Black and White and Red All Over

I have such a backlog of urban sketches that I want to share... I'll start with a little lesson I am learning about working on toned paper. Very often I only pack a dark pencil (black or brown) and a light pencil (white or cream), leaving the middle tone of the paper to do the rest of the work. But every now and then a splash of additional color is so helpful!

Example #1:
Raindrops on maple twigs, sketched in Poulsbo, Washington. My brother-in-law loaned me his red editing pencil for the color detail and I was so glad to have it.

Example #2:
Took the Bolt Bus to Bellingham a few weeks back, and got these doodles during our layover in the International District of Seattle.

As you might guess from the red lanterns in the tree, it was right about the time of the lunar new year. I had only packed two pencils--a black and a white. Luckily my husband had a red ballpoint pen with him, because that little scene really needed its splash of color!

Scavenger Hunt: Tree with no Leaves

I was waiting for a friend out in front of the Oregon Zoo, sketching the landscape to pass the time. I later realized that this would totally count for the "tree without leaves" item in the scavenger hunt! Also on this page is a sleeping fruit bat from the zoo. Love those bats. * Estaba esperando un amigo en frente del Oregon Zoo, y pintaba el paisaje como un pasatiempo. Luego me dí cuenta que tenemos "árbol sin hojas" en la lista para la nueva búsqueda de tesoro! También dibujé un murciélago frugívero en la página--me encantan estos murciélagos, aún cuando estan durmiendo.

Watercolor and ballpoint pen. Wish I'd brought a black pen instead of a blue one. * Acuarela y bolígrafo. La próxima vez, debo agarrar un bolígrafo con tinta negra en vez de azul.

Today I was impressed by the spectacle of my neighbor's persimmon tree. No leaves, but plenty of bright orange fruits hanging like some kind of holiday decoration. The neighborhood crows were very excited to get their share of the deliciousness. * Hoy descubrí la belleza de un árbol de Caqui que esta en mi vecindario--sin hojas, pero lleno de fruitas colorosas. ¡Los cuervos estan seguros que las fruitas son regalitos de navidad!

Watercolor and black ink. * Acuarela y tinta negra.

It may be cold and grey and wet, but I'm always impressed by how much beauty there still is this time of year. Happy holidays, everyone. * Es cierto que el frío, la lluvia, y el cielo gris es un gran parte del verano aquí en Portland. Pero hay tanta belleza, también. Feliz año nuevo a todos.