Empty Nest in Greenwood

1/30/15 various inks, Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble
colored pencils, Zig marker, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

I haven’t been finding as many empty nests as I thought I would when I first started this series of sketches, so when I spotted this one on my way through Greenwood, I made a quick stop. 

Freezing

12/29/14 various inks, pens and twig, Caran d'Ache Museum
water-soluble colored pencil, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

The daytime temperatures have been in the low 30s and even high 20s this week. That’s pretty cold anywhere, but it’s really dang cold for Seattle!

I was just reading on Nina Johansson’s blog about how she sketches in sub-freezing temperatures by mixing vodka with water in her waterbrush to keep it from freezing. Mike Daikubara just posted a sketch he made in Vermont, where the temp was 19 degrees – without gloves!

Guess what? I don’t have any stories of cold-weather sketching heroics. (Heck, I wear a hoody in the house.)  But if my car is fully heated when I turn the engine off, I can sit and sketch in it for about 20 to 30 minutes before it’s no longer comfortable – just enough time for each of these sketches. (I ♥ my mobile studio!) Yesterday’s empty-nest sketch was in my own Maple Leaf neighborhood. This morning’s tree with the big bite taken out of the middle was in Shoreline.

I need to go crank up the thermostat another notch. Stay warm, everyone!

12/30/14 various inks, Museum water-soluble colored pencils,
watercolor

Occupied or Abandoned?

12/8/14 Various inks, Kuretake brush pen, Caran d'Ache
Museum water-soluble colored pencils, Zig marker,
Canson XL 140 lb. paper

When I last sketched a nest in a tree, Larry pointed out that it may not be abandoned; the nest could still be occupied by squirrels. I have noticed that some nests are quite a bit larger than others, so I’m going to pay closer attention to see if I can tell whether there are still residents.

On my way to the grocery store today, I spotted this (probably empty) nest in the Wedgwood neighborhood. That steely sky behind it was foreboding, and sure enough, the afternoon brought rain.

Empty-Nest Syndrome

12/3/14 various inks, Zig marker, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

When I was sketching a tree the other day with a couple of abandoned nests in it, I started thinking that bare trees revealing nests would make a good winter series. (Once the weather goes bad, I’m always looking for subjects I can sketch easily from my car.) On my way home from getting a haircut today, I spotted a nest at the top of an otherwise very bare tree in the Roosevelt neighborhood. The Econo-Mini billboard behind it made an interesting background, but unfortunately, my poor lettering made a mess of it (I told you I hate doing lettering in sketches!), and I didn’t want to sketch the buildings around the tree, which made for a lame composition. Despite that, I like the idea. Stay tuned for more trees with empty-nest syndrome.

Nests Revealed

11/30/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink,
100 lb. paper

The thermometer still reads 31 F, but the sunshine is brilliant, and yesterday’s high wind has died down completely, so we bundled up for a brisk walk up to Maple Leaf Park. I was fine as long as we kept walking, but as soon as I stopped for a very quick sketch, my hands froze (fingerless gloves help only for a little while).

One thing I enjoy about sketching trees in winter is that all the abandoned nests are suddenly revealed. 

Hey, it’s the last day of November! This is sketch No. 64 for NaNoDrawMo - not quite as many as last year’s 72, but not too shabby, either. How did you do?

"Admiral Ozzel, you have failed me for the last time."