The Challenge
Today’s challenge is a Venetian canal, with the emphasis on simplifying the architecture and, once again, tackling reflections. The instruction is to avoid drawing reflected buildings and instead treat the water as a collection of broken vertical marks, interrupted lines and patches of tone, while leaving plenty of untouched paper.
The Sketch
When in Italy, use an Italian pen. Today I bring out one of the bigger guns from my arsenal, a Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with an EF nib, filled with Octopus Write & Draw Elephant Black. I establish the canal first before working upwards through the bridge and buildings, deliberately leaving parts of the architecture unfinished rather than describing every window and detail. For the water I try to follow the instruction literally, using loose broken marks and pale washes rather than attempting to draw recognisable reflections. The gondola provides the focal point and a little splash of colour.
The Verdict – The reflections work well because they remain broken and understated, with enough untouched paper for the water to breathe. The unfinished upper section of the building on the left is particularly successful: very little is actually drawn, yet the eye completes the structure. The central tower and darker building provide useful focus, while the bridge is described without becoming overworked. The main criticism is the gondolier’s pole, which creates a rather assertive diagonal across the canal and would have been better lighter or partially broken. There are also a few areas around the waterline where the marks become slightly fussy. Overall, however, the sketch feels lively rather than laboured and shows increasing confidence in leaving things out.
Score: 8.7/10
The Loose Nib 
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