A Chance Meeting

 

1/26/26 (photo reference)

Laura and I had not been close friends, but we had been friends a long time – nearly 40 years.

We ran into each other at Swansons Nursery a couple of years ago, where I was attending an Urban Sketchers outing. We didn’t have much time to chat, but I had snapped a selfie of us – one that clearly captured her sometimes goofy nature. We laughed, hugged, and vowed to get together soon for a better chat.

Wanting to let her know what was going on in my life, I went home and emailed her that I was in the throes of caregiving duties. Compassionate and supportive, Laura invited me to get together for coffee. I said it was difficult at the time, but that I would get back in touch when I could. I always meant to, once my life was put back together.

A recent Facebook post informed me that Laura had passed away the day before. I did not even know that she had had cancer. We never know when a chance meeting with someone might be the last time we see them.

Clear Skies Continue

 

1/23/26 Maple Leaf Park (Museum Aquarelle pencils, Inktense Blocks)

While much of the country is buried under snow with frigid temps, we continue to enjoy miraculously beautiful weather. Cold, yes, but clear skies that just won’t quit. I am soaking in as much as I can before the more typical rain returns (which I see in the long-range forecast). On a walk around Maple Leaf Park, I stopped briefly on one of those lovely afternoons.

Process notes: One of few things I value about Facebook (which I’m otherwise skeptical about) is the daily Memories section that shows me everything I posted on that date in prior years. An interesting pattern I see every winter is the experimenting I do from reference photos, usually related to color. I went through a period of exploring the Zorn palette, especially with portraits, and using an “underpainting” with various media. I’ve explored primary and secondary triads year-round, and I’ve made concerted efforts to study color temperature both formally (in Sarah Bixler’s classes) and informally.

Practicing at home with reference photos is one thing, but the true test of anything I study is whether I can apply it in the field. Some things “stick,” while others don’t. Or maybe it’s more a matter of how well using certain color principles fits with all the additional constraints of sketching on location. It’s easy to study color and concepts in the comfort of home! On the sidewalk with wind, rain, heat, cold, traffic, pedestrians or other distractions? Not so much.

My current use of a limited palette guided by values seems to be a good balance between a principle I understand (values) and something I want to push myself to explore (not being matchy-matchy with hues).

Incomparable Views from Columbia Center

 

1/24/26 Views from the Columbia Center's 73rd floor Sky View Observatory

During my first few years of sketching, the ticket price to ride up to the Columbia Center’s 73^rd floor Sky View Observatory was only $5. A small group of sketchers had gathered up there a couple of times, and I went up myself on other occasions (here’s a sketch from 2012, and another from 2013). Eventually, the ticket price crept up to the current price of $33, making it cost-prohibitive as a USk venue.

Lady luck and a kind ticket seller were with us on Saturday afternoon, however, when USk Seattle showed up. We thought we would have access to the entire interesting lobby area that’s open to the public on weekdays. Unfortunately, under a new policy, only the ticketing area to the observation floor is open on weekends. Taking pity on us on that cold day, the ticket seller offered us a generous group discount, so most of us opted to sketch from the 73^rd floor.

On a cloudless day, the 360-degree view was incomparable! In addition to Mt. Rainier and the Olympic mountains, Mt. Baker is visible from up there – one of few spots in Seattle where that northern peak can be seen. Yes, Columbia Center is even better than the Space Needle (a ticket to the top now costs $49), which is always jam-packed with tourists. Although some tourists were at Columbia Center, most snapped a few photos and moved on quickly, leaving all the cushy seating to sketchers.

And sketch we did! Nearly 40 sketchers enjoyed an inspiring afternoon in the sky.

Mt. Rainier and the Cascades to the south

Mt. Baker to the north

Before the outing began, I stood at 4th and Cherry to make this 5-minute sketch of Columbia Center. Five minutes was all I could stand in the cold!

