Venice is the best place to live for watercolor fans due to the fact that every corner of Venice is suitable for watercolor. I have never seen this city’s equal, even having lived in Istanbul. Although I adore my own city, Venice stole my artistic heart. This particular sketch was from the canal tour departure point -full of gondolas and young, doe-eyed love.

Recently, I read the Common Edge article The Unthinkable - A World Without Venice, which had deep insights into Venice. Of course, Venice is on everyone’s bucket list. After reading the article, I went to one of my old sketchbooks which I used on my Italy tour. I was a junior in college and one of my relatives gave us free tour package as she was not able to use it herself.  My sister and I jumped at the chance. This sketch was from the Piazza San Marco in Venice, with St Mark's Campanile and Basilica in the background. A very surprising thing which I learned is that St Mark’s Campanile has the bell which used to be in the Hagia Sophia in Turkey, so we waited to hear it chime, but it sounded just like all the others.

I could not stop myself and I dug deeper to find more sketches from my previous work. Yes, here it is. Those who are interested in the fine arts have to be familiar with the term “proportion.” This is because, firstly, you must learn how to see and then set the proportion which you will draw. This particular sketch was my foray into proportion. Investigating the human body is the best way to understand it and also this is the basic exercise which individuals in the field know. Another point that I want to share is that art is devotion, which demands patience.  

Thanks to Thanksgiving, I had an opportunity to see my family in Turkey, although one week was not adequate. While staying in my old room, I shuffled through my old sketches and I found one of them which encouraged me to persist with my work. This is due to the fact that, during summer vacation, while preparing for drawing exams, I usually went to an art studio. It is hard to maintain your concentration when your friends are living it up at the beach. This sketch is from the art studio. This is actually, where I first learned drawing. It was surprising that after 2 years of studying there, I went almost every summer while being in Turkey as I wanted to hone my lines, and, of course, my future.