Exploring Urban Sketching in Autumn at Namsan Park, Dangjin
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- blog.naver.com
Meeting people these days, one of the popular challenges is urban sketching.
While taking photos during travels is familiar, many are now capturing the places they've visited through their own drawings.
Photos record the momentary landscapes, while drawings allow us to remember places in a different way.
Urban sketching is a simple yet effective way to remember the scenery we see for a long time.
Even when looking at the same place, the reason different people create different drawings is intriguing.
Sketching urban scenes like streets, buildings, alleys, parks, and cafes directly on-site is what sets urban sketching apart.
You don't need to be a professional artist; with just a small sketchbook and a pen, you can freely express the landscapes you observe.
This autumn, I visited Namsan Park in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province.
The park, deep in autumn, showcased trees maintaining their green while others flaunted yellow and red leaves.
Although it wasn't a trip to large tourist facilities, it was a great place to stroll slowly and take in the surroundings.
Most notably, the urban sketching exhibition I encountered at the park entrance offered a fresh perspective on the landscape.
Namsan Park in Dangjin serves as a relaxation space for citizens in the urban center.
According to Dangjin City's cultural tourism guide, the park covers an area of approximately 50,930 square meters, featuring walking paths, pavilions, sports facilities, and a playground.
At the park entrance, the Dangjin Central Library allows visitors to enjoy cultural activities along with a light stroll.
The atmosphere of the autumn park differs from the dense greenery of summer.
Some trees have shed their leaves, while others still retain their green foliage.
The gradual change of seasons allows for the discovery of various colors within a single landscape.
While walking through the park, I stumbled upon a small exhibition space made of glass.
Here, urban sketching works created by members of the Dangjin Art Association and local citizens were on display.
These artworks differ from the large paintings we often envision.
They captured scenes of buildings, alleys, old houses, trees, cafes, and everyday street views on small pieces of paper.
Some pieces were watercolor paintings, while others expressed the shapes of buildings with pen.
The subjects of these artworks were not just specially decorated tourist spots.
Old shops and houses, familiar paths, and local architecture became the material for the drawings.
This is the essence of urban sketching; you don't need to travel far to find unique landscapes worth drawing.
Everyday streets are so familiar that we often overlook the details within them.
However, when you sit down to sketch, you begin to notice how windows are arranged, the shape of old roofs, and the direction branches of trees extend.
Capturing scenes that can be quickly taken in a photo requires quite a bit of time in drawing.
Urban sketching reduces that time while preserving the joy of observation.
Many who wish to draw often hesitate, citing a lack of skill or formal art education.
However, urban sketching is not solely about achieving accurate proportions or high completion.
It holds greater significance in the process of capturing what you see and feel on-site.
The exhibition at Namsan Park showcased familiar buildings and streets transformed into a completely different atmosphere through the medium of drawing.
While old buildings may be deemed dilapidated, in drawings, they appear as places enriched by time.
Even an ordinary alley can become a scene that reflects the unique atmosphere of the area when depicted in a drawing.
After exploring the exhibition, I continued my walk along the paths.
Namsan Park features wide walkways and narrow paths winding through trees.
On one side, there was a gravel footpath, and various resting spots could be found throughout.
As I ascended towards the park's center, I came across a pavilion situated on a staircase.
The traditional-roofed pavilion blended with the surrounding trees, creating an autumn landscape.
Walking a bit further in, I found exercise facilities and a spacious square.
There were exercise machines for residents and play areas for children.
The space with slides and playground equipment was perfect for capturing children at play, while the large square offered views of the surrounding trees and pavilion.
In this way, the park hides different subjects for drawing.
If you're starting urban sketching, it might be better to choose a specific tree, bench, or part of a pavilion rather than attempting to capture the entire complex landscape.
You can let go of the pressure to create a highly polished drawing from the start.
Observing the surrounding scenery for 10 to 20 minutes and recording it with simple lines can lead to new experiences.
Having traveled and taken photos for a long time, I find that the landscapes captured in photos differ from those recorded in drawings.
Photos vary based on the camera's position, light, composition, and the moment of capture.
In contrast, drawing allows for a prolonged gaze at a landscape, adding one's own memories and sensations to the expression.
Of course, photos also reflect the photographer's perspective and choices.
However, while drawing, the time spent in that space is relatively extended.
To draw, one must observe the subject, and through observation, previously unnoticed details come to light.
The shapes of old trees, small decorations on buildings, and objects in alleys gain new meanings.
Cityscapes inevitably change over time.
Yet, if someone captures that place in a drawing, it becomes a record of its appearance before it changes.
I thought that such a pavilion would make a great subject for urban sketching.
Capturing the straight stairs and the living curves of the tiled roof, along with the surrounding trees, would create a drawing where different lines and structures harmonize.
In autumn, the variety of leaf colors also makes for great watercolor expression.
Trees mixed with green, brown, yellow, and red naturally showcase the changes of the season.
Urban sketching, where local residents participate, holds great significance in observing and recording the city they live in.
Even if you are not a professional artist, expressing everyday spaces through drawings allows for the preservation of local stories.
In cities like Dangjin, where the old downtown coexists with new living spaces, such activities become even more intriguing.
Cultural creation does not solely rely on grand performances or exhibitions.
Culture is also born from residents observing their living spaces with interest and expressing them in various ways.
As I reached the pavilion, a wide square and trees came into view.
Exercise equipment was placed throughout, and people out for a walk were spending their time in their own ways.
As autumn deepens, the colors of the trees were gradually changing.
Some trees were shedding their leaves, while many still retained their green foliage.
Under the blue sky, trees of different colors blended to depict the late autumn landscape.
Traveling is no different from drawing; even if you visit the same place, your memories vary based on who you were with, what season it was, and what you focused on.
Walking through Namsan Park in Dangjin, I felt I could understand a bit of the hearts of those who leave their landscapes in drawings.
Photos taken with a camera record the place and time of that day, but drawings left in a sketchbook evoke the time spent in front of that landscape.
In an era where countless images are quickly created and disappear, slowly drawing the everyday scenery you observe carries a different meaning.
The autumn at Namsan Park in Dangjin held a landscape perfect for such contemplations.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/dangjin2030/224470197642
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