15 Years of Sketching with My Tribe

7/17/24 Fishermen's Terminal for our 15th anniversary outing

Dave at Fishermen's Terminal

Although I slept in my own bed each night, I felt like I had been traveling last week – in fact, it felt like I had traveled to an Urban Sketchers Symposium! It was Sketcher Fest, which was all the exhilaration and intensity of a symposium but none of the jetlag – and we had perfect weather, to boot.

Before things got underway in Edmonds, though, we had an unrelated event that was timed perfectly as a lead-up to Sketcher Fest: USk Seattle’s 15^th anniversary celebration! We chose Fishermen’s Terminal, the site of the very first Urban Sketchers outing ever (in Seattle or the world) on July 19, 2009. The late-afternoon outing was followed immediately by a drink & draw across the street at Figurehead Brewery. Both were well attended; in fact, the Terminal turnout of 50+ may have broken previous attendance records. Included were four of the original attendees from 2009: Frank Ching, Dave Morris, Mark Ryan and Gail Wong. (Sadly, Gabi couldn’t join us because he was too busy getting ready for Sketcher Fest!)

Figurehead Brewery drink & draw, where I did more chatting than drawing. Featured in my sketch are Mario Linhares' family (Portugal) and Suhita Shirodkar (Bay Area), all in town for Sketcher Fest.

15th anniversary commemorative sticker (top, featuring the 
Fremont troll) designed by David Hingtgen

To commemorate our milestone year, we published a retrospective collection of sketches from members arranged chronologically year by year. It’s amazing to see how some parts of Seattle have changed significantly during the last 15 years, while others have not – all recorded by our sketches.

I’m republishing below the introduction I wrote for the book (co-edited by Jane Wingfield and myself and designed by Ellie Doughty). The book is still available for purchase (suggested donation $20).

 

Building Community One Sketch at a Time

Drawing and painting what we see on location has occupied artists for centuries. The activity we call “urban sketching,” however, began in 2007 when Gabriel Campanario first created a Flickr image-sharing group. Gabi, a journalist and illustrator who had recently transplanted to Seattle, named the group Urban Sketches. He primarily intended the online group as a common place for sketchers around the globe to share their work. He didn’t know then that a major benefit of that initiative would be a way for sketchers to connect in person.

Like many of the best ideas, that connection began spontaneously. Frank Ching, well-known University of Washington professor of architecture and acclaimed author of books on architectural drawing, contacted Gabi. Seeing Gabi’s then-new Seattle Sketcher column in The Seattle Times, Frank had mentioned his own passion for drawing on location. After getting together at Fremont Coffee Company (a meeting that became a Seattle Sketcher blog post), they agreed to sketch together the following month at Fishermen’s Terminal.

Encouraged by some World Wide Sketch Crawl events he had attended, Gabi wanted to invite others to join them. He used the Urban Sketchers Seattle blog he had recently launched to announce a gathering at Fishermen’s Terminal on July 19, 2009. Thirteen sketchers showed up that day. That was USk Seattle’s first outing, and we’ve been meeting regularly ever since.

Initially gathering monthly, we now meet as often as weekly during the best weather months. Even cold, wet winter gatherings can bring out a hardy dozen or more, and beautiful summer days can attract upwards of 30 sketchers. The USk Seattle Facebook group, now 1,700 strong, has been growing steadily. (Meanwhile, the worldwide Urban Sketchers community has grown to tens of thousands.)

“Urban Sketchers came out of my love for drawing and wanting to discover Seattle,” Gabi says, who had moved to the Seattle area with his family in 2006. Although his initial intentions weren’t necessarily focused on the social benefits of urban sketching, “To put together an idea that inspires people all over the world is humbling,” he says. “Making connections through drawing is a privilege.”

Indeed, it is. And all of us who form this community are both honored and proud to show the world what Seattle looks like, one sketch at a time. This publication is a small collection of the many sketches Urban Sketchers Seattle members have made during the past 15 years.

