Urban Sketching on Our One Sunny Day, At Last!

After all the recent rainfall, it was a beautifully sunny day at Hale’s Ales Brewery for the Urban Sketchers Seattle meet-up at 11 a.m. Since 1983, Hale’s claims to be the longest running, continually owned brewery, of any size, in the Pacific Northwest, and indeed one of the oldest in the entire U.S.

There were fascinating things (like a red London phone booth) to sketch inside, but the forecast is for another week of rain and I didn't want to waste our one sunny day! I found a great spot out back of the brewery at the corner of 8th Ave NW and NW 43rd. 

Who wouldn't want to bask in the warm sun while sketching a grain elevator with a worn out Moss Bay sign, a container with the word "clepto" spray painted in red on the side, a small spare tire secured with rope to the blue tarp on a storage bin and a nice big green dumpster? After a while, despite the sunshine, my hands did get cold so I went inside to see what the menu had to offer.


Along with lunch, a few of us ordered a flight of ales with interesting names like El Jefe Weisen, Red Menace, and NightTroll (a play on words referring to a nearby landmark, the Fremont Troll.)

I counted 23 sketchers today. I'm not surprised. When we get a sun break here in the Pacific NW we don't waste it! After sharing our sketches and getting a group photo in the Pub, I headed for one more spot on the way home.

I've been waiting for a sunny day and some good cast shadows so that I could sketch the old Everett Courthouse. These shadows weren't quite what I had in mind, but we have only one day of pure sunshine before it rains again!

The front steps are no longer used to enter the building and some of the landscaping is getting a bit overgrown. It's an unusual type of architecture for our area, but Everett does have a few random Spanish style buildings, including the old courthouse. The shadows I wanted would have been better in about an hour but I felt uncomfortable alone in the deserted neighborhood.  So I quickly sketched an abbreviated version of the scene and went home to add color.

Sun and Brews in Ballard

3/19/17 Northwest 43rd and Leary Way in Ballard

Based on what I saw driving past Green Lake on my way home from Ballard this afternoon, I’d say 90 percent of the Seattle population was outdoors today (and the other 10 percent was wishing it was). Never mind that the temps got up to only around the high 40s – this rain-soggy region had been craving sunshine!

3/19/17 Inside Hale's Brewery

When I arrived at Hale’s Brewery for the Urban Sketchers Seattle meet-up before 11 a.m., the temperature wasn’t yet 40, but that sun was irresistible. I zipped up my down parka and sketched the scene outside Hale’s, where there were so many utility lines criss-crossing the street that I could hardly keep track of them all. As I sketched, I kept thinking that I probably wouldn’t have attempted a composition spanning this much distance before taking Gabi’s Pocket Urban Sketching workshop last month. Although the concepts he taught about scaling weren’t new to me, I think it was the first time the proverbial light bulb had turned on over my head.

3/19/17 Lunch and brews at the pub

Thirty minutes later, my hands were cold, despite that delightful sun at my back, so I ducked inside the brewery to sketch the British telephone booth next to some barrels.

By then I was hungry, so I joined other sketchers for lunch inside the pub. Michele and Sue each had a tasting flight of five brews that I had started to sketch. I didn’t get far on color or details, though, because then my Nightroll Stout (named for the Fremont Troll) and burger arrived (and you know me – I’ve never been one to let my food get cold for a sketch).

Ahhh – a day like this could sustain me for the rest of winter! 

Hale's Brewery

The day dawned with blue sky and sun.  At first, I thought I would leave extra early for our 11am sketch outing so I could do another sketch of the Fremont Troll on my way to the sketch venue.  Then I looked at the temperature... 32 degrees.   Even though it was much warmer in the afternoon on my way homeward, I didn't stop as I wanted to beat the Sounders traffic.

We met a little later than usual so as to sketch at Hale's Brewery and Pub, which opened at 1100.  From looking at photos on-line, I knew I wanted to sketch the red English telephone box.  It was a popular subject today.




By then, it was 12:30, with still an hour remaining.  I decided to have some lunch while I sketched the taps in the bar.  The names of the brews were unusual:  Aftermath India Pale Alre, Red Menace Big Amber, Leary Way Limited (The brewery's address is Leary Way), Nightroll Porter. 




We shared our sketches and had our group photo in the dining room.





We were 22 people today.  One is missing from the photo (Vivan's nephew). 

Once home, my husband said I smelled like a brewery.  He has been an accomplished brewer, so he didn't mean I smelled of alcohol, he meant I smelled like wort (a liquid in the stage of brewing).  I'd sketched for an hour in the lobby which is open to the brewery.  

More photos:  https://redharp.smugmug.com/SketchOutings/2017-0319-Sketching-at-Hales-Brewery/

Think Globally, Drink (and Draw!) Locally

Big thanks to Lori for setting up a wonderful sketch outing at Hale's Brewery. I identified with their motto immediately!

Just like in previous months, I continued my exploration of pencil as a change of pace from my pen and ink drawings for the newspaper. Even with the pencil, I fall into the habit of focusing on lines, not tones, but the exercise is worth it. It helps me think in terms of what's dark, what's light and how areas of the composition relate to each other.

Here are all the drawings I harvested:

Hale's Ales

Fun indoor sketching on a cold wet day. Good food, good beer. Colored this after the fact.

Looking the Other Way

Most people sketched the brewing apparatus but I was more fascinated by the curving walls of the restaurant.

Hale's Brewery

Had a great time sketching at Hales.  I was able to do two sketches but had to stay later to add watercolor to the sketches.

Looking into the Hale's Brewery

Looking back towards the entry.

Seattle February Sketchcrawl