Making Marks With and Without Intention

 

1/20/26 photo reference

The other evening, I caught myself starting to doomscroll, so I gave my wrist a swift slap and grabbed a sketchbook. My reference photo was a neighbor’s colorful yard that I had snapped at the height of summer. I had been so attracted to all the lush layers of textures and colors I saw, not just in the yard but all the way down the block. Recalling the loose and free mark-making that Orla Stevens demonstrates and recommends, I first used a Derwent Drawing pencil to sketch in monochrome (below). I was just having fun making a variety of marks by holding the pencil in different ways – loosely from the back end, tightly as I usually do, gripped in my fist, held backhand the way lefties apparently write (not me, though).

1/20/26 photo reference

When I was done, it occurred to me that I had unintentionally made a values study. Of course, that got me thinking about the values-based color studies I have been making lately. Instead of making a simple mark-making exercise to distract myself from doomscrolling, it became a more intentional color study based on values (top of post). And since I’d already done the values study, it was easy to fill in with a variety of colors, even if they didn’t make “sense.” For example, the plants in the foreground were lavender, but I chose amber and pale green to emulate the lavender’s values. It was fun and relaxing because I focused on making a variety of marks, not trying to render the scene accurately. 

Limited tools, limited choices

Bonus: Although my main intention was doomscrolling prevention, I think these exercises now have the added benefit of being good practice for looser urban sketches.

I used the somewhat random and limited assortment of mixed-media tools (at right) that were still nearby. After making a couple of studies from photos several weeks ago, the water-soluble pencils and crayons had stayed next to my reading chair. I added the Caran d’Ache Fibralo markers after seeing Orla Stevens’ YouTube. It’s working out well as my anti-doomscrolling kit. With a small number of materials and colors, it keeps me from spending too much time thinking about what to use, and I can just jump in.

Below is a pair of sketches I made the next evening using the same process.

1/21/26 photo reference

1/21/26 photo reference

Trying to squelch doomscrolling? Make yourself a small anti-doomscrolling kit of a few mixed-media materials, and keep it next to the chair where you are most likely to scroll. Keep a sketchbook there, too, and you’re all set the next time you catch yourself. It helps to have some reference photos handy, too, but I bet your phone is full of them. Don’t spend long looking for just the right one; remember, it’s all about mark-making and not about accurate rendering. I would add to that: You don’t need to feel “inspired” by the reference photo! Even trash cans work!

Sammy

 

1/12/26 Sammy (reference photo by Katelyn This)

This commissioned portrait of sweet Sammy was a gift for the buyer’s friend, who had recently had to put down the 18-year-old pup. I could see what a long, well-loved life he had had. RIP, Sammy.

Technical notes: It was the kind of reference photo I dreaded back when my approach was to be as realistic as possible. The image was a low-res thumbnail, the lighting was dark, and the whole face was a bit out of focus. I couldn’t even see much of the eyes, let alone a sparkling catchlight. Arrrggh!

I knew a brush pen would save me from having to render what I couldn’t see; I could simply capture the gesture and essence of Sammy’s sweetness. For the all-important eyes, I fudged, mostly from experience: I created catchlights where there were none, and I’ve drawn enough dogs’ eyes to fill in what the photo didn’t provide. I hope Sammy’s human will see her beloved somewhere in the portrait.

Val

 

12/13/24

“I would avoid that seat if I were you . . . Val has been known to throw food.”

That was my first introduction to Val, one of Greg’s co-residents in memory care. As I got to know Val better, I observed her throwing not just food but also beverages and a swift right hook. Lean and petite, she looked frail, but she could lob a balloon across the room during “volleyball” and use the same hand to give you a solid clip, I was told, if you were slow to duck.

Mostly non-verbal, she often responded to music by tapping enthusiastically and even dancing in her own way. In the year-and-a-half that I had observed her, I saw Val smile only once – when she was with a visitor.

She had been in the hospital a while. I recently learned that she had passed away.

3/22/25

10/3/25

11/19/25

Clear Sky Over Gas Works Park

 

1/19/26 Gas Works Park

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our cold but clear skies continued. Bundled up, I took the top down for my drive to Gas Works Park, where many young people and families were enjoying the holiday. (Aside: A large party of Spanish-speaking picnickers laughed and talked happily as they shared food spread out on the grass. I was heartened to see them because it meant that they – unlike many others in this country – felt safe enough in a Seattle park to gather publicly to enjoy the day, just like everyone else there. I felt compassion and sadness for all darker-skinned people who would not feel safe doing the same wherever they live. Dr. King’s message from six decades ago is, sadly, still just a dream.)

