NW Waterfront

I'm not sure if this is done, but I'm going back tomorrow, and I thought I'd post it to entice you to join me for an impromptu sketch crawl. The sky, blossoms, and weather should be perfect for sketching!

Portlands South Waterfront

I elected to stay below and not travel up the tram to OHSU. I had been on the previous visit to this site last year and was interested in concentrating on all of the cranes and industrial paraphenalia there.

In addition Kalina lent me a couple of pens to experiment with and play....

These first are using the HERO M86 (with a distinctive bend at the tip of the nib) and some watercolor pencils for more color. I liked the thick and thin line that I was able to get using this pen. And an added bonus was that the pen had some old red ink that Kalina loaded with newer black...which resulted in this lovely reddish wash when water was added.

The other pen to try was a TOMBOW Brush pen. This one was fun to work with...easy to get those thick and thin lines. The added color was from some of the sample watercolor pencils I got at the Art Materials Extravaganza & demonstrations in Milwaukie last Wednesday. These were a DERWENT watercolor in blue and a DERWENT Inktense in chartruse and my standby grey toned PITT pens.

View from OHSU

One of the things I enjoy about sketching with others is seeing all of the different interpretations of the same space or scene. It expands and enriches my own understanding. This is my rendition of the same view that Kalina sketched, as we sat looking out the window. Different sketching styles, materials and sketchbook format really change-up the end results!

It felt good to re-join the group after a long hiatus, and I hope to become 'a regular' once again!

Compassion statue Koehler Pavillion OHSU

Well, really liked being up there, so many interesting things to sketch.  Could spend days!!  People with kids were not talking about the meaning of this statue but were talking about a part rabbit and part human.

OHSU Views

We met at the same cafe once before, but ended up staying in the area of the South Waterfront instead of taking the intended ride up the aerial tram to Oregon Health & Science University.  This time a group of us made it all the way up and the views were certainly worth the wobbly ride. We had our work cut out for us, but the sketchers were up to the task.

Here's long-absent sketcher Janene finally returned to the fold, and camped out for a lovely view of the river and Portland's east side...

I made this sketch while seated next to Janene. The great bridge/overpass shape was hard to resist.

When I went searching for a new scene I passed a few of my fellow sketchers hard at work...

Finally I chose a spot in the skybridge (as shown in Katura's post). The resulting sketch looks weirdly abstract, due to the strange shape of the building that houses the aerial tram dock.

OHSU was full of great views, but it was also a surreal place to spend time.  Once as I sat there touching up watercolors, a woman walking by exclaimed loudly to her friend, "I'm so glad my mother didn't die!"  There were doctors walking briskly through the halls in their scrubs and patients with crutches making clattering sounds as they passed. Of course, this is a place where lives are saved... and lost.  I felt grateful today to be visiting simply as a sketcher.

The View from Pill Hill

Another big group of urban sketchers this month--13, 14 people? Wonderful.  * Otra vez, un grupo grande para dibujar esta mes--¿13, 14 personas? Que maravilloso.

The Rilassi Coffee House on the south waterfront is an excellent place to admire people's dogs. Chops the bulldog puppy was perhaps the biggest hit in the puppy parade. * El café Rilassi, en el sur de la orilla oeste del rio, es un lugar excelente para admirar perros. El perrito "Chops" tal vez fue la superestrella del desfile de perros. 

Fast sketch as we rode up the aerial tram to the OHSU campus. Had to stop and admire the historic photo of the student rugby team from 1894. * Hice este dibijo rapidamente al subir a OHSU por el teleférico. Despúes, admiré a lost chavos del equipo estudiantíl de rugby de 1894.

From the balcony where the tram lets you off, the view down over the city is pretty fancy. My attempts to paint the Ross Island Bridge and the Marquham Bridge from above would have been better if Wayne Thiebaud had been there to give me advice. * Al salir del teleférico, hay un balcón con una vista excelente de la ciudad. Mis pinturas del puente Marquham y del puente Ross Island habrían sido mejores con la ayuda de Wayne Thiebaud.

The lovely blue-green building tiles and the bright yellow flowers made this corner of campus a lovely little scenic surprise. * Los azulejos verdes y azules en el edificio historico con las flores amarillas trayeron color sorprendente al gris del día.

And finally, before we went back down the tram to share sketchbooks and eat pho, I tried tackling the skybridge. My grasp of the architecture is so-so, but I like how the contrast between the trees and the buildings turned out. * Antes de regresar al fondo de la colina para compartir dibujos y comer pho, traté de pintar el puente de vidrio que conecta dos edificios de la universidad. No entiendo bien la arquitectura, pero me gusta el contraste entre los edicifios y el bosque.

Kaua'i vacation sketching

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. I just returned from 12 days on Kauai with my family and slipped away a couple of times to do a little sketching.

7 x 10 watercolor of Hanalei Bay. I believe this is where part of the movie South Pacific was filmed. It's a surfer beach. The waves were not very big on this day but there were still quite a few surfers out there.

7 x 10 watercolor and gouache. I found a quiet dead end to sit and sketch this primordial looking mountain. Jurassic Park was also filmed on Kauai.

Mahalo, Bill

Saturday, March 16: Sketch OHSU!

Join us this Saturday, March 16 for a sketchcrawl at the OHSU campus!

Affectionately known as "Pill Hill," the Oregon Health and Science University is perched above the south riverfront and offers both a spectacular view over the city and a fascinating blend of modern buildings with forested hillsides. On a clear day, the balcony near the aerial tram gives you a view of both Mount Hood and Mount Saint Helens.

