Labor Day Crane

9/4/17 Non-laboring crane at the Roosevelt light rail station construction site.

Hearing that the temperature was going to be back up in the 80s again this afternoon, I went out early on this Labor Day morning. The streets were amazingly quiet, and the only activity was people loading coolers into their cars for a holiday outing.

My destination was an urban couch I had spotted yesterday afternoon in the high heat when I didn’t feel like standing in the sun. Unfortunately, someone had already taken the couch (but oddly left the cushions on the sidewalk!). On my drive back home through the Roosevelt neighborhood, though, I got an idea.

I had been wanting to go back to the Roosevelt light rail station construction site for a while now – it’s been close to two years since I last sketched the bright red crane there. Four years ago when construction began, my original plan was to sketch activity on the site itself regularly to show progress. Shortly after it began, however, a tall fence went up around the site, and all I could see were the tops of the various machinery moving around. Parking on the periphery has been gone for a long time, so it got harder and harder to sketch in the area. It’s been frustrating.

Three years ago I sketched a yellow crane (which was replaced by the taller red one) from the nearby Roosevelt Square. Early on Labor Day, none of the square’s shops were open, so I had the parking lot nearly to myself. A bonus was that no laboring was going on at the site, so I knew the crane wouldn’t suddenly swivel around, which has happened during some of my sketches.

You’ll note that the sky is blue. A couple of hours after I made this sketch, smoke from Washington’s many wildfires drifted back in our direction, casting a yellow haze across the sky. 

(To see the rest of the sketches in the series, enter “Roosevelt light rail station” in the blog’s search bar at right or use this link.)

Roosevelt Light Rail Station (with Posca Accents)

 

8/4/23 Roosevelt Light Rail Station

At other times when I’ve sketched the Roosevelt Light Rail Station, I’ve tried to neaten up the view just to keep the visual clutter under control. This time, using simpler materials, I embraced the messiness of poles, lines and background buildings.

8/2/23 Maple Leaf neighborhood (don't miss the bunny!) 

Paper color notes: This mustard yellow Uglybook I started last week has inspired me to try something new. Although I love the yellow hue, at first I was a bit disappointed because it is not quite dark enough for white to stand out as a highlight. So instead of looking for highlights, I’ve been using a high-contrast, medium blue Posca paint marker as more of an accent color – setting the background apart from the foreground, for example, separating the main focus from everything else, or just having fun with pops of unexpected color.

I have several other Uglybook colors that had initially struck me as being less than ideal as a midtone between white and black, but I’m looking at them in a whole different way now. 

Everything has a lesson to teach me when I’m ready to learn.

8/2/23 Green Lake neighborhood

Roosevelt Station on My 10th Anniversary

 

5/20/22 Roosevelt Light Rail Station

On May 20, 2012, a cold and rainy Sunday, I attended my first-ever Urban Sketchers sketch outing. I usually commemorate my USk anniversary at whatever outing I attend during the month of May each year, so I wasn’t necessarily planning an event to fall on May 20. But as it turned out, Friday was forecast to be dry and fair, so I took a chance to see who might be able to show up on short notice on a weekday afternoon. Although it was a small group, there was no shortage of enthusiasm.

Last October right before Roosevelt Light Rail Station opened, I sketched its colorful southern entrance. This time I stood at its northern entrance so that I could still include the yellow sculpture that marks the station. Just like the first time, I found the station daunting, and I wished I hadn’t bitten off such a large piece to chew! (Ironically, back in October, I had found a much less-daunting composition and even made a thumbnail to remind myself of it. I liked it better than the larger sketch I had made first. But I didn’t remember until I looked back at the blog post just now and saw it! It’s a better composition, too. OK, next time.)

5/20/22 Roosevelt neighborhood

Feeling a bit cowed by that, I wandered around the station to look for a second sketch, but nothing grabbed me. On an adjacent street, I saw what I thought would make a good composition study, so I pulled out my Field Notes to make a quick thumbnail. Then I found myself interested enough in it that I kept filling in details, and what the heck – the thumbnail turned into a “real” sketch. I like it a lot more than the color sketch I had made first! Hmmm, I’m detecting a pattern.

