Kumamoto Castle Sumi-e

I'm a big fan of watercolor painting and while I was at the Kumamoto Castle snapping a few shots with my camera, I noticed a fella painting a sick portrait of the castle. He looked up at me, smiled and I told him (in English), "Looks good." Figuring that he didn't understand, I also threw in the Fonz's thumbs up to solidify approval. He looked back down, drew a couple more swipes, looked up, and asked (in English) where I was from. We spoke for a bit and he explained that he was the art teacher who was in charge of the many students who were at the castle that day.
His inspiration:
...And another piece he whipped up: