Sketching Cherry Blossoms

I've been to the NW waterfront three weekends in a row, trying to sketch the elusive cherry blossoms.
The first weekend at the UskPDX sketchcrawl) there wasn't much bloom so I just sketched people. For some reason, I seemed to sketch legs either too long or too short!

The next week, I sketched the trees that were beginning to bloom.

Last weekend, there was a lot going on at the waterfront: a drone overhead, a musician with a faulty amplifier, a helicopter that made numerous trips, a man behind us enjoying his pipe of aromatic weed and the sounds of at least seven fire and rescue trucks headed north.  There were also many lovely families and friends and pets and people enjoying the beauty and the festive atmosphere of the waterfront at cherry blossom time.

(You'll have to imagine the sounds and the smells.)

Cherry Trees and Sunshine

When we started sketching, I set up under a cherry tree because there were a few sprinkles. As the day warmed up, more and more people arrived and each direction I looked, I could see sketchers tucked among the trees or out in the sunshine. We were so lucky to have our one sunny day the day of our sketch crawl!

Salmon Springs Crawl

We had a good turnout on Saturday despite the chilly weather.  A lot of people were walking in the area, so we had ample people-sketching opportunities, although understandably no one ventured into the fountain for a dip!  I couldn't decide whether to focus on the bridge, the fountain or the street light so got a bit of all of them in this sketch.  Besides, just a slice of the complex Hawthorne Bridge seems less daunting!  I sketched the other half at a sketchcawl a few years ago, so do I get credit for the whole thing? 

NW Waterfront

I'm not sure if this is done, but I'm going back tomorrow, and I thought I'd post it to entice you to join me for an impromptu sketch crawl. The sky, blossoms, and weather should be perfect for sketching!