A classic at Washington Park Arboretum

The Ad-Hoc sketchers met at the Arboretum last Friday.  Yes, rain was predicted, and yes,  I did get a few drops on me, but I was sitting under a rather dense tree, near its thick trunk, so I was protected.

Since I have already sketched the view of the old bridge/walkway from below, on Lake Washington Blvd, I decided to sketch that classic view from above, where the bridge becomes a walkway from the main part of the park over to the much smaller strip of park west of the boulevard.

Having been one who has created large fully finished watercolor landscapes for 45 years, I still find it very difficult to break that practice...Nevertheless, I keep trying to do those "quick sketches."

Greenwood Car Show 2014

I look forward to this event every year.  This year I sketched from end to end (about a mile and a half).  It was great fun talking to the cars owners and sharing my sketches with them.

Weather Forecast: Wet and sunny

I smiled as I read the other posts of the Friday sketchers at the Arboretum. To stay in the clearing and risk a shower

or to stay under a tree and get dripped on. Such a dilemma! My sketch was done in the open but I managed to be just finishing when big drops started. That texture in the grass was not purposeful.  Peggy G.

Sharon's House in Everett

A commissioned drawing, gift from a sister of the homeowner. The house is very long, with another garage even further to the right, but fitting it into this format meant some editing.

Here it is with the color added from a photo reference:

When I showed up to the house, Sharon took me around back to show me her rose garden and asked for a drawing of that, too. That'll be a challenge, as I'm partial to straight lines I can wobble and distort. Drawing roses will be something new for me.

Friday Ad Hoc at the Arboretum

It was off and on sprinkles this morning as the ad hoc Friday Sketchers met at the UW Arboretum.  Five stalwart sketchers managed to mostly avoid the rain. I think it was raining a bit as I sketched the Wilcox Footbridge.  I sat under a large tree, which may have sheltered me from the drops.




While waiting for the others to arrive for our sketch sharing, I quickly did a sketch of  a planter on the patio of the Graham Visitors Center. This is a small sketch in the pocket Moleskine.



We shared sketches...






PeggyH, Sue, Kate (both), Tina (top), PeggyJG (2 lower)

....and then posed for the group photo.
Standing (L to R)  PeggyJG, Tina, Sue; sitting PeggyH, Kate

Nilda arrived late and didn't sketch, so she took the photo. 

Wet-on-Wet at the Arboretum

6/27/14 cherry tree

It was a good day for the wet-on-wet watercolor technique – whether I wanted it or not.

After a week of daily incorrect rain forecasts, it was finally correct on this morning that the Friday sketchers were planning to meet at the Washington Park Arboretum. We talked about a possible contingency location, but it was barely drizzling when we gathered there, so we decided to brave it.

When I was at the arboretum last week, I had spotted a large, elegantly asymmetrical cherry tree as we hiked along Azalea Way, so I made a mental note to sketch it later. Luckily, my sketch of it and I both stayed mostly dry.

6/27/14 umbrella plant

By the time I had finished, the drizzle was turning into a sprinkle that might have become an outright shower at any moment (You know how Eskimos purportedly have a thousand different words for snow? Seattleites have at least a hundred words for rain), so I thought I’d be smart and set up my stool under some wide trees. As I sketched the enormous leaves of the Darmera Peltata (umbrella plant), a young woman suddenly appeared with a camera, and I was delighted to have something to establish the scale of the leaves. Just then, a gust of wind shook all the trees I was sheltering under, drenching me and my sketch. I made the best of the mandatory wet-on-wet technique to finish it.

Sketching on Alki

I got a start to my farmer's tan for this summer at Sunday's sketch outing. Clear skies and plenty of sun contributed to great views over the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains and the space needle. 

 I broke in my new water color note book with this view from the eastern end of Alki Beach. A volleyball tournament and plenty of beach goers provided a lively foreground with the Olympics and apartment buildings framing the view.

 I also got off this quick study of the miniature Statue of Liberty. The quick, blind contour line work gives the feel of the statue's robes swaying in the breeze.

 In addition, I did a quick sketch of the historic Friedlander Court Building. However, I was not as satisfied with this sketch because the massive rhododendrons in front of the building masked this Alki landmark.

I had hoped to get off more sketches, but I was distracted by the various bungalow style homes tucked away behind the apartment buildings on the beach. Fortunately, I live in West Seattle so Alki is a short bus or car ride away.   

Sketching with the gang at Alki

The June sketcher's gathering took place on or around Alki Beach at West Seattle. Beautiful weather, too nice maybe, by the time I did my urban hike back to the truck I was quite burnt - the forgotten sunscreen still sitting on the bathroom counter.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a Stillman & Birn watercolor sketchbook.

