Green Lake from the Car

12/18/12 Platinum Carbon Black ink, watercolor, Hand Book sketchbook

After driving around with the heater on full blast, my small car will stay comfortably warm for about a half-hour after I’ve turned off the engine, which is just about the length of time I need to make a sketch like this. Like many Seattle urban sketchers at this time of year, I’ve resorted to sketching from my car. Fortunately at Green Lake, it’s relatively easy to find a parking spot right near the path and facing the water.

 

It’s not the most exciting sketch I’ve ever done at Green Lake, but it’s worth using as a progress report: The guy taking a walk looks like he might actually be walking (OK, I’m still working on figure proportions). Last spring, I sat on a bench at Green Lake attempting to sketch the walkers, and I realized how difficult it is to capture the motion of walking – something we see every day. I’ve sketched a lot of walkers since then, and I think the practice is finally paying off.