City, river, t-rex

For my first sketch outing in over a year, I knew I needed to use a bold brush to force my drawing hand into decisive action.  I started with small cityscapes, went on to the willow tree with basalt... then wound up outside OMSI with a lovely t-rex.

It was a gorgeous day to get out there and be part of the world again.

Non-virtual Sketchcrawl!

At long long last, the Portland urban sketchers met in person, there being enough of us fully vaccinated (mostly the old farts, but the youngsters are hot on our heels) to feel safe out in the world.

We met on the esplanade, and, seeing that the Hawthorne Bridge was closed to auto traffic, I took the opportunity of planting my butt on the sidewalk and dangling my feet on the road bed and did a one-point perspective of the bridge, taking care not to drop a pen or pencil through the mesh and into the drink.

And then switched to my tablet and did a study of the trunk of a gnarly old willow by the fire station.

May 15th- my Virtual Sketchcrawl

Here in Bristol RI the weather has cooperated for their scheduled Street Fair. Current state guidelines are on par with the latest specifications from the CDC. So here we are. Personally I am double masked and keeping distant while sketching. I reside in a home of a compromised individual (my brother) so am doing the best I can to keep us all safe.

I have used pens with watersoluble ink; black, Apache Sunset, and Kiowa Pecan. The last two are Noodlers inks. Also Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils in both sketches.

May 2021 SketchCrawl - Eastside Esplanade, Saturday, May 15, 2021

Ready to return to on-site sketching?  We're planning our first non-virtual sketchcrawl since February 2020!

We recommend join this sketchcrawl only if you will be fully vaccinated and don't consider yourself high risk. Please wear a mask and be prepared to keep up social distance.

If you need to stay vigilant at home -- you are welcome to continue to participate virtually! 

Saturday, May 15
10am-12pm (No group lunch this time)
Vera Katz Eastside Esplanade

Meet in the open area just south of the bronze Vera Katz statue.  We will gather again at noon, and try to do a sketchbook throwdown in an orderly and distanced manner. If we get rain, there is shelter under the bridge and overpasses with good views still available.

Parking is available right next to our location on SE Main ($3 an hour or $9 for the day) or a couple blocks south at OMSI ($5, pay inside based on parking space number). Bus lines 2, 6, and 14 stop at Hawthorne Bridge and it's a ~7 minute walk.

If needed, bathrooms are available inside OMSI; as you approach the ticket desk, they are down the corridor to the left/east.  Be prepared - OMSI can be a bit crowded both outside and inside so it will be difficult to maintain social distance.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's faces again -- at least the upper half!

Virtual Sketchcrawl- Just Three

Seems that I may have a tendancy to choose limited materials anyway having found a least these two examples.

In the top image I am using a pen with black ink, a waterbrush with Noodlers Lexington Grey ink (watered down a bit), and another water brush with Noodlers Apache Sunset ink. This is a view of the neighboring house through the broad crotch of the Catalpa tree. In the other (same view, but of the whole scene) I used the pen with black ink, waterbrush with Noodlers Lexington Grey ink (as in the other sketch), and a pen with Noodlers Kiowa Pecan ink.

Just Three

It's spring and I thought that those endearing and pesky robins who wake me up at dawn would be the perfect thing to sketch with just three colors. Black for their wings and outline, a dash of orange, and green as the background for the lawns where they hunt worms.

But when my sketchbook came out, they suddenly became elusive, or were at the top of the trees. It wasn't fun to sketch a speck. Next, I moved on to my neighbor's house, but their Victorian just looked flat with three colors.

While sitting in a local park, I noticed a sunbather on a hillside of grass blocking out a confusing background. I made a quick sketch and splashed on some green watercolor. Messy it is, but I think it captures the moment of inspiration.

-Bruce

Easter Morning

My next-door neighbor used to have a camellia tree at the corner of her house, that towered over her roof line, splendid with red blossoms.

When the oak tree fell it smashed most of the plant.  It survived, but in a truncated (sorry) state, ending up as a sturdy shrub.

This spring, after a year of rest, it put out a single bud, a single blossom.  I'm taking that as a portent of hope and rebirth.

Virtual Sketchcrawwl #15- Sketching with only three things

Virtual Sketchcrawl #15 Please join us for our fifteenth virtual sketchcrawl on Saturday, April 17th

This sketchcrawl was first brought to my attention through a January 17th fb post by Pat Southern- Pearce. It had been a uskTalks challenge. This second season of uskTalks is well worth looking into if you haven't tuned in yet. I have been viewing them on YouTube as I am not always available when they are live.

In Vicky Porter's sketch above, she has used black ink, a grey was and white gel pen. The paper whether toned or white is a given. In my sketch, in the header, I used black ink, grey wash and a watersoluble sepia ink.

Other options are open; perhaps choosing three colors, or combining marker with pencil and a color wash.

Please post on the morning of April 17th, by:

(1) posting to this blog

(2) emailing to our mailing list, or

(3) posting in our Facebook group

As always, this challenge is optional, and you can be as strict to the subject or as loose as you like. Your participation is welcome whether you choose this challenge or not-- just make sure to work from life and to include contextual information, so it stays in the realm of urban sketching!

And Peggy has again graciously offered to host a zoom meetup that afternoon. (Login details will follow on the mailing list, closer to the date.)

Virtual Sketchcrawl #14 - Reflections

Please join us for our fourteenth virtual sketchcrawl on Saturday, March 20th.

Let's sketch sometime that shows a reflection.  Any media, ahead of time or on the morning of the 20th.

Sketch by Peggy Smith

Please post on the morning of March 20th, by:

(1) posting to this blog

(2) emailing to our mailing list, or

(3) posting in our Facebook group

As always, this challenge is optional, and you can be as strict to the subject or as loose as you like. Your participation is welcome whether you choose this challenge or not-- just make sure to work from life and to include contextual information, so it stays in the realm of urban sketching!

And Peggy has again graciously offered to host a zoom meetup that afternoon.  (Login details will follow on the mailing list, closer to the date.)

Virtual Sketchcrawl #13 - Light

Done during the Portland Winter Light [non]Festival (on its first weekend, the one before the snow and ice).  This is Twinkle Trees, on Northrup.  Which was the installation closest to me.