100 Percent Chance of Rain at King St. Station

12/10/22 Smith Tower

The forecast for today was for 100 percent chance of rain, but we weren’t worried – King Street Station has a huge, gorgeous interior where USk Seattle has met many times. It’s one of our winter-weather standbys. We even held our 10^th anniversary celebration there in November 2017 with participation by more than 50 sketchers. Imagine our rude surprise when we arrived to learn that a recently changed policy allows only ticketed passengers to enter the station!

Urban sketchers, however, are nothing if not resilient, flexible and hardy (the temperature was in the low 40s). We all found sheltered areas surrounding the station and nearby, and at the throwdown, we all amazed each other with fabulous sketches. Though I wasn’t feeling hardy while shivering and dripping all afternoon, by the end, I was proud to be among Seattle’s hardest of the hardcore!

Along with several other sketchers, I began under a station overhang facing my beloved Smith Tower (left). Using the cooler side of my secondary triad palette gave me the gloomy grays I was looking for.

12/10/22 Chinatown Gate

Getting chilled, I took a brisk, drippy walk to the International District, where I knew the light rail station walkways offered a sheltered view of the historic Chinatown Gate. I’ve sketched the full gate several times, so this time I picked half of it. The warmer side of the same secondary palette gave me the gate’s bright hues. (The more I use a secondary triad, the more I love it, even in the dead of winter.)

I started shivering during that sketch, so I took another brisk walk, this time to Uwajimaya, to warm up and do a little shopping before the throwdown.

The only cozy sketching I did was on the Link light rail trains in both directions.

Light rail commuter

Bravo to the hardcore sketchers who turned out for what was possibly the wettest USk outing in my memory (except maybe the outing at Northgate Light Rail Station last year – that was both windy and wet!).

Intrepid!

Inside and Outside King Street Station

12/12/21 King Street Station from 4th S. & S. Jackson St. 

It was bitterly windy, 38 degrees and likely to rain. Although staying home and having a second cup of coffee seemed like a better idea, I put on my warmest, waterproof down parka, boots and fingerless gloves before I headed out for King Street Station to meet with USk Seattle today. My initial reluctance faded, however, when I saw that we had another great turnout, despite the cold. USk Seattle members are nothing if not hardy!

Surprisingly, the sun came out briefly, so I went outside to see if I could stand the cold. Although I’ve sketched the station many times, I tend to choose a head-on view from directly across the street. With morning light on one side, it made more sense to cross kitty-corner and catch that light.

By the time I finished, the sun had disappeared, and all my fingers unprotected by fingerless gloves were getting numb, so I retreated to the station’s ornate upper level. In the past, I’ve attempted ambitious compositions from up there (especially as a newbie who didn’t know better), but this time I kept them small and full of sketchers.

Station upper level

With only a half-hour left before the throwdown, I was planning to head downstairs to sketch more people on the main station level, but a window at one end caught my eye. It gave me an ideal view of several tents across the street – only a few of the many, many tents surrounding the station area. By “ideal,” I mean that I was warm, safe and comfortable, none of which these residents were. Feeling voyeuristic and even opportunistic, I nonetheless couldn’t resist a sketch. Having rushed inside earlier after standing on the sidewalk for only 30 minutes, I felt guilty and wondered what it was like to spend a night on the sidewalk sheltered only by flimsy tents intended for casual camping. Night after night.

The individual on the left may look like he was checking his phone, but he was actually sweeping the area around his home.

One more time at Union Station

We met again at Union Station. At one time, this was a train station but now it is the headquarters for Sound Transit.  

Union Station was constructed between 1910 and 1911 to serve the Union Pacific Railroad and the Milwaukee Road. It was originally named Oregon and Washington Station, after a subsidiary line of the Union Pacific. It was built in the Beaux-Arts Architectural style. From Wiki: After nearly 30 years of sitting idle, the station finally experienced an expansive renovation supported by Nitze-Stagen with financial backing from Paul Allen. The Union Station renovation was the winner of the 2000 National Historic Preservation Award.

