Sonia Nicolson Links

Personal guidance from a Chartered Architect and former University Lecturer to help you navigate architecture school, your career and what comes next.

Sometimes you don't need another tutorial.

You need someone who understands architecture education and the profession to listen, help you make sense of what's going on, and talk through your options with you.

Maybe you're struggling with architecture school. You've lost confidence after a difficult crit. You're wondering whether you've chosen the right course. You're trying to find an internship, thinking about what to do after graduation, or simply feeling overwhelmed and unsure of your next step.

You don't have to figure it all out on your own.

My 1:1 Architecture Mentoring sessions give you a private space to talk things through with someone who understands the journey you're on.

I've spent over 15 years teaching and mentoring architecture and design students, including leading university programmes and supporting students through the highs, lows and difficult decisions that come with creative education.

I've also been an architecture student myself, worked in practice and become a Chartered Architect - so I understand architecture from both sides of the desk.

Bring me what's on your mind. We'll work out what to do next.

Is This Right for You?

A mentoring session could be right for you if you're:

• Feeling overwhelmed or stuck at architecture school

• Struggling with confidence or wondering if you're good enough

• Finding it difficult to recover from a disappointing crit, grade or piece of feedback

• Unsure whether you're on the right course or taking the right path

• Trying to decide what to do next in your studies

• Thinking about changing course or university

• Looking for an architecture internship or work experience

• Preparing to move from university into practice

• Wondering whether to continue to postgraduate or Master’s study

• Trying to make decisions about your architecture career

• Feeling behind compared with other students

• Looking for perspective from someone who understands architecture education and the profession

You don't need to arrive with a perfectly formed question.

Sometimes you just know that something isn't working and you need to talk it through.

We can start there.

What Can We Talk About?

Every mentoring session is different because every student's situation is different.

We might talk about:

• Navigating architecture school

• Confidence and self-doubt

• Difficult tutor feedback or crits

• Managing your workload and priorities

• Feeling behind or overwhelmed

• University or course decisions

• Internships and work experience

• Preparing for practice

• Career direction

• Postgraduate study

• Applications and interviews

• Making the most of your time at university

• Finding your strengths as a designer

• Your next steps

My job isn't to decide for you. I'll listen, ask questions, share my experience where it's useful and help you cut through the noise so you can see your options more clearly.

Why Work With Me?

I've spent over 15 years teaching, mentoring and supporting architecture and design students.

As a former University Lecturer and programme leader, I've seen students navigate almost every stage of architecture education - from those first overwhelming weeks of first year through to graduation, postgraduate study and the transition into practice.

I've helped students who were thriving.

I've helped students who were struggling.

I've helped students who had lost confidence, were questioning their direction or simply needed someone experienced to tell them:

Let's work out what's actually going on here.

I know how intense architecture school can be, and I also know how much difference the right conversation at the right time can make.

What You'll Leave With

The aim isn't to give you another enormous list of things to worry about.

It's the opposite.

After our session, you'll have:

• Greater clarity about what's actually bothering you

• A clearer understanding of your options

• Practical next steps

• An outside perspective from someone experienced in architecture education

• Relevant advice and resources where appropriate

• More confidence in the decisions you're making

Most importantly, I want you to leave feeling:

“Okay. I know what I'm going to do next.”

How It Works

1. Book your mentoring session

Choose a time that works for you and tell me a little about what's going on.

2. Tell me what you'd like to talk about

Before we meet, you'll have an opportunity to share your questions, concerns or situation so I have some context before our call.

You don't need to prepare anything formal.

3. Meet online

We'll spend 60 minutes together talking through what's happening, exploring your options and working out practical next steps.

This is your time. There is no set agenda and no one-size-fits-all mentoring framework.

We'll focus on what you need.

4. Move forward with clarity

Where useful, I'll follow up with relevant links, resources, articles or recommendations from our conversation so you know where to go next.

1:1 Architecture Mentoring Session

60-minute private online session

For architecture and design students who need an experienced person in their corner while they work out what comes next.

You don't need to have the answer.

That's what we'll work out together.

Expert feedback on your architecture project from a Chartered Architect and former University Lecturer.

Sometimes you don’t need another YouTube tutorial, another Pinterest board or another night staring at your drawings.

You need someone experienced to look at your work with you and help you figure out what to do next.

My 1:1 Architecture Tutorials are private online sessions designed to give you focused, practical feedback on the work you’re doing right now.

Bring your drawings, plans, sketches, models, presentation boards or even a half-developed idea, and we’ll work through it together - just like we would in a university tutorial.

With over 15 years of experience teaching architecture and design students, I’ve helped thousands of students develop their ideas, improve their drawings and communicate their projects more clearly.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before we meet.

That’s the point of the tutorial.

Is This Right for You?

A 1:1 tutorial is ideal if you’re:

• Studying Architecture, Interior Design or a related creative course

• Stuck on a current design project

• Unsure how to develop your idea

• Struggling to translate your ideas into drawings

• Trying to understand or respond to tutor feedback

• Preparing for a crit, review or submission

• Unsure what drawings you actually need

• Struggling with plans, sections, elevations or perspective

• Worried that your presentation isn’t communicating your project clearly

• Looking for a second opinion before you submit your work

You don’t need a finished project.

Bring what you have, tell me where you’re stuck, and we’ll start there.

What We Can Work On

Every tutorial is completely tailored to your project and what you need help with.

