Line to Color Workshop

Announcing an Urbansketchers.org workshop in Seattle.  Frank Ching and Gail Wong will be giving a weekend workshop covering approaches to building up a sketch. We will touch upon the following topics: initial planning, selection of what to draw, composition, editing, watercolor approaches to highlight your sketch, using watercolors to enhance spatial depth and quality of light, etc. If you are interested in signing up go to workshopsurbansketchers.org. 

Photos from Saturday's Sketchouting

Another great group showed up. Probably about 34 people in all.  We are missing a few in this photo.

Looking at our sketches from the morning.

Ikea

Since the weekly theme  is "Worldwide Retail (IKEA and Starbucks)" I thought I would sketch at Ikea, which is just down the hill from home.  I've been amused by this car in their commercials.



It seems fitting to also mention this, given the worldwide theme.  I received a comment on my personal blog from someone who had just found Urban Sketchers... "I got to know urban sketcher recently, and I just jumped in like you! I made my own sketching kit this noon and I’m waiting for the sprayed paint to dry now. Then, saw your blog!... I ordered Cathy Johnson’s book last week, and read the book ’artist illustration‘, and also ”urban sketching”. ...happy to know you"

From what I could figure out, he is in Taiwan!  Just goes to show what a small world this is and how we connect with each other via this group.  I'm glad I'm here.

Aisles and Arches

St James was at once appealing and daunting. As it was, the perspective and the arches are what drew my eye.  In trying to simplify the view I made two sketches that, at the time looked very different, but in reality are very similar. 

I'm going to have to go back and do some more sketching especially when the weather is warmer so I can get some outside views.

2.23.13

The Urban Sketcher meet was at St.James Cathedral last Saturday. I found myself overwhelmed yet again, by the architecture and the largeness of it all. We visited a few cathedrals on the east coast last year where I stayed in my comfort camera zone. On this day I left the camera at home! The challenge was great and I loved seeing everyone's interpretation of the space. I chose this view for two reasons, first was the type/verbiage and second was the contrast. When I think of all the time I spent in mass as a kid....I coulda been sketching!

St. James in the Dark...

Back from DC, I joined the Seattle Urban Sketchers at St. James Cathedral on Saturday morning.  It was very dark at the back of the cathedral, I could barely make out the colors on my paper!

Washington DC last week...

Last week I was in Washington DC for an interview, as I was a finalist for an award called the Gabriel Prize. Tuesday morning I went out to sketch in the freezing cold and pouring rain, then took the sketches into the interview the next day.  These are 3 of the 6 sketches...

The next day, I found out I was indeed awarded this amazing fellowship.  I will be spending 3 months in France, drawing and painting architecture every day!  My study will take me to the gardens, buildings and interiors at Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. 

(I will also hop over to Italy to lead a sketching workshop in Civita di Bagnoregio in early July.) 

I am so honored and grateful, excited beyond words at these opportunities.  

I hope to join the Paris Urban Sketchers.

Looks like it's finally time to get a blog started...

St James inside and out

 Ah, this was wonderful and very contrasty, 

surrounded by a beautiful space and the strains 

of snoring and Mariachi music from someones ipod.

St. James Cathedral

These drawings were done on Japanese paper that came with the Zettel'z 5 Chandelier we had recently purchased. The paper sheets are intended to hang from stainless steel wires to direct and diffuse the light. I soon found that ink bleeds on the thin, translucent paper and so I had to adjust my drawing style, moving lightly and quickly, for any hesitation or momentary pauses resulted in blotting. However, I like  what the blotting adds to each drawing.

A Cathedral and then a Hobbit Hole

I experienced two extremes today.  The majesty of St James Cathedral with the Seattle Urban Sketchers and then later I went to the Seattle Flower and Garden show.  My son helped the Washington Park Arboretum group bring in trees for their display of New Zealand plant material.  The display was set like the garden in front of Bilbo Baggin's Hobbit Hole!

Stained Glass Windows at St. James Cathedral

I made it to the sketchcrawl late with only about 45minutes left to sketch so quickly decided on the stained glass windows at the front. Surroundings were meditative with sketchers scattered all around the pews and almost completely silent except for someone (I'm assuming not a sketcher) snoring loudly somewhere behind me. I worked fast back and forth with three different Noodler pens that leaked like crazy which made my hands a black mess. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to keep the pens from leaking...

Sketch Crawl @St James

We ended up with a pretty nice February day since the weather forecast called for rain and cold.

It was cold, but we ended up having some sunshine that helped warm the air a bit if you were in the sun.  I started off sketching before the meet up time in the small alley way coming off Terry St.

This second sketch was done from across the street sitting on an exhaust vent grill of a multi-family apartment building.  The warm air kept me from getting too cold and helped the water colors dry more quickly.  Hopefully no nasty exhaust fumes!