Using chunky Derwent Inktense Blocks to sketch a part of the gas works that I’ve sketched previously many times, I recalled how much time and energy I used to spend trying to render each one of the many pipes connecting the huge tanks and how frustrating it often was to try to draw what I couldn’t see clearly or understand where they connected (here’s one example from 2014). It took me a long time, but I finally realized I don’t have to draw all that to convey the essence of the gas works.

Color note: Although I used the same limited palette of Inktense Blocks as the one I used at Green Lake, the hues are such that they look mostly “normal” at Gas Works Park – that is, I had a green for grass, blue for water and sky, and rusty tones for the tanks. Still, if I’d had a full range to select from, these are not the colors I would have chosen for this scene, so they still seem a bit wacky to me. Overall, though, I can feel my brain finally making a shift toward seeing that hues do not have to match “reality” to read as “real.”

Technical note: As soon as I tried using the “licking” technique for the sky, I regretted it. Although I remembered that Inktense Blocks fail at this trick (compared to most solid water-soluble products), I guess I had hoped that the Blocks had learned the trick since the last time I used them. Nope.

Wacky at Green Lake

 

1/18/26 Green Lake

Sunday was another day of weather we all crave in January: sunny all day, every peak in two mountain ranges fully in view, no wind, no clouds, and temps all the way up in the low 50s. Except for all the down jackets and beanies in view, Green Lake looked like the height of summer – couples, families and dogs all happily soaking in their much-needed vitamin D.

I walked partway around the lake to one of my favorite stands of trees (top of post). Although it was only early afternoon, the low sun gave them long, lean shadows. I hadn’t intended on making on-location comics, but I couldn’t resist recording snippets of conversation I overheard on the path.

As I mentioned in my post a few days ago about Inktense Blocks, I don’t usually take these fragile sticks out with me on location, but since they fit nicely in my tiny Sendak, I took them to Green Lake. I know I’ve said it before, but these Blocks are what I always want Caran d’Ache Neocolor II wax pastels to be in terms of expedient coverage and intensity of color. Now that I have a well-protected way to carry them, I am going to give the Blocks more use in the field.

Instead of continuing to walk around the lake in the same direction, I backtracked to the other side of the pier (at right). Those trees at far right of the huge fir are the same ones I sketched above.

For this one, I used reliable, familiar Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles – but the palette was chosen by values, just like I’ve been choosing Neocolor II crayons and Inktense Blocks.  

Process analysis: I daresay my wacky palettes are not feeling as wacky anymore! It’s getting easier and feeling natural to use unnatural hues because I know they will serve me well as long as I get the values right. I’m also seeing that I don’t have much use for the lightest value range because I tend to fall back on paper white as the lightest value. The pink sky at Maple Leaf Park was fun, but the messy application detracted; I prefer paper white to that.

Most important, I feel liberated using whatever colors I want (as determined by values) and not being tied to designated triads, complements or temperature. The key for me is to keep the palette limited – no more than four or five hues at a time – so that I’m not tempted to toss in colors randomly. I think a narrow, cohesive palette always serves my streamlined style best.

That’s not a new insight; it’s more like confirmation of something I’ve been doing all along, but with more traditional guidelines like triads. Although I didn’t learn any of this directly from Germanier, I must give a nod to his odd selection of pencils and demo that sparked this line of thinking. That’s worth every penny I paid for the set, even if I never use it again.

Derwent Inktense Blocks tuck nicely into the Sendak slots. Friction and their size keep them from getting pushed down too deeply to retrieve easily, which can be a nuisance with short tools.

Taking My Wacky Palette Outdoors: Maple Leaf Park

 

1/17/26 Maple Leaf Park

We’ve been enjoying a solid run of dry, sunny days – a weird weather pattern we often get around mid-January. Temps can drop into the mid-30s overnight but warm up to the mid-50s by afternoon. As you might guess, we urban sketchers are loving it!

