River Rock

OK, this isn't urban, but I thought I might be able to slip it into the zoo sketches since I believe it looks a bit like a reclining elephant--or maybe a mammoth.

I've been drawing rocks and drawing on rocks. If you're in the mood for some end-of-summer sketches, they're on my blog. I've missed sketching with the group, but hope to see you at the next sketchcrawl. Until then, happy summer!

Otters and Sea Lions and Bears, Oh My.

More sketches from the Oregon Zoo adventure this weekend! It's interesting how differently you can catch details with different kinds of media; kept alternating between small-nib pens and big swooshy water-soluable graphite pencils.

Elephant Sketches

Lovely time sketching at the Oregon Zoo this weekend! The ASIFA animators were super nice, and it was fun to hear them talk about how to convey weight and motion in sketches. (I loved the analogy of fruit-bats hanging just like water balloons, and it was fun to have discussions about elephant movements--even when they are at a run, it's more of a shuffle--legs never all leave the ground at once like they would with a dog or a goat at a gallop.)

I drew a LOT on this trip, so I'll start off with elephant sketches and add more in another post soon.

Zoo Sketch Crawl

Spent the whole day at the zoo, moving through in a group.  We were with members of ASIFA - an organization for animators.  I enjoyed listening to them discuss animation-related topics such as Jurassic Park's special effects, and animation software.

We started by the river otter - this otter was relaxing in the corner.  Occasionally the otter rolled and glided through the water next to the glass in front of us.

We also spent a lot of time with the elephants.  This elephant was inside, eating from a high bucket.  He circled around the interior enclosure, always returning to a similar position, making it easier to draw him.

The last thing I drew was this monitor lizard.  It was a slow mover.  It sometimes moved its head from side to side, surveyed the scene, and darted out its forked tongue.

I have posted these and other zoo sketches from the day at my blog:  http://rrrollybag.wordpress.com.

This Saturday: Oregon Zoo with ASIFA

Mountain goat basking in the shade, entry plaza of Oregon Zoo.

What a busy summer! Our friends at ASIFA Portland have invited  the Urban Sketchers of Portland to join them this Saturday, August 24 at 10:30 am for a sketch-crawl at the Oregon Zoo. Great chance to meet some of the wonderful folks doing animation in this town and make new friends while sketching that adorable baby river otter...


The plan from ASIFA team is this:

"Bring whatever art supplies you desire, maybe a lunch, slap on some sunscreen, and we’ll share some art time. Please procure your own ticket and meet us just by the mountain goats at 10:30 (or just find everybody later, if you need to get there later). Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends! The more the merrier."

A note for those on a budget: Regular adult admission to the Oregon Zoo is $11.50. Some members of the Urban Sketchers group might have zoo memberships that they could use to get a friend in for free; we can try to coordinate this on the morning of the sketchcrawl if it's helpful. There are also a ton of lovely things to sketch for free in the larger park that surrounds the zoo property, so feel free to greet everyone at the mountain-goat plaza (no admission needed there) and then head towards to arboretum or the rose garden if you prefer! The zoo has pretty decent lunch food on offer but they are also very picnic-friendly, so feel free to pack your own lunch if you desire. (Just don't share it with the bears!)

Kenton neighborhood and Paul Bunyon

A great turn out this past Saturday to sketch in the Kenton neighborhood. The highlight and subject for most of the sketchers was the huge Paul Bunyon statue but.... some others went for the wonderful Kenton area around N. Denver. A broad boulevard with lots of interesting and diverse shops and restaurants.

Several new sketchers showed up (Apologies if I missed anyone); Rosa, Morgan (ASIFA), Shana, Alice, Dave, Joyce, Debra (sorry for cutting you off in this photo). And some regulars; Bill, JoAnn, Andrea, Janene, Mike and myself.

After sharing our sketches, some of us enjoyed a Southern lunch at Po'shines de la Soul. A new experience for me!
Thank you Katura for your great planning of our sketch day in the Kenton neighborhood....we missed you.

Paul Bunyan Statue

Perfect sketching weather today - especially if you sit in the shade.  I sat at the MAX station under that awning and had a nice view though I had to sit backwards.  It worked fine.  Great to see a lot of new people.  Great to catch up with Deb also.

Sketch Crawl at the Paul Bunyan Statue

Join the Urban Sketchers of Portland on Saturday, August 17 for a visit to a whimsical Portland icon--the Paul Bunyon statue that towers over the Kenton neighborhood of North Portland.

• Meet up at 9:30 am for refreshments at the Cup & Saucer Cafe, at at 8237 N Denver (at N McClellan). Map!
• At 10 am we'll stroll to the statue, located at the intersection of N Denver and N Interstate, and sketch to our hearts' content. Map!
• We'll meet up at the base of the statue at 12 noon to share sketchbooks, then...
• Around 12:30 pm, optional lunch at Po'shines Cafe de la Soul:  8139 N. Denver Ave at N. Kilpatrick. (Mmm, hush puppies!) Map!

Barcelona Debrief--You Are Invited!

The lucky sketchers who made it to the 4th International Urban Sketching Symposium in Barcelona this summer have graciously volunteered to share their sketchbooks and tell us all the great tips and tricks they learned at the conference.

Join us on Saturday, August 10 to hear their reports! We'll meet at 10 am at Laurelhurst Park, located at SE Cesar E Chavez Blvd & Stark St. We'll meet up near Picnic Area C. (Please note that we aren't actually making a reservation for the picnic area, so if it has been reserved by another group we'll scoot to another comfy spot nearby).

Location of Picnic Area C in Laurelhurst Park

 Useful links:

• General information about Laurelhurst Park
• Google Map of the park's location
• Printable map of the picnic sites in Laurelhurst Park

We'll see you there!

Barcelona sketches

It took me some time to get my head in gear to organize and post my 2013 USK Symposium sketches. It was an awesome time and the new processes, the different materials and just trying something new had my head spinning...but in a good way! And that is really why I take workshops.
So here are some of what I did there. To see more sketches and about the workshops I took please visit my blog at http://www.reason2draw.blogspot.com

James Richards' workshop

Norberto Dorantes' workshop

 July 13th Worldwide Sketchcrawl