Tea People

Spent a couple of hours at Tea Chai Te in Northwest this afternoon for a little sketching. It was hard to get a spot with a good vantage point, and after a bit the sun was blaring through the window so hard and causing such a glare i had to give up my efforts, but I captured a few little tidbits before then.

Joys of the season!

To my fellow urban sketchers, may there be new art supplies under your tree or for Hannukkah.

May 2015 bring many sketching opportunities and continued camaraderie amongst us!

Support Urban Sketching this holiday season

Our friends on the Urban Sketchers board remind us that our donations can help this non-profit organization keep growing and inspiring people around the world. Why not support the scholarship program as a way to start the new year off on the right foot? 

http://www.urbansketchers.org/2014/12/looking-forward-to-2015-happy-holidays.html

A very happy new year to you all, and may 2015 be full of inspiration, adventure, friendships, and joy!

Singapore 2015: Call for workshops!

The 2015 Urban Sketchers Symposium will be in Singapore, July 22-25.  How exciting!

Want to submit a proposal to lead a workshop, class, or demo? Proposals are due Monday, December 22. Full details here:

http://www.urbansketchers.org/2014/12/call-for-submissions-singapore-2015.html

Good luck!

Central Library Sketches

I had some very nice conversations on Saturday.

Here are my sketches from the second floor periodicals room.  I never really noticed all the arches in the library before.

Sketches from the Multnomah Library

Lots of people joined us for the Saturday sketching at the Central Library. I was late getting there and at the lunch sharing so I missed several new sketchers but it is always nice to see a crowd at these gatherings.
I had an idea of doing something outside but it seemed like a good plan to start inside and see how the day progressed, so I hiked it up to the third floor to see what was sketch worthy from the windows.
My first couple of sketches were looking east at the MAX turnaround. I liked the patterns the tracks made in the pavement and tried to capture those science fiction type structures there.

Non waterproof ink and watercolor

Non waterproof ink and watercolor

After these two sketches I moved to the opposite side of the library to look west. There, the very large trees made an interesting patterning on the view of the buildings across SW 10th. I didn't quite capture the big thick branches covered in striking green with moss and small ferns....there is a wonderful green environment going on there if only we look up!

Non waterproof ink and watercolor

Finally after lunch I tried to get a street view of the construction at SW 9th and SW Yamhill but it was a little cold and my pens were not working well. So, this is unfortunately incomplete but with potential.

ink

Reminder - December Saturday Sketchcrawl: Downtown Central Library, Dec. 13

Just a little reminder about this weekend's sketch crawl.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

December Sketchcrawl:  Downtown Central Library

Saturday, December 13

December's sketchcrawl will be on the 2nd Saturday to avoid the holiday crush. 

• 9:30 am: Meet at Case Study Coffee for coffee and/or snacks: 802 SW 10th.
• 10 am: Sketch the Central Public Library, inside or out, whatever suits you: 801 SW 10th.
• 12 noon: Optional sketchbook sharing and lunch - Kale (Japanese comfort food, very simple menu): 900 SW Morrison.

January Sketchcrawl: Multnomah Village

Saturday, January 17

Let's sketch Multnomah Village! It has lots of indoor spots for enjoying coffee and wandering around.

• 10:00 am: Meet at Fat City Cafe for coffee and/or snacks: 7820 SW Capitol Hwy.
• 10:30 am: Sketch the neighborhood, Annie Bloom's Books, antique shops, etc.
• 12:30 pm: Optional sketchbook sharing and lunch - The Medley: 7881 SW Capitol Hwy.
  

Urban Sketching, Alaska Style

On a recent trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, I went out for dinner at the Silver Gulch Brewery, which is the furthest north of all the breweries in North America. * La mes pasada, viajé a Fairbanks, Alaska y cené en Silver Gulch Brewery, lo que es la cervecería más al norte de toda America del norte.

Colored pencil on toned paper * Lápices de color en papel color café

The shot-glass sized sample of fancy-flavored beer made a nice splash of color in the composition. 
Here's to staying warm this winter, and plenty of fun sketching adventures in the year to come!  * El vasito de chupito, con una muestra de cerveza de sabor especial, añade un poquito de color al bosquejo. Les deseo un invierno cómodo y contento, ¡con muchas aventuras artísticas en el año nuevo!