When in Rome... Sketch postcards from vacation - part two

In addition to Budapest, I also had the chance to travel to Rome. 

I haven't been back to Rome since I was 21 years old, which was...a long time ago. I had forgotten a lot more about the experience than I thought possible, but the feeling I had upon seeing the city was the same.

Rome is just mindbogglingly stupendous. For an artist, this is really it; the beginning of Western art, Berninis and Michelangelos are just scattered throughout the city, like "hey, no big deal, priceless work of art/pigeon rest".  

I wrote a bit more about the general experience here

I don't recall managing to make much time for sketching back then either, which is a real shame, because almost every corner in Rome is eminently sketch-able. But there is really so much to do and see, so tough decisions must be made. In the end, I relied a lot more on my camera than sketchbook.

But I did manage to squeeze out a few drawings, mostly while my feet were recovering from all the walking.

Sketch postcards from vacation - part one

When I was younger, I did quite a bit of travelling on my own and rather liked it. You get into a completely different headspace that way, and no one ever has to wait for you patiently to finish a drawing.

I haven't travelled alone for awhile now, and I quite like that too. But it does mean that I sketch less than I used to. I suspect having a celphone has something to do with that as well. Now, instead of doing a quick doodle to pass time, I answer email, read Facebook, or surf the internet. It's a real shame.

I did manage to do this one quick sketch in Budapest, Hungary on a recent trip. Budapest is beautiful, and a real treat for anyone who loves old world architecture mixed with some beautiful and unusual patterns and tile-work that has more than a touch of Ottoman influence. 

This was on a hill on the Buda side of town called Fisherman's Bastion. The entire area was only developed around the late 1800's, but it was made to look a bit more medieval for deliberate atmosphere. Regardless, it's just lovely, and overlooks the Danube and you can sit along a covered patio and get yourself a drink. It's supposed to be expensive because of tourist prices, but since a drink in SF or LA can run you a good $12, with a view of a wall and other drunk patrons, the drink here is a postive bargain at around $10.