Monday, January 29, 2018

Blossoms

It was a chilly and rainy afternoon, but this morning, the skies were relatively clear and some plum blossoms were blooming in NW Portland. I love these fleeting signs that spring will return.


Monday, January 22, 2018

10x10 Urban Sketching Workshops

We are happy to bring back a popular series of on-location sketching workshops to Portland starting March, 2018. We are working together with the international Urban Sketchers organization and many local chapters around the world with the goal of establishing a year long educational program for current and aspiring urban sketchers in the area using Portland’s sites and culture as our main subject and inspiration.

Each workshop will be 2 hours and 30 minutes long and will take place either in the morning or afternoon on Saturday or Sunday. Check the schedule for exact times and days. All workshops are suitable for any level of sketcher and the full series will cover such subjects as color, line, texture, composition, perspective, human proportion, sketching crowds, story telling, picture planes, panoramas, complicated interior angles, scale, as well as overcoming common issues and obstacles when it comes to sketching on location. To find out more ... 

Kennedy School



We met in the Courtyard Restaurant.  I did one quick sketch on my phone while waiting for my order,



and then wandered about the wings of the old school, looking for things to sketch.  A movie theater (in the former auditorium?), meeting rooms and hotel suites (in former classrooms), bars, an espresso stand, a gift shop, an outdoor heated pool.  There was a courtyard, but you had to go back through the restaurant to get to it.  And, for all the windows, the halls were remarkably dark.  I finally settled on a view across the courtyard to the windows of the restaurant (in the old cafeteria, maybe).




For the throw-down, we met in one of the bars.  Which hadn't opened until noon, which was good, as I could have spent hours sketching the ironwork in it.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Kennedy School Sketchcrawl

I was having so much fun eating and socializing that I only got one sketch done. Thanks Evelyn for being a great model. 😀


Saturday, January 20, 2018

Kennedy School

Fun Day at the Kennedy School, sketching, visiting, eating!  Vicky what is the white pen that you like?
Ellie
 

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Sunny weekend

Trying to take advantage of the sunny and warmer temperatures predicted this past weekend in Portland I proposed a sketch gathering at the Fields on Saturday.
The day eventually warmed up a bit but the sun didn't really warm the several of us who came out in the morning that day. I also seemed to end up in an out of the way area that left me chilled and not so satisfied with my sketch efforts.
Monday was a little different. I took a walk down NW 23rd to scope out some coffee shops for future sketching (on those rainy days). On the way I came across a couple of things that looked interesting. Sitting in sunny spots I was warmed and happy.....much more satisfied with the results.

Sorry to see the weather change again but it was surely nice to see the sun and shadows in Portland!





These above sketches are the two from Monday's warmer session.




Looking these over again I am thinking that the whiter paper is lending itself to my happier/brighter sketch.
What do you think?

Saturday, January 13, 2018

The Fields, again



Deb organized an impromptu sketchcrawl to take advance of a sunny Saturday in January.  Except that it took a while for the sun to get high enough to light upon the ground.   While we were waiting for that, Vicky sat down to sketch some roses.  Roses!  In January!

And I sat down and sketched her sketching them.

















When the sun arrived I wandered out into it, and sat down next to one of the giant hardware snails.   It was a provisional sun, strong enough to throw shadows and bring out highlights, but not strong enough to give me any warmth.



Finally, I backed off across the street and sketched the Fremont Bridge, and the last remaining Centennial Mills building.

Monday, January 1, 2018

January Sketchcrawl - Kennedy School

3rd Saturday Sketchcrawl
January 20, 2018

Please join us on Saturday, January 20, from  10:00am – 1:00pm at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. Portland, OR 97211 (map).  It'll be a cozy sketchcrawl at one of our favorite indoor locations!


This photo of McMenamins Kennedy School is courtesy of TripAdvisor 

10:00 - Meet at Courtyard Restaurant inside Kennedy School
10:30 - Spread out to sketch, or stay put at our table
12:00pm - Optionally gather early for more sketching in the Boiler Room as soon as it opens at noon.
 12:30pm - Sketchbook sharing in the Boiler Room
Boiler room bar at McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel
Photo by amyogeek on flickr

Bring your swim suit and a towel?? Note for $5/hour you can enjoy the heated soaking pool. At 1pm both the Detention and Honors Bars open - they are both small carefully decorated spaces that would be fun to sketch.