Tattoo Portland

Yesterday, I walked through Pioneer Courthouse Square and realized it was time for the Festival of Flowers. I couldn't figure out what the design represented or if it was finished, until I saw the banner that identified the theme as 'Tattoo Portland.' Then it all made sense.

There are tables and chairs among the flowers, so I pulled up to one and did this quick sketch,

without being hit by the pigeons swarming above or the intermittent raindrops. 

Here's a photo where the theme seems pretty clear.

You might want to check it out and make a sketch. Those chairs are much more comfortable than the bricks.

Curiosity Club on Tall Ships

Well, I missed seeing the tall ships in person, but I did make it to the Curiosity Club talk about life on the crew of a tall ship. The talk was projected on a hunk of sailcloth that was rigged up as a screen! We practiced tying knots, learned about traditional tools of a sailor, and deciphered the meanings of maritime tattoos. Fun stuff.

Portland's Union Station

A very warm and sunny May 25th found me at NW Portland's Union Station, exploring this fine example of late 19th century architecture. After a bit of looking around, I positioned myself on a stairwell on the west side of the station, and got out my sketch tablet and a micron pen. Later on, I wrapped things up at the nearby Luck Lab Beer Hall, and used a bit of ale to moisten my paints. I love this kind of outing!

Tall Ships on the Quay at Vancuver

Sunday turned out to be not too bad weatherwise. It looked more ominous than actual fact (there were even some warm sun breaks). As in previous years the ships were at dock.... but the space is so tight that a good view of both ships was pretty hard to come by....in addition the dock ramp and pilings made it even more chopped up.
But several of us showed and were game to give it a go.

The Hawaiian Chieftian- ink, watercolor pencils, Pitt markers

This sketch is cropped...in its original form I had the aft end of the Lady Washington but it was awkward with the dock ramp cutting it and the cropped version reads better.
After lunch at the Red Lion I went back to give it another try and then concentrated on the Lady Washington.

The Lady Washington- ink, Pitt markers

These are such beamy ships it is very difficult to get the right proportions and make it look like it is properly sitting in the water. They are pretty elegant above the waterline but in this drawing it looks like a whale has attached itself below!

Timberline Lodge in May

Last week I traveled to Timberline Lodge with my family (visiting from the east coast). This is a favorite destination for us even though we are not skiers or snow lovers in general. The snow is incidental...we came to enjoy being in and about the Lodge.

Timberline Lodge- ink, watercolor pencil, Pitt marker

The weather was cool but on the sunny side so I was not too uncomfortable to do these two sketches...fingers a little cold at the end but not unbearable (a little pun there).

Bear's head Corbel- ink, watercolor pencil, Pitt marker

New Sketchcrawl: Tall Ships in Vancouver, WA

Join us this Sunday, May 26, to sketch the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain at the Vancouver Quay.

These ships are on their way upriver and will be docked in Vancouver, WA, through Memorial Day weekend.  You can visit the ships for a suggested donation of $3, or book a battle sail for $40-60.   

If you are traveling by public transit from Portland, keep in mind we'll be on Sunday schedules so service isn't frequent.  It looks like the fastest route from Close-In SE is to take the 6 bus to Jantzen Beach, then walk north over the I-5 bridge (total journey of about 70 minutes, ~25 minutes of that walking).

Location: http://historicalseaport.org/ai1ec_event/vancouver-wa-5/?instance_id=154019

Sail schedule: http://historicalseaport.org/sail-with-us/public-sail-schedule/

10am: Meet at the Quay, to sketch from shore and/or tour the vessels.

12:30: Break for lunch at Red Lion Quay Restaurant, since I think we might be able to get a view and keep sketching.

2:00: At this time the ships will be leaving for the afternoon battle sail.  There's a possibility we'll be able to sketch them from shore during the battle sail and thus have a chance to capture the unfurled sails.  There's also a possibility we'll get rained out!  Let's wing it.

Here are some of Kalina's sketches of these ships from previous visits.

Tall Ships are a huge challenge to sketch, but worth it - and the crew loves having artists aboard.

Recent Sketch Crawls

I'm finally uploading some sketches.  These are from sketch crawls this year.

Sauvie Island:



















University of Portland:



















National Train Day:

Fun times!

Corrugated Metal

I was down in Eugene this weekend, and had some relaxing time to sketch little scenes of the city. Funny how it all seemed focused on pieces of corrugated metal! * Estaba visitando la ciudad de Eugene esta fin de semana, y pasé el tiempo tranquilamente pintando algunos rincones de la ciudad. ¡Que curioso que todo fue enfocado en pedazos de metal corrugado!

View from the coffee shop. * La vista desde el café.

Pizza kitchen made from a shipping container. * Cocina de pizza hecho de un contenedor de transporte.

Decorative lights in a friend's patio. * Luces decorativas en el patio de una amiga.

By Popular Demand....

I just wanted to share with you all a couple of the sketches/ paintings I've done of my new daughter, Abigail Jean Serido. I know it's not urban-ee, but I think we can make an exception just this once. Thanks for all of your kind words, and one of these days I'm sure I'll bring her along on a sketch crawl so you can meet her in person.

Abby's I'm hungry face, casein in Holbein watercolor sketchbook

The Sleeping Baby, watercolor in Holbein watercolor sketchbook

The Last Outing

I finally found a moment to post this sketch from the last outing I went on before my dear Abby was born. (YES! I am a father now.) She was born this past Saturday May 11th at 9:08pm. She's 7lbs 13oz and couldn't be cuter. Free time for now is at a premium and I just wanted to get this post up while she napped. It was a sunny day, and I just lounged about in a park in the Pearl sketching the people before heading into work. I'm sure I'll find time to get out there and sketch soon enough, but for now, it's all about the baby! So exciting!!

Watercolor, Pencil, and Ink

Playground Duty

I was on after school duty last week with the munchkins.  The weather was so out of the ordinary - like an early summer!  I sat on the parents bench in front of the monkey bars and sketched a couple days.  This was at Ainsworth Grade School. ~ Carrie

Train Day at Union Station in Portland

I escaped on Saturday for  a little retreat to join the other Urbansketchers and have some fun at Union Station.
I thought the crowds would be a problem in finding a bit of space to settle and sketch but it turned out not to be the problem I had anticipated. I focused on the steam engine SP and P 700 (Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700) in this head on view. This was a favorite spot for picture taking!

Ink and big Pitt pen.

 

And then moved to a view of the whole scene from the pedestrian bridge over the tracks.

Ink and big Pitt pen for the shadows

Later I found a spot to get a little more up close and personal to these two very bright train cars.

Watercolor and ink after the color was set down

There was so much activity...... the world of trains and train aficionados. Some miniature and  some full scale, everyone seemed to have an interest in being there! 

Train Day

Today, the Urban Sketchers gathered at Union Station to record the festivities of National Train Day.

I started with a quick sketch of a fellow sketcher.

Next, I tried to capture the crowd waiting in line for a close up look at an old steam engine. There were people of all ages, lots of little kids, train buffs, and several clowns.

watercolor and ink on toned paper

 After a while, I escaped the crowds and sketched in the garden outside the station.This napper had a dog that watched over her. There was really only the one dog, but I liked it in both positions. Later, another young woman switched places with this one and brought another dog! I felt like my sketch of two dogs made it happen:) I decided I'll draw a large pile of money to test this theory.

I went back for another quick sketch of this engine and added the gel pen and marker at home.

As always, it was fun and inspiring to sketch with the Urban Sketchers of Portland.

National Train Day

Wow. The sun comes out in Portland, and the people of the city are eager for action! National Train day at Union Station was packed with folks of all ages. * Híjole. Cuando sale el sol in Portland, ¡la gente de la ciudad esten listos para celebrar! Un montón de gente asistieron el evento celebrando trenes en Union Station.

Pen & watercolor. * Tinta y acuarelas.

The historic steam engine had very long lines to tour the inside. I stayed on the platform and enjoyed the periodic blasts from the steam whistle. * Las colas para explorar adentro de la locomotora histórica eran muy largas. Me quedé en el andén del tren y disfruté de los soplos periodicos del silbato de vapor. 

Pen & watercolor. * Tinta y acuarelas.

New Sketchcrawl: National Train Day!

Join us this Saturday, May 11, to sketch the National Train Day event at Portland Union Station!

National Train Day is a free public event that is family-friendly. Union Station will have historic train cars on view (including a live 1938 steam engine!) plus a sneak-peek at some of the new train-sets that will be added to the the Cascades line soon. Expect kids, clowns, dancing, raffles, and maybe even a speech by the mayor. (And heck, the Union Station building is a historic beauty that deserves being sketched in its own right.)

9:30 - 10am: Gather at Lovejoy Bakers, NW 10th & Lovejoy

10am: walk over to Union Station to sketch the train, the station, and the crowd.

