How to Draw Big Ben

STEP 1.

 Hey there. Let's tackle this monster of a building. Big Ben is the clock tower on the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Well, technically it's the name of the bell inside the tower, but I wouldnt've have known that if I hadn't read it on Wikipedia. ANYWAY, let's begin, shall we? To start, draw a skewed rectangular shape for one side of the clock face. I guess that would be called a parallelogram.

 

STEP 2.

 Next we're going to draw the opposing side of the clock face with another downward parallelogram. The general shape here looks like an open greeting card.

 

STEP 3.

 Next we want to draw some vertical lines descending from the corners of the previous shapes. This will create the main shape of the tower. Note that on the outer lines, there's a small dip inward toward the top.

 

STEP 4.

 Here we're going to place a short box on top of the part that holds the clock. The width of this shape is smaller than that of the rest of the tower.

 

STEP 5.

 Next, let's draw a bell-like shape above one side of that box. This will form one side of a sloped roof.

 

STEP 6.

 Let's complete the shape on the opposing side of the tower and draw a line cutting across the bottom to indicate the underside of that roof, which overlaps the box underneath.

 

STEP 7.

 Slap a tiny box on top of that roof!

 

STEP 8.

 Leaving a small space inbetween, draw a triangular shape above the small box. Draw the bottom as a straight line, but have the sides slope inward to a point at the top.

 

STEP 9.

 Here, draw another sloping triangle shape to complete the "cone" shape, and draw connecting lines to the box below. Once again, this shows the underside of the overlapping roof.

 

STEP 10.

 Here we'll draw the roof of the actual palace that Big Ben is connected to. At the point the basic shape of the building is complete!

 

STEP 11.

 Draw a pair of parallelograms (that's a mouthful) for the borders of the actual clock face.

 

STEP 12.

 Draw a pair of verticle lines on each side of the tower below the clock section.

 

STEP 13.

 Next draw four horizontal bars along the front side of the tower, and continue those on the other side.

 

STEP 14.

 This is where we begin to add some detail. Since there is SO much detail on Big Ben, it's impossible to capture every bit of it. Thus, we're forced to simplify. The vertical "bars" on each edge of the tower are covered in grooves. Let's indicate those first by wrapping wavy, zig-zag lines around them. Match these up with the bars from Step 13.

 

STEP 15.

 Draw a row of 7 oval "pill" shapes above and below the clock section. Have the lower row be a bit bolder than the top. Just below, draw a series of 7 small arches as a guide for the next step.

 

STEP 16.

 Next draw a row of 7 vertical stripes on each square section of the tower below the clock. Use a large brush and keep the tops and bottoms rounded.

 

STEP 17.

 On the small box at the top, draw a row of 5 short stripes.

 

STEP 18.

 Using a much thinner line, mirror the previous two steps along the opposing side of the tower.

 

STEP 19.

 Moving away from the main tower for a bit, draw evenly-spaced towers along the side of the palace. If you're working on a computer, you can cheat a bit by using Copy>Paste. Make sure the tops of the towers line up with the perspective on the top of the roof.

 

STEP 20.

 Once again we're reducing the complex detail of this structure to a very, very simple form. Using simple curves, draw a peak between the small towers of the palace. Add the tops of a few towers from the opposite side of the building peering over the top of the roof.

 

STEP 21.

 Back to the main tower, draw a series of concentric circles (sharing the same center) within the square of the clock face.

 

STEP 22.

 Next draw 6 lines intersecting at the center of the circles on each clock face.

 

STEP 23.

 Erase the center of the lines from Step 22 and draw in the arms of the clock.

 

STEP 24.

 Here is where we really get into the finer details of the structure. As I mentioned before, it's nearly impossible to draw every single detail. For time's sake, we're doing to simplify and indicate some of the main details. On the triangular roof sections, note the small "window" shapes. These and the spires from the corners of the roofs are key details. Indicate the grooves of the tower's surface and small details surrounding the clock face.

 

STEP 25.

 Again keeping it very loose and simple, indicate the windows on the palace, along with some of the grooves and general details. Since Big Ben is the focus of this tutorial, I went very loose with these details.

 

STEP 26.

 Ok, this step is pretty hardcore. It's also optional. You'll notice the main lines of the tower are pretty bold and sterile. If you're on the computer, use the Eraser tool next. If you're doing this by hand, you might want to use a white gel pen or any other white paint/ink/gesso/gouache/whatever. Go in and start eating away at those bold lines with your brush. Leave the outer lines mostly intact and focus on the inner edge of those lines. Keep your marks ragged and feel free to tap around and be random. This step will transform your drawing from a collection of flat shapes to a detailed-looking, highly-rendered illustration. I could keep working on sections of this image for countless hours, but I'm going to step back, slap some color on it, and call it a day. Hope you all enjoyed!