Finally inside the cathedral, I perched in the back of the south transept, so that I could look across the crossing to the north transept and the oculus above.  Since there is so much going on in the ceiling, I decided to quickly capture a sense of the space.  I was very loose and free on this sketch.  Didn't spend too much time thinking, just moving quickly with pen and color.

I missed most of the sharing time because I squeezed in one more sketch sitting on the sidewalk of Columbia St. looking up the alley.  The focus of the sketch is the outside of the south transept and one of the three stain glass windows.  I enjoyed this one the most because it was about the space between the buildings.

I went into the Frye Art Museum and had a sandwich at the cafe with some other sketchers.  I decided before leaving to check out the current exhibit of the Russian painter Nicolai Fechin.  Wonderful landscapes, sketches and portraits.  This one of a young women caught my eye, literally!  (added color in my car outside the museum)  Worth a return visit soon.

A Serene and Inspiring Time at St. James Cathedral

Just walking into the cathedral evokes awe.  It was a few minutes of upward gazing before most sketchers  settled on the particular view/angle they would sketch.  Quite a few of us sketched the high ceiling, particularly where light streamed in from the skylight.

In this watercolor, I had "prepped" the Arches CP paper with a diluted acrylic wash.  You can see some of it just right of center.

Before I had attempted those vaulted ceilings, I did a pen and ink sketch of the baptistery.  I added a bit of watercolor when I came home.

I said it was an inspiring morning largely because of the wonderful sketches everyone shared afterwards.  I am so awed by the artistry of the Seattle sketchers!

St. James Cathedral

Today we had our Seattle USk gathering at St. James Cathedral, which was dedicated in 1907. The light inside the beautiful cathedral is dim but the windows are stunning. They were added between 1917-1920 and designed by Charles Connick.

The cherry blossoms, outdoors in the front of the cathedral, are just begging to bloom.

 The courtyard on the south side of the Cathedral was a cold sketching spot but very peaceful. It was added in 2006.  

St James Saturday

This cathedrall is beautiful on so many levels. I love the detail in the stone and brick work and the pure rigid geometry that organized the layout. It is St Peter's distant (and much smaller) Seattle relative. I was sorry to leave before seeing all your work. Please post a sketch and tell your story! 

A Morning at the Burke Museum

I met a few other Urban Sketchers at the Burke today.  We were amazed at the special exhibit on Plastics - very interesting.  But when I remarked that I was inclined to sketch the natural artifacts in the "Before Plastics" display, Carleen, who happens to be a member here, encouraged me to go downstairs to the Ethnology displays.  Within a minute, we were both sketching this life-size Dance-Clan mask - that is until the  grade school kids appeared!   This sketch was first done with a Derwent medium-wash graphite pencil.  From home I added a bit of color after I applied some washes, but then I strengthened it with a Uniball pen.

Around the corner I found an entire display case of ceremonial masks.  What fun!  Since we were told we could not use watercolors inside the museum, I was drawing with a med. blue colored pencil for placement, intending to render the actual sketch in the black waterproof ink of a Uniball pen.  But I was so thoroughly enjoying sketching with a pencil, that I stayed with that medium.  Once home, I added color to one of the masks.

Sketching at the Burke today was good reminder for me to realize how very much I love, love love pencil sketching!  You know, it is almost a physical thing - I love how the pencil feels as it moves over the smooth paper!  But then I also love how a good fountain pen feels!  I would guess there are a few other Urban Sketchers who feel the same way.  So will I choose to render tomorrow's sketches at St. James Cathedral in ink or pencil?  That remains to be seen!

Reminder February Sketch Outing This Saturday!

February Sketch Outing

St James Cathedral 

804 9th Ave Seattle, WA 98104

Ninth and Marion in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood overlooking downtown Seattle

Saturday, February 23rd, 2013 

10:00 AM - meet at The Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Courtyard at the South entrance between the Cathedral and the Bookstore.  Note the cathedral will be open at 9:30 am for us for those who want to sketch a little earlier.  No food or drinks in the cathedral.  We will be able to sketch until 12:30 pm.

The Burke Museum



2/22/13 fountain pen, Zig marker

Bones, bones and more bones! While some of the stuffed, lifeless birds and animals at the Burke Museum made me a bit sad, I found the skeletons thrilling! I summoned my inner paleontologist to sketch the huge Paraphysornis brasilienis, or Terror Bird from Brazil, a cast replica of a 22 million-year-old skeleton. And talk about timing – I finished my sketch just as a billion children on a field trip suddenly surrounded the Terror Bird.

 

Tucked behind the main exhibits is an education area that wasn’t in use today (a quiet respite from the field trip). There I spotted a case with a full skeleton of a Hoplophoneus, a cat similar to a saber tooth that lived 25 million years ago. A few of us who had gathered to sketch at the Burke were meeting to share sketchbooks in 15 minutes, so I focused on the skull. But next time, I’m going to tackle the whole cat.