12:30: gather outside Union Station's main entrance to share sketches. Then we can walk together to Backspace at NW 5th & Davis for lunch or snacks


Note: Part of the motivation for offering this sketchcrawl is the fact that a large proportion of the  sketching regulars will be busy on our normal sketch-crawl date of May 18. We're going to cancel the official meet-up on May 18th because of that--but don't let that keep you from exploring the world with pencil in hand on your own! 

The Bike as Art competition

  All of you Urban sketchers out there.....please enter this competition! Drawings need to be submitted no later than June 29th so you have plenty of time. I know for a fact that you can all draw some great bikes....this is a 'First Annual' event so we need to get the word out to make it happen. I'll be posting flyers like the one above all over Portland this next week.  Let me know if you would like a few to post in your neighborhood! We'll be offering some great prizes!    Linda Engstrom

I'm going to Barcelona in July and have been taking an online sketching workshop from Jorge Royan in prep .....( https://www.facebook.com/groups/Jorge.Royan.Workshop/ 
....these are two photos of a sketch I did a few weeks ago up in the San Juans....showing the revisions I did to create more depth. The old wood dock was an obstacle that I decided not to alter....I think it tells an interesting story.....

Mark Your Calendars!

Start sharpening your pencils! Here's a reminder of the upcoming Urban Sketchers events in our area.


Update! A heap of people are out of town on Saturday May 18, so we are cancelling that meet-up and re-scheduling the May sketchcrawl for Saturday, May 11. Join us to sketch National Train Day!

• Saturday, May 18: Ikea! 10280 NE Cascades Pkwy.

• Meet in the on-site restaurant on the second floor. (Go up the main escalator and take a right.)
• 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.
• 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 favorite 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)

And if you are in a traveling mood this summer:

• July 11-13: The 4th International Urban Sketching Symposium is taking place in Barcelona, Spain. The conference is officially sold out, but that doesn't mean you can't hang out at cafes and draw that lovely city on your own schedule!

• July 12-14: The 1st West Coast Urban Sketchers Sketchcrawl is a free event in the San Francisco Bay Area. No fees or workshops,  the event is designed for meeting with new people and friends, and sketching together. A great alternative for those who can't make it to Barcelona!

More Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo

I think it's always interesting to see different people's versions of the same places. That's part of why we sketch together, isn't it? 

 We got to the festivities as they were opening and families started wandering in. Everything looked organized and polished and ready to go. Some of the delicious smells of food cooking were already being carried in the breeze.

The ferris wheel towers over all the tents and other rides. I always like looking at the riders when I cross the Morrison Bridge.

I stole this composition idea from Deb. Her's is better.

 We sketched the Artisan Village to the accompaniment of children playing their newly purchased bird whistles.

We were in the main tent for the Naturalization Ceremony where many new citizens were sworn in. Proud family members and friends snapped photos. As Deb said, it was very moving.

Later, we sketched Caesar, a musician who played several different flutes, pipes and rattles.

It was my first time going to the Cinco de Mayo festival, but I'll definitely return again. It was a lovely way to spend a gorgeous day.

A Sunny Day On Mt. Tabor

With this beautiful weather, I absolutely have to get out of the house. This past Thursday I found myself on Mt. Tabor sketching this view looking West over the city. Great sketching weather lately!

Cinco de Mayo in Portland

On Friday I met with Vicky to explore the scene on the Waterfront in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. This was opening day and we got there just as it opened so for a bit it wasn't very busy.

Cinco de Mayo- carnival midway

This is a view from the end of the carnival area looking back towards the big Ferris Wheel. About this time the other rides started to happen and it was a struggle to make sense of it all and get them in.

Swearing in ceremony for new US citizens

After a bit we situated ourselves in the main tent to watch the swearing in of our newest citizens. I was amazed at some of the countries represented....and some I didn't even recognize. It was all very moving with the participants and their families there to support them. I learned a few things during that session about how citizenship will impact these new citizens.

Craft vendors booths at Cinco de Mayo in Portland OR

All of the craft booths and vendors were very colorful with the Mexican flag prominently displayed. In the drawing on the left I borrowed Vicky's very fine Sepia marker...I liked the effect of sketchiness. Lastly we sat in the shade (it was starting to get hot) of a smaller stage to hear a musician play some indigenous instruments.

Musician playing indigenous flutes

 

 

University of Portland Sketch

Here's my sketch from the University of Portland. I was attracted to the cluster of trees and plantings by the side of the building. Didn't quite get the wonderful bright spring colors with my watercolors but it was a fun to meet everyone and to be outside and sketching.