Part 3: Shanghai Diary -- Old Town

In the shadow of Shanghai’s gleaming new skyline is Old Town, also known as Yuyuan, a warren of narrow streets and alleys, gardens, snack shops, and street vendors. This area was once part of the walled city that dates back to the 1500s.

Neighborhoods like this, which often lack modern sanitation and running water, are routinely razed to make way for modern skyscrapers. 

Daily life is conducted on the streets. Old men play mahjong, kids dart in and out of alleys, people cook on stoves on the sidewalk, and women crouch on the curb to shampoo their hair. We arrived on the first sunny spell after weeks of rainy weather, so everyone had their clothes and bedding out to dry.

We sat down on the steps of a building to sketch a street view in watercolor. People came out to watch us paint. This little girl quickly realized I'm a complete dunce at speaking her language, so she pointed out the names of the colors. 

I started with a simple pencil drawing to map out the scene.

Then washed in a shadow value on all the non-illuminated surfaces, taking care to paint around the phone booth, motorcycle, and illuminated wall. I tried to keep big areas wet together to let them merge.

Now using a smaller flat brush, I cut in some of the structural details.

And completed the study with more descriptive touches. The metal poles in the upper left were drawn in with a white pencil. 

Wikipedia Old City of Shanghai 

Shanghai Diary Series:
Part 1: Getting There
Part 2: American School
Part 3: Old Town
Part 4: Jujiajiao
Part 5: Goat Man
Part 6: Sketching in Restaurants
Part 7: China Rising
Part 8: Chinese/Russian Drawing
Part 9: Sketching in Shanghai (Video)