After twenty-three days I have been informed that I should be starting to decide for myself what is important and, perhaps more importantly, what can be left out. Not sure about this. Neuschwanstein Castle could easily become another exercise in drawing every window, tower and architectural detail, so I try to concentrate instead on the overall shape of the castle. The windows become little marks, the trees are mostly blobs of green with a few loose lines, and quite a lot of the reference photograph simply doesn’t make it onto the page.
For no particularly artistic reason, I decide that a German castle deserves a German pen and ink, so today’s sketch is done with my Pelikan M809 and Lotte ink. This is obviously an entirely sensible way to choose a drawing instrument and definitely not an excuse to own more fountain pens.
I probably worked the sky a little harder than necessary and the left hand side of the castle, but I’m pleased that the building itself remains relatively simple. More importantly, I’m beginning to feel less obliged to copy what is in the photograph and more comfortable deciding what the sketch actually needs.
The Verdict – Slightly ahead of yesterday’s Sagrada Família. Not necessarily because it is a better-looking drawing, but because I was given more freedom today and apparently didn’t make a complete mess of it. The castle is simplified, the trees are suggested rather than drawn individually and the edges are allowed to disappear. The sky could have been left alone sooner and one side of the castle is slightly heavy, but the important lesson seems to be sticking: I don’t have to draw everything I can see.
Score 8.6/10
The Loose Nib 
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