Retro Furniture at US Bank Center

 

2/14/26 US Bank Center

Last winter’s outing at US Bank Center was so popular that we knew it would become a USk mainstay during the cold months. Great coffee and pastries from Olympia Coffee and comfy seating on three levels make it ideal for capturing intriguing interiors and people.

Last year I sketched mostly the window views from the third level and people on the mezzanine, so this time I tried something entirely different. The third floor is furnished and decorated in a retro style with unusual lighting fixtures that attracted several other sketchers, too. Somewhat inspired by the color scheme, I also took some liberties. It was fun to focus on the furnishings as if they were a giant still life.

That sketch took longer than I usually spend on a single sketch; I was hungry by the time I finished. Taking my snack to the mezzanine level, I sketched other sketchers until it was time for the throwdown.

US Bank Centre Another Winter Mainstay

 

1/11/25 US Bank Centre second level

Sometime during the pandemic, the US Bank Centre building’s lobby underwent a huge remodel – so much so that I didn’t recognize it as a place we had sketched back in 2017. Interestingly, though, the view from one of the second floor windows was vaguely familiar, and that’s because I had sketched it back then, too! It’s funny how the compositions that had attracted me then still do now. In any case, the multiple levels that are open to the public gave USk Seattle many places to settle into cozy seating with their beverages from Olympia Coffee on a chilly morning. We’re happy to have another winter mainstay!

I enjoyed sketching these backlit people from the mezzanine level.

What a great turnout!

February USk Outing at US Bank Centre

I was happy to finally making it to USk after missing two months -- even if it was snowing! Arriving late after finally finding parking (I don't know why I drove...), I figured that I would 1) sketch in ink since my past few sketches were in pencil, and 2) sketch outside since most folks would probably be inside. Crisscrossing the street a few times to decide on the perspective, I ultimately settled on this view, looking up Pike Street:

Surprisingly, I was comfortable sketching with gloves -- which doesn't happen often -- as they were neither cold nor cumbersome. After about 45 minutes or so, it started snowing, so I immediately came back inside so that the ink wouldn't run due to the snow. Once inside, I walked through the building to get the lay of the land, and decided that the main atrium space -- looking toward the big sculpture -- was the most interesting perspective. Fortunately I found a cushioned seat in the corner, and was able to stretch out a bit while I sketched.

I had to pause the sketch before I was quite done, as 12:30 arrived. After sharing our sketches, I went back to the seat and finished the sketch -- and added a "meta" finishing touch at the bottom.

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:

Stargate?

Urban Sketchers Seattle met in the center of downtown Seattle to sketch inside the CityCentre building. There was snow in the north end but cold and wind at our location. Only one intrepid sketcher braved the weather to sketch outside. 

We were interrupted near the end of our time by a fire alarm.  The fire department arrived and the alarm was shut off, so obviously a false alarm.





I only did one sketch today as I took my time with all the angles and bits. I forgot to look below it for any information about it and also couldn't find anything on-line. So I let my imagination go. I was drawn to sketch it (ha ha) because it looked like a Stargate.

Do we have a cleverly disguised access to other worlds here in the middle of Seattle?

A Friday Anniversary at Gingerbread Village

12/8/17 With an emphasis on Seattle's waterfront, this exhibit includes the Big Wheel and an octopus.

Six years ago this month, five urban sketchers wanted to sketch the Sheraton’s annual Gingerbread Village exhibit, but we knew weekends would be mobbed, so we decided to have an ad hoc outing on a Friday. That was the first of what became the bimonthly ad hoc Friday USk meetups, and the group has been growing ever since. To celebrate our anniversary, we met at the event that initially inspired us: Gingerbread Village.

Kathleen sketches the exhibit featuring Ballard.

For this annual fundraiser, Seattle’s major architectural firms team up with local chefs to design elaborate, theme-based dioramas made of cookies and candies (voluntary donations to the event somewhat ironically benefit type 1 diabetes research). Now in its 25^th year, Gingerbread Village moved from the Sheraton to US Bank City Centre – a much better venue. Instead of displaying the exhibits all in one row, the confectionary creations were spread throughout City Centre’s main floor, dispersing the crowds into small clusters instead of a single line, which made the displays easier to see (and sketch).

Although I had a better view, I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. Unlike previous years that had strong visual themes like Harry Potter, Star Wars (my favorite), Christmas carols, sailing ships, and fairytale castles, this year’s theme was less defined: “25 Years of Cheer: A Celebration of Seattle.” Each exhibit focused on a geographic area of Seattle and included images of the nostalgic past or the imagined future. The most visually fun was a fat sailor riding an orca in an homage to Ballard’s Scandinavian heritage. While colorful and sometimes kinetic, most of the exhibits left me scratching my head as I tried to understand the theme’s interpretation.

I went up to the second floor to sketch this rotating
exhibit of downtown, including the Smith Tower.

Regardless, I enjoy sketching this event not so much for the elaborate sweet creations as for the people of all ages who come to see them. Although I had space to step up close to the exhibits, I decided to hang back as I usually do and focus on the viewers. 

Ummm. . . a Norwegian sailor in Salmon Bay?

A future Seattle waterfront.

Throwdown from a great turnout of Friday sketchers!

Rotating city!