Red Bike, Amsterdam (sketch)
3 July 2015
It’s easy to draw detailed pictures, all it takes is a steady hand and patience. Knowing what to include and what to leave out, what to keep and what to change, is much harder and is what separates a sketch from a piece of art.
This was an attempt to be a little more artistic. I don’t like how it came out all that much but it’s my most liked picture on Instagram to date. So what do I know?
Personally, I find this beautiful and exactly the sort of thing that I would like to have hanging in my home. Can I ask why you’re not so keen on it?
Thanks Jonathon. I think it’s partly it just doesn’t connect and partly because I had an idea of how I wanted it to come out that wasn’t how it actually did come out.
I used to do a bit of photography and had a theory that when you take a photo of a person, their criteria for a good photo differs from the photographer. You might be trying to get a photo where they look happy and comfortable, and the picture is well-framed and balanced. On the other hand, the subject is aware of certain features they dislike in themselves — maybe they feel their nose is too big or that they smile awkwardly — and for them, a good photo is one which doesn’t emphasise those features. You could say a photographer is focussed on the positives while the subject is focussed on the negatives.
It sounds like your sketches are something similar.
Beautiful Ian! I have visited Amsterdam many times and love the architecture, especially the little humped bridges over the canal that you have captured perfectly. The lamp post is wonderful. I’d be very proud of your work.
Great site btw, just recently discovered it.
Simon