February USk Outing at US Bank Centre

I was happy to finally making it to USk after missing two months -- even if it was snowing! Arriving late after finally finding parking (I don't know why I drove...), I figured that I would 1) sketch in ink since my past few sketches were in pencil, and 2) sketch outside since most folks would probably be inside. Crisscrossing the street a few times to decide on the perspective, I ultimately settled on this view, looking up Pike Street:

Surprisingly, I was comfortable sketching with gloves -- which doesn't happen often -- as they were neither cold nor cumbersome. After about 45 minutes or so, it started snowing, so I immediately came back inside so that the ink wouldn't run due to the snow. Once inside, I walked through the building to get the lay of the land, and decided that the main atrium space -- looking toward the big sculpture -- was the most interesting perspective. Fortunately I found a cushioned seat in the corner, and was able to stretch out a bit while I sketched.

I had to pause the sketch before I was quite done, as 12:30 arrived. After sharing our sketches, I went back to the seat and finished the sketch -- and added a "meta" finishing touch at the bottom.

Happy Birthday USk! (from King Street Station)

My first outing with USk Seattle was back in January 2013 -- almost half of the now ten years it has been around! While I can't say that I've been the most consistent in attendance in the past five-ish years (summers are hard when there's so much you can do outside!), I can say that I've really enjoyed every outing and getting to see and draw parts of our city; and seeing many different people participate and their work has been equally, if not more, enjoyable.

Happy 10th birthday USk, and here's to many more!

Ballard Locks

After a summer hiatus it's good to be back sketching with USk Seattle! I came late and had to leave early but was able to get one sketch in. It's fun to look at familiar places with fresh (sketching) eyes and notice details you hadn't before. Hope to see and sketch more with you all in the coming months!

Stimson-Green Staircase

I got to the mansion late, and upon seeing a greater-than-usual turnout, I was lucky to find a spot that I liked. This doorway framed the staircase nicely, and provided an interesting perspective with many pockets of light and dark, which I tried to capture.

The second sketch at right was looking from the opposite corner, just in front of the door you see in the first sketch at left. The tricky perspective was a challenge, and took me awhile to set up! It's not every day you get to sketch an interesting space such as this.

Fishermen's Terminal (on Father's Day)

I actually drew this last week when I showed up unaware that the date had been pushed back a week. That said, it was moving to read and sketch the memorial on Father's Day, as I imagine many of the men whose names are engraved on the memorial were fathers who were trying to make a living for their families; on more than one occasion, I could overhear families who appeared to be visiting the memorial in remembrance of their lost family members. On the memorial:

"This towering sculpture and the bronze name plaques at its base have become a place of reverence, recognition and healing for the families of more than 675 local commercial fishermen and women who have lost their lives pursuing their livelihood since the turn of the century."

On a brighter note, happy 7th anniversary to the Seattle Urban Sketchers! It's been a privilege (and a lot of fun) sketching with the group for the past couple of years. Here's to many more years of sketching! Cheers.

Suzzallo Chicaroscuro

It's been awhile since I've posted and I thought I might try something different -- starting with a neutral tone and applying lights and darks with a combination of colored pencil (white) and pastel and charcoal. Fortunately the stonework in Suzzallo was conducive to the approach!

February Outing

It was great to go out again with the Urban Sketchers, especially to the new Starbucks Roastery which I hadn't yet had the chance to visit. It was very busy, but I was lucky enough to snag a seat with a great view of the main bar, in the center of which were these copper-and-glass apparatus containing various coffee beans, which were connected via these gracefully twisting copper tubes to the giant hammered (what else, copper) tank that is the roaster (in the background, with the star-over-R logo).

After a while, I took a step outside to get some fresh air and came across this house, whose siting was so peculiar that I had to draw it. I tried a different technique in pen.

A photo for reference:

Veterans Day

The subject of this sketch is probably more appropriate for Memorial Day rather than Veteran's Day, but I still wanted to honor those whom have served in the armed forces, including my brother who is currently serving in the Middle East. It was fun to do a pencil sketch for the first time in a while, especially for organic shapes and shades.

Meet the Correspondent: BK Choi

I should've introduced myself before my first post -- I'm a former student of Frank Ching's from my undergrad days at UW, ten years ago now. I got my Master of Architecture degree at U of Oregon -- but I'm a purple-bleeding Husky at heart -- in 2011 and have since been working at a very unique design/fabrication firm called Dillon Works in Mukilteo. I started coming out to the Seattle Urban Sketchers outings at the beginning of this year, and have enjoyed being with other sketchers and sharing our work.

Here are few of my favorites from this year (non-USk; more on my flickr). I look forward to many more months of sketching and sharing!

Craven Farm

Excited to do my first post for this blog! It was a cold day for our October outing -- my toes got numb in my boots while sketching -- but Craven Farm was busy, bustling with families and children. I tried to frame this sketch between the two trees and the scene in between, though I found it difficult to include the trees and the hills further in the distance.