In any case, I appreciated having other sketchers to share the fun with. I was feeling a bit shy and trepidatious when I went to my first outing, but joining Urban Sketchers has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring decisions I’ve ever made. It’s been a fantastic 10 years, and I hope to continue for many more to come!

Ching, Paul, Sunny and Tina

Roosevelt Light Rail Station

 

10/1/21 Roosevelt Station the day before it opened to the public

Of all of Seattle’s light rail stations, I probably have the strongest connection to Roosevelt. It’s the closest station to home – about a 15-minute walk – but more significantly, it’s the one that I had the greatest intention of documenting with sketches while it was being built. I had big plans to walk down every few months to document its lengthy progress. In the early years, I sketched whatever heavy equipment I could see, and the cranes got bigger and bigger. But I was frustrated most of the time because the action was concealed by fencing. By the time the best parts of the station were finally revealed, the pandemic kept me from feeling comfortable standing around in the Roosevelt business district.

10/1/21 I like this thumbnail better than
my color sketch!

We all know where the pathway of good intentions leads to.

In any case, I finally got around to sketching Roosevelt Station – the day before it opened to the public. I thought Northgate Station was challenging, but Roosevelt was much worse! Standing across the street so that I could include the bright yellow sculpture and other colorful design elements (not to mention the crane, which is back there working on yet more apartments), I was cowed by the station’s scale, perspective and, well, everything. But it was just a first shot – I’ll certainly have more opportunities to try again.

Walking home, I kicked myself because a more sketchable view is on 12^th Northeast north of the station. I made a quick thumbnail to remind me of it next time. (This was a true thumbnail in the traditional sense – a visual note for reference purposes – as opposed to the other kind that I’m making during Inktober that I think of as standalone sketches. I have taken to hashtagging the latter with #snapsketch).

Northgate Light Rail Station

 

8/17/21 Northgate Light Rail Station

Two new light rail stations are going up, each about a mile from my house – Roosevelt to the south and Northgate to the north. When we first started seeing construction activity in 2013, their completion seemed so far off in future – we used to joke that we might not be around to use them! – yet both are scheduled to open in a couple of months. The first time I sketched the Roosevelt site was in 2013, and I sketched it periodically after that, but eventually fencing around the site made it difficult to see what was going on. I think the last time I sketched any action there was in 2017.

Northgate was even harder to get close to early on, but I always had it in the back of my mind to sketch its progress. I thought about it several times last year when the action was getting big, but the pandemic made me feel uncomfortable being onsite. Tuesday morning I realized that if I didn’t hurry and sketch it soon, it would no longer be a “progress” sketch – it would be done! So sketch it I did.

Behind the chain link fence, the station looked complete, and a lone worker was maintaining the small trees and other plantings. At one point, an empty train rolled slowly toward the station.

I have yet to ride public transportation since the pandemic began, but maybe the opening of these brand new stations will give me the shove I need to hop aboard. Someday when we travel again, either station will certainly make it easier for us to get to the airport.

Damp Fun on the Lynnwood Light Rail

9/25/24 First ride on the Lynnwood Link Extension

With all the new light rail stations opening this year, I’m having a hard time keeping up, but I’m trying my darndest! The latest to open are the four stations north of Northgate that comprise the Lynnwood Link Extension.

Undeterred by the rainy forecast, Roy, Mary Jean and I met up in the Roosevelt neighborhood for an early lunch, then caught the train northward. Hopping off at each new station, we looked around to see what each offered (ultimately, not much in terms of amenities) and sketched. We continued all the way to Lynnwood City Center, the current northernmost station on the 1 Line.

The first couple of stations were just drizzly, but later we had full-on rain with some strong wind gusts. Fortunately, the stations offered enough shelter that our sketches stayed (mostly) dry. By the time we got to the final station, we were all ready for a coffee warm-up, but sadly, no such venue was within a 15-minute walking distance. When we asked, a security officer mentioned a “coffee stand” a few minutes away – but with no sheltered seating.