July 17, 2024

Recognized in Georgetown

 We met to sketch the garden walk in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. We've been doing so since 2015.

It was too hot for me but the gardens were mostly shaded. It was gratifying that other attendees recognized us as "the sketchers" who come every year and were happy to see us!

I wandered around but there was either not room enough or too much sun in the gardens I liked.  I finally settled down to sketch alongside Joseph near the street but in deep shade with a little cooling breeze.  We sketched a bit of garden there that wasn't even part of the event. 

We met back in Oxbow Park where some sketched the Hat and Boots.  There were a few first-timers plus one visitor from Urban Sketchers Los Angeles.

Landing at the Space park

 Urban Skechers Seattle and Urban Skechers Tacoma met in between at Kherson Park in Kent for an ad hoc outing to sketch the space themed playground. Susan, Ikuyo, Marlene, and Jen were there. Mike was also there but left early. Almost everyone sketched the lunar lander.

Of note, the Lunar Rover(s) were built in Kent by Boeing and 3 remain on the moon.

For those who might not be aware. Jeff Bezos's space company, Blue Origin, is based in Kent.

A year ago when I explored this park I sketched the moon buggy. This time I was one of the ones who sketched the lander. So many angles! 

More photos.

Greenwood Car Show

 

6/29/24 Greenwood Car Show

One year, it rained. Another, it was so cold that I had to retreat to a coffee shop midway to warm up. On Saturday USk Seattle was treated to a rare day in June for the Greenwood Car Show: the ideal temperature for sketching under a mix of sunny and partly cloudy skies. It’s always a fun event – except for the pandemic pause, I think I’ve only missed one year since 2014 – and it’s even more fun to sketch with USk Seattle.  

My personal tradition is to arrive early before the show officially
opens, get coffee at Herkimer, and watch the cars roll in.
The tables outside Herkimer are a great place to catch dogs
waiting for their humans to come back out with treats.

Usually my approach is to make portraits of several cars that attract my fancy and one or two sketches that show more context. This year I took a comics approach by making multiple small sketches that show various views of this neighborhood show. The sketches are so small that they don’t take much time, so I cover more ground and capture more of the overall car show story – and history.

Owners love to talk about what they’ve done to their cars, how much it cost to do that work, and how long they’ve owned them. And passers-by have memories evoked by cars they see – old models owned by parents or grandparents, or the ones they used to learn to drive. My favorite story this year was written on a placard next to a 1966 VW Bug. Its original and current owner, Florence, had recently celebrated her 100^th birthday, and a card was available for show visitors to write Florence a birthday greeting.

Florence's beautifully maintained '66 Bug

Down on the farm

We met at Bellevue's Kelsey Creek Park this morning. There was lots to sketch: barns, animals, and people.

I made a montage but started with a spot I'd noticed the first time I was there. It's a cute bunny bench in front of a small barn.

Earlier I'd met Charlotte with her mother, Jane, when they approached our meeting place.  Mom asked whether they could join the sketching group and I assured her children are welcome to sketch with us with their adult present.  But they hadn't brought any supplies.  As I was sketching the bunny bench, Charlotte reappeared, paper and pencil in hand!  She sat on the bench to draw so I added her to my sketch.  We shared our sketches and posed for the standard photo together! 

The rest of the montage were some of the animals and one odd flower.  I was amused by the rabbit whose name was "Cinnabun".

 

Summer Solstice at Bell Harbor Pier

6/20/24 Seattle waterfront and skyline from Bell Harbor Pier

After a couple of outings with rainy or iffy weather, USk Seattle enjoyed a rare treat: summer weather on the Solstice (we all know summer begins on July 5)! Bell Harbor Pier offers arguably the best views of the downtown skyline and waterfront, but a major drawback is that it has no shelter or shade. We run the risk of scheduling an outing there when the weather is either bad or too good. In fact, it was perfect this morning – not too hot but clear and with a good breeze.

Anticipating the skyline, I brought along a landscape-format Uglybook (I cut the image in half below so you can see the details). The skyline is changing so quickly that all the familiar profiles are being hidden by newer buildings. I labeled the ones I could still identify.

