SC-S24W2: Landscapes

Hello steemians,

As part of the SC-S24W2 challenge, I decided to embark on the art of landscape drawing, an exercise which allowed me to combine both creativity and technique by exploring two opposing universes proposed by the competition: on one side, nature and, on the other, the city, I chose to represent an mixte landscape, a decision which, beyond the simple representation, offered me the opportunity to perfect my skills in perspective and in shading, while seeking to capture the very essence of the city through its buildings, its winding road, and above all the complex interaction between light and shadow which makes all the richness of this type of scene, this process allowed me to become fully aware of the importance of perspective, this magical tool which allows you to give the illusion of depth and volume in a drawing.

It all started with sketching the basic shapes, an essential step to correctly structure the scene and ensure that all the elements would be in harmony with the chosen perspective, for this I first drew a horizontal triangle, symbolizing the horizon, then I placed the vanishing point in the center, a choice that would define the entire dynamic of the scene, at that moment I knew that linear perspective would be my compass, guiding me in the arrangement of the buildings, the road, and even finer elements which would gradually come to fill the drawing, this basic grid therefore served as a foundation, like a sort of invisible skeleton, which would give shape to the structure of the scene, ensuring that each element, whether it was the size of the houses or the curvature of the road, was respectful of this perspective, thus guaranteeing the illusion of depth and distance.

Having laid this solid foundation, it was time to move on to the next phase, that of the layout of the main structures, starting with the contours of the houses, I sought to respect the angle of perspective while giving each building a simple and effective shape, it was not simply a question of drawing boxes, but rather of ensuring that each house had a shape which respected the rules of perspective and which conveyed an impression of volume and realism.

By tracing the vanishing lines, I ensured that each element, as simple as it was, fit perfectly into the scene. To do this, I added the lateral sides of the buildings, and thus, each house seemed to come out of the paper, taking on a real dimension, this allowed me to see the scene taking shape before my eyes, like a sort of living model where each line and each shape gradually come together to create a coherent whole.

Once the contours were defined, it was time to add the details, there, I focused on the windows, the doors, the roofs, and of course the chimneys, because these little touches made it possible to breathe personality into each house, but it was not enough to add these elements, they had to fit perfectly into the perspective that I had established earlier, it was meticulous work, a game of balance between the simplicity of the geometric shapes and the complexity of the architectural elements, each detail, whether inclined windows, sloping roofs or small gutters, had to enrich the design while maintaining a certain visual unity, the objective was to add texture, to give each building its character, while ensuring that the initial structure was respected.

Then came the moment of shading, the most delicate phase, because the shadow is what gives a scene its true dimension and depth, I used several shades of pencils, ranging from 2B to 4B, to model the shadows and to simulate the direction of the light, each house was treated with attention, shaded in such a way as to accentuate the difference between the lit areas and those in the shadows, the shadows projected on the ground by the buildings were played a fundamental role, as they allowed to anchor the structures in space and give the scene visual stability, the winding road was not forgotten, and it also benefited from careful shading work, accentuating the more distant areas, thus creating an illusion of additional depth, the trees and vegetation were also treated in such a way as to play with light and shadow, to add realism and reinforce the lively aspect of the scene.

Finally, the last step consisted of adding the final touches, those that give life to the work, I added a tree in the foreground, with clearly visible roots and dense foliage, thus creating an interesting contrast with the urban buildings, this natural element came to bring a focal point to the drawing, while bringing a little softness to the urban scene, the winding road, for its part, was drawn in such a way that it appeared even more fluid, with soft curves and gradients shadows which make it even more realistic, the transitions between the lit and shaded areas have been softened using blending techniques, bringing a certain fluidity and softness which was still lacking, this finishing work was an opportunity to check the general harmony, ensuring that every detail had been taken into account and that the whole drawing was coherent.

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Thank you very much for reading, it's time to invite my friends @lil.albab, @pelon53, @heriadi to participate in this contest.

Best Regards,
@kouba01