Some of the most useful days in a studio are the ones without a client brief. This summer, Wellington Franzao came to our studio in Niš to run his Sketches workshop with our team. One model, one day and no deadlines. Just camera, light and composition.
 

Who is Franzao

Franzao is a Creative Director at Elephant Skin and the host of the podcast Talk to Franzao, with more than six years in architectural visualization. His sketching-focused approach has earned him three international awards: CG Architect 3D Awards (2023), Architecture Hunter Award (2024) and ASAI (2025).

A full day with the team

Franzao spent the whole day with us. He opened with a presentation on how he works, then handed over his own model, the PKX Airport scene from his portfolio.

Sketches is his method for creating low-resolution images with soul, originally developed for the demands of leading international architecture offices. Instead of polishing a single view, you work fast, test camera positions and framing, and keep only what carries an idea. The goal is not a finished render. It is finding the shot worth finishing.

Then we got to work. Everyone sketched their own shots while he moved around the room, helping and commenting as we went. At the end of the day, he picked his favorites from each person's sketches, and we went through every one of them together, one by one. The images in this post are his selection.

What stayed with us

Technique was only part of it. What stayed with us was his mindset and the way he presents. That kind of energy is contagious. His approach is best summed up in his own words: "Creativity is not a gift. It comes from exploration and practice." For a team that works on commercial deadlines every day, that is a useful reminder. A day spent exploring, with no client waiting on the other side, gave everyone room to try views they would not usually risk.

What it means for our clients

In every project, the first camera studies shape everything that follows: which views go to approvals, which ones lead the marketing campaign, and how a space is understood by people who have never stood in it. A faster way to explore those options means we can test more viewpoints early and bring clearer choices to the first review. It also shows in the final images. Clients notice the difference between a render that is technically correct and one that carries emotion. The second kind comes from exactly this kind of practice.

Why we invest in our team

This workshop is part of how we think about growth at Darkroom. A couple of years ago, the whole team went through Render Camp together. This time it was Sketches. Software and tools keep changing, but the eye for a good image is built through practice and through time spent learning from people we respect. We think everyone needs a day away from commercial projects sometimes. A creative day with no deadlines does us all good, and our clients see the result in the work.