shops, the bars and restaurants, the culture, the fashion, the art and design, and of course the Architecture. My favorite building is the Chrysler (by far), then the Guggenheim, and I love the Brooklyn Bridge but I had a new project to discover this time; The Highline. The Highline is a fantastic project which saw the old rail tracks transformed into a new urban parkland in the Chelsea area.  It has access at street level, benches along it with areas of mini amphitheaters highlighting views, paths exposing the old rail tracks, local wild plant life, water features, green living-walls, music, bars, and cafes, lighting at night and is generally a very cool addition to the city.

NYC has an iconic skyline, one which plays hard on our memories, but a very beautiful and impressive one. The Memorial Plaza, located on the site of the former World Trade Centre, is a tribute to the past and a place of hope for the future. It features two large waterfalls and reflecting pools, set within the footprints of the original twin towers, and surrounded by over 400 trees. The project is one of the most eco-friendly Plazas ever constructed and you can really feel that contemplation and reflection are at its heart.  

I will leave you with this picture, I think many people would agree that the Chrysler Building is the most beautiful building, sparkling in the sunlight and standing proud over Grand Central Station.