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Originally Posted by dogsbody70
Hi again OH I see, forgive my rudeness. I know trees are extremely difficult to draw. I have a fascination with trees of all kinds. They are magnificent and we need to cherish each one.
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No, it's quite alright. It's not obvious to think of trees as being so varied within types; a cherry tree is a cherry tree, right? I was pretty skeptical at first on how we were taught to draw plum blossom, because it didn't look anything like the plum tree I had back home, but blow me down, when spring came and the japanese plum bloomed, it looked ~exactly~ like the blossom we'd been painting all year!
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Originally Posted by dogsbody70
I wish I could draw but I am hopeless. I admire your efforts very much indeed. You say you are out in the sticks-- roughly where are you? I am not far from Brighton on the south coast.
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Well, I always say sumi-e is ~great~ for beginners. The techniques are super simple to learn and its very forgiving of mistakes. You spill water on it? Drop the brush? It's fine!
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Originally Posted by dogsbody70
I adore japanese writing and calligraphy. When my japanese friend writes it for me I love it. also KANA-- is very striking when writing names.
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I think the calligraphy is very pretty, especially when combined with the art, but I haven't really tried it myself. I like doing the pictures more!
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Originally Posted by dogsbody70
Did you enjoy your year in JAPAN? DId you explore the country in general?
I wish to see the countryside most of all--not keen on big cities.
anyway do keep up your efforts they are very striking. best wishes, Babs.
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I loved it. I didn't travel as much as i'd have liked because I was so busy studying, but I saw a LOT of Kyoto (I think i walked almost the whole city), plenty of Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Hiroshima (and Miyajima) and the area around Lake Biwa, not to mention the little unheard of places around where I lived. I did go to Tokyo and Yokohama too, but I didn't see so much there. I think you'd probably like Kyoto, there's a lot of green space compared to other huge cities. If I go back, I'd like to see Kagoshima and more of the west coast, and Hokkaido.