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Art for Charity - An Evening in Kyoto, Japan

shreyasfineart
Jan 25
1 min read

Every year, I make it a point to donate a piece of my work to a worthy cause. This time it was a cityscape of Kyoto, Japan (Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24") donated to Aseema Charitable Trust, working to provide education to unprivileged children.

Reference

While my work typically centers on gaming, I recognize it may not always resonate with every audience. I decided to paint my other interest, landscapes. I painted a golden hour scene from the beautiful old town of Kyoto, Japan. A choice inspired by the fact that the charity was hosted by a Japanese investment bank.

Sketch

Below is my progress of painting from sketch to final painting. The sketch involves getting the outer big shape in place, and then adding in the features, while constantly measuring the distances between key points to get the placements right.

Sky

I changed the sky as the original one in reference was too flat and dark for my liking. Added some rich colors and interesting clouds to make an eye catching sky at dusk.

Lights & Figures

Painting lights was the most fun part. Took extra care to make the glow believable. There is something special about the way the light hits the wooden machiya houses in Kyoto during the "golden hour." My goal for this painting was to focus on the warm "glow" of the lanterns and the soft transition of the sunset sky. Adding figures brought life to the scene.