The Fields on Saturday

I showed up a little late to the party so I only did a few quick squetches.  I mean sketches.

People are doing interesting things.  Sketching gives you the opportunity to see the background activities, like switching out those new share bikes.

7th International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Manchester, England

Here are a few of my sketches from the Manchester Symposium.  Taking workshops is an opportunity to try out different approaches, so you can see very different techniques in each of the sketches. The examples are from workshops with James Richards,  Nina Johansson, Richard Briggs, and Pat Southern-Pearce. Each of the workshops and activities I took were excellent and it was wonderful to have the fellowship of so many international sketchers. I came home with lots of new ideas and inspiration as well as many fond memories.

If you want to hear about the whole experience there's a lot more on my blog http://draw2c.blogspot.com . Maybe it will entice you to go to the next symposium in Chicago!

The Fields, again

My take on the Fields, doing almost the same scene.

The Fields

I don't seem to get tired of drawing at the Fields, so when Deb suggested an impromptu sketch gathering there, I was eager. There's something about the large expanse of air and sky and the constantly changing panorama of buildings and trees that keep this urban park interesting.

Today's weather didn't match the forecasts and it started with a drizzly, heavy mist. After a while though, the sun came out and the solid gray/white sky changed to clouds with patches of blue. Then the shadows made things look different than how we'd seen them in the beginning. We seemed to have an ever-changing sky show.

Today, I tried to use some of the techniques from Pat Southern-Pearce's activity at the Manchester Symposium. As always, I'm eager to get back to the Fields to try again.

Waterfront Sketching + a couple Tacoma sketches

Such a nice day on the water front.  Kalina & Jason had a great spot ata park bench in the shade, so I joined them.  The geese caught my eye.  I messed around with a brush pen, and then watercolor paints, and then textures that come from mashing your paintbrush in different ways.

Now here are a few Tacoma sketches I haven't posted yet.

The sketch below is telling a story of highways going through Tacoma, inspired by a discussion with Paula & Deb.

In this sketch I got excited about all the things going on in the view from the bar's outdoor seating area.  The added bonus: it was a comfortable place to sit in the shade and eavesdrop on the military guys sitting at the left.

Sketchcrawl on the waterfront

I walked around for a bit, and found myself drawn to the boats that were anchored in the river or tied up at the seawall.

Then, that evening, I found my self up in Washington Park, and did some details from "The Coming of the White Man" and "Sacajawea and Jean-Baptiste".

Sketching on the SW Waterfront

 It was a perfect day on the waterfront yesterday. The sky was blue, the shadows were dappled and the temperature was ideal. We had a small, but avid group who showed up. We did some catching up about the symposium, the Tacoma sketch crawl, Tango at Directors Square, and other places we had sketched recently and then we got out the pens and got busy.

I've always said that I wouldn't want to draw a panorama, but yesterday the conditions were ideal. I had a shady bench, friendly company, the sun behind me and a stunning view from one side of the river to the other. I didn't finish, but enjoyed the attempt.

It was a terrific way to start the weekend.

Sketching at Riverplace

Haven't been to Riverplace is such a long while...I forget how nice it can be there.

I used a thicker sort of brush pen (Kuretake) for these sketches. After we shared I stayed on to add some color.

Aug 27 Sketch Crawl - UPDATE and REMINDER - Slight Venue Change

4th Saturday Sketch Crawl - Saturday, August 27

Looks like there have been some changes in the last couple of years down on the waterfront.  So, there have been some changes in venue for this Saturday's sketch crawl. 

Next Portland Sketchcrawl: Saturday, August 27. Let's crawl South Waterfront!

• 10:00 am: Meet in front of Bean and Tree Upstream Coffee for coffee and snacks: 0315 Montgomery St., #210, Portland.
• 10:30 am: Sketch boats, bridges, buildings, plants, dogs, the river, and/or people on the South Waterfront.
• 12 noon: Optional sketchbook sharing and lunch: Thirst Bistro Little River Cafe - 0315 SW Montgomery Street #310, Portland.

See you there!

Tacoma- West Coast Sketchcrawl

Andrea and I journeyed by train to join several other Portland sketchers at the West Coast Urban Sketchers Sketchcrawl in Tacoma. We were there for just the day on Saturday but the West Coast Sketchcrawl is an all weekend event.

Many people up and down the coast (I also met a sketcher from Missouri!) gathered to sketch Tacoma on this hot but still comfortable in the shade Saturday. All of these sketches were made with a pointed search for shade and a good view....!

Bridge of Glass with glass trees.

Bridge of Glass and the Museum of Glass funnel

A sculpture installation at the Tacoma Art Museum called the Blanket Project and Old Union Station

Structure with steps leading down to the base of the Museum of Glass funnel

Bridge of Glass and Old Union Station

A couple of years ago I had traveled there with some other sketchers and knew what a wonderful place Tacoma was to sketch. Unfortunately with just one day of sketching it was not enough time to explore widely so I pretty much stuck to the area around the History Museum, Art Museum, Old Union Station and the Museum of Glass.
A wonderful day filled with sketching along with many sketchers to meet.