August 16 Sketchcrawl-Midtown Beer Garden

For our August sketchcrawl, let's check out the spacious and welcoming Midtown Beer Garden in downtown. It opens at 9 AM with a few food trucks serving breakfast, and offers ample picnic tables shaded by umbrellas to sit and draw.  There are plenty of gorgeous historic buildings nearby, and we're only four blocks from the SW waterfront.

Coffee alert: There was only one easily-overwhelmed coffee cart open when we visited on a recent Saturday morning. Other nearby coffee options include Spella on Alder & 6th, Java Man on Broadway & 6th, or Kilo D’Cofi at Pine & 6th.

• 10:00 AM:  Meet up inside the Midtown Beer Garden for introductions
• Noon: Meet back at Midtown Beer Garden for (optional) sketchbook throwdown.

Midtown Beer Garden, SW 5th between Oak and Harvey Milk

431 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204

SE Hawthorne Plaza, Second Try

It was good to see so many people (and so many new faces) show up.  And much better weather than when we tried this place last month.

July 26 Sketchcrawl - SE Hawthorne Plaza again

NOTE:  This is slightly off-schedule, on the fourth Saturday of July, rather than our usual third Saturday.

We collectively decided to return to SE 37th and Hawthorne, trying for a day without rain, so we don't have to hide in coffee shops or huddle under shop awnings and will have a chance to sketch more of the surroundings.

sketches by unknown,
from the previous sketchcrawl

Tov Coffee at 3639 SE Hawthorne opens early on Saturday for your caffeine fix, and Harder Day Coffee at 3757 SE Hawthorne has even more baked goods and breakfast burritos.

• 10:00 AM: Meet in the pedestrian plaza for introductions
• Noon: Meet back at the same location for an optional sketchbook throwdown

SE Hawthorne Plaza

Well, I didn't expect the first day of summer to be quite so wet and cold.  Thanks to all who braved the elements to meet this morning.

(By popular consensus, we decided to come back to the same spot in July, in hopes of getting better weather.  I'll send out an official announcement later.)

June 21 Sketchcrawl - SE Hawthorne Plaza

For our June sketchcrawl, let's check out the new pedestrian plaza on SE 37th and Hawthorne. There are picnic tables and a great view of the Bagdad Theater across the street.  

sketch by Deb Rossi

Tov Coffee at 3639 SE Hawthorne opens early on Saturday for your caffeine fix, and Harder Day Coffee at 3757 SE Hawthorne has even more baked goods and breakfast burritos.

• 10:00 AM: Meet in the pedestrian plaza for introductions
• Noon: Meet back at the same location for an optional sketchbook throwdown

Also, just a reminder that our July sketchcrawl will be a week later than usual because many of us are going to SketcherFest in Edmonds on the third Saturday of the month. So we'll meet up here in Portland on Saturday, July 26.

May 17 Sketchcrawl - South Waterfront

sketch by Jessica Canales

According to our blog, it's been over a decade since we sketched at the South Waterfront.  And I suspect that a few things have changed since then.

sketch by Deb Rossi

There are nice bright shiny new buildings, and not so shiny old ones.  A river walk (with possible dragonboat sightings), the Ross Island Bridge, the aerial tram, and the Gibbs Street pedestrian bridge.  There'll even be a street party that afternoon, with food trucks.

The NS streetcar stops at the corner of Elizabeth Caruthers Park (3508 S Moody Ave), as do the southbound 35 and 40 buses. (The northbound buses stop a block away, on Macadam.)  The transit hub at the west end of the Tilikum Bridge is about a third of a mile to the north.  There's on-street parking, and at least one of the parking garages in the OHSU buildings is open on Saturdays.

• 10am: Meet at the north end of Elizabeth Caruthers Park (if dry) or under the awnings of the OSHU building to the immediate north of the park (if wet).
• Go forth and sketch
• Noon: Meet again at the starting point for an optional throw-down

Architectural Heritage Center

We planned for rain, and ended up with sun.  Go figure.  Thank you all for coming out - it was fun to see all your sketches.

April 19 Sketchcrawl - Architectural Heritage Center

photo by Ben Ariff

The Architectural Heritage Center has generously offered to open early so that we can meet and sketch inside their beautiful space, or outside on the street, weather permitting. 

The non-profit Literary Arts has recently moved into another historic building across the street and opened a bookstore, and the whole area, known as the East Portland-Grand Avenue National Historic District, offers plenty of cool old buildings to draw. The 15 bus, 6 bus, and A line of the streetcar all stop nearby. Portland Coffee Roasters is a few blocks away at 7th & Oak.

• 10 AM: Meet inside the Architectural Heritage Center (701 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214) for introductions
• 12 noon: Meet back at AHC for a sketchbook throwdown (optional!)

Cherry Blossoms at the Waterfront

I was surprised at how many people braved the rain to come and sketch.  Most of us retreated into shelter, but a few stuck it out and actually sketched cherry trees.  (No throw-down though, cause it was too wet to put our sketchbooks down.)

March 15th SketchCrawl - Japanese American Historical Plaza

sketch by Kalina Wilson

Let's try for cherry blossoms on the waterfront again.  Perhaps we'll catch them in full bloom this year.  Weather permitting, we'll meet at the Japanese American Historical Plaza at the foot of NW Couch at Naito Parkway.   (If it's raining, under the awnings at the Oregon State University Building, directly across Naito)

sketch by Rita Sabler

For coffee and food, there's Floyd's Old Town Coffee, The Society Hotel at NW Davis & 3rd, and the Saturday Market.

• 10:00 am - Gather and do intros in the central square of the Japanese American  Historical Plaza 
• 12:00 pm - Gather again at same location for optional sketchbook throwdown