Seattle Central Library

1/10/14 Central Library, Level 10

Nearly two years ago, the Seattle Urban Sketchers met at the Seattle Public Library’s Central downtown location to sketch and later attend Gabi’s presentation there. I had not yet worked up the courage to sketch with the group, especially not in a building as intimidating as the Central library. But I went to Gabi’s talk (he was promoting his then-new book, The Art of Urban Sketching), learned more about the urban sketching movement, and met a few sketchers who encouraged me to join them. I finally did get up the courage to sketch with them the following month – and of course, as they say, the rest is history.

1/10/14 Central Library, Level 3

It felt like a personal completion of some sort to have finally sketched at the downtown library today with the Friday sketchers. I was no less intimidated today by the amazing architecture, vast windows and unusual interior features than I was two years ago. But the big difference between then and now is that now I accept that I’ll probably always be intimidated by such formidable sketching challenges – and I just sketch anyway.

With this what-the-heck attitude, I first went up to Level 10, the highest public level, and sketched the reading room and that incredible glass ceiling. Later I went down to the Level 3 “Living Room” to sketch more patrons seated in the ridiculously uncomfortable chairs. (They are sort of like modernized Adirondack chairs, and you know how comfortable they are. I guess the library wants to invite people to read – but not for too long.) My single favorite feature of the Central library is the chartreuse escalators, which you can see in both sketches.

1/10/14 Library from Vovito Espresso

This third sketch is of the outside of the library, which I sketched from Vovito Espresso across the street facing Spring Street’s steep incline between Fourth and Fifth avenues, waiting for the library to open. It was a good intro sketch to those basket-woven windows.