Centennial Mills

Too nice a day to spend inside.  I went back to the Fields to sketch the water tower on top of Centennial Mills.  

And then a random person on the MAX.

September Sunday Parkways

I didn't actually do this Sunday Parkways. I'd ridden a bike to Milwaukie and back on Saturday and was still pretty tuckered out.  But I still can't get enough of the Tilikum Bridge and wanted to see all full of people again.

And then I turned around and did the VA Hospital (I think) up on Pill Hill. 

Line to Color with Frank & Gail

I met numerous interesting people this weekend at Frank & Gail's workshop, and also saw numerous interesting old friends.

Here are most of my drawings from the weekend. I'm feeling pretty prolific right now.  You get a lot done when you spend 12 solid hours on sketching.

Line to Color Workshop

I had a great time at the workshop last weekend with Frank Ching and Gail Wong.  They were able to put complex concepts into simple, understandable terms and I gained some useful sketching tips...now to try to put them into practice!

Frank Wong commenting on sketches from workshop.

Here are my sketches from Sunday, the last day of the workshop.  It was fun to have the PDX Urban Sketchers join us for the afternoon sketching session!

View from Dawson Park

It was great to see everyone last week! It was a beautiful day and a nice turn out.

I loved sketching this beautiful pink church.

Orange Line

Went back to the Orange Line yesterday, without crowds this time.

Marquam Bridge sketch

Was sketching along the Eastside Esplanade and realized that the Marquam Bridge is a lot less complex to draw than the beautiful and complex Tilikum Crossing...!

Happy autumn, my sketchy friends.

A good day at Dawson Park

I had a really good day sketching with some new and some regular urban sketchers on Saturday morning at North Portland's Dawson Park.

Ink then watercolor

Watercolor then ink...then some more watercolor after.

Dawson Park

Found one of the cute little rental cars sitting idle.

And then a quick sketch of the gazebo at Dawson Park.

September sketch crawl, Dawson Park

Nice to see you all today! 

September Sketches

Here's one from the Willamette Falls outing.  That day was quite an adventure.

And here's one from Chapman Elementary, watching the swifts (all the dots in the upper left hand corner.)

Tilikum Crossing

Was delighted to give a quick high-five to some of my fellow sketchers at OMSI before strolling over the new Tilikum Crossing with the toddler in tow. It's a truly lovely bridge, with gorgeous viewpoints--and thoughtfully-designed wide spots for standing and taking in the scenery, hurrah.

The kiddo and I collaborated on this sketch while considering whether it would be worthwhile to wait for a train to cross back over the tracks--all the transit was pretty crowded, so we just walked back over. Amazing how quiet and restful a bridge can be with no automobile traffic!

Transit Gala -- Orange Line Is Open and Views to the South

My efforts from Orange Line Day yesterday:

The trains preparing to leave the Park Place station on their first run to City Center. Hundreds were waiting in line to board! Happy applause when the first one pulled out. Tri Met booth, giant oak leaf sculpture, and 2 of the 3 trains waiting. Artistic license left out the third one.

Then later, on the bluff in Oregon City, a shabby view of the West Linn Paper Mill:

One weary cyclist, I headed home around 4-ish. Thanks for sharing a day, Sketchers!

Lake Oswego Railroad bridge and Bird's Foot Trefoil

Here's a little sketch I did during a break on a kayaking trip.  I wanted to try to combine the botanical with the urban.  The challenge was to keep the ink sketch simple and open enough so as to not overwhelm the little plant painted on the left.  Although I drew the plant on site, I added the watercolor later.

3rd Saturday Sketch Crawl - Sept. 19 - DAWSON PARK

Hopefully this week's weather will hold.  Let's sketch Dawson Park!  Linda & I have recently moved near there and we love it.  We can sketch the playground, churches, streets, the gazebo, and people.

Schedule:

• 10:00am: Meet at New Seasons, 3445 N Williams Ave, for introductions / coffee / snacks.
• 10:30am: Sketch around Dawson Park, N Williams between Morris and Stanton.
• 12:30pm: Optional - Meet at Pizza A-Go-Go, 3240 N Williams Ave, for sketchbook sharing /  lunch.

Hope to see you there!

Googlemaps walking directions for the day:

 

3rd Saturday Sketch Crawl - October 17 - PSU Farmer's Market

Details to follow...  Stay tuned.

Ladd's Addition

A sad row of elms in Ladd's Addition, limbed and girdled and waiting for the end.

View from Fields Park

My sketch of the old buildings seen from Fields park, NW Portland on 8.22. It was a chilly day for sketching, but we had several sketchers there.