The tourist season is heating up and places to put my tripod stool are already getting harder to find.  But I love the hustle and bustle of tourist season.  And there’s no place with more hustle and bustle than Rue Champlain, the street that runs along the St. Lawrence River and wraps around old Quebec.  This is where the cruise ships dock and where the ferry shows up every half an hour with another pile of tourists, each wandering around while looking up to see the buildings high on Cap diamant, the location of the walled city.  Lots of outdoor cafes, stores, and historic buildings give them plenty to do.

I was there on Wednesday and decided to draw one of my favorite buildings.  It looks like something from a fairy tale, with larger buildings on either side of it, squeezing it into its tall, thin form.  I wanted to sketch it with its windows bulging out from the pressure but decided that reality was good enough.  Instead I did the black window thing and I don’t think I like that approach very much.  Live and learn.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black