Three USK 10X10 workshops in October Part #1: Andika Murandi's Sketch 'n Chill

Back in June, I signed up for three of the Fall USK Seattle 10x10 workshops. They usually fill up very fast and I didn't want to miss them. I didn't realize until the first one that they were back to back on the first three weekends in October. It has been an intense period of sketching and learning.

I got in a routine: prepare my sketching bag with the right supplies the previous evening; the morning of the workshop get up, eat breakfast, and travel to the workshop location. After the three hour workshop, get some lunch and take some time to walk around and sketch some more. I know what you are thinking: poor you, all that sketching...

My first workshop, on October 6th, was Andika Murandi's Sketch 'n Chill: No-Stress Interior Sketching. We met at the Grand Central Bakery on Occidental Square in Downtown Seattle, a beautiful space with plenty of seating.

Andika started the workshop discussing the importance of line quality and making us practice drawing straight lines in all directions, then he showed us how to look at different types of interior perspective and simplify them into big shapes. He demonstrated those concepts by sketching the Grand Central Bakery atrium starting from the large shapes and working his way to the details.

With all that information in our heads, we spread around the Grand Central Bakery atrium to work on our first sketch; after a throw-down, we divided into two groups and moved to different local coffee shop for a second sketch.

My first sketch of the Grand Central Bakery atrium, looking straight at the entrance towards
Occidental Square in one-point perspective.

After the first sketch, half of the attendees moved to Caffe Umbria. This was a more complex space and we were able to practice more of the tips and approaches that Andika discussed in his demo. You might be able to spot other urban sketchers in the room.

I loved the workshop. Andika was clear in his explanations and generous with his time and tips and I learned a lot from the exercises.

After the final throw down and some food, I decided to take a walk downtown. It was a beautiful fall day, unusually sunny and warm for Seattle. I wanted to get to Westlake Park later in the afternoon, and on the way I passed the Seattle Art Museum with the huge Hammering Man sculpture. I loved the light, the colors of the buildings, and the perspective, so I decided to stop and sketch the view. For the non Seattleites, the Hammering man is a 48-feet, 26,000-pound kinetic sculpture created by Jonathan Borofsky and installed in 1992 to honor the working class men and women of the world.

The corner of 1st Avenue and University Street.
On the left, the Hammering Man sculpture in front of the Seattle Art Museum.

Here I am in WestLake Park, where a protest had been quickly scheduled after the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. I arrived early enough for a sketch an empty WestLake Park,  follow by a sketch of some the people at the rally.

Westlake Park, on 4th Avenue between Pine and Pike streets. The first sketch was done first, when the park was almost empty, and the second during the protest rally after the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

What a beautiful, satisfying, and exhausting Saturday.

[Part 2 with workshops from Jane Wingfield and Eleanor Doughty can be found here]