How to draw a Good Enough government capitol…or government shutdown

During this time of government shutdown, it seems like all eyes – and all conversations – are on our nation’s capitol. And while I prefer to steer clear of political discussions in my online posts, I thought it might be helpful for folks to know how they might represent a symbol around which to focus their discussions.
 
(No, not THAT symbol!)
 

Here’s how to draw a Good Enough government capitol building

How to draw a Good Enough Government Capitol - tutorial image by Jeannel King

Three Tips:

 

  • Drawing a capitol building is a bit like building a layer cake: I start from the bottom up. The big rectangle is the base layer, and the dome needs to sit on top at a Good Enough scale and proportion to read “capitol building” instead of “Taj Mahal:”
     
    U.S. Capitol
    Government Capitol

     
    Taj Majal
    Taj Majal

     
    The dome on the government capitol sits in three layers, and is about half the width of the base rectangle (give or take.) Two support layers lift the dome up into its capitol position… compared to the Taj Majal which has a minimal base and is mostly dome. (And the dome, in my book, is one of the two defining features of our capitol building!)

 

  • The wings of the government capitol building look a bit smaller than the main rectangle. When I draw this, I think about drawing a vintage robot head (the main rectangle) with really wide ears (the wings) coming out the sides. Seems to work! Plus, it sets you up for the second defining feature…
  •  

  • … the Capitol Steps! After all, if you didn’t include the capitol steps in your drawing, where would all those lobbyists catch members of congress for a quick word? A few quick horizontal lines fanning out from either side of the wings creates the steps our capitol building wants… plus it creates the space for the lower level part of the drawing.
  •  
    Add a few trees to flesh out the landscape… and you’re in business!
     
    Of course, nowdays you may want to add other things to flesh that landscape out:
     
    Good Enough government shutdown - Good Enough drawing by Jeannel King
     
    … and that’s it! What does YOUR government capitol (or government shutdown) look like? Draw yours up, Tweet it out to @jeannelking #goodenough, and get things open for business again! ;^)
     
     
     
    Want to have fun drawing AND inspire others to pick up the pen at the same time?  Got something you wish you could draw, but you’re not sure how to approach it? Tweet your drawing or idea to @jeannelking and tag it with #goodenough: it could be featured in an upcoming “how to draw good enough” blog post!
     
    Looking forward to seeing what you draw forth!
     
     
     

    About Jeannel

    - INFJ - Strategic | Activator | Connectedness | Relator | Intellection - Scorpio - Cat Person - Movie Buff - Modern-Day Johnny Appleseed - Creative who Specializes in Organizational Culture Change - Painfully Aware of Her White Privilege

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