2/22/13 fountain pen

Space Oddity

Space Oddity, Ballard, Seattle. The owner is a musician from Seattle's grunge days. His wife brought him a sandwich while I drew and he called me good luck because some kid came in while I was drawing and bought a $900 table for his tiny apartment downtown. The owner's gentle dog came out of hiding to sniff me over then disappeared again while I finished the drawing just as the place closed at 6pm.

Sketching and Birding in the Okanogan Highlands

Sketching by car with glove compartment for paint palette

Sketching and birding ...which comes first? Time, weather and logistics are always sketching challenges.  As we drove around the Okanogan Highlands from Omak to Tonasket to Havillah to Chesaw this weekend, I wanted to sketch the small communities where winter birding attracts birders from around our state and from around the country.

We visited Gary Eagle, blacksmith, who lives on Hungry Hollow Road. Birders brought bird seed and cash donations. In return, he invited us on his property and let us tour his blacksmith shop.

Gray-crowned Rosy-finches can be seen here in winter.

Gary with bird seed donations

Chesaw tavern and store

Most of my sketching was done extremely quickly with Uniball pen before we continued driving. With the glove compartment open to hold my paint palette and supplies, I could add some color strokes, but the rest had to be done later when I was no longer on bumpy roads.

At Chesaw I sat in our car and sketched and painted the scene of the tavern and store. This remote town near Molson and the Canadian border is well-known by birders for its burgers, beers and bathrooms. Unfortunately, this was the last day for the tavern as it was being sold to new owners. I went up and talked to the owner, showed him the sketch, and wished him and his wife good luck. I will always be grateful to have sketched there that day.

Curtis Steiner

I enjoyed the brief outing in Ballard we had with Sharon Bryant, who was visiting from Vermont. Here's the old building at the corner of 22nd NW and Ballard Ave NW where the Guitar Emporium used to be and now Curtis Steiner has his shop. Steiner is an artist and entrepreneur with an amazing eye for both the ordinary and the odd.

More Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year in the International District is one of my favorite sketch outings. Despite the cool temperatures I wasn't disappointed with the color and activity.

This is the Year of the Snake - the black water snake specifically.  If you were born in the year of the Snake (every twelfth year counting backwards) lighting 10,000 firecrackers at the new year as well as wearing something red - a belt, socks, suspenders, even underwear - will bring you good luck.

 新 年 快 乐 !

Happy New Year!

Ballard Sketchcrawl

Fooled by the sunshine, I set up on the corner of 22nd and Market and too late realized I wasn't going to make it in the cold without my gloves and scarf. I whipped this out in record time and headed to a vintage shop I'd never drawn before so I could sit indoors. 

As I drew this, I thought my pens were leaking tiny little drops of water. Then I realized the roof was leaking. It smelled like grandma's attic and the radio played such sad music: In The Still of The Night, Save The Last Dance For Me, I Am Music. To make matters worse, the sun began calling to me, insistently, but now I was trapped inside, midway into a drawing. But the elderly woman who owns the place was kind and curious about why I would want to draw her dusty old junk and came outside to wave as I drove off.

Queen Anne and Ballard neighborhoods. Tacoma, too!

Drawn with Platinum Carbon ink in Noodler's flex pen, and wtaercolor

Sunday I went up to the Queen Anne area to join my wool spinning group.  I had planned to arrive early, so I could sketch the Carnegie built public library, but as I pulled up to the library, the dramatic scene greeted me.  It was so compelling with that huge old Birch tree, and the backdrop of the United Methodist Church.  I was looking west, as I sat at the corner of 4th Ave. W. and W. Garfield St.

Watercolor on Platinum Carbon Ink sketch

Thursday I drove to Tacoma because there's a big fiber festival going on, so I thought I would use that excuse to try sketching some of Tacoma's old buildings.  Even though it was a misty, dull gray day, I managed to park close enough to Union Station to be duly impressed with the beauty of that dome!

Empty lot next to Ballard Inn

Today, Friday the 15th was a huge GIFT!!  Seattle was shining in all her glory! - and it was warm, too!  Since a fellow sketcher was visiting from Vermont and wanted to sketch with us, 6 of us Seattle sketchers met with her in Ballard on Ballard Avenue, that street with all the wonderful old buildings so full of character between 20th Ave. and 22nd Ave.  Thanks to Tina giving me a ride, we arrived almost an hour before the appointed time, so I was able to get a couple good watercolor sketches in, plus a small pencil sketch.

Looking east towards 20th Ave NW

In this empty lot sketch, I was drawn in by the wonderful shadows dancing on the brick wall.  With all the plain gray days we've been having (and thus no strong shadows!) it was such a pleasure to play with shadows.
This other sketch looks like it was done after someone cleared all the cars off the street! - NOT! Like Tina, I seem to have great difficulty with cars.  Maybe I need to give my self a challenge of sketching 30 days worth of cars!!