Dear Reader, May I Present: The Magic of Florence.

I began my day on Saturday with another marker drawing of a Tuscan bird (well, not ONLY Tuscan, but it's one of the kinds I've seen frequently here)...the Eurasian Magpie. This is a closeup view of the drawing from the post yesterday:

Copic markers blend beautifully, once you understand their tricks. One of them is: when shading in an area, color in circles so tones don't appear streaked. When you blend another color in at the edge, also shade in circles, "mushing" (yes, that's the technical term) into the other hue to blend.

Yesterday, my hosts Pierpaolo and Alessia took a workshop based on U-LAB (check it out...very cool concept) and since my Italian comprehension is not 100% just yet, I decided to spend the afternoon out and about, with their 8-year old daughter.

But first, images of the drive into Florence from the Mugello Valley. Every few minutes, your ears get plugged from the change in elevation. Views from the back passenger seat:

House designed by an architect in the 1970s, way up on a hill overlooking Firenze.

In town on one of the grand boulevards...

We strolled down Borgo La Croce, which is mostly pedestrian, and filled with shops and restaurants.

(This is my host, Pierpaolo, and his daughter, having a "molto serio" conversation.)

Their daughter and I had a grand ol' time after mom and dad were off to their workshop, checking out the antique market, flower vendors, gelateria, then the Biblioteca delle Oblate very near the Duomo- with a lovely terrace and views of the massive dome. Included below is a drawing I did that is a bit...meta. :)