OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO - ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE

Sketching the Junipero Serra Museum arches from a photo.

The final result. Sketched on Stillman & Birn Beta Series hardbound A5 sketchbook, M Graham watercolors, DaVinci sable travel brush round No. 10, Platinum Carbon desk fountain pen and platinum carbon ink.

I found this image online of the Junipero Serra Museum overlooking Old Town San Diego and thought it would be challenging to sketch. I've  never sketched archways in perspective and I thought a good one point perspective view would simplify things a bit.

I've taken two online classes on perspective on Craftsy that were taught by Stephanie Bower and I learned a lot about one and two point perspective as well as how to draw arches, stairs roof angles, etc in perspective.

You should check out her classes if perspective is a mystery to you. I also have her book on perspective: Understanding Perspective: Easy Techniques for Mastering Perspective Drawing on Location (an Urban Sketching Handbook)

Here are a few shots of my sketch in progress:

A light pencil under sketch.

After inking with a Platinum Carbon Desk fountain Pen and Platinum Carbon ink.

adding the sky and foliage. I've been trying to avoid drawing trees, bushes and plants in general thinking that they look more natural or wispy with paint only. Although I do sketch a rough outline in with a pencil so I can ink in around where I plan to add trees etc.

Originally I was going to just leave the red tile flooring with a lot of white space as if the sun was reflecting but I thought it drew too much attention and messed with where I wanted the viewers' eye to flow.