I tried to sketch the exterior of Notre Dame many times, as it was literally a five minute walk from the Cité des Arts where I was living. I could hear the bells chime many times throughout the day, and it was one of the greatest pleasures of being in Paris. The cornerstone of the cathedral was placed in 1163, and there is a medallion in the paving marking kilometre zero, the official center of the city of Paris--very cool.
I never was very successful in capturing the exterior of this building in a sketch.
For one, the proportions are very difficult to get correct.
For two, there are these darn bleachers for tourists right in front of the building, so you can never stand back far enough to get a good view of the front, western facade. So I tried slightly different angles from the edges.
For three, I was sometimes harassed while I was sitting and drawing. Ah well--the lot of the single female traveling alone!
Here are three different attempts...
No comments:
Post a Comment