We might look at:

• Design development

• Plans, sections and elevations

• Perspective drawing

• Architectural sketching

• Drawing composition and line weight

• Presentation drawings

• Layout and visual communication

• Developing a design concept

• Communicating your ideas more clearly

• Responding to tutor or crit feedback

• Preparing for an upcoming review or submission

• Deciding what to work on next

This isn’t about me redesigning your project for you.

It’s about helping you see your project more clearly, ask better questions and make stronger design decisions yourself.

What You’ll Leave With

After your tutorial, you should have:

• Clear, practical feedback on your work

• A better understanding of what is and isn’t working

• Specific ideas for how to develop your project

• Priorities for what to work on next

• Greater confidence in the decisions you’re making

Most importantly, I want you to finish the session knowing: “Right. I know what I need to do now.”

How It Works

1. Book your tutorial
Choose a time that works for you.

2. Send me your work
Before we meet, you’ll be able to send your drawings, sketches, plans, presentation boards or anything else you’d like me to look at.

It doesn’t need to be polished or finished.

3. Meet online
We’ll spend 60 minutes together reviewing your project, talking through where you’re stuck and working out your next steps.

4. Get back to your project
You’ll leave with clear priorities and practical actions you can start working on straight away.

Book Your 1:1 Architecture Tutorial

60-minute private online tutorial

Perfect if you need focused, expert feedback on a current architecture or design project.

Bring the messy drawings. Bring the half-formed idea. Bring the tutor feedback you don’t understand.

We’ll work through it together.

If your floor plans look empty, flat, or hard to read, this guide will fix that. Learn how to draw people and furniture in plan, so your layouts communicate scale, movement, and real life - exactly what tutors look for in first-year projects and portfolios.

This guide is for:

• Architecture & interior students drawing floor plans

• Portfolio applicants

• Anyone whose plans look empty or unclear

By the end, you’ll be able to:

• Draw people correctly in plan view

• Place furniture at the right scale

• Make your plans easier to read instantly

• Communicate space clearly in portfolio layouts

Taught to hundreds of university students

When teaching architecture and interior design students, I noticed that many struggled with floor plans, not because of layout, but because their drawings lacked people, furniture, and a sense of scale.

This ebook was created to clearly explain how to draw people and furniture in plan view so your drawings communicate space, proportion, and intention more effectively.

What’s Included

• A downloadable PDF ebook

• Clear hand-drawn examples

• Simple explanations of scale and proportion

• Practical references you can use while drawing

USE THIS WITH THE FLOOR PLAN COURSE

This ebook is the perfect companion to the Learn to Draw a Floor Plan by Hand course. First learn the method, then add people & furniture with confidence.

Less than one set of fineliners, a skill you’ll use in every project.

This editable architecture portfolio template for students helps you present your work in a clear, professional layout using Canva. Designed for university applications in architecture, interior architecture, and design, it gives you a structured portfolio format so your drawings, projects, and ideas are easy for tutors to understand - without spending weeks designing pages from scratch.

✔ Used by architecture & interior design applicants

✔ Works in the free version of Canva

✔ Structure tutors can read in seconds

This template is designed for:

• You have the work, but don’t know how to lay it out

• Your pages look messy or inconsistent

• You’re applying to architecture, interior architecture, or design

• You want your portfolio to look professional - fast

What This Template Helps You Do

• Make your work easy for tutors to understand

• Create a consistent, calm visual flow

• Let your drawings and ideas stand out

• Feel confident submitting your portfolio

Why I Created This Template

As a university lecturer, I reviewed hundreds of student portfolios and saw strong projects being rejected because the layouts were unclear. I created this Canva template to give students a clear, flexible structure so their work can speak for itself, without spending hours designing pages from scratch.

What’s Included

• 50+ page portfolio structure

• Title pages, project pages, text/image layouts

• Drag-and-drop system you can reuse for every project

Less than the cost of printing one portfolio - use it for your entire degree.

Stop guessing what tutors want. Build a clear, confident portfolio that gets you accepted.

✔ Know what universities are really looking for

✔ Stop guessing what to include

✔ Submit a portfolio that feels intentional and professional

Learn from a Chartered Architect & Former University Lecturer

Over 15 years of teaching and reviewing portfolios for university admissions. I’ve helped thousands of students understand:

• What tutors actually look for

• How to structure their work

• How to present ideas with confidence

This course is for you if:

• You’re applying to architecture, interior architecture, or design

• You have work, but don’t know if it’s “good enough”

• You don’t know what tutors actually want to see

• You feel overwhelmed by what to include

• You want to submit with confidence, not guesswork

What This Course Helps You Do

• Understand what universities and tutors look for in a portfolio

• Select and organise your work clearly

• Present drawings, sketches, and projects with confidence

• Explain your ideas and creative process

• Submit a portfolio that reflects how you think, not just what you made

Why I Created This Course

After teaching and reviewing portfolios for hundreds of students as a university lecturer, I saw how many talented applicants felt overwhelmed and unsure about what admissions teams actually wanted.

This course was created to remove confusion, provide structure, and help students feel confident and prepared when submitting their portfolios.

What’s Included

• Short, structured video lessons

• A clear portfolio framework you can follow step by step

• Real examples from successful student portfolios

• Lifetime access so you can revisit anytime

Build a clear, confident portfolio that shows how you think - not just what you made.

“I finally understood what my portfolio was missing.” - Architecture Applicant 2025

You don’t need more time - you need a clear structure. This is exactly what this course gives you.