Hamilton Viewpoint Panorama



8/30/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Zig marker, Moleskine watercolor sketchbook

One of the many sketchbooks I received from sponsors at the Barcelona Urban Sketching Symposium was a Moleskine accordion-folded (Japanese style) sketchbook containing watercolor paper. (More about the book on my personal blog.) When I saw that the book folds out into a single, 23-panel page, I knew I wanted to use it for a panoramic landscape sketch. In the past when I’ve done skyline panoramas, I’ve used a landscape-format sketchbook to capture as much as I could in a double-page spread. At Jack Block Park, I got only from the Smith Tower to Queen Anne Hill.

 

I finally got an opportunity to give the Moleskine book a try yesterday at West Seattle’s Hamilton Viewpoint. Since I’m left-handed, I turned the book upside-down and started sketching from the right side of the view (again at the Smith Tower) and continued in the northerly direction until I couldn’t see any further. This time I got all the way over to Magnolia, filling seven panels (the green masses at the sketch’s bottom are trees that were partially blocking the water view).

 

Shown below are the scanned panels. From top to bottom, they show the skyline from north to south. 

 

 

 

way back home to Civita

Three days a week, maybe less, maybe more one travels up and down the Civita bridge to purchase groceries and supplies of sorts. 

Bagnoreggio has what one needs for nourishment and ‘good on the eyes as’ well; narrow streets, church towers, beautiful colors, cobbled streets, statues, topography and much more.

Elements of beautiful urban form is represented in this sketch, 

a welcoming entry portal on the way back home to Civita.

Amsterdam Redlight District

This is a sketch from my visit to Amsterdam a few weeks ago to present at the International Academy of Law and Mental Health Congress. I spent a couple of nights wandering the redlight mesmerized by the social and gender dynamics and the activities and goings on. My last night there, I sat on a corner and sketched until 1am. I was told that photos were not allowed and that large men would come out of the red lit windows and destroy my camera if I took photos of the women so I refrained. However, I did learn among other things that the primary redlight activity occurs in 10-13minutes.

First Urban Sketcher's Post

I am happy to be writing my first Seattle Urban Sketchers post. The past year with this group of amazing artists has been wonderful, and I look forward to many more to come. August found me all over the state of Washington.

            The month started with a trip to Mount Rainier. After losing our way in Puyallup, a group of friends and I worked our way up to Sunrise. Unfortunately, I did not get many chances to sketch as we dodged mosquitoes and deer in the meadows surrounding the lodge. Ironically, the best sketch I produced was a view looking away from Mount Rainier at Sunrise Lodge and the surrounding mountains.

            Once again, my time for sketching was cut short while visiting the Museum of Flight with my brother while he was in Seattle. I got a quick sketch of this rocket test bed in the space gallery before moving on. I produced the other sketch of the F-16 last year while visiting the Flight Museum.

            Finally, I had some focused sketching at the Waterfront Sketch Crawl. My favorite sketch was from the end of Pier 56. This is my favorite spot on the waterfront because it is secluded while offering stunning views of the Puget Sound and Elliot Bay. I was treaty to a view of a refueling cruise ship as Coast Guard patrols and private sail boats buzzed around the behemoth.

how do you draw the wind.

I do wish I had more Italian study, as I would be able to muster more
courage in Civita. I tend to stay in the background; as not to embarrass,
perhaps, and for sure not to be noted as a ‘turisti’. Going out early, by
7:00AM is perfect as no one is there and the rhythms of the town are just
settling in. I see the store owners arrive, the tractor man is already
preparing the town for the next day and running errands for who ever needs
them; carrying large and heavy items up and down the bridge.  He was happy
to see I illustrated the ‘tractore’ in one of my sketches. He also works two
brooms at once. Sketching every day.

Seattle Waterfront

Minnesota vacation

fabulous breakfast at Douglas Lodge

I just returned from a week in Minnesota filling my pocket
sketchbook with watercolor vignettes of lake cabin memories and a return trip to Itasca State Park. We celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary on the day we celebrated our niece's wedding at the YMCA camp on Big Cormorant Lake. I sketched some scenes of the wedding venue as a gift for Catie and Chris.

Challenges were not having enough time to sketch, having hot and humid weather, not being able to sketch while jumping off the pontoon, and a few horse flies. Medium was a 3.5 x 5.5 watercolor Moleskin, a Uniball micro pen and a Koi watercolor pocket field sketch box, and, oh..a couple of Corona Lights!

Elk Lake in Itasca State Park, sketch interrupted by horse flies!

Zimmerman cabin on Big Cormorant Lake MN

Zimmerman cabin on Pike's Bay of Big Cormant Lake MN

Bellevue Botanical Garden

A few of us met today at Bellevue Botanical Garden. I'd been there a year ago or so and knew exactly what I wanted to sketch first:  what I call the Hobbit door.  The garden was originally a house and grounds belonging to a family.  This door was to have led to a root cellar but I was told it proved too damp.  The door is about 3 feet high and is down the hill, some distance from the home (which is now the Visitor's Center).



