Post Alley

On a hot day, I made a detour after errands to swing through Pike Place Market and got totally sucked into the very charming Post Alley.



I sat across from one of the entrances by the market to do a quick sketch capturing the strong summer shadows. I liked the intersection of the produce vendor stalls with the multi-level cafe seating.




Then I walked up through the alley and found a spot in a public seating area with a nice view of the sign! The colors in this sketch were inspired by the outfit of a lady I saw walking through nearby - the combo of cerulean/purple/yellow was quite striking.

Post Alley Busking Duo

Though there was an Urban Sketcher event going on in the Bus Tunnel, my girls were going to a concert at Benaroya Hall a bit later so we decided to commute in together. A brisk beautiful fall day in Seattle made for a busy Post Alley and often making the subject matter dissapear. The young entertainer was quite good and his dog would sing on command.

I had tested a new ink pen (disposable) on paper before I did this sketch - no bleeding. What I didn't do was test in on the watercolor paper of my sketchbook. With the exception of the door, I was going to have to be satisfied with shading using water and a brush pen.

Pen, ink, watercolor pencil in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Post Alley Sketches

A week ago Sunday, on a gloriously warm day, I biked down to the Pike Place Market, where I joined several other USk-ers who had been invited to join Gail and Frank's final class session and sharing.
Because I entered Post Alley from Stewart Street, I noticed this large tree, framing the Post Alley arch in the next block.

Fortunately, I was able to sit in the shade of the alley, and when I turned 180 degrees I was dazzled by someone's perfectly placed laundry strung across the alley - just like in 1958 England on the series "Call the Midwife!"