More from the Japanese Garden
July 18, 2010
Here’s some quick inks from a return trip to the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park.
We spent the day touring with Urban Sketcher Simo Capecchi and her family. This is always a great spot to go with sketchers. She is on the way to Portland for the Urban Sketchers Symposium.
I really wish I could attend this year. Unfortunately it’s happening right at the same time as we have to move house from San Francisco to Montreal. I hope I can make next years – I hear it might be a European destination.
[ballpoint and brushpen on cover stock, around 15-20 min each]
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Citizen Sketcher 
Love this stuff!
I’ve not been sketching long . . about the last 6-7 years . . and I’m comfortable with small objects but find it very difficult to draw larger scale objects.. any tips.. apart from the obvious ‘just do it….’ I’m not that interested in traditional landscapes per se…. more the Urban stuff . . a bit more gritty (I know Japanese gardens are not exactly gritty
hmm tips…lets see…..one thing that helps me with larger objects is to back off – draw from further away. If I’m too close to a building or block of houses, I can’t see the perspective. Also getting at an angle or some how being above or below helps me, instead of trying to sketch a structure ‘flat on’. Again, helps me see the perspective.
Also for me, I have to chose a focal point – an interesting doorway or window, and the whole image is designed to move the eye to the focal point. That helps organize any image.
Leave out detail in the unimportant areas, increase detail, contrast and color in the focus.
Oh and work fast, go by instinct. Too much planning makes the drawings stiff and boring. I often have to do three sketches and try for a good one, rather than do one and get it ‘right’ the first time :)
That’s what comes to mind. Beyond of course the ‘draw every day’ mantra. I’ve only been drawing “seriously” for 6 or 7 years myself – but I’ve been aiming for as close to 4 hours a day as I can get. That’s my goal. Sometimes it’s 16 hours a day and nothing for the rest of the week. But I try to make it average out around 4 a day.
Another tip for drawing large-scale subjects – I block out the basic shapes of the main parts in light pencil first, it makes the whole process feel a bit less intimidating.
Also, experiment with mark-making. I find that a range of marks can make effective texture and contrast in a pen drawing.
I’m working on a few Japanese garden drawings at the mo – these are wonderful!
Zenobia
I love those, Marc! They’re beautiful.
Hi, my name is Jim Brandt I would like a copy of Japanese garden drawing