Next I turned in the opposite direction to grab the Space Needle (also nearly obscured), The Brothers highlighting the Olympic Mountains, and Mike sketching at his easel.

An Oasis in the City, The Center for Wooden Boats

 

Visiting Seattle's Center for Wooden Boats is like being taken back in time. This collection of picturesque buildings connected by narrow walkways and docks over the water at Lake Union is a world unto itself...right in the middle of the bustling city. Thankfully, the dark skies never produced rain, but there was a chill and some wind. Great day to be sketching with Seattle Urban Sketchers!

Northwest Seaport’s 60th Anniversary (Plus Bi-Bim-Bap)

6/15/24 Lake Union Park historic ships

Although the weather gods teased us with dire forecasts of rain, hail, lightning and thunder, they took mercy on USk Seattle this morning – windy but dry to the end! A good turnout of brave sketchers showed up for the 60^th anniversary celebration of Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center, which preserves and restores historic work ships on Lake Union.

To capture a survey of ships, I made small sketches of the historic tug Comanche, the Fremont Tugboat’s Dixie, and the lightship Swiftsure. Painted red, the 120-year-old Swiftsure is always popular among sketchers. In fact, I’ve sketched it myself several times, but this time I wanted a tall, narrow view to fit the space on my page spread, so I focused on the mast. (My current comics-like approach helped me see a composition I might not have chosen otherwise.)

6/15/24 Stone Korean Restaurant

After the outing, I joined a few sketchers for lunch at nearby Stone Korean Restaurant. Although I’ve had traditional bi-bim-bap, in general, I don’t eat Korean food often, so many dishes were new to me, like the delicious veggie pancake that the table shared. For my entrée, I chose a hot pot-style bi-bim-bap with crispy, toasted rice on the bottom – very different from regular bi-bim-bap and so delicious! Served in a dangerously hot cast iron pot, the food stayed hot for the duration of my sketch – an ideal sketch-meal!

I was so ignorant of Korean foods that another sketcher accused me of not being Asian, but now that she has educated me, I’m looking forward to enjoying more Korean meals.

USK spring meetups

Sharing a few of my sketches from some recent-ish USk Seattle events!

Centro de la Raza for Cinco de Mayo.

I often pass through this plaza, but it's almost always dead quiet -- so it was nice to experience it crowded & lively for the celebration. I always appreciate the extremely bright colors often used in Mexican crafts, like the ones the guest vendors were selling, especially on such a dark gloomy day like this one. I stood under a tent shelter, mostly out of the wet, and did a quick sketch in mixed media.

Chinese Garden @ South Seattle College

This is such a classic USk Seattle location to me. I enjoy the clean, white walls of the structure, which allow you to appreciate the landscaping in contrast to it. Using white acrylic, I got it to pop off of my gray toned paper.

 Couth Buzzard Books + Espresso in Greenwood

I stumbled onto this cute little bookstore after our share event at the library. It was too cold to draw outside, so I cozied up at a small table and captured the vibe while sipping a cappuccino. It was fun listening to people come in and ask the proprietor very specific book questions.

Delridge Farmers Market

6/8/24 Delridge Farmers Market

Although USk Seattle has met at many community farmers markets over the years, the one in south Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood was new to us. In fact, it is fairly new; it was started during the pandemic by the African Community Housing and Development organization.

As far as markets go, it’s notable that Delridge gives priority to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) vendors. Long lines formed at a couple of booths that were giving away free produce and basic supplies to low-income neighbors. The market is held every summer Saturday morning in front of the Masjid Al Furquan Mosque (formerly St. James Lutheran Church).

I had the most fun sketching Queen Sugar Baking Company’s resident pug. I think it was in his presentation about sketch reportage that Gabi Campanario said something that has stayed with me: If a dog is mentioned (or sketched) in a story, Gabi said, a good journalist will learn the name of the dog. Check: The pug’s name is Ajax.

Kim learned a lot about the Delridge market from
its originator.