I still had about an hour, so I went back up to the visitor center to sketch the water wise garden and its structure.  I also added Tina as she sketched the flowers on a bush.



Gordon, Tina and me.

Sketches

Quilcene, WA

I missed the sketchouting last Sunday because I was cleaning our house.  This week we have family in town and for the last two days were staying at a friend's cabin on Dabob Bay in Quilcene.  It was beautiful and relaxing.  We had a seafood fest last night... Clam chowder, Clam linguini,  Crab and oysters on the halfshell..all harvested by us from the bay.  The one thing you can't depend on is Salmon.  Although they were jumping...you really have to master how to fish for salmon.  Of course this morning before our family was leaving my husband caught a 24" salmon. 

Here are a couple of sketches I did.  If you want to see more you can look at my blog.

Point Hudson Marina and Resort, Port Townsend, WA

Clamming at Dabob Bay

Summer Sketches

A couple weeks ago, several of us were sketching at Olympic Sculpture Park at Seattle's waterfront.  Most of us included the iconic Calder Eagle in our sketches.  In my first sketch, from a distance, I couldn't imagine what a house was doing in the middle of the park, but when I went down for a closer view, I learned that the rooftop was a sculpture!! and folks were encourage to climb on the roof!  It was a great view, tho I must admit the weeds and dried grasses were what first attracted me.

Okay, so give me weeds or a garden or P-Patch and I will stop to do an "urban sketch!"  The Cascade P-Patch in South Lake Union area has lured me in several times this summer.  There's SO much character there, and an ever-changing array of plants.

Under the viaduct

I took last weekend's location literally and located myself UNDER the viaduct.  The sketch below faces west where you can see a peek at what will be panoramic in the near future. 

This scene is on the same street, directly up from Starbucks. It's a juxtaposition of the underworld with it's graffiti wall painting and the upper world up the stairs that lead to first avenue.

 I really liked this sketch location. It had a lot of variety. And what amazing talent in our group!

day 2: Civita

Morning time views, as I become more familiar with this beautiful place; Civita.

Simply, wonderful.

Saluti da Civita

I'm happy to welcome fellow urban sketcher Anita Lehmann to Civita today, also here on a fellowship from the Northwest Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in Italy. I'm sure she'll inspire me to up my game and do more sketches, in between my digging through the archives here.

Below is my most recent sketch showing the entrance to the Civita Institute properties here. Anita is settling into Lo Studio, the first house on the left, while I'm in Il Nuovo, up the stairs.

Before Anita arrived, I've been photographing and sketching some of my favorite aspects of Lo Studio. Below is a self-portrait on the lower level terrace, overlooking the main street, with the library space behind me - a great spot for breakfast on a hot summer day.

At the bottom is the view from one of the upper level windows, showing how the typical in-swinging casement windows reflect both light and views inside, through the thick, stone walls.

Busy, busy waterfront

I think most of Seattle and as many tourists were on the waterfront yesterday. It was a perfect day for sketching. I couldn't help but think how we deserved it. Remember some of our outings- rain, snow and plenty of gray?

I found the viaduct very hard to sketch. But I will also miss it and felt committed to giving it a shot. Elliot's Oyster House looked especially charming with exploding hanging flowers. I had to add darks to both sketches at home. All that sun must have misled my sense of colors.

Under the Viaduct

At yesterdays meeting of the Seattle Urban Sketchers group, I drew this view from under the viaduct where University Avenue meets Alaskan Way. I realize that opinions vary about the aesthetics of the double-decker highway and the wisdom of tunneling under downtown Seattle but when the viaduct is demolished in 2016, I will certainly miss the views it offers of downtown and the Olympic Mountains across the sound to the west.

Draw; Italians love you!

Day One, Rome

OK people...this place is amazing.

My first impressions starting the day; I couldn't stop drawing.

There is so much and EVERYWHERE!

It is siesta time here so I have a chance to take a small break before I head out for more.

What a grand day.

Impressions:

1. Do not have your i-phone out all the time.

2. Draw; Italians will love you!

3. Speak Italian; Italians will love you.

4. Leave your map in your hotel.

5. Keep a good distance from ' i turisti.'

6. Turn right or left from any major landmark and you will find a wonderful restaurant.

DRAW!

p.s. hoping the repro will get better as I do more publishing.

Under the Viaduct

Today was Seattle Urban Sketchers monthly sketch outing to document the Alaskan Way viaduct which is to be torn down.  It was called "Under the Viaduct".  I got there early on the light rail so had some time before the start to scope out likely sketching spots.  I did two sketches during the outing.

I sketched the Ivar's sign with the viaduct in the background.


Then I walked up over the pedestrian bridge to the walk-on terminal for the Bainbridge Island ferry.  There I found the Coleman Clock, which I again sketched with the viaduct in the background.


We shared our sketches, as is usual.




On my way out of town, I stopped for another sketch at a location I liked when I first arrived.