It means I’ve finally had opportunities to take my wacky, values-based palette outdoors for some real urban sketching. (Although I know being inside cafés and other locations is also urban sketching, it doesn’t  scratch the itch I feel all winter.)

When I see sunshine, my first stop is usually Maple Leaf Park. I’ve sketched there so many times that most views have become “nothing” to me. By that, I mean that it takes something like a new palette to give me a nudge and see the park with fresh eyes. In addition, the “nothingness” is actually helpful in seeing values instead of subjects.

The pale blue water tower was almost the same color and value as the sky, but the sky was a bit darker blue. I used pink and pale chartreuse, the two light values in my current palette, for those. Then I used the two darkest hues, blue and violet, for everything else. It’s wacky, but I like it. 

Using pink and pale green also solves a dilemma I’ve had many times when sketching this scene: How to show contrast between the water tower and the sky when they are so similar in both hue and value (which, I suppose, was the design intention – trying to make the tower less obtrusive).

What I didn’t like is my messy dry-on-wet application of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II for the sky. I think I should have used my tried-and-true “licking” technique as I always used to for skies. Note to self for next time. Also, I realize now that I forgot to add a layer of a midtone crayon to darken the grass as I had intended!

Doomscrolling Prevention Program: Mixed-Media Edition

 

1/14/26 photo reference (Derwent Drawing pencil in Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook)

It must be my winter malady.

In summer when light around the horizon is still visible after 9 p.m., all my windows open to a soft evening breeze, I’m not prone to doomscrolling. I love taking golden-hour walks, and I’m energetic enough to enjoy whatever I had planned for the evening.

In winter, though, when night begins at 4:30 p.m., I catch myself listlessly killing evening time with my tablet, as if scrolling would make the sun come up earlier. I don’t like it.

A few mixed-media materials that happened to be nearby.

It’s not a new malady. I’ve tried various tactics over the years to snap myself out of it. The main issue is that by evening, I’ve run out of creative steam, but I still want to be engaged with mark-making. It’s the reason I put together my compact “downstairs studio” a few years ago to make it easier. (Back then, my issue was compounded by continual anxiety and exhaustion as a caregiver, and evenings were often my only respite time.) For a while, I tried the doodly Color Meditation Deck, but that didn’t stick.

Just as I was thinking that I needed to refresh my Doomscrolling Prevention Program, a video popped up on my YouTube feed as I was (ironically) scrolling: “Easy Sketchbook Ideas for Busy Days.” I had a few materials right there next to my comfy evening reading chair – no excuses or reasons to delay!

I used my own reference photo instead of the one Orla Stevens offered. For the pencil-only version (top of post), I used a black Derwent Drawing pencil. In my pouch of mixed-media tools were Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles, Neocolor II crayons, and Fibralo markers (huh – you’d think I had a penchant for Caran d’Ache or something). In both cases, she encouraged viewers to vary the marks as much as possible by changing one’s hand grip on materials. Exploration of mark-making was the goal, not accurate representation.

Photo reference (Neocolor II crayons, Museum Aquarelle pencils, Fibralo markers in Beta sketchbook)

Looking at them now, my sketches don’t seem as loose and free as she encouraged us to be, but they felt loose and free compared to my usual, and that’s what counts. More importantly, the fun took me away from doomscrolling!

Fun is easy. The hard part is slapping my wrist as soon as I catch myself scrolling. Why is that so hard, even when I despise doing it? Let’s see if this sticks, at least long enough to get me past the spring equinox.

Fun and Historic Artifacts at MOHAI

 

1/16/26 Museum of History and Industry

A motorized and drivable stiletto heel, historic motorcycles and the vintage Rainier Brewery neon sign were among the many fun and colorful artifacts USk Seattle got to sketch at the Museum of History and Industry last Friday. Although I’ve been to surrounding Lake Union Park many times, it had been ages since I was last inside the museum (2018, according to my blog).