9/25/24 At upper left was a strange structure visible from the South Shoreline Station platform . . . art? 

While restrooms are available at all Lynnwood Extension stations (unusual for the light rail system; in Seattle, almost none of the stations have one), they are locked. To gain access, you push a button to call an off-site attendant, who enables access remotely. The hummingbird art at far right was hastily sketched at the last station, when we all wished we could go somewhere for coffee.

Ruefully laughing that we would need to return to “civilization” for coffee, we got back on the train southward and ended up where we began – in the Roosevelt neighborhood – for coffee and treats at Caffe Ladro.

No matter the weather or lack of amenities, nothing is more fun than a new sketching adventure with good friends!

Intrepid sketchers!

Light Rail Station Gearing Up

4/8/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook

The Roosevelt neighborhood will be the site of the light rail station between Northgate and the University District in Sound Transit’s Northgate Link Extension, which is slated to be operational in 2021. According to Sound Transit’s website, “Northgate Link Extension will connect the Northgate, Roosevelt and U District neighborhoods to downtown Seattle and the airport. Fast, reliable service will provide relief to one of the region’s most congested traffic areas.”

The year 2021 seems like a long way away, but the heavy equipment and other construction paraphernalia have been moving into the area for a while now. I don’t know when work is scheduled to begin, but I figure any day now the area around Northeast 66^th Street and 12^th Avenue Northeast might be closed off, and my opportunities for a  good sketching view might be limited, so today seemed like a good day to sketch one of the Titan earth movers. I counted six of them on the property today, patiently waiting to come alive with noise and activity.

Hardy at Hing Hay Park

3/25/23 Hing Hay Park and King Street Station

I know I say this after nearly every outing, but USk Seattle is made of hardy stuff! The temperature was 35 F on cloudy Saturday morning at the International District’s Hing Hay Park, yet more than 30 turned out for it. By the throwdown, we were rewarded with full sunshine.

Although I’ve sketched the distinctive, modern Gateway many times, it’s hard to resist the bright red sculpture at the park’s entrance. This time, I walked (backward, as sketchers will do) up the street a ways so that I could put the iconic King Street Station tower behind it (at left).

That small sketch didn’t take too long, but after chatting a while with friends, I was thoroughly chilled. Across the street, I looked for a café with windows facing the park, and Go Poke fit the bill. Although I’ve had better poke, I can’t complain: A long row of window seats gave me a view of a park shelter with traditional Chinese tiled rooftops (below).

Hing Hay Park shelter from Go Poke

(In both sketches, I was a little annoyed that I had only my CMY-based primary triad. It’s a vibrant mix that I usually like, but I can’t get a good vermilion with this particular magenta/yellow combo. Although I’ve lately been getting into less realistic hues, especially when I use a secondary triad, some colors are important traditionally. I wished that I had remembered the park’s icons – it would have been easy enough to grab a vermilion pencil on my way out.)

3/25/23 Light rail riders

Violinist Vicki Ault

On my light rail rides to and from the International District, I sketched a few fellow riders. The best light rail sketch, though, was the surprise when I got off: A violinist and a pianist were performing at Roosevelt Station. I thought they were buskers, but their sign said they were with Bach in the Subways, which I learned is a worldwide program from March 21 – 31. The violinist I sketched was Vicki Ault (with Karin McCullough, pianist). How lucky Seattle is to take part in the delightful program – and serendipitous that I happened to be there at the right time.

Hardy as ever!

Sketcher Sighting on 65th and Roosevelt

5/28/14 Platinum Carbon, Diamine Midnight and Diamine Grey inks, Zig markers, Pitt Artist Pen, Uniball opaque pen, water-soluble colored pencil, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Seattle has a reasonably large sketching community; on warm summer days, we’ve had as many as 50 or 60 participants at Urban Sketchers gatherings. And yet whenever I’m out and about sketching in neighborhoods or parks, I never seem to spot other sketchers.

