Urban Sketching in Tarragona -OR- Enters a Geha 722 (1970s)

TL;DR: Urban sketching (usk) is what got me to try out fountain pens. This time, I’m usking in Tarragona, UNESCO World Heritage site with, among others, Roman vestiges. The result? See Figure 1.

Drawing with a Geha 722 14k BB nib — **Figure 1**. Drawing in Tarragona with a Geha 722’s with a 14k-gold BB nib.

A Geha 722 w 14k BB nib — **Figure 2**. A Geha 722 with 14k-gold, BB nib.

Kit: I used for this usking: (pen) a 1970s Geha 722, black pen and cap crown, nickel cap, piston filler, with a 14k yellow-gold sturdy nib (a ‘nail’), BB-tipped (see Figure 2); (ink) Noodler’s Golden Brown, a wet ink with strong shading and (perhaps later) excellent properties as watercolor; (paper) Traveler’s Notebook Sketch Paper No. 12.

Tarragona - How the Sketch Was Made — **Figure 3**. How the sketch was made. Chair, table, balcony, EDC, and half an hour of focus.

The process was relatively simple: I was able to draw this better from a balcony. So I took a chair and a table, placed them, photographed them for this write-up (see Figure 3), then proceed with my usking.

And how did the usking conclude? Well, there’s a difference like night and day between my sketch and reality (compare Figures 4a and 4b).

Drawn Pretorio, Circ i Amfiteatre Romà, Tarragona — **Figure 4a**. My quick sketch of the Pretorio, Circ i Amfiteatre Romà, in Tarragona, Spain.

Pretorio, Circ i Amfiteatre Romà, 7pm, Tarragona — **Figure 4b**. Pretorio, Circ i Amfiteatre Romà, Tarragona, in winter at 7pm.

Enjoy the day, I’m off to practice some more!

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