Why Visit a Temple in Japan And Only Sketch Koi Fish?

The 3 elements to look for when choosing what to draw.

My sketch compared to the photo reference.

A beautiful location is a wonder to behold, but all the details can be a pain to draw in your cartoon journal. Here’s how I did it, with a short video showing the process, too.

You don’t always have to choose the most complicated view to make a good illustration. Urban sketching can be of any subject you choose, even if you think it’s going to bore other people.

Look for:

1. Interesting shapes in the composition.

2. A variety of colors.

3. Something that interests only you.

At a small temple I like to visit regularly while in Osaka, I always notice the area with the large koi pond.

This time, I thought, “Why not take a photo and draw it later?”

I wish I had the confidence to urban sketch it right there, but it was crazy hot, and I really wanted to make art in the comfort of home.

the koi fish were having such a great time swimming, i had to draw them.

I love watching koi fish swim. Their whiskered faces and large mouths fascinate me. That day especially, probably because it was darn toasty outside, I was drawn to the water. The whole scene grabbed me.

Making time to create art should be around something that excites you (for whatever reason). The yellow banner hanging across the door in the photo below looks regal and quite elegant to me. Only me? I was looking forward to drawing it.

the full photo reference i took.

When I got back home, it was time to create. Pulling out only an ink pen to draw from the photo above can be a bit scary, but I like how the fish tank comes toward you and how the koi swim in different directions. The mix of reds, yellows, and white got me excited about painting the pen sketch later.

If you have several parts of the piece you can’t wait to work on, it can keep you moving forward more easily.

I like how the final piece turned out, but I think it’s a little too rough. That kind of look works well with urban sketching, though.

Here’s a YouTube Shorts video of me visiting the temple and then working on the sketch afterward.

Thanks for tuning in to see the latest Cartoon Journaling adventures.

What will you draw next?