Venice Drawing

This is called "taking a break from Key West even though there aren't many more photos to show" - too long for the title, though.

Today I worked again on a drawing for a painting.  I do believe the day lily is pretty much a dud, and I have little interest at this point, anyway, in pursuing it any further.  One of the photographs of Venice has been on my mind for quite some time so I decided to give it a try.  Before Tuesday's class I did a rough sketch using carpenter's pencil (the lead is about 3/8ths of an inch wide), and during class I began a new sketch using mechanical pencil.  Because there are many buildings and a bridge I didn't get very far during class.  Today I spent more time on getting the perspective as correct as I could.

After taking a picture of this, I decided to make the second building a bit taller even though that isn't accurate, and made sure the person was behind the railing on the bridge over the canal.  There are a few invented buildings in the background (with some lines that I forgot to erase), but I think they are necessary for the composition.

The building in the foreground needs a lot of detail added, but I was tired and will tackle that when I am fresh.

If the drawing is finished before my next class, I will trace it on at least two pieces of paper and start working on them as "preliminary studies".  That way if I've made any egregious errors, I can change them before a final painting is attempted (especially since I always manage to overlook something dreadful in a painting that then haunts me every time I look at it -  in the San Antimo painting I shifted the drawing as I was tracing it and never noticed until too late - brother D noticed, though!).  Perspective in this one shifts around so much that I have to be especially careful, and sometimes one has to emphasize something to make it appear correct.  

Then there's the problem of the architectural details.  I would like this painting to be loose, but the building in the foreground has wonderful stonework.  How much would be too much?  Then there's the canal.  I think I can handle that, but . . .  And the colors (which are one of the reasons for painting this scene)?  It's a rainy day so everything will need to be muted and wet looking . . .

Lot of challenges to keep in mind and to keep me challenged (as though I need more challenges?).  It will be fun, that's for sure!