Although it was tempting to sketch some of my old favorites, like the Rainier R, I started with the irresistible high-heeled vehicle near the entrance. After that, I went upstairs to see the featured exhibit, Kickstands Up! 125 Years of Motorcycling in the Pacific Northwest. I picked out a pink Harley with a mannequin wearing a women’s motorcycle outfit. Many other sketchers were attracted to the antique motorcycles and bicycles there. Luckily, we had the exhibit nearly to ourselves.

Down on the main floor again, I sketched a couple of permanent exhibits that I don’t usually get around to (below): a cross-section piece of an 800-year-old Douglas fir and John Gage’s sculpture, Wawona. Although I couldn’t show it in my sketch, if you walk inside the Wawona, you can see a glass-covered hole in the floor that reveals Lake Union directly under that part of the building. It’s an interesting tribute to MOHAI’s home inside the restored landmark Naval Reserve Armory. (On the top floor, the original periscope still exists, offering a cool 360-degree view of Seattle.)

Usually when I visit MOHAI, I enjoy spending some time near the water sketching the historic boats moored there or other parts of Lake Union Park. With temps in the low 40s and a bitter wind off the lake, I didn’t have it in me this time. Plenty of other sketchers were hardier than I was, though!

Wacky Palette with Inktense Blocks

 

1/13/26 photo reference (Neocolor II and Inktense Blocks in
Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook)

While I’ve been enjoying experimenting with my values-based palette idea using Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons, I remembered a similarly chunky yet radically different product I’ve also enjoyed: Derwent Inktense Blocks. A few years ago, I played with them enough to learn a bit about their idiosyncrasies, which can be both intriguing and frustrating. Eventually I grew to like them, even if they are a strange animal.

Sadly, I have rarely used them in the field because they’re even harder to carry than Neocolor crayons: Though lighter in weight, they are almost as bulky, and even worse, they break easily. I’ve found, however, that they fit in the slots of my tiny Peg & Awl Sendak, so I’m hoping they would be protected if I take them out with me.

As a preliminary trial of a values-based palette, and to reacquaint myself with Inktense Blocks’ quirks (many of which there are), I made some sketches from photos. Right off the bat, one difficulty is that the Blocks range includes very few hues that could be considered light in value – they are all extremely vibrant and lean toward the darker ranges.

One thing that’s remarkable about the Blocks is that they perform incomparably when applied dry to wet paper – an explosion of intense color! When I use that technique with Neocolor II crayons, they do dissolve more completely than when they are activated on dry paper, but the wax-based binder requires a bit of scrubbing. The Blocks dissolve thoroughly with very little effort. That’s not always a good thing – it’s hard to get a subtle effect when I want one – but the Blocks sure are efficient when I want to cover a large area with solid color.

For the first sketch (top of post), my reference photo was taken during one of my golden-hour walks last summer. I had nothing among the Blocks I own that was light enough for the sky, so I used Neocolor II crayons for that. I had also been wondering how well Blocks would apply over waxy Neos, which can act as a resist to some media (such as some colored pencils), so it was a good test of that. The whole sketch was made dry-on-wet. You can see how the Neos didn’t dissolve completely (unless I had gone back in and scrubbed with a brush, which I didn’t), while the Inktense Blocks almost completely covered the Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook surface. I had no problem applying the Blocks over the Neos.

1/14/26 photo reference (Inktense Blocks in Hahnemuhle
Akademie Aquarelle sketchbook)

I used only Inktense Blocks in the second sketch (at right). The house and front foliage were applied dry, then activated with a brush. I sketched the trees dry-on-wet.

And hey, if that second scene looks familiar, it should: It’s the Maple Leaf Mother Grove that I sketched from life a few days ago. If you’ll recall, I irrationally couldn’t get past my own resistance to using unrealistic colors for a reportage sketch. Knowing that these trees will likely be cut down, I had taken some photos, so I had one to use for reference. At the time, I thought my “real” colors were appropriate, but now I think I like this “unreal” sketch better. But is it “better” in terms of documenting an event? Am I still honoring the trees if I sketch them in blue and brownish-purple? Hearing myself ask that question, I realize it sounds ridiculous. It’s my sketching of them that honors them, regardless of the colors I use. What do you think? (My original on-location sketch shown below.)

