Hi, we have lots of hydrangea here in Tokyo, Kakigara town. This area is the old town where you can feel the five decades ago atomasphere. Few young girls but lost of active old ladies dominates 😀

So, I think neighbors have so kind mind that they enjoy us by gardening flowers on roads. In the Western world, you use ‘street’ as the name of your living area, which we don’t. We use just Kakigara town, or Ningyo town.. so we don’t have the name for the small roads for the residence area. I get across the small road, it is Ningyo town. Anyone knows what Ningyo means?? It means ‘doll’. Cool, isn’t it? In Edo era (1603- 1868,

Shogun era :D), lots of doll maidter lived in this area, that is named after. Kaikgara means ‘shell’. I guess it used to be the fisherman’s warf in Edo..

anyway, I am enjoying hydrangea all over the town in June. The image of hydrangea is directly connected to rain, umbrella, or snail.

Tips:

I try a line drawing this time. What I want to depict is the hydrangea in the soft vague humidity. It has been raining, that rain streak is very thin like silk. Imagin the purple hydrangea is popping up over the road beyond the silk rain.

First, put water and very little sumi ink into the brush, and just pain as you want.

Setal: It is sepal that you might think of petal, four squared purple coloured. Draw with thin and thick line to express the setal’s twisting

Petal: Petal of hydrangea is tiny, located at the center of the four petal. Usually you will miss to see. Just point with the top of the brush hair to depict the petal. Be careful putting too much petals. The location of petal (or small black dot) indicates to the viewers where the flower is and which direction it faces.

Leaves: Four leaves support the flower. Each leave has right angle to the neighbor leaf -> I mean leaves shape like cross when you see them from the up. The leave is knd of

thick. Draw the thick line for the leave, compared with the setal.

Frogs: Use very black sumi ink

Eyes and mouth: Just two dots and mountain shape line

Legs: It would be better that you draw from the top for the finger. Put the brush on the paper and take one breath, you would get the little round shape which should look like frog suckers.

Take care 🙂