Today marks forty consecutive days of sketching, possibly the longest daily commitment I have ever maintained, and takes me a third of the way through my classical architecture challenge. The focus is the curve of an arch and the depth beneath it, keeping the inscription and carved decoration suggested rather than exhaustively described.
I begin with two arch studies and a shaded fragment to explore how the underside connects to the inner wall. My first full sketch creates a convincing opening, but the yellow wash feels too bright and the heavy outlines give too many parts of the building equal importance.
For the second version, I use my Pilot Custom 742 Posting nib with Octopus Elephant Black ink, a more muted stone wash and lighter, searching lines. The inscription settles into the façade, the upper cornice becomes less dominant, and the distant buildings help draw the eye through the passage. I am particularly pleased that the drawing retains its loose character while feeling more coherent as a whole.
The critique identifies busy horizontal mouldings, a heavy foreground wash and an uneven rear edge beneath the arch as areas to consider next time. The score is 7/10, although I feel this version is approaching something better, almost hangable off a wall. That prompts a useful discussion: I want an honest assessment that can withstand disagreement, rather than a score that changes when I challenge it. I can value the critique without sharing every judgement. Today’s lesson is about lighter handling, selective emphasis and recognising when to leave a sketch alone.
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