1/13/26 sketched on location

Maple Leaf Mother Grove

 

1/13/26 Maple Leaf mother grove of centenarian Douglas firs

Known as the Maple Leaf mother grove, 18 Douglas firs have been growing on this residential block for more than a century. The grove is within walking distance of my house. The (ironically named) developer, Green City Development, plans to cut down five of them, endangering the remaining trees by exposing them to wind effects. The small house will be replaced by three large single-family homes. According to Tree Action Seattle, removal of the trees can be avoided by using other, design options that would likely make the houses more affordable, but the developer refuses to address them.

Whenever I walk on this side of the ‘hood, I’m startled and impressed by the number of mature firs I see compared to a mile south where I live, which has far fewer. I suppose someday all these tall firs will be gone, thanks to greedy developers and short-sighted city planners.

Color notes: As I was leaving the house to make this sketch, I grabbed my current wacky palette of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons (see end of post) – but I hesitated a moment. I wasn’t sure this selection, which includes only one mid-value green, would work for the deep greens I would typically use for Douglas firs. However, I wanted to push myself to continue experimenting with the palette, so I didn’t take any other colors.

I wasn't happy with the mid-value green I used for the trees, and the blue didn't help much.

Onsite, I knew the trees needed to be the darkest value, but I didn’t want to make them purple and blue; that somehow didn’t seem “right” for reportage sketching. (That’s ridiculous logic, I know; a reportage sketch doesn’t have to use “realistic colors” any more than any other kind sketch! But that’s where my head was that day.) I compromised by using the mid-value green as the primary color and blue for the darkest areas. The green was a bit wimpy, but I decided I could live with it (at right).

When I got home, I still wasn’t happy with it, so I used my darkest green Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle to deepen the darkest areas and add some texture that I had lost (with a bit too much water).

Maybe I should have tried a version using purple and blue for the trees, just to see how far I could push it (and by “it,” I don’t mean the palette – I mean my own resistance!). I know – I’ll try it with some other firs that I’m not reporting on! Maybe that’s how I get past this resistance.

The current wacky palette: a warm and a cool of each value range.

Cloudy with a Chance of Sketching

11/21/25 Capitol Hill neighborhood

11/18/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

My sketches during walks have become fewer and farther between now that we are into the full-on rainy season (though we are temporarily enjoying our own version of “dry January”). I take whatever dry moments I can get.

11/24/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

12/19/25 Green Lake neighborhood

1/3/26 Maple Leaf Park

12/13/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Life Drawing at a New Old Venue

 

1/11/26 Delia, 20-minute pose

The Sunday Figure Art life-drawing series had been going on in the University of Washington Art Building for many years (apparently decades), but like so many things, the program ended with the pandemic. Although I knew about the series when it was operating, I was happily participating in life drawing at Gage Academy at the time, so I never checked it out. I recently learned that model and organizer Shawna Holman had brought the Sunday series back, and this time, I was eager to try it.

2-minute poses

When I went to a training session for new models last month, Delia was one of the rookies – and definitely one of the better ones. She was the solo model for the Sunday series I attended. Although technically still in training mode, she seemed pro-ready to me: Her graceful, dynamic poses of all durations kept me engaged and drawing.

5-minute poses

My problem had nothing to do with drawing or the model; it was the chair – or the lack thereof. The life-drawing studio was furnished only with artists’ horse benches, which I have never found comfortable. The artist is supposed to lean forward toward a propped-up drawing board, not a small sketchbook, so the bench has no back support. At Gage and Artist & Craftsman Supply (where I’ve also attended life drawing), I could always find a folding chair to sit in. Not so at the UW’s studio. I had to leave after the first half.

I’m not sure what to do about that. I could try standing at an easel, but that can be awkward with a small sketchbook, too. I’d really like to continue attending because the location is convenient.

20-minute pose

5-minute pose

2-minute poses

2-minute poses

2-minute poses

My sketch journal entry complaining about the situation.