By the time for the throw down, a goodly number of sketchers had gathered.


 
Thanks to Sean for the group photo.

On my way in, the train wasn't too crowded so I could sketch.  Two sketches on the light rail train ride into Seattle.


Field Notes Signature Sketchbook

A sketcher reported that there were more sketchers over at King Street station next door.  There seemed to be some confusion about at which station to meet.  So I went over and found a couple there. I also decided to get another sketch for the USk Flickr group's weekly theme, which is "vending machines". This is an AmTrak ticket vending machine. It might also do for next week's theme of "trains and train stations"!


Strathmore Mixed Media 5x8

I had a little time left, so sketched this detail that is repeated all over the upper level.  The "O W" initials refer to the station's original name, Oregon and Washington Station.  We were curious about the meaning of "OW" so I looked it up after I got home. 


Stillman & Birn Beta pocket sketchbook

My main sketch of this location was a small section of wall. It was the Beaux-Arts era lamps that attracted me to this view.


Strathmore Mixed Media 5x8

More photos here.

Stephanie Puts Everything Into Perspective

4/7/18 Stephanie demo-ing for her workshop students.

I poked my head into Stephanie Bower’s USk 10x10 workshop this morning at King Street Station. Called “Good Bones” for its emphasis on building a strong support for a sketch with confident perspective, it’s a workshop I fondly recall taking myself a few years ago and which was immensely useful and instructive. Her students watched with rapt attention as she demonstrated her principles.

Notes From Underground

As part of my New Year's Resolutions and efforts towards general well-being, I'm on a bit of a tech-sabbatical. I deleted Facebook and Messenger from my phone and rarely check my email. It has been a welcome relief reconnecting with the real world and my flesh-and-blood friends in real time.

I haven't slowed down on the drawing however, and have some catching up to do on posting, so here are a few drawings from the last month.

I took my On Location students from Gage Academy to Wallingford Center and drew this scene as a demo. I took a dozen in-progress photos as I worked but I'll spare you all but one.

I'm often asked about my "no pencil" policy, and for the sake of transparency here is the kind of laborious and pains-taking pencil plan I create before inking. As you can see, a long time was spent on this stage (about 30 seconds).

Another scene drawn at Wallingford Center, completed in short bursts between consulting one-on-one with my students who were scattered around the building.

It's a welcoming location where I'll also be teaching my 10 x 10 class on St. Patty's Day.











    













The class also visited King Street Station with the assignment of finding a viewpoint with detail and depth, and to use atmospheric perspective to suggest distance.

Stimson-Green Mansion is good for students interested in architecture, but the rooms are dimly lit. The spaces with the most natural light tend to be the bathrooms and the kitchen- not the most historic of settings.

In my drive to get students to put down their pencils and draw directly in ink, I did this quick silly drawing of a librarian at Suzallo Library. I wanted to show that a wobbly drawing done as a modified blind contour isn't fatal. I was grateful that the librarian seemed unself-conscious about me staring at her for 20 minutes while I inked my way through this bland setting, trusting that my undisciplined pen lines would add up to something.



 

And the US Bank building corporate arch-thingie, where I was gently hassled by a security guard who asked me to put my chair back and move along.

If you'll be in Georgetown anytime during March or April, I'll have a show of a dozen large color drawings (17x23) at All-City Coffee. Not technically urban sketches, but using the same technique:

King Street Station, Inside and Out

November 11, 2017--I drove through the typical Pacific Northwest autumn weather sampler on my way to Seattle to participate in the Urban Sketchers Global 24 Hr. Sketchrawl, arriving in a light rain. It was to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of USK worldwide. Although my time was limited, I was excited to document this experience at King Street Station, inside and out.

I sketched the beautiful restored globe chandelier, stalked a passenger while comparing packing styles, then, once the rain let up I went outside to sketch the clock tower.

