"First Time Abroad" by Madison Boutilier
It is strange to think that about this time last year, I was packing my bags to go to Italy. I am an architecture student, and I had been waiting my whole life for that trip. And, like an idiot, I took maybe four photos- two of which are some really beautiful shots of the inside of my pocket.
I did, however, fill a lot of sketchbooks. I've always liked drawing better anyway. Photography is definitely more precise, and way better for Facebooking. But what I appreciate about sketches is that they force you to really study something. Its not about the end result. Its about the process. You have to sit and measure and examine and really understand to get a good sketch.
When I draw something, I develop sort of a relationship with it. Like there is this weird feeling of companionship. I have to try to understand the designer, and feel a sort of partial ownership of the building. So, even though it was almost a year ago that I sat at the foot of the Pantheon, I still remember every line, every shadow, every stone. Cheesy as it sounds, in making these drawings, I feel like a piece of Italy is always with me.
-MB
