Across the street from the Lumberyard...

The meetup at the Lumberyard was super cool--loved seeing the little kiddos riding their bikes all around the ramps (especially the ~4 year old girl in the red tutu!) But little Magpie was impatient to go outside and take advantage of the sunshine, so we ended up across the street at Glenhaven Park where--who knew?--there is a little skate park full of kids riding trick bikes, skateboards, and razor scooters.

It was a nice day for bright highlights and crisp shadows. We sat in the sun and ate crackers and applesauce, and my pencils got dipped into the applesauce more than once, but hey--that's all part of the joy of autumn.

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!

Bikes, revisited

OK, I know that I already crossed of the "bike" from my scavenger hunt list; but I can't resist sharing this doodle of an amazing bike that was parked outside of the museum this week.

Keeping Portland Weird with every pedal-stroke!

Sun!!!

Pitt pen, fountain pen, and watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook

Relaxing on a sunny Portland day in Laurelhurst park. Got a scavenger hunt item off the list, got a tan, and got all relaxey. Nice way to spend the afternoon and clear the old noggin. I like all the modifications Portlanders are always doing to their bikes. This girl's bike had a milk crate fastened to her back fender. Perfect bike trunk.