10th Anniversary Gathering - Gas Works Park

Gathering of the Seattle Urban Sketchers on their 10th anniversary! At Gas Works Park on a gorgeous day and great to see many who have made that group so much fun participate with and learn from.

Ink and watercolor.

May Gathering - Seattle Chinese Garden

Two sketches done at this month's Urban Sketcher's event. It feels so good to get a bit of a sunburn after all this rain. 

Pen, ink and wash in a Moleskine watercolor book.

May Sketches from Events in the City

Pen, ink and watercolor in a Moleskine watercolor book.

Sun + Shadows at Hale's Brewery

The interior of Hale's Brewery had a lot to tempt a sketcher, with giant steel brewing tanks and a cozy pub (OK, gave in to the pub later in the day). But when I stepped outside and saw the dramatic shadows on Hale's outdoor patio area, I knew I had found my sketch. It was still pretty chilly out, but Seattle has not seen the sun in soooo long, and I love big shadows.

Green Lake Sketches - Worth the Wait

Even if last week's storm was a bit of a dud, I think it was worth postponing our monthly meet for a week. There will be plenty of time to sketch indoors during the drizzle this winter, so yesterday's sunshine was was a lovely gift!
As often happens for me in a new neighborhood, I had a hard time settling on one scene. I wandered about and ended up with three smaller sketches, each maybe 20-30 minutes? It was really a problem of too many choices as Green Lake has so many of the things I like to sketch - gnarly old trees in the park, narrow alleyways between buildings and an abundance of coffee shops!

Vintage Cycle and sidecar

1967 BMW with Stieb sidecar ('30s) drawn at last Saturday's Tacoma gathering - Harley-Davidson in Fife.

Pen and ink in a Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook.

Chinese Garden - Seattle

Great day for sketching, beautiful location and good turnout. The Garden is a work in progress and it will be fun to come back here to sketch and paint the new amendments and completed construction.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a Moleskine sketchbook.

February Sketch Gathering - Melrose & Pike Seattle

Went into town with Tamra and had breakfast at the Corner Cafe (1000 Madison St.), great food and staff. Walking down to the gathering I came across this view and went back to sketch it after the morning meetup.

Our daughter had a music performance at CWU (Ellensburg) that afternoon, so getting back for the afternoon sharing wasn't possible.

Pen & ink with a watercolor wash in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.  

WinterFest - Center House Armory

There are a number of people who use the warm confines of the Seattle Center Armory as a means to get out of the elements. They often provide great character and pose still for those of us who are not skilled at catching a moving target.

Sketcher's Gathering Seattle Center - Winterfest

How nice it was to be able to sketch outside in December and then meet inside when my whimpy self got cold. I saw a post yesterday from a European Urban Sketcher blogging about putting alcohol in their watercolor water so the liquid wouldn't freeze while painting in minus13 degree weather. Yes, I will shut up now about being cold.

I did this sketch of the dormant popcorn booth called Popcornucopia. It has been part of the International Fountain landscape for as long as I can remember.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

Café Days

I've been enjoying hanging out with Donna exploring the many coffee shops Seattle has to offer. We read the paper, sketch, I rough out my next comic-diary page and often just before leaving, capture the scene around us. Here is a sampling:

 Chocolati, Green Lake.

 Bauhaus Coffee, Green Lake

 Fremont Coffee, Fremont (duh)

 Revolution Coffee, Green Lake

Sunlight Café, Roosevelt

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.

Ad Hoc group visits the UW's Medicinal Herb Garden

Overcast skies, and even a few raindrops did not dampen the views, nor the enthusiasm for this very unique part of the campus of the University of Washington.  I did the sketch on location in pen and ink, then added watercolor at home.  Sometimes I enjoy drawing more than adding watercolor...and I did happen to photograph the sketch before doing so.  So you be the judge...which do you prefer?

The Old Church - West Coast Urban Sketchers Gathering - Portland

This was the morning sketch done for the Noon sharing. This is 'The Old Church' located at SW 11th and Clay St. was built in the 1880's.

Pen and ink in a Stillman & Birn Beta watercolor sketchbook.

2nd Annual West Coast Urban Sketchers Gathering - Portland

With Seattle sketcher Gail Wong, I rode a Bolt Bus down to Portland for the day to participate in this annual event. It was my first real trip to spend any time in downtown Portland and was impressed with the architecture and culture of the city. I definitely will be back.

This building caught my eye because of the color around the windows of what seemed like a warehouse, only to be told by a passing mail courier that in 2012 it was the site of MTV's 28th season of 'The Real World', probably one of the original reality shows.

There were over a hundred sketchers attending the event and I met many great sketchers whose work I've enjoyed online and can now put a face to. I went back to Seattle that night on the bus, a bit much for one hot day (90+). Next time I'll stay for the weekend and why not, Portland has a lot to offer a sketcher.

Sketching with the gang at Alki

The June sketcher's gathering took place on or around Alki Beach at West Seattle. Beautiful weather, too nice maybe, by the time I did my urban hike back to the truck I was quite burnt - the forgotten sunscreen still sitting on the bathroom counter.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a Stillman & Birn watercolor sketchbook.

The Board Game

I did the mass transit route to get up to Lake Forest Park, surprisingly easy (light rail and the #522). We had been invited to sketch during the annual flower and plant sale taking place at the Town Center. Though I did some sketches of plants and a local radio personality doing his show live, I couldn't resist sketching these three guys who were engrossed in their board game in the Commons upstairs. These guys were serious players complete with box of supplies/reference material and a hand cart to haul it with.

Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in a Stillman & Birn watercolor book.

Urban Sketchers Gathering International District - Seattle

It was cold and wet, hell all of March was wet. The green awning is the Fortune Garden Restaurant I believe. Pen and ink with watercolor.

The Seattle Urban Sketchers January Gathering at MOHAI

The Museum of History and Industry. Toe Truck second time around. Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in a Stillman & Birn Alpha series sketchbook.

Toe Truck - Seattle's Museum of History and Industry

My wife works for the Puget Sound Blood Center who had their annual awards and holiday dinner at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). If you grew up in or around Seattle, you surely saw (on your way to the Seattle Center) the pink Lincoln's Toe Truck parked just off the Mercer exit.

That blast from the past now resides just inside the entrance to MOHAI and for this event, the backdrop to a no-host bar.

Pen and ink with watercolor wash.