Working on My Tan

6/3/16 inks, white gel pen, ballpoint

Friday when I was downtown for National Donut Day, I made a couple of sketches on tan toned paper (a few sheets of which I’ve bound into my regular signatures). I’m still getting used to Strathmore toned paper, which is a lot thinner than my usual 140-pound Canson and isn’t sized in the same way, so I have to be careful when I get out a waterbrush (filled with either water or ink). But otherwise, I’m having fun and learning to appreciate its values (Ha – get it?). I find myself looking for opportunities to take advantage of toned paper with subjects that have high contrast.

My first try of the day was Plymouth Pillars Park on Capitol Hill (below). The four columns used to stand at the entrance of Plymouth Congregational Church, which was demolished in 1966. I was attracted to the speckled shadows that the tall trees were casting on them.

After I enjoyed my donut at Top Pot, I was walking to my bus stop when I discovered a small park I hadn’t noticed before. Workers were enjoying bag lunches in the beautiful noontime sun beneath a statue of John Harte McGraw, the second governor of Washington State. I have to admit I had never heard of him until I just Googled his name. (Urban sketching teaches me something new every day!) However, I did appreciate the shadows I had fun with. 

6/3/16 inks, white gel pen, brush pen