Monday, January 10, 2011

Expeditions and Experiments

While the Portland Urban Sketchers have visited Old Town several times lately and there's plenty to sketch, the wintry weather makes it challenging to settle in and I'm getting less done over the course of the day. Quite a few outings have generated only these few outdoor drawings. Ah well, it's still fun!

Portland Old Town - NaNoDrawMo 15 Portland Old Town - Voodoo Doughnuts - NaNoDrawMo 32 Old Town, Portland, OR

We often end up drawing indoors. These are from Old Town Pizza.

Portland Old Town - Old Town Pizza - NaNoDrawMo 33 Portland Old Town - Old Town Pizza - NaNoDrawMo 34

The Lan Su Chinese Garden is a great sketching location, offering infinite gorgeous vistas and some shelter from wind and rain. These were drawing using new Christmas acquisitions, both of which I have recently reviewed elsewhere: the Hero M86 Chinese calligraphy pen and the Coleman Woodsman II chair.

SketchCrawl - Old Town - Chinese Garden SketchCrawl - Old Town - Chinese Garden

Even with the shelter of the Chinese Garden, the cold gets to us and we always end up back at a cafe. We're lucky to have Backspace cafe, which has both a good view of the outside and an interesting interior to sketch.

NaNoDrawMo 4 NaNoDrawMo 5
Portland Old Town - NaNoDrawMo 14 Sketchcrawl - Old Town

2 comments:

  1. Kalina, you made a lot of good sketches in spite of the weather. I especially like the one under the Burnside Bridge--the composition, the contrasts, the colors. Great colors on the pinball machines, too--very electric.
    I completely agree with the challenges of drawing in our recent weather. It's been hard to choose something to sketch that isn't based on where I'll be most comfortable. And the coffee shops offer their own challenges with also those difficult ellipses--cups, saucers, bagels...

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  2. I too like the one under the Burnside Bridge. It makes me feel like I am there and just waiting to go up those steps. There is a lot of nice light in the drawing that adds to the ambiance.
    You have accomplished quite a group of drawings based on the very 'iffy' weather we have been having....good show!

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