isometric building tutorial

this is my usual approach to drawing isometric buildings (well, not just buildings actually). i thought it might be useful to people new to isometrics - i know the way to do stuff like this is different to every person, although i guess the "basics" do have some things in common usually.

anyway, a step by step description.

1) i first draw the "wireframe" of the building - in the tutorial image i already left out the lines obscured by the building (i.e. the lines on the back), but i always draw those too. i think it's best to draw every line, even if they will be erased later on, to avoid making mistakes.

2) after erasing the lines on the back, i start to fill in the shape with the base fill. i usually use a standard grey scheme for this, as i add the colour later on. this is where you have to pay attention to the position of the light source, and where the highlights/shadows will be.

3) with bright red, i draw a new wireframe when i want to expand the building. again, i draw every line, including the ones not facing the viewer.

4) deleting the invisible lines, filling up the visible lines with the black (or whatever colour i use for the wireframe).

5) the same as step 2.

6) added highlights to the wireframe lines to add some more depth, and gave the other lines (except the lines forming the actual outline of the building) a bit lighter shade. just a matter of taste.

after completing these steps, i start with adding textures to the building, like windows, ridges, etc.
hope this tutorial was helpful to anyone.