 

The Elizabeth Tower (previously called the Clock Tower), named in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year,[7] more popularly known as Big Ben,[5] was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834.[8][9] The new Parliament was built in a Neo-gothic style. Although Barry was the chief architect of the Palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the clock tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall. The design for the tower was Pugin's last design before his final descent into madness and death, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all the designs for finishing his bell tower & it is beautiful."[10] The tower is designed in Pugin's celebrated Gothic Revival style, and is 315 feet (96.0 m) high (roughly 16 storeys).[11]

The bottom 200 feet (61.0 m) of the tower's structure consists of brickwork with sand coloured Anston limestone cladding. The remainder of the tower's height is a framed spire of cast iron. The tower is founded on a 50 feet (15.2 m) square raft, made of 10 feet (3.0 m) thick concrete, at a depth of 13 feet (4.0 m) below ground level. The four clock dials are 180 feet (54.9 m) above ground. The interior volume of the tower is 164,200 cubic feet (4,650 cubic metres).
Despite being one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, the interior of the tower is not open to overseas visitors, though United Kingdom residents are able to arrange tours (well in advance) through their Member of Parliament.[12] However, the tower has no lift, so those escorted must climb the 334 limestone stairs to the top.[11]

Due to changes in ground conditions since construction, the tower leans slightly to the north-west, by roughly 230 millimetres (9.1 in) over 55 m height, giving an inclination of approximately 1/240. This includes a planned maximum of 22 mm increased tilt due to tunnelling for the Jubilee Line extension)[13] Due to thermal effects it oscillates annually by a few millimetres east and west.
Journalists during Queen Victoria's reign called it St Stephen's Tower. As MPs originally sat at St Stephen's Hall, these journalists referred to anything related to the House of Commons as news from "St Stephens" (There is feature called St Stephen's Tower in the Place of Westminster. It is a smaller tower over the public entrance to the Houses of Parliament).[14]

On 2 June 2012, The Daily Telegraph reported that 331 Members of Parliament, including senior members of all three main parties, supported a proposal to change the name from Clock Tower to "Elizabeth Tower" in tribute to the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year. This is thought to be appropriate because the large west tower now known as Victoria Tower was renamed in tribute to Queen Victoria on her Diamond Jubilee.[15] On 26 June, the House of Commons confirmed that the name change could go ahead.[7] Prime Minister Cameron announced the change of name on 12 September 2012, at the start of Prime minister's questions.[16] The change was marked by a naming ceremony in which the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow unveiled a name plaque attached to the tower on Speaker's Green.[17]

Big Ben Gallery

Big Ben Gallery

big ben clock drawing

London's Big Ben

The Houses of Parliament's iconic clock tower is one of London's most famous landmarks. Don't leave London without visiting Big Ben!

The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, commonly called Big Ben, are among London's most iconic landmarks. Technically, Big Ben is the name given to the massive bell inside the clock tower, which weighs more than 13 tons (13,760 kg).  The clock tower looks spectacular at night when the four clock faces are illuminated.

 Big Ben Facts

    Each dial is seven metres in diameter
    The minute hands are 4.2 metres long and weigh about 100kg (including counterweights)
    The numbers are approximately 60cm long
    There are 312 pieces of glass in each clock dial
    A special light above the clock faces is illuminated when parliament is in session
    Big Ben's timekeeping is strictly regulated by a stack of coins placed on the huge pendulum. 
    Big Ben has rarely stopped. Even after a bomb destroyed the Commons chamber during the Second World War, the clock tower survived and Big Ben continued to strike the hours.
    The chimes of Big Ben were first broadcast by the BBC on 31 December 1923, a tradition that continues to this day.
    The latin words under the clockface read DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM, which means O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First
    In June 2012 the House of Commons announced that the clock tower was to be renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.  

The History of Big Ben

The Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834. In 1844, it was decided the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament should include a tower and a clock. 

A massive bell was required and the first attempt (made by John Warner & Sons at Stockton-on-Tees) cracked irreparably. The metal was melted down and the bell recast in Whitechapel in 1858. Big Ben first rang across Westminster on 31 May 1859. A short time later, in September 1859, Big Ben cracked. A lighter hammer was fitted and the bell rotated to present an undamaged section to the hammer. This is the bell as we hear it today.

You can visit the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and discover more about Big Ben's origins.
London's Favourite Landmark: Why Ben?

The origin of the name Big Ben is not known, although two different theories exist.

    The first is that is was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works, a large man who was known affectionately in the house as "Big Ben".
    The second theory is that it was named after a heavyweight boxing champion at that time, Benjamin Caunt. Also known as "Big Ben", this nickname was commonly bestowed in society to anything that was the heaviest in its class.

Visiting Big Ben in London

You can take a tour of the Houses of Parliament. The Elizabeth Tower is not open to the general public although UK residents can arrange a visit by writing to their MP. Applications should be made in writing, as far in advance as possible, to:

House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA

It is not possible for overseas visitors to tour the clock tower.