The ride up the Portland Aerial Tram (which costs $4 to go up, and is free on the downhill journey) is a popular tourist attraction on the weekends, as well as a main conduit for staff and students to get to the teaching hospital. We trust you to use your common sense sense while on this sketchcrawl--there may be patients and their families around the building, so if someone seems uncomfortable with your presence in one area, do graciously scoot to another scenic location.

• Meet at the base of hill, at Rilassi Coffee House, 3580 SW River Pkwy. 
• 9:30 a.m. Optional socializing & snacks. 
• 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Go sketch!  (Take the aerial tram up to Pill Hill, or feel free to stay down on the waterfront if you prefer). 
• 1 p.m. Meet to share sketches at Bambooza Vietnam Bistro, 3682 SW Bond Avenue. 
• 1:30 p.m. Optional lunch & socializing.

Sauvie Island by the Cracker Barrel

Yes, there were eagles.  The guy at the store didn't think there were eagles.

Sauvie Island

What a peaceful day sitting in the sun on Sauvie Island.  Angelika and I got to glimpse some snow geese through borrowed binoculars after we ate our lunch.  We believe we saw a merlin too.

We stuck to Reeder Road because there were some open wildlife areas there even in this season.  Quite a few bicyclists were out there.  Some folks had also brought their dogs out to enjoy the beach.

Sauvie Island

Our day of sketching on Sauvie Island was just glorious.......Sunny, warm and sightings of all kinds of birds (including the infamous "no eagle").
The first drawings of the day were from the dyke. First looking to the bridge and then in the opposite direction to a view of the fields.
Finally I traveled further out to the other end of the island and parked at the Island Cove Cafe (closed for the season) and got this view from the road.  There really is a snow topped mountain out there but my scanner is not doing a good job of reproducing the subtleties....oh well.

Black and White and Red All Over

I have such a backlog of urban sketches that I want to share... I'll start with a little lesson I am learning about working on toned paper. Very often I only pack a dark pencil (black or brown) and a light pencil (white or cream), leaving the middle tone of the paper to do the rest of the work. But every now and then a splash of additional color is so helpful!

Example #1:
Raindrops on maple twigs, sketched in Poulsbo, Washington. My brother-in-law loaned me his red editing pencil for the color detail and I was so glad to have it.

Example #2:
Took the Bolt Bus to Bellingham a few weeks back, and got these doodles during our layover in the International District of Seattle.

As you might guess from the red lanterns in the tree, it was right about the time of the lunar new year. I had only packed two pencils--a black and a white. Luckily my husband had a red ballpoint pen with him, because that little scene really needed its splash of color!

Mark Your Calendars!

For those of you who like to plan in advance, here's a rundown of our upcoming Third-Saturday Sketchcrawls:

• Saturday, March 16: OHSU campus ("Pill Hill"). 
• Meet at the base of hill, at Rilassi Coffee House, 3580 SW River Pkwy. 
• 9:30 a.m. Optional socializing & snacks. 
• 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sketch!  (option to go up the tram to Pill Hill or stay down on waterfront). 
• 1 p.m. Meet to share sketches at Bambooza Vietnam Bistro, 3682 SW Bond Avenue. 
• 1:30 p.m. Optional lunch & socializing.
  
•  Saturday, April 13: World Wide Sketchcrawl!  
• Meet at Voodoo Doughnut Too, 1501 NE Davis St.
• 9:30 am Optional socializing & snacks
• 10 am -12 noon Sketch! (Look for giant soda pop jar atop Portland Bottling Co)
• 12-12:30 Meet to share sketches at Pho Gia, 1944 NE Sandy Blvd.
• 12:30 Optional lunch & socializing.
  
•  Saturday, April 20: University of Portland. 
• (Precises meeting location still to be determined--any suggestions?)
• 9:30 am Optional socializing & snacks
• 10 am -12 noon Sketch!
• 12-12:30 Meet to share sketches (location TBD)
• 12:30 Optional lunch & socializing.
  
  
• Saturday, May 18: Ikea! 10280 NE Cascades Pkwy.

• Meet in the on-site restaurant.
• 9:30 am Optional socializing & snacks
• 10 am -12 noon Sketch! Try not to get too lost in the jungle of housewares...
• 12-12:30 Meet to share sketches, back at the on-site restaurant.
• 12:30 Optional lunch & socializing.
  
•  Saturday, June 15: Bike and Sketch for Pedalpalooza! 
• 9:30 a.m. Meet at Palio Desert and Espresso House, 1996 SE Ladd. Sketching and socializing and snacks. Folks are invited to come dressed as their fave artists.
• 10 am: Depart via bicycle at casual, easy pace for a few more sketching stops in local neighborhoods.
• Ride will be a loop, aim to meet back at Palio around 11:45 to share sketches. 
• Not into bikes? Feel free to hang out at Ladd Circle and greet/sketch the cyclists at both ends of the route, and sketch on your own in between.
  
• Saturday, July 20: Downtown waterfront!

•  Meet at Salmon Street Springs Fountain, located at intersection of Naito Parkway and SW Salmon in Waterfront Park.
• 9:30 a.m. Meet and socialize
• 10 a.m. -12 noon: Sketch!
• 12-12:30 p.m. Meet back at fountain to share sketches. 
• 12:30 pm: Optional lunch (location tbd)
  

Impromptu Sketchcrawl: Sauvie Island! *UPDATED*

Let's celebrate the amazing patch of sunshine we're having by going sketching on Sauvie Island this Saturday, March 9! 

Meet at Island Cove Cafe & Market at 10am. (31421 NW Reeder Rd., Portland OR 97231.)
Update! New meeting place: Cracker Barrel Grocery, 15005 NW Sauvie Island Rd. Meeting time: 10 am

Don't forget: Every car has to have a $5 $7 day use sticker displayed on the dash board, available at Cracker Barrel Grocery. (Yet another great reason to carpool with your friends.)