Quiet Street Turns

I wish I could go to beautiful places like this one on my sketch today. This drawing was inspired and started with a photo I found online. I don’t even know where this street is exactly. It could be any old European town, with pastel paints on the buildings that are facing the direction of the morning light. I just love the narrow street winding towards the unseen.

I am using flat colors, solid blocks, and not much detail beyond windows, doors, and the old lamp that bends slightly. I just want to capture the shape of the place. That’s what I like about urban sketching it doesn’t have to be precise or perfect. I hope I got the perspective right for the roofs, the way the buildings seem to connect with each other, the contrast of sky against painted walls that gives this composition a beautiful atmosphere.

I was in control and enjoy the process I just pick out what I want to keep and what to leave out. The buildings on the left are not exactly as they are but the ones on the right I tried my best to retain as much details as I could from the reference.

These are some snaps of the process while I was sketching

I started with the blue background for the sky and little by little filled it with some details like this building

Each building is a challenge to create the one with butter yellow is the most difficult for me bec it has too many details starting with the chimney above its roof. I thought I would not finish.

You can see the last details I added they tell that I am already getting bored and wish that I did not add them and maybe turn this part into a row of trees. But I am glad I stuck with it. The last details are the street lamp and the shadow on the ground.