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I haven't tried drawing people since I was an art student and had to do it as a part of coursework. I'm always encouraging my students to try things ("it's the best way to learn!" and "anything you draw is better than blank paper!") so I'm going to take my own advice and try to develop this skill, one that I never felt any confidence in. This is a practice sketch based on an adorable photo taken of three Nara maiko at the Tsuruya Okiya (which kindly gave permission to share my sketch; thanks also @geishamaiko for sharing the photo!) I certainly have a lot to learn about likeness and portraits, but I had fun drawing this and will be trying more over the next week or two... More to come... 😊✏️

Celebrated Christmas Eve (day!) by painting with a talented individual who joined me for one of my "Travel Sketchbooking in Kyoto" classes and chose this angle for our last painting of the afternoon. I think the vermilion and green tree is a beautiful riff on the classic Christmas colors, don't you think? Best wishes to all of you this holiday season ⛩️🌲♥️

This picturesque pagoda perched on the jagged rocks was a fast and fun sketch. The wind was pretty strong (swipe to see what it did to my hair...) but perhaps thanks to the wind and overcast skies there were few other people sharing the sweeping views of karsts, rice paddies, and rivers.

This elegant banana flower caught my eye while I was visiting a bird sanctuary. Perfect for a quick sketch so that I could get back to spying on all the cool animals 🕵️🐦🦆

It's been cloudy for most of my trip, but around sunset the sky cleared up just enough to create a yellow glow behind the misty layers of karsts. (These formations are similar to Halong Bay/Bai Tu Long Bay, but they are inland hundreds of kilometers to the southwest.) The famous rice paddies of this area have been harvested and flooded, and the combination is quite striking.

I was exploring Ninh Binh by bicycle when the threatening grey sky made good on its promise and started pouring rain. Luckily there was a cafe nearby with hot coffee and colorful Vietnamese lanterns. I'd been wanting to sketch lanterns since I got here so everything worked out after all.☔☕🎨😊

Two paintings: swipe for #2! Bai Tu Long Bay blew my mind with its almost inconceivable vastness. The rock formed deep underwater, was pushed above sea level by tectonic plates, and was finally sculpted by erosion into the grand formations seen today. These legendary limestone karsts looked glorious against blue skies and turquoise green sea (that my camera couldn't quite capture, at least not in my hands) In pic #2, I painted the first day of my two-day boat ride. It was overcast and a little misty, but the endless layers of the karsts were more than enough inspiration without the sun.

The valley of momiji at Kitanotenmangu Shrine match the vermilion bridge spanning the small stream. Truth be told I came here today because of my antiquing addiction (today was the Tenjin-san flea market) but I couldn't resist buying a ticket to see the leaves as well. I'm preparing to leave on a trip Wednesday so I'm trying to squeeze as many momiji in as possible!

Akame 48 Waterfalls: Painting in fading light happens a lot to me because sunset is such a wonderful time for light and color (Golden Hour really is just that.) I went on a short hike here last week, and I have to say this is the first time the changing light conditions went... purple. 😬🍇 Why? There was an autumn light-up event at part of this gorgeous park with the clearest water you can imagine plus wild Japanese giant salamanders. Highly recommend for nature lovers!

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