Sunday @ Alki

 The weather was perfect for a morning sketching before getting back home to watch the big USA World Cup soccer game in the afternoon.  I enjoyed exploring in West Seattle a bit since I live in the north end of Seattle and don't get down to Alki much.  Which is one of the many benefits of the sketch outings; seeing wonderful new places around the Northwest!

 First I captured the beachfront, waterfront walkway (with strollers), family gatherings and the many other sketchers in my view.

I have been fascinated with old metal and neon signs and so I headed to the old Homestead Restaurant for a rooftop sketch of their unusual sign.

On my way back to the beach for the sharing time I stopped for a quick side-street sketch of one of the many restaurants along Alki.

Finally before heading home I stopped to sketch the newly restored totem pole at the Log House Museum.

Kay had done such a fantastic sketch that she shared when we all laid out our sketches, I wanted to sketch it also to wrap up a fun morning.

Friday Ad Hoc outings

The ad-hoc team for the Ad-Hoc Friday Sketchers have decided we want to take advantage of the summer weather by sketching every Friday.  Normally, Friday sketchers meet the 2nd and 4th Fridays each month.  We have devised a schedule for the next couple months.  All are welcome to join us if you're free 10-12:30 on Fridays.  As we get closer to each date, you can find more details about each outing under the "Ad Hoc Outings" tab of this blog. 

July 4: Parsons Garden
July 11: Pioneer Square + side trip to see Sketchbook Project at downtown library
July 18: Vashon Island
July 25: Ballard Locks
Aug. 1: Cloudstone Sculpture Park, with Whidbey Island sketchers
Aug. 8: Kubota Garden (for stone cutting demo)
Aug. 15: Bainbridge Island
Aug. 22: Magnuson Park
Aug. 29: UW Botanical Gardens/Urban Horticulture Center

St. Joseph's On Capitol Hill

I didn't make the sketch outing yesterday since  we had graduation and birthday celebrations,  but I did go out today to Tully's on 19th and Aloha.  I went to scope out what there is to draw around that area.  My sketching class is meeting there. 

I did this sketch while enjoying the sun and a Mocha Bellacino, testing out a different media.
In this sketch I used ink with a bent nib pen.  Later I colored with watercolor pencils and finally added water with a watercolor brush.  Here are the two stages of the sketch, the first with the watercolor pencil laid over the ink line and then after with the water wash to blend the watercolor pencil.

Water wash over watercolor pencil.

Watercolor pencil over ink line sketch

Alki Homestead

Rather than the wide, open scenes along Alki Beach, I chose to draw the Alki Homestead instead. Originally built as a country estate—Fir Lodge—for Gladys and William Bernard in 1905, the log house operated as the Homestead Restaurant from 1950 to 2009, when a fire closed the restaurant. Because of plans to demolish the structure, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation designated the log building as one of their Most Endangered Historic Properties. In 2010, a campaign by the Southwest Seattle Historic Society, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and Historic Seattle persuaded the owner to sell the Alki Homestead. As you can see from the sign, it is currently for sale.

Alki Beach Sketch Outing

A little more than 20 sketchers gathered for our outing to Alki Beach in West Seattle.

I'd sketched beach scenes earlier in the year so I went straight to something I'd spotted on my previous trip.  I liked this fish sculpture over a restaurant.  It has such an expressive face.



And then, of course, I had to sketch the small version of Lady Liberty,  as many others did this morning.  "The Statue of Liberty, a small replica of the original "Liberty Enlightening the World" in New York City, was a gift from Reginald H. Parsons and the Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1952."  While I was sketching, a crow landed on the very top of the torch so I included it.



We gathered to share sketches....



.... and then had our group photo

Pepperdock Burgers

A beautiful morning on Alki Beach, with a good turn-out of Seattle Urban Sketchers with several new faces. I wasted about 40 minutes of drawing time waiting in line at Tully's, and the scene I wanted to draw was unappealingly backlit, but I still managed to get something down on paper. The owner of Pepperdock sent an underling out to ask if they could have the sketch, but I told him I only sell prints and gave him my card. After the sharing session and a chicken lettuce wrap at Fat Burgers, I went back and finished up the drawing (even though the shadows had all changed from my initial ink washes), only getting a little sunburnt on the back of my neck.

Alki Beach

6/22/14 Alki Beach and Elliott Bay

A huge turnout of the Seattle Urban Sketchers celebrated summer on the day after the solstice with a sketch outing on Alki Beach, and we agreed it couldn’t have been better weather. Sure, some of us had to wear Polartec and hoodies in the morning, but personally, I don’t like to sweat. It was perfect!

6/22/14 Statue of Liberty

For my first sketch I sat on the low wall between the beach and the rest of the park to take in as much as possible of Elliott Bay and the shoreline, including the Space Needle and Queen Anne Hill’s three TV towers on the horizon.

