Challenge 1 – Urban Architecture

This was where The Loose Nib began: thirty days, thirty subjects and no daily decision about what to draw. The idea was simple. Each day The Reasonable Tyrant would choose an architectural subject, set the challenge and provide a reference image. I would draw it in ink and wash, send it back and receive a critique and a score out of ten. The subjects gradually become more demanding, but the real challenge remains much the same throughout: simplify what is in front of me, make fewer and more confident marks, use shadow rather than detail to describe form — and learn when to put the pen down.

The Thirty Days