A pigeon and a few seagulls decided to move around once the rain let up as USK founder Gabi Campanario  sketched the south face of the clock tower. Autumn trees still carried most of their colorful leaves in the grey city landscape.

King Street Station has been called Seattlle's Grand Central since the complete historical renovation when it reopened in 2013. The photo below gives a glimpse of the glamorous 1906 historical restoration of the interior today.

Inside the station you can see Gabi (in his grey cap) at  far left as sketchers crowd around a huge collection of fresh sketches laid out on the marble tile floor.

I lost count, but I'm pretty sure we had well over 40 sketchers turn out for the 24 Hour Global Sketch Crawl on Nov. 11, 2017. Many made a special effort to participate, some flying in from Vancouver, B.C. and other far flung locations.

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!

Ten Years of Community

11/11/17 King Street Station's tower sketched over my
Global 24-Hour Sketchwalk badge

Urban sketching – the act of going out to sketch in my neighborhood or wherever I travel – tends to be a solo activity for me. It’s become such an integral part of my day-to-day life that, more often than not, I sketch whenever I’m out on an errand or commuting. It’s like writing in my diary – a reminder of my day with a sketch instead of words. But Urban Sketchers, the worldwide community, is about much more than that. Yesterday afternoon at King Street Station and online during the prior 20+ hours, I was once again reminded of what it means to me to be part of that community.

Ten years ago this month, Gabi Campanario tapped an icon on Flickr to create a new image group and started inviting sketchers around the globe to add their sketches to the group. That was how Urban Sketchers began – an online community. Very soon it evolved into local groups meeting in person to sketch together, and eventually sketchers began gathering annually in one place for an international symposium. But the heart and soul of Urban Sketchers has always been local groups and individuals sharing in person and online. The 24 hours of Nov. 11 were a visual representation of that worldwide heart and soul, and I was thrilled to be part of it.

11/11/17 One of King Street Station's globe lamps and Smith Tower.

Beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii, local groups in each time zone began posting photos of their part of the Urban Sketchers Global 24-Hour Sketchwalk on Instagram. Volunteer social media organizers in each time zone uploaded those images to the global Urban Sketchers Instagram account, and anyone following the account or searching the event’s hashtag saw a continual stream of sketchers and their work throughout the day.

I started viewing Instagram on Friday around the time New Zealand began posting, and then Asia, and it really felt like I was attending a worldwide party! In fact, I was restless to get the party started in Seattle – but I’d have to wait until Saturday afternoon for that!

It was worth the wait. We all agreed that Seattle USk had a record-breaking turnout, including some new members and several members who hadn’t attended in quite a while but wanted to be part of this special event. With sketchers sitting quietly on the benches of King Street Station’s waiting area, looking down on the waiting area from the upper level, or braving the cold drizzle outdoors, it didn’t look like a party, but it felt like one in the best possible way: people with a common passion coming together to enjoy their favorite activity.

11/11/17 Passengers waiting for their train.

When I first joined Urban Sketchers in May 2012, I was a nervous introvert who had feelings of doubt and unease as I left the house for my first outing to Magnuson Park. The group I found there was so friendly and happy that I got over my doubts immediately. I had found my community, my tribe.

Happy 10^th anniversary, Urban Sketchers! I’m honored and proud to be a member.

To see images from around the globe, search the hashtag #USkGlobal24hrSketchwalk. USk Seattle’s images can be found with the hashtag #uskseattle.

Initial meet-up: Blank sketchbook pages ready!

Thank you, Gabi, for clicking that Flickr icon!

I got a sore neck sketching the tower!

Halfway through the sketchwalk, we took a group photo to include as many participants as possible.

Gabi

Suzanne

Sue in a precarious position.

Michele

April, our Instagram manager, finally gets to sit for a sketch!

Swagatika

Michele, Gabi, Tina and Kate

Final end-of-sketchwalk photo

11/11/17 Post-sketchwalk drink & draw at Elysian Fields brew pub

Ujjwal and her husband, Mel and Gabi