My plan today in the Roosevelt neighborhood was to make another progressive sketch of the Sound Transit Light Rail Station construction project, but when I got there, I realized it didn’t look much different from last time. As I was driving through the intersection of 65^th and Roosevelt, however, I glimpsed the familiar urban sketcher’s stance: a figure seated on a low stool, sketchbook on lap, gazing into the distance. It was Steve Reddy, sketching the building across the street!

I decided to skip the light rail project until more changes had taken place and instead sketch Steve sketching. But I did manage to get one of the construction project’s cranes in the background.

Red Crane at Roosevelt Station (Sketch No. 9)

12/31/15 inks, colored pencils

In my quest for a new sketching coffee shop, I tried my luck a couple days ago at Wayward Coffeehouse, which claims to be “an independent coffee haven for geeks.” It doesn’t meet all my criteria for sketching – it’s large and has plenty of geeky posters, action figures and other interesting décor, but it’s also a bit dark, and apparently geeks sleep in, because by 9 a.m., I had no victims to sketch.

But the cup of coffee wasn’t a waste, because the Wayward’s front window has a great view of Roosevelt Way at Northeast 65^th Street. It had been nearly a year since I last sketched construction activity at the Roosevelt Light Rail Station. Since then, the bright yellow crane has been replaced by an even taller red one. 

Tonal Confusion

 

2/10/24 Roosevelt neighborhood

Although Saturday dawned near freezing, by early afternoon it was warm enough to walk and sketch without gloves. Near Roosevelt Light Rail Station, I noticed this block of blah, boxy buildings of the type I am not inspired to sketch but somehow feel compelled to torture challenge myself with. It looked like a good opportunity for a tonal experiment.

When making tonal studies on colored paper, I invariably use the color as the midtone and add white and black for the lightest and darkest tones. Three tones to work with seem like plenty. Because I was carrying a light blue Posca marker and a white Pitt Artist Pen in addition to a white Gelly Roll, I got the idea in my head that I could add two more values: The blue would be between orange and black, and the white Pitt would be between orange and the Gelly Roll’s whitest white. But the sun dipping in and out of clouds combined with my lack of clarity about which tone was which I made a mess of it, and the values do not “read” well. Furthermore, the Posca marker is ideal for line drawings, so the tip is too fine to color in broad areas. I wish I’d remembered that a few seconds before I started coloring instead of after. Oh, well – that’s why it’s called an “experiment.”

Great to meet you, Marva (and Bob)!

The best thing about this sketch is that while I was making it, I met watercolor painter and blog reader Marva (and husband Bob)! When I’m out sketching, I occasionally meet members of the Urban Sketchers Facebook group who have not yet joined an outing but recognize me from the photos I post there. However, meeting blog readers “in the wild” is a very rare occurrence! A Maple Leaf resident, she knew from my regular references to the neighborhood that I lived nearby.

Peek-a-Boo View from Starbucks (Sketch No. 7)

10/29/14 various inks, watercolor, Zig markers, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

I haven’t been back to sketch at the Roosevelt Light Rail Station construction site for a while. It’s frustrating because I can see the tops of the red and yellow cranes from quite a distance, but once I get up close, it’s hard to find a place where I would be allowed to stand and also see anything worth sketching.

Grabbing coffee at the Roosevelt Square Starbucks, which is on the upper level, I realized that the yellow crane was now in a position that I could see part of it from the outdoor tables. Partially blocked by the Square’s façade as well as lots of trees, it’s still a frustrating view, but at least I had a comfortable to table to sit at and unexpected blue spots between the clouds (yesterday’s weather report was wrong; not a single shower all day!).

(By the way, did you spot the worker up there? I know it looks like he’s walking on the outside of the railing, but he’s really safe inside. Well, “safe” is a relative term. My heart was pounding just imagining what it must be like to walk around up there.)

Persistence Pays Off

5/1/14 Platinum Carbon ink, Pitt Artists Brush Pen, watercolor, Zig markers, Uniball opaque white pen, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Usually big construction projects and all the noise, dust and traffic revisions they bring are nothing but a nuisance during the multiple years it takes to finish them. But the new Sound Transit Light Rail Station in the Roosevelt neighborhood is exciting to me because someday (not before 2021, unfortunately), I’ll be able to catch a train there all the way to the airport.

