October 15, 2025

Bending Perspective with Jenny Jing Zhang

Capture the motion and liveliness of a cityscape with playful perspective and loose lines.

By The Art Toolkit Team

A bustling city street scene featuring a mix of pedestrians crossing at a zebra crossing. In the background, a tilted building stands prominently among other architectural structures. Soft watercolor tones create a lively atmosphere, capturing the movement of people in winter attire. Traffic signals and road signs complement the urban setting.

This is a recording from our live demo, Bending Perspective, with artist Jenny Jing Zhang on October 15th, 2025.

In this demo, Jenny explains her concept of “fan-shaping the streetscape” and guides viewers through a sketch using her color-first, line-second process to compose a warped and intriguing interpretation of skyscrapers and city life.⁠

Follow Along and Sketch

Jenny Jing Zhang, Maria Coryell-Martin, and two participants shared their sketchbook pages after the live demo.

A vibrant watercolor illustration of a busy Chicago street scene, featuring the iconic Chicago Theatre with its marquee. Skyscrapers in the background and a figure walking with a phone in hand add to the lively urban atmosphere.
Jenny brings playfulness and joy to her work with expressive lines and loose color.
A watercolor illustration featuring a cityscape with tall buildings, including modern and historic architectural styles. A person walks on the street in the foreground, with cars parked nearby and a hint of greenery in the background.
It was fun to see Maria branch out of her usual landscapes to create a bold urban sketch!
A vibrant watercolor sketch depicting a street scene at LaSalle and Washington, featuring a woman walking with a bag, surrounded by urban buildings and colorful trees. The city skyline includes notable architectural details.
Live Demo participant Marcia Schrotenboer was inspired to sketch downtown Chicago with bent perspective after Jenny’s demo.
A whimsical watercolor illustration depicting a cityscape with abstract buildings, an archway, and a figure walking with a bag. Bright colors blend together to create a lively urban atmosphere.
Marketing Assistant Tammy Xiao’s sketch from the demo.

Recommended Materials

Jenny recommends having the following supplies:

Reference Image

A person with a backpack walks towards the Chicago Theatre on State Street, framed by tall skyscrapers and busy city traffic. The iconic marquee displays "Chicago" in bright lights.
Download the image file here.
Have a conversation with the picture on location!
—Jenny Jing Zhang

Highlights from the Demo

Jenny suggests laying color onto the page before drawing lines, which she says will build confidence. Start with a watery layer that is light on color, and add lines before the watercolor dries to create dynamic marks and unexpected moments.

She enjoys using 2-3 different inks to add playfulness and depth to her sketches; her dip pens range from a reed she found in Edmonds to a single-use chopstick.

Our favorite tips: link together color blocks with lines, and use a triangular shape for composition.

An attendee of the live demo had this to say: “This has been fun for someone who has always needed to make drawings so realistic, with lines so vertical and horizontal. This style really focuses the eye to a single emphasis.” We always love hearing from you in the comments!

About Jenny

Jenny Jing Zhang is an artist, illustrator, and architectural designer based in Chicago.

A young woman with shoulder-length hair holds a wooden chair overhead, standing in an outdoor space with colorful cloth hanging behind her. She wears a black shirt and a vibrant, multi-colored bracelet. Sketches of various chair designs are displayed above her.
A colorful watercolor illustration of the Chicago Theater marquee, with vibrant splashes of orange and yellow. The scene captures a street view with buildings lining the street and figures walking below. The iconic theater sign prominently displays "CHICAGO."

Known for her lively urban sketches and playful approach to drawing, she captures the spirit of cities around the world with fluid lines and expressive color. Jenny teaches workshops internationally and believes in making art joyful, approachable, and full of curiosity.⁠ We hope you’ll enjoy a little gallery of Jenny’s work below, and visit her website for more!

Jenny Jing Zhang
Website | Social Media

A vibrant street scene featuring colorful buildings in red and blue. A man stands next to a motorcycle, while a classic car drives by. A taxi is parked nearby, and a dog wanders in the foreground, adding life to the bustling atmosphere.
A lively street scene featuring people walking, cycling, and interacting in a cobblestone plaza. A man in a yellow hat looks at his phone while others gather in small groups, some with dogs. Historical buildings with arches and church spires are in the background, depicted in a watercolor style.
A vibrant watercolor illustration depicting a lively street scene with two figures walking a dog, various buildings, and a statue in the background. Trees without leaves are on the right side, while people and cars add movement to the scene. The color palette features soft blues, browns, and splashes of yellow.
A vibrant street scene depicts two people walking on a lively urban street, surrounded by autumn-colored trees. In the background, city buildings and a marquee sign are visible, blending with pedestrians and vehicles. The artwork captures a lively atmosphere with fluid brushstrokes, emphasizing the warmth of the season.
A bustling street scene in Florence featuring the iconic Florence Cathedral with its colorful façade. People are gathered in the foreground, showcasing the lively atmosphere of the area. The artwork is done in a watercolor style, highlighting the architectural details and vibrant colors.

Thank you to those who joined us live, and we encourage you to explore past demos on our Demos page!
An artist sites on a rock, dipping a paintbrush in a Pocket Palette.

Art Toolkit Newsletter

Sign up to hear about our latest supplies, tips and techniques for field art, and special offers.

Join now and we’ll send you our free Tools for Observation mini-series. Follow along with Maria as she shares supplies, tips on contour and gesture sketching, and inspiration for composition!