Voodoo and Beyond

I don't have any terrific sketches today, but in the spirit of sharing, here they are.

This first one was done at Voodoo Doughnuts Too, looking past the sketchers to the parking lot beyond. (My apologies for the poor likenesses.)

It was chilly today (mid 40's) and I didn't finish my sketches from the parking lot before we decided to head to a nearby coffee and motorcycle shop ( see Katura's links) for warmth. What a great place this was!  Thanks to Mike for finding this spot. Besides the hot mugs, good coffee, and delicious pastry, there were motorcycles, helmets, good views and available tables.

Not having been on a motorcycle since my 20's,  I had no idea what I was drawing and it's likely that someone who knows motorcycles would be appalled at what I left out or distorted. This last one, I drew from looking at a reflection in the shop window. Then I turned around and drew the rest of the scene.

We didn't have a big group, but it was a very congenial one and I had a good time sketching with everyone and perusing the sketchbooks. 

After warming up at home, I went back to the doughnut shop to finish my sketches. The lines were three people thick this time and it started raining, so I drove a few blocks away and drew a firehouse from the warmth of my car. The Voodoo Doughnut shop sketches will have to wait for another, warmer day.

Northeast Sandy Sketchcrawl

We started off today's sketchcrawl at Voodoo Doughnut Too, where the screeching punk music was a perfect fit for a doughnut whose eye had been poked out by a pretzel.

The on-and-off sunlight lured us outside, where I caught some of the iconic building signs in the neighborhood.

Many of the sketchers ended up taking shelter from the cold in a delightful motorcycle coffee bar, which was remarkably cozy, comfortable, and welcoming (especially in comparison with Voodoo!) I was too chicken to draw any of the historic motorcycles, but I did try to tackle the Sandy Plaza building across the street.

Lunch at Pho Gia was super tasty, I'd happily go back there. And even more delicious was the passing around of everyone's sketchbooks, super-inspiring stuff. Thanks, sketchers, for a great morning!

Pocket Notebook

I recently bought a small notebook that I can use for shopping lists and other tedious daily notes. Since it is small enough to fit in my coat pocket, and the paper has no lines, it ends up being very useful for unplanned sketching adventures, too.

This statue is so shiny and luminous in the rain!

Such as the other day, when I was running errands downtown and found myself contemplating Portlandia in the rain. (Note: flimsy paper + ballpoint pen + steady drizzle = rip city.)

Scavenger Hunt: Blind Contour of Portlandia

Scavenger Hunt: Blind Contour of Portlandia

Or, when I recently hopped off the bus and found myself right outside Voodoo Doughnut II.

Scavenger Hunt: A doughnut. One that returns your gaze, even, while twiddling its mustache.

 
Handy little tool, indeed!