Drawing the Basilique Saint Michel Archangel in Menton, France on our virtual sketchwalk!  This difficult image from Wikimedia caught my eye from the beginning.

I started with a pencil sketch.  Again, dispelling the myth that you
should not use pencils.  Frankly I hate all you-should-nots!

*funny, as I write this I wonder what I’d draw in gesture format…*

And, because I wondered what a gesture might be like, I did one!
*gesture is where you let your hand follow where your eye  is looking,
though I spotted this more than I might have… but wanted to see
what it might look like without the pencil figuring!*
Covered up the images and went for it!
The only thing, is that I’d already studied the photo in pencil
and so, I that memory in head and hand.
*yup, hands have memory… why drawing something
100 times makes  you know it!  NOT all in your head!*

Okay, forget the gesture…  I inked over the pencil, adding details.

Water-colored over ink.

I finally invested in a couple of purple colors
*i am not drawn to them naturally and so for the longest time had only
the lovely Imperial Purple, still my favorite*

Daniel Smith’s Purpurite (a Primatek) was exactly the right color for
the base paint for lower half of the stairs.  In fact, the base of the buildings
were all done in Primateks.  Perfect for this part of the world.

I am so happy with the color work!

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