Watching 70th Eurovision Song Contest tonight - time for the points…

Viktoria-Luise-Platz was the subject of today’s drawing session. Sketched the trees and apartment house behind the gushing fountain from a bench among the lush fragrance of low lilacs. Then walked towards the sunset after browsing at KaDeWe and dining outdoors.

A watercolor sketch depicts an urban scene with yellow apartment building, 3 green trees, and a prominent fountain in the foreground.A cityscape features tall buildings against a vibrant evening sky with trees and street lights in the foreground.

Missed our local streethenge sundown, late by a couple days this year (after last year’s on time cloudiness), but the view was still intense, however brief.

A sunlit street is flanked by parked cars, with sunlight streaming through the trees and casting a warm glow.

After rain and hail showers on the start of a four day (Ascension plus one day vacation) weekend, found a dry bench and sketched courtyard Hof IV of the Hackesche Höfe.

An ink and watercolor sketch depicts a small tree and low fountain in the middle of a courtyard in front of a building shopfront with large windows and ivy.

Went to the tram stop and stood under a roof as it was chilly and threatening to rain. Sketched people waiting for the next streetcar. My choice of pen brush for this drawing session took a little getting used to, but I like how it turned out - I’ll use it more, but better in bigger compositions.

Line drawings of people in the color terracotta, including someone with a stroller and others on phones, are gathered near a structure labeled Tram with the date 2026-05-11 written nearby.

Sketched the Reichstag building today finishing up the first mini pad (Hahnemühle Agave watercolor paper), then walked through the core of the Tiergarten for the first time ever since coming to Berlin.

A hand holds a sketchbook featuring a drawing of the Reichstag dome-topped building, matching the real-life building in the background.Tall trees with lush green leaves form a dense canopy overhead.

Went to see Julian Lage play guitar in his Quartet Show at Huxley’s Neue Welt. Stood in line under pink chestnut blossoms. Once inside, I sketched the people filling up the front rows by the stage (continuing this week’s daily drawing streak). Had clear views of the band and enjoyed the music.

A chestnut tree is adorned with clusters of vibrant pink flowers and lush green leaves.A live jazz band performs on stage with a guitarist, double bassist, drummer, and an organ player.A line drawing of a gathering crowd standing in front of a dark stage set with drums and amplifiers.

Sketched at the Alexa mall food court café as I drank a flat white today.

A colorful, hand-drawn ink and watercolor painting depicts a café island named Barachel Café with various coffee-related items and signs in a whimsical, sketchy style.

Nelly looking majestic in her favorite vantage point

A brown tabby cat is sitting on a speaker near a window, gazing outside.

The hawthorns are in bloom.

Trees with vibrant, pink blossoms are set against a partly cloudy sky.Vibrant clusters of pink flowers bloom on a lush, leafy tree.A tree with dense branches covered in white blossoms is situated next to a building.A tree covered in white blossoms and lush green leaves stretches its branches.

Made a quick sketch of an impressive cloud while sitting on the corner square after work - Roman Szmal Aquarius Shadow Violet is a good watercolor shade for cloud studies (my first).

A watercolor painting depicts a soft, abstract cloud formation in muted gray and blue tones, with the text Cloud study 2026-05-04 at the bottom.

The tulip area in Britzer Garten is changing, there are mostly wild tulips on the grounds, and there won’t be many other flowers there until summertime. So less picture-taking and time to sketch some big lilac bushes while sitting under big cherry trees with falling yet strongly fragrant blossoms.

A hand holds a sketch of purple blossoms and green foliage and two tulips in front of a matching landscape with trees and a cloudy sky.

Sketched the Berlin Neue Synagoge a year apart - first as a brown line drawing, and this time in ink and wash at golden hour trying out my Roman Szmal mini urban sketcher watercolor palette (with 4 extra color pans that were delivered today).

A detailed sketch in brown lines of a domed synagogue, with intricate architectural elements.A detailed watercolor urban sketch features a golden-domed synagogue building surrounded by lush green trees against a light blue sky.

Sketched some trees on Unter den Linden / Bebelplatz from a bench across the street (I need to get to know the green watercolor pencil shades in my palette better…)

A watercolor pencil painting depicts a blossoming chestnut tree among lush green trees with detailed leaves and trunks against a soft background.

The view from the balcony seat: our hawthorn tree was trimmed a couple months ago to relieve excess weight, so it’s looking thinner toward the top/left, but it’s starting to blossom now. The laurel cherry hedges are in bloom as well, attracting bees to the yard.

The inner courtyard side of apartment buildings surround green, leafy trees under a clear blue sky.Clusters of white flowers bloom on laurel cherry bushes in front of a tree trunk, with green foliage and yellow dandelions scattered in the background.

Up fairly early on a Labor Day after a short, quick week back to work from vacation. Going to sit on the balcony for the first time this season.

Watched: Le Chant des Forêts Whispers in the Woods at the planetarium 🍿

Watched: Bugonia 🍿

Walked to the old neighborhood for coffee, to sketch, and a visit to Volkspark Friedrichshain.

A tall, white old apartment building with multiple windows is partially obscured by green leafy trees.A lush forest scene with tall trees and vibrant new green foliage.A serene park scene features a path lined with blooming pink and white cherry blossom trees beside a tranquil body of water.A street lined with cherry blossom trees in full bloom is bordered by colorful old apartment buildings and parked cars under a dramatic grey cloudy sky.A drawing of a big green tree in front of an old apartment house in black lines, grey and green details

The magnolia petals have mostly fallen to the ground. It turned out to be a nice bloom this year. And now on to the next flowers: it’s time for double flowering cherry blossoms - in and around the park is full of them. This weekend we can go down our list of the hotspots for colorful views.

Pink cherry blossom trees with dense flowers and a cloudy sky in the background.A tree is abundant with vibrant pink cherry blossoms and intertwining branches.Branches are adorned with clusters of white blossoms, surrounded by green leaves.A scenic park path is lined with blooming pink and white cherry blossom trees, accompanied by several benches.