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Travel sketchbook art classes in Kyoto, Japan and home kits/courses

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You voted, and here it is: a video of my sakura spring mamehon, which was sketched/painted on location last year. Of course, I will be making another this year as well.

Winter's last hurrah: this morning a dusting of snow covered Kinkaku-ji's freshly-shingled roof. The mountains behind the temple were also powdered with white. While I rushed to sketch, I watched the snow slowly melt away almost completely over the course of about 30 minutes.

This corner sake shop in Kyoto's brewery district caught my eye because of the colorful crates stacked outside. I've passed this shop many times over the years, but finally stopping to sketch it today I noticed so many details: the roof ornament in the shape of a protective deity, the chimaki talisman (unique to Kyoto) in the doorway, rows of bottles and handwritten posters, the faded photo of a local sake brewery on the vending machine...

In early December, in Miyagawa-cho (one of Kyoto's five geisha districts), I observed from a distance a rare "triple feature": the debuts (misedashi) of maiko Fumitsuru-san and maiko Toshimasa-san, as well as the graduation (erikae) of geisha Chikaharu-san, all on the same day! These events are the most important of a geisha's career, and attract quite a bit of attention as the maiko and geisha make their rounds.

Kiyomizu-dera's Koyasu pagoda in snow this morning. The tree-covered mountains faded in and out of view as the snow fell, but the vermilion of the pagoda remained bright.

This view of a restaurant specializing in yuba (tofu skin) made me feel "Japan in winter" so strongly that I decided to paint it. At first, it was actually the smell when I was walking by that stopped me in my tracks: a mix of dashi broth and kerosine heater that makes you feel cozy, nostalgic, and comfortable.

I'm a bit late posting this sketch of Kyoto's renowned Minamiza Theater. Each year it hosts a long-standing kabuki event called "Kaomise" ("face-showing") where traditionally rising stars were introduced and performed alongside established actors. Kyoto is also the birthplace of kabuki itself.

Snow rarely falls in Kyoto city, but we got our first snow of the season last night. This morning the northern and mountainside areas of the city got a light coating before the morning sun quickly melted it away. I decided to go further north and into the mountains to find snow that hadn't melted, so I chose Miyama as my destination. Sure enough, the old thatched roofs of the village were still at least partly covered in snow.

A few late maples made a perfect frame for Japan's tallest pagoda

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