Then I turned around to face Seattle’s own tiny replica of the Statue of Liberty, where I managed to catch Jane and Mike sketching in both directions.

Alki must have been a particularly inspiring location – I saw so many really great sketches today!

June 28 USk-SAM Workshop at Pike Place Market

We are pleased to announce an Urban Sketchers Workshop in partnership with the Seattle Art Museum. The event is tied to the upcoming exhibit Modernism in the Pacific Northwest featuring the work of the late Seattle artist Mark Tobey and other leading figures of the modern art movement that took place in the Northwest in the late 1930s and 1940s.

The workshop includes a tour of the exhibit and a hands-on field sketching session at Pike Place Market led by Urban Sketchers instructors Gabriel Campanario, Frank Ching and Gail Wong. During the workshop, participants will gain valuable sketching tips to draw on location —from perspective and composition to watercolor basics— and channel Tobey's spirit of sketching at the market.

Date: Saturday, June 28, 2014.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Registration: $50.
Schedule:
9:30-10 am: Check-in at the museum (1300 1st Ave, Seattle)
10-11:30 am: Introduction and tour of the galleries with USk Instructors and museum staff
11:30-12:15: Lunch break/Presentation by instructors
12:30-3 pm: Field sketching session at the Market

Sketchbook sponsors: Stillman & Birn.
Pencils and 66 Watercolor "Try it Color sheets": Daniel Smith

To reserve your spot in the workshop contact Workshop Coordinator Jane Wingfield at janewingfield@gmail.com.

June Sketch Outing

June Sketch Outing 

Please note the date and location have changed since the announcement at the May sketch outing.   
Sunday, June 22nd
Alki Beach West Seattle

10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Meet at  the Statue of Liberty
Alki Avenue, If its raining we'll meet at Starbucks just up the street

Pono Ranch in Ballard

This is a great place to sketch right at the NW end of the Ballard Bridge. 

The Board Game

I did the mass transit route to get up to Lake Forest Park, surprisingly easy (light rail and the #522). We had been invited to sketch during the annual flower and plant sale taking place at the Town Center. Though I did some sketches of plants and a local radio personality doing his show live, I couldn't resist sketching these three guys who were engrossed in their board game in the Commons upstairs. These guys were serious players complete with box of supplies/reference material and a hand cart to haul it with.

Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in a Stillman & Birn watercolor book.

A Zoo at the Seattle Aquarium

6/13/14 Northern fur seal and otters

Every citizen of Seattle under the age of 8 was at the Seattle Aquarium this morning, along with a handful of brave (or crazy) Friday sketchers. Someone exclaimed, “What a zoo!” and I disagreed; I visit Woodland Park Zoo frequently, and even on a sunny summer day, it isn’t nearly as crowded. I think today was the single most challenging sketching environment I’ve experienced so far, at least in terms of number of people at my elbows.

Yet when we spread out our sketchbooks to share two-and-a-half hours later, I was amazed by the wonderful sketches everyone had made – and by the number of pages I had managed to fill in my own sketchbook. Though not exactly leisurely or relaxing (to the contrary, I was on the verge of screaming), I can’t say it wasn’t a productive morning.

6/13/14 sea star tank

Lots of fish

Seahorses

Sea birds and a sea pen

Diaphonous and magical moon jellies

Friday at the Aquarium

The adhoc Friday Sketchers of Urban Sketchers Seattle met at the Aquarium today.  It was a cold, gray wet day.  In between sprinkles, some of us tried to sketch outside.  Inside, it was a challenge to get a spot to sketch as we were in competition with what seemed like hundreds of school children.

I got to the sea otter area before there were too many small visitors.  One otter was sleeping and seemed to be a furry lump.  The other floated on her back and played with a bright blue toy.



I escaped outside to sketch a fountain, the viaduct and skyline.



We shared our sketches on a ledge just inside the building.



Then we went outside for our usual group photo, with the Great Wheel in the background.  Ann had to leave early but I think she's the only one missing.

Back row: Carleen, Nilda, Lynne, Nancy, Sue, Chris;  Front row: Peggy, Tina, Kate

GRUBuation

Amidst multi-colored batik banners under a canvas tent, Garden Raised bounty (GRUB) held it’s annual “Grubuation” honoring students for their social, scholarly and agricultural accomplishments. The class, a diverse collection of students representing various high schools in Thurston County told their stories of their year-long learning 

GRUB is a garden-based non-profit that fosters several programs related to growing healthy food. You can read more about the event on my personal blog.

Old Stove

We rode our bikes from North Seattle to the Howard Hanson Dam on Green River, near Enumclaw. I intentionally left my sketchbook and pens at home, thinking I'd take a break from my compulsive sketching, but this morning I found some scratch paper and a ballpoint pen on the old cabin shelves.