A Tiny Chapel in a Square

This weekend I worked on this sketch of this strange little chapel, just a single room really, that we stumbled upon in a small square in Mexico City. I was fascinated by its age, which was extreme, and the lovely pink color; it had a kind of doll-house effect. Unfotunately it was locked and we couldn't go in. The surrounding neighborhood was relatively poor, but there were beautiful old Spanish buildings dating from the 1500s on every street.

I'm trying to develop a style for drawings like this: loose and energetic but fairly accurate. It's not easy. The perspective distortion on the edges here is mostly in the photograph, though, and even when I used Photoshop's perspective correction tool I wasn't satisfied so I removed it. But I like this better than if I drew the entire thing like an architectural rendering, with vanishing points. No matter what, it takes a long time; I'm trying to get faster. This is obviously from photographs; I never felt like Ihad sufficient time in Mexico to sit and draw - we were too interested in wandering and seeing what was around the next corner!

Here's the drawing without the color; I might like it better. What do you think?

Comments

[mary]

Beth,
I like both of these, but the pink one is my favorite. It must be so satisfying to be able to sit and draw these lovely sketches. I particularly like that they're not architecturally correct--more wabi-sabi.

[Andrea]

Very nice. I like it with added colour. The pink is so wonderful.

Over on Spitalfields Life today there is a similar theme, with looser drawing, also lovely.

[Marja-Leena]

Beth, I like both your drawings very much. I would think it difficult to draw very fast with all those interesting architectural details which you captured so well. I also enjoyed the drawings of your desk and much-loved objects.

Just curious... which do you prefer, drawing from life or from photographs? (I know sometimes there is no choice.)

[Sharat Buddhavarapu]

The uncolored version does wonders for the church (IMHO), but the bit of green for the trees is so essential. That green feels like life. Still, the pink isn't bad, I just prefer the line work on the church to stand on its own.

[Jean]

I really like both versions. The line drawing only is lovely architectural sketching, but the pink, for me, makes it redolent of Mexico, which is so much about colour (not that colour can't be conveyed by words and by lines, as well as literally, but still...).

[Beth]

I'm appreciating this feedback, thanks very much!

Marja-Leena, I much prefer drawing from life, but like you say, sometimes it's not possible. The trick for me is to try to retain the fresh "aliveness" of on-the-spot drawing when using photos for reference, so that the drawing doesn't look "like it's done from a photograph." (I think drawing from life is a very important practice because you have to do the translation into 2 dimensions yourself, so if I had students that's what I'd insist on.)

[Hattie]

I know enough to know how tricky it is do this kind of drawing. It has to have life in it. That is a pretty structure.

[Dominic]

I like your drawing - and prefer it with the discreet colours you've added. They add a certain character and create the impression that the buildings are standing in a warm place, which I like.