Travel on the Yellow Line

It so happened last week prior to the yellow Line sketch crawl, I had an appointment on N. Mississippi St. and decided it would be a nice change to go by light rail.  I got off on the Prescott stop, one beyond Overlook Park.  Skidmore goes over I-5 and another couple blocks or so you are at Prost and the Mississippi Food Carts.  I had given myself a little extra time to have a brew and sketch on a sunny afternoon.

Riding and Sketching the Yellow Line

  Portland Urban Sketchers went on a sketchcrawl inspired by the Seattle Sketchers who sketched public art at Light Rail stations around Seatlle. We took TriMet's MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) Light Rail

yellow line from downtown up to North Portland.


We met on PSU's campus and boarded the first train at 9:45am

We got off at select stops to sketch at, giving ourselves only the approximately 15 minutes to sketch before boarding the next train.

 This would have been even more enjoyable if it hadn't bee so cold, although it did warm up after our lunch.

All in all, a great way to explore the city and practice fast sketching. We'll definitely do this again!

more of my sketches from the day:

Worldwide Sketchcrawl: St. John's Bridge

We met for the Worldwide Sketchcrawl at the Cafe Under the Bridge and had our youngest ever member (5 years old).

with some great views of the bridge and its proximity to Cathedral park, it was a great place to sketch and the weather was beautiful.

 I mostly stayed inside doing some sketches from the window.

Here is a peek into my sketchbooks:



Esther Short Park

Our sketching group met at a coffee shop then spread out to sketch in and around this park in Vancouver, WA. The clock/bell tower chimes on the hour and makes quite an iconic statement at the entrance.



















I found the gazebo quite difficult to sketch because of the odd angles, but it is a pretty little structure.  The Victorian house in the background is the Slocum House and sits in one corner of the park.  My husband and I have enjoyed community theater productions here on several occasions.  The parlor is used as the foyer, and the dining room has been enlarged to accommodate a low stage and seating for about fifty.  When the audience sits so close to a performance, it makes it a more personal experience for everyone.

The View from the Bluff

I walk along the bluff overlooking the Willamette River several times a week, and this is one of my favorite views. I particularly enjoy it in late afternoon when the sunlight skims over the top of the distant hills and lights up the promontory. Right now the new grass makes the hillside a glowing lime green. Across the river is an industrial area, and on this side ships dock on Swan Island, although it is not really an island. I stopped to do this sketch in my little 3" x 5" moleskine on one of my recent walks.