Back in March I sketched the construction site from the Northeast 66^th Street side, but it was frustrating because of the high fencing. A few days ago when I was on the upper level of Roosevelt Square, I thought I might be able to see the site from up there, but a bunch of buildings and trees are in the way.

Today I finally figured out which street corner I need to stand on for the best vantage point: 12^th Northeast and Northeast 65^th. An unexpected bonus was the railing outside Mutiny Hall restaurant on that corner: It was just the right height for supporting my sketchbook, palette and paint box. I’ll be back at that corner periodically to sketch the station’s progress (perhaps all the way until 2021).

Like Antique Shopping

4/16/16 inks, colored pencils, Zig marker

Yesterday when Greg and I caught the light rail at UW Station, we saw some massive parts for the tunnel boring machine (which will eventually dig the light rail tunnel northward toward Roosevelt Station) standing crosswise like giant wheels in front of Husky Stadium. A couple of construction cranes were there, too. I wanted to sketch them then, but the morning was chilly and windy, so I decided to come back today when the weather promised to be warmer.

Indeed, today was warmer (64 and mostly sunny this afternoon!), so I went back. I’m sure you all know the rule about antique shopping: If you see something you like, you’d better get it now, because tomorrow it may be gone. It’s exactly the same for sketching. The massive wheel-like structures had been laid down flat and covered up with a plastic tarp – not very sketchogenic anymore!

But the trip wasn’t a waste – a huge yellow crane was still there (and you know how I am about heavy equipment!). I crossed the pedestrian overpass to place Husky Stadium as a backdrop to the crane. If you look really closely under the crane’s boom, you can spot the bronze statue of the Huskies’ mascot, which I sketched last summer for my niece’s wedding card. 

Home, Sweet Home

6/4/15 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Caran d'Ache Museum colored pencils, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Whenever I return from international travel, I see my home town with fresh eyes. This may be due to simple relief; as much as I love to travel (and I dearly do), I love coming home even more. (After five hotel rooms over the course of two weeks, is there nothing more comforting than sleeping in your own bed and showering in your own normal bathroom?)

Yet it’s more than just relief. After being bombarded with so many new and different sights and experiences in another country, I find myself wondering how a foreigner visiting my home town would see these familiar streets and buildings. In the same way that I was charmed by La Roque’s storybook architecture and impressed by the Amphitheatre in Arles – things that those towns’ citizens walk by each day without a thought – would a visitor to Seattle be intrigued by construction cranes on every corner or dazzled by the bright yellow sheathing of new buildings going up?

This sunny afternoon I walked out on the Northeast 70^th Street I-5 overpass and faced east. I could see the Calvary Christian Assembly Church, the Roosevelt Light Rail Station’s yellow construction crane, a new building with its yellow underwear exposed and (at the far left of my sketch) a bit of another construction crane. Below me, northbound rush-hour traffic on I-5 was noisy, stinky and somewhat nerve-wracking.

Home, sweet home.

Another Peek-a-Boo View (Sketch No. 8)

1/19/15 Super 5 Frankfurt, Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun and Tsuyu-kusa inks,
Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble colored pencil, Zig marker,
Canson XL 140 lb. paper

It’s been close to three months since I sketched a Roosevelt Light Rail Station construction crane. Too cold to stand on the street or even sit at Starbucks’ outdoor tables where I last sketched one, today I remembered that the same Starbucks has a bar-like table against large windows facing the same direction. At a slightly different angle than last time, I gave that view a try. It’s mostly blocked by large trees, but in a few months those same trees will be fully in leaf, obstructing the view even more, so I figured I might as well sketch what I can now. 

Lots of Action, Not Much to Sketch

3/22/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Zig markers, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

There’s a lot going on in the Roosevelt neighborhood where the new Sound Transit light rail station is being built, but it’s difficult to see any of the action. You can certainly hear it