Sake Bottles, a Horse and Botched SAAM

11/21/13 Private Reserve Velvet Black ink, Zig markers, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

An errand on Capitol Hill gave me an opportunity for lunch at Aoki, a small, traditional Japanese restaurant that I don’t get to as often as I’d like. I know some sketchers have a penchant for sketching their food before they eat it (Matthew Midgeley and Liz Steel are among my favorites), so I actually had it in mind to try that – I really did. Japanese food is always so beautifully presented that I knew my meal would make a nice still life without having to do anything to it. But by the time my grilled mackerel, soup and rice came, I was so hungry that I cancelled my sketching plans and scarfed it all down. (Matthew and Liz obviously have more willpower than I do.) As penance, I sketched the colorful sake bottles lined up on the counter instead.

11/21/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Canson XL

Stuffed and happy, I finished my errand and then swung by the Seattle Asian Art Museum at Volunteer Park. It was another sunny but very chilly day, and I managed to score an ideal parking spot facing the museum. (If I were to turn the car around 180 degrees, I would see a view of theSpace Needle that I had sketched earlier this year.) Although I’ve sketched at Volunteer Park several times, I’ve never been brave enough to take on the museum’s lovely art deco building. With that parking spot, I had no excuse. I started with a drawing that wasn’t half bad, but then I took out my paints and overdid the growing shadows.

Frustrated with that sketch, I went inside to use the restroom, but to be polite, I sketched a Tang Dynasty horse sculpture on my way out. (I don’t want them to think I buy an annual museum membership only to use their toilet.)

11/21/13 Diamine Chocolate Brown ink, Sailor pen, water-soluble pencil, Canson XL

I was so annoyed with my sketch of the museum that I drove home vowing to return sometime soon to try again.