So, I got this urge to draw something the other day. Just felt like putting pencil to paper, you know? My mind wandered, and somehow, Guatemala popped up. I remembered seeing pictures of Antigua, that old city with the volcano looming nearby. Yeah, that felt like a good subject.
Finding the Vibe
First thing, I needed a reference. Didn’t have any photos lying around from a trip or anything, so I just did a quick search online. Looked up “Antigua Guatemala street view” or something similar. Lots of cool pics, but I settled on one with that famous yellow arch, the Arco de Santa Catalina. It had the cobblestone street, the colorful buildings, and the big volcano, Agua, I think, sitting right behind it. Perfect.
Getting Set Up
Didn’t need anything fancy. Just grabbed my usual stuff:
- A standard HB pencil, nothing special.
- A plain white sheet of paper from a cheap sketchbook.
- An eraser (knew I’d need that!).
Found a clear spot on the kitchen table, got my picture pulled up on my phone, and sat down. Ready to go.
The Actual Drawing Part
Okay, so I started sketching really lightly. Didn’t want to press too hard right away. Focused on getting the arch centered first. Just the basic shape. Then I roughed in the lines for the street, trying to make it look like it was going back into the distance. Perspective is always a bit tricky, right?
The arch itself wasn’t too bad, added the little clock tower on top. Then I started blocking in the buildings on either side. Just simple shapes, didn’t go crazy with details yet. The hardest part was definitely the volcano in the background. Trying to get its shape right and make it look big and far away at the same time… took a few tries. Erased quite a bit there.
Once the main shapes felt okay, I went back in and added some details. Put some lines on the cobblestones, sketched in some windows and doors on the buildings. Tried to give the walls a bit of texture, make them look old. Shaded under the arch and along the sides of the buildings to give it some depth. Used the side of the pencil lead for that.
Didn’t add color this time, just stuck with the pencil. Sometimes keeping it simple is better, feels more like a quick sketch, which was the whole point.
Stepping Back
After about an hour, maybe a bit more, I decided to call it done. Put the pencil down and looked at it. It wasn’t a masterpiece, for sure. The perspective might still be a bit wonky, and the volcano doesn’t look quite as majestic as in the photos. But you know what? It looked like Antigua. You could tell what it was supposed to be.
The main thing is, I actually did it. I spent time focusing on something, translating what I saw onto the paper. It felt good. It’s relaxing, just drawing like that, even if you’re not some great artist. It’s the process, not just the final picture.
So yeah, that was my little drawing session. Guatemala on paper, done my way. Maybe I’ll try Tikal next time.
