The Challenge
Today’s challenge is about simplifying something that really doesn’t want to be simplified. The Sagrada Família is covered in extraordinary detail, but rather than trying to reproduce it all, I concentrate on the overall shapes of the towers and use broken lines and small dark marks to suggest the complexity. I use my Pilot Custom 742 with Posting nib, turning the nib over occasionally to produce the heavier black marks. I am beginning to enjoy the contrast between the very fine normal line and the much bolder marks produced this way. I also make a deliberate departure from the reference photograph. The pond in front of the basilica is distinctly brown, but I decide that painting a large brown area across the foreground will do the sketch no favours, so I keep the water very understated instead. Perhaps the most useful lesson today is that the reference photograph is there to be interpreted rather than copied.
The Verdict – A substantial recovery from Day 22. The building is immediately recognisable without being over-described, and the restrained colour works particularly well. The loose group of buildings on the left shows how little information is actually needed to suggest architecture. Most importantly, I am beginning to make decisions based on what the sketch needs rather than simply following what appears in the photograph.
Score 8.4/10
The Loose Nib 
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