Asia Pacific New Year’s Celebration

2/15/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao ink, Sailor pen, Canson XL
140 lb. paper

The Tacoma Urban Sketchers got a booth at the 16th Annual Asia Pacific New Year’s Celebration in the Tacoma Dome, so I went down and showed some Urban Sketchers solidarity. Other than the slow and soggy drive down there and back in the pouring rain, it was a festive way to spend an otherwise gloomy Saturday afternoon.

2/15/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao ink, Sailor pen

At big, crowded events like that, my usual tactic is to find a place where I can sketch audience members, who generally aren’t moving much. Call me a masochist, but today I was in the mood for a different challenge: lightning-speed gesture sketches. First I caught a school of Vietnamese martial artists giving a demonstration. Most of the students were young children and teenagers who moved with impressive speed, grace and agility. (Two-minute life-drawing poses seem downright leisurely by comparison.) 

After that I went out to the center stage, where Tahitian Te Fare O Tamatoa dancers were moving their hips and arms way faster than I could keep up with, but it was a fun opportunity to give my trusty Sailor pen a good workout.

2/15/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao ink, Sailor pen

2/15/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao ink, Sailor pen