Design & Execution

I don't know where these rooftops are located, but they look like they could appear in a bustling village in an episode of The Witcher . OK, the bricks (and is that a skylight?) are a bit off theme, but imagination does the needful. I've been following the TV show, but had not delved into the books of Andrzej Sapkowski until recently. I've been reading (well, listening) to  The Sword of Destiny , purportedly a solid introduction to the world. The impetus: a few friends of mine have invited me to join in a Witcher-themed campaign of Dungeons and Dragons, which I know even less about and had not played before.  Now, every other Sunday, I find myself gathered around a table with a handful of D20s and D8s (many-sided die). As a Bard-class character, I cast "spells" and roll for ability checks, wisdom checks, and probably other checks yet unknown. And if I'm going to role-play in the world of Geralt and Ciri, I'll need grounding in the setting. And the setting ...

This stairway in San Juan was one of my favorite views, maybe because it was cool and shady and I wanted to get out of the sun. But the path upward drew my eye into a charming vortex.  I shall try archisketching in physical media this time. My workspace is heavily supervised by Eli, which did little to increase my efficiency. Eli disapproves of wet media, and harbors a grave mistrust of my eyedropper. Update: I sketched with a Micron archival ink fineliner, then shaded with watercolors. Micron fineliners create lines that don't smudge when exposed to water, which makes them perfect for this kind of layering. The washes of color went on step by step. Ha. This is a significantly looser style than I typically use. Let me know which style you prefer in the comments if you have an opinion.