October 29, 2002. The royal tombs of Gyeongju dot the landscape of this ancient city on the east coast of South Korea. At first glance, they look like giant heaps of earth coming out of nowhere. But under each grassy mound lies a complicated structure of wooden beams and stones and the final resting place of a member of the Korean dinasties that once ruled the land.
When hundreds of sketchers from all over South Korea descended on Gyeongju to participate in the IV Urban Sketch Festa, an annual event organized by @uskgyeongju, the beautiful royal tombs surely became the subject of many sketchbook pages, including mine.