People Are More Fun with People

 

As I have annually since 2017, I’m participating in the One Week 100 People challenge initiated by Marc Holmes and Liz Steel. Here are sketches No. 26 – 58, which I did today with USk Seattle. Meeting at Northgate Light Rail Station, we enjoyed a sunny morning with temps in the balmy mid-40s!

A year ago, USk Seattle met at the same station to sketch people for the challenge, but only two of us showed up. This year we tried something a little different: We held two outings simultaneously – Northgate Station on the northend and Tukwila Station on the southend – hoping to make it easier for more sketchers to participate. I’m happy to say that Northgate got a good turnout. It’s always more fun to sketch people when you sketch with other people! And I think all of us put together sketched way more than a hundred people.

The previous day had been a good warmup, and by today I hit my stride capturing lots of tiny gestures. Every year I’m reminded of how much fun it is to sketch lots of people this way – I don’t know why I don’t do it more often! 

People at Northgate and Volunteer Park

 

3/7/22 Northgate Light Rail Station

After being promised a day of sunshine, we were welcomed by chilly gloom at Volunteer Park, but USk Seattle showed a strong turnout for a weekday afternoon anyway. I, for one, was just happy to be out sketching with the group again!

My sketching goal this week is to finish the annual One Week 100 People challenge with – what else? – at least a hundred sketches of people. (The challenge allows for drawing from photos, but what’s the fun in that? I insist on doing mine “live.”) I had really hoped (and expected) to finish today at the park, but I only got 66 through 84. In previous years, I usually hit a hundred in three or four days and then kept right on going. Because I wasn’t comfortable going out in public last year, I focused on selfies (and only made it to 58 at that). This year I’m way off my game. It has taken me most of the week to warm up!

On Monday I invited other sketchers to join me for an informal outing at the Northgate Light Rail Station, where I managed to catch 26 through 47. It was fun to meet and sketch with Joyce that morning.

3/7/22 Northgate Light Rail Station

OK, one more day left in the challenge . . . you can bet I’m going to knock out those last 16, come hell or high water.

A good turnout for a weekday afternoon!

Joyce and Tina at Northgate Light Rail Station

Intrepid Sketchers at Northgate Station

 

11/14/21 John Lewis Memorial Bridge from inside Northgate Light Rail Station

After wind and rain battered the windows noisily all night, this morning dawned to yet more “atmospheric river” conditions. It was the kind of morning when I would have preferred to get a second cup of coffee and keep reading the paper, and I wondered if I would be alone at Northgate Light Rail Station. Shame on me for doubting: Urban Sketchers Seattle isn’t daunted by a little rain (and by “little,” I mean the kind that causes riverbanks to flood)! Seeing all my fellow sketchers was encouraging and invigorating! I forgot all about my previous reluctance to leave the house and opened my sketchbook.

Through a wide window on the ticketing floor, I found a great view of the unsheltered John Lewis Memorial Bridge (above) where, strangely, no pedestrians seemed to want to walk.

On the opposite side of the station was another good view, this time of the blue parking garage elevator and a glimpse of a light rail train before it pulled out of the station.

Parking garage and train platform

Although Northgate station has many sheltered areas, that river of rain was flowing horizontally most of the morning, keeping the air moist even under cover. Sometimes I like to pre-spritz my sketchbook page with water for special effects with watercolor pencils, but the weather seemed to do the job for me: The paper felt thick and damp as I drew.

For the remaining time, I switched to a brush pen to capture people (mostly sketchers) on the ticketing level. By then, I’m sure all of us had memorized the endless loop of recorded announcements: “Holding doors delays trains for all riders. Sound Transit does not tolerate harassment. Please report any harassment to security or transit employees.”

Intrepid!