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.

By Rail, By Sail, By Bike

I'm catching up on posting sketches from the last several crawls, and find a transport theme has accidentally emerged.

We celebrated National Train Day at Union Station...




We sketched the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain while they were docked in Vancouver over Memorial Day weekend. I started with a thumbnail in which I worked out some problems of ratio, but still had a lot of trouble in the final drawing. And then the Hawaiian Chieftain sailed away...



Katura and Alanna and their spouses teamed up to provide an organized sketchride as part of Pedalpalooza.



 

Many thanks to Katura and Chris and Alanna and Tad for their work to make the sketchride a success! It was also great to meet new sketchers and to get return visits from sketchers we haven't often seen.

Here's hoping this summer treats us all gently and we can have many beautiful sunny days of sketching together.

Bike & Sketch: My Challenges

I had a wonderful time meeting you all and rolling around town. There were some challenges for me, aside from taking the leap to join a new group: I'm not so good at creating scenes; I usually find I look at detail and small vignettes, so putting together a view is a thing I can work on. And, drawing in 20-minute slots -- that's something I haven't done except in art classes and I didn't feel exactly adequate to the matter.

For this one, begun on the Esplanade, I finished up the background city-scape after I got home, but making myself add only about 5 minutes to the exercise. I'm thinking that doesn't violate the principles of urban sketching too much?

You all did a terrific job of organizing the event, and keeping your flock in order. Thanks!

Bike & Sketch!

Got to Ladd Circle a bit early this morning to meet folks rolling in for the Bike and Sketch ride. This pair was tidying up the intersection as I settled in to draw. * Llegé temprano a Ladd Circle esta mañana para reunirme con la gente que quería participar en paseo de dibujar en bicicletas. Estas dos personas estaban limpiando la calle mientras yo dibujaba.

More than 20 people came out for the adventure, and about 17 of us were getting around by bike. Our stop along the riverfront had lots of shady seating, but Tad made a great model as he stood to draw in his tiny sketchbook. * Más que 20 personas vinieron en la aventura, con alrededor de 17 viajando por bicicleta. Nuestra parada al lado del rio tuvo muchos lugares para sentarnos en la sombra, pero Tad era un modelo fantástico al pararse para dibujar en su libro diminuto.

My husband Chris did this sketch of the Hawthorne Bridge. I am impressed with his ability to make sense of the complex steel struts! * Mi esposo Chris hizo este dibujo del Hawthorne Bridge. ¡Su capacidad de entender el logico de los puntales complejos es tan impresionante!

Next stop--urban goats! We were super luck to arrive just as one of the caretakers was wrapping up his morning goat feedings. The goats, in the meantime, had a great time exploring all the sketching supplies with their curious mouths. * Proxima parada--¡las cabras urbanas! Tuvimos la gran suerte de llegar justo cuando uno de los cuidadores de las cabras estaba terminando sus tareas de la manana. Y las cabras tuvieron la gran suerte de explorar nuestros heramientas de arte con sus bocas curiosas. 

Last stop--Lone Fir Cemetery. It's easy to settle in to this quiet, shady, historic place...was hard to tear ourselves away after just 30 minutes. * Ultima parada: el cementario Lone Fir. Es tan fácil instalarse comodamente en este lugar tan quieto, sombreado, y historico...fue difícil irnos despues de solamente 30 minutos.

It was great to see old friends as well as to meet so many new people! Very glad that so many folks could join us on this ride. * Que divertido, ¡ver a los amigos establecidos y conocer a la gente nueva! Me alegra que tanta gente podía participar en este paseo.

Portland cityscape

Here's what I got done at our Eastbank Esplanade sketchcrawl on April 10. I tried out two very different approaches to drawing the Portland cityscape - but felt like I'd do well to come back to this area at least a few more times, there are so many great views to be had! It was a shame to sketch only the view across the river, and not the Esplanade itself, activity on the river, OMSI, the dock and Firehouse, and so on. I highly recommend this sketching location.

Sketchcrawl on the Esplanade

We spent the afternoon sketching along the Esplanade that runs alongside the east bank of the Willamette River.  This area used to be entirely industrial except for the freeway, but was set aside for a park and riverbank restoration about 20 years ago.  Now it is a walking and bike riding trail with great views of Portland's bridges.