U-District's Weaving Works

Since I love fibers, I often visit Weaving Works, on Brooklyn Ave. in the U-District.  They recently wrote that they would be moving to a new location sometime by next 2014.  So I drove over to get a sketch before this long-term establishment disappears.  When I found my spot, there was one of the mural walls that Gabi C. wrote about on one of his recent postings, so of course I had to include that also!

I love stairways, and the particular coziness of this pathway to my neighbors home struck me the other day.  I've looked at that view for 5 years whenever I am in my kitchen, but the other day, it begged to be sketched.

Interior, exterior

Frustrated by the cold, and having another cold myself (those darned kids) I've been drawing exclusively indoors all month. Here's the living room of a friend, drawn while she cooked dinner.

So when the sun finally came out yesterday, I rushed out to draw one of the fancier houses in my neighborhood for a little show of eight drawings I'll be having in April in the Magnolia Village. Color, even. I needed that.

Line to Color Workshop

Announcing an Urbansketchers.org workshop in Seattle.  Frank Ching and Gail Wong will be giving a weekend workshop covering approaches to building up a sketch. We will touch upon the following topics: initial planning, selection of what to draw, composition, editing, watercolor approaches to highlight your sketch, using watercolors to enhance spatial depth and quality of light, etc. If you are interested in signing up go to workshopsurbansketchers.org. 

Photos from Saturday's Sketchouting

Another great group showed up. Probably about 34 people in all.  We are missing a few in this photo.

Looking at our sketches from the morning.

Ikea

Since the weekly theme  is "Worldwide Retail (IKEA and Starbucks)" I thought I would sketch at Ikea, which is just down the hill from home.  I've been amused by this car in their commercials.



It seems fitting to also mention this, given the worldwide theme.  I received a comment on my personal blog from someone who had just found Urban Sketchers... "I got to know urban sketcher recently, and I just jumped in like you! I made my own sketching kit this noon and I’m waiting for the sprayed paint to dry now. Then, saw your blog!... I ordered Cathy Johnson’s book last week, and read the book ’artist illustration‘, and also ”urban sketching”. ...happy to know you"

From what I could figure out, he is in Taiwan!  Just goes to show what a small world this is and how we connect with each other via this group.  I'm glad I'm here.

Aisles and Arches

St James was at once appealing and daunting. As it was, the perspective and the arches are what drew my eye.  In trying to simplify the view I made two sketches that, at the time looked very different, but in reality are very similar. 

I'm going to have to go back and do some more sketching especially when the weather is warmer so I can get some outside views.

2.23.13

The Urban Sketcher meet was at St.James Cathedral last Saturday. I found myself overwhelmed yet again, by the architecture and the largeness of it all. We visited a few cathedrals on the east coast last year where I stayed in my comfort camera zone. On this day I left the camera at home! The challenge was great and I loved seeing everyone's interpretation of the space. I chose this view for two reasons, first was the type/verbiage and second was the contrast. When I think of all the time I spent in mass as a kid....I coulda been sketching!

St. James in the Dark...

Back from DC, I joined the Seattle Urban Sketchers at St. James Cathedral on Saturday morning.  It was very dark at the back of the cathedral, I could barely make out the colors on my paper!

Washington DC last week...

Last week I was in Washington DC for an interview, as I was a finalist for an award called the Gabriel Prize. Tuesday morning I went out to sketch in the freezing cold and pouring rain, then took the sketches into the interview the next day.  These are 3 of the 6 sketches...

The next day, I found out I was indeed awarded this amazing fellowship.  I will be spending 3 months in France, drawing and painting architecture every day!  My study will take me to the gardens, buildings and interiors at Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. 

(I will also hop over to Italy to lead a sketching workshop in Civita di Bagnoregio in early July.) 

I am so honored and grateful, excited beyond words at these opportunities.  

I hope to join the Paris Urban Sketchers.

Looks like it's finally time to get a blog started...

St James inside and out

 Ah, this was wonderful and very contrasty, 

surrounded by a beautiful space and the strains 

of snoring and Mariachi music from someones ipod.

St. James Cathedral

These drawings were done on Japanese paper that came with the Zettel'z 5 Chandelier we had recently purchased. The paper sheets are intended to hang from stainless steel wires to direct and diffuse the light. I soon found that ink bleeds on the thin, translucent paper and so I had to adjust my drawing style, moving lightly and quickly, for any hesitation or momentary pauses resulted in blotting. However, I like  what the blotting adds to each drawing.

A Cathedral and then a Hobbit Hole

I experienced two extremes today.  The majesty of St James Cathedral with the Seattle Urban Sketchers and then later I went to the Seattle Flower and Garden show.  My son helped the Washington Park Arboretum group bring in trees for their display of New Zealand plant material.  The display was set like the garden in front of Bilbo Baggin's Hobbit Hole!

Stained Glass Windows at St. James Cathedral

I made it to the sketchcrawl late with only about 45minutes left to sketch so quickly decided on the stained glass windows at the front. Surroundings were meditative with sketchers scattered all around the pews and almost completely silent except for someone (I'm assuming not a sketcher) snoring loudly somewhere behind me. I worked fast back and forth with three different Noodler pens that leaked like crazy which made my hands a black mess. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to keep the pens from leaking...

Sketch Crawl @St James

We ended up with a pretty nice February day since the weather forecast called for rain and cold.

It was cold, but we ended up having some sunshine that helped warm the air a bit if you were in the sun.  I started off sketching before the meet up time in the small alley way coming off Terry St.

This second sketch was done from across the street sitting on an exhaust vent grill of a multi-family apartment building.  The warm air kept me from getting too cold and helped the water colors dry more quickly.  Hopefully no nasty exhaust fumes!

Finally inside the cathedral, I perched in the back of the south transept, so that I could look across the crossing to the north transept and the oculus above.  Since there is so much going on in the ceiling, I decided to quickly capture a sense of the space.  I was very loose and free on this sketch.  Didn't spend too much time thinking, just moving quickly with pen and color.

I missed most of the sharing time because I squeezed in one more sketch sitting on the sidewalk of Columbia St. looking up the alley.  The focus of the sketch is the outside of the south transept and one of the three stain glass windows.  I enjoyed this one the most because it was about the space between the buildings.

I went into the Frye Art Museum and had a sandwich at the cafe with some other sketchers.  I decided before leaving to check out the current exhibit of the Russian painter Nicolai Fechin.  Wonderful landscapes, sketches and portraits.  This one of a young women caught my eye, literally!  (added color in my car outside the museum)  Worth a return visit soon.

A Serene and Inspiring Time at St. James Cathedral

Just walking into the cathedral evokes awe.  It was a few minutes of upward gazing before most sketchers  settled on the particular view/angle they would sketch.  Quite a few of us sketched the high ceiling, particularly where light streamed in from the skylight.

In this watercolor, I had "prepped" the Arches CP paper with a diluted acrylic wash.  You can see some of it just right of center.

Before I had attempted those vaulted ceilings, I did a pen and ink sketch of the baptistery.  I added a bit of watercolor when I came home.

I said it was an inspiring morning largely because of the wonderful sketches everyone shared afterwards.  I am so awed by the artistry of the Seattle sketchers!

St. James Cathedral

Today we had our Seattle USk gathering at St. James Cathedral, which was dedicated in 1907. The light inside the beautiful cathedral is dim but the windows are stunning. They were added between 1917-1920 and designed by Charles Connick.

The cherry blossoms, outdoors in the front of the cathedral, are just begging to bloom.

 The courtyard on the south side of the Cathedral was a cold sketching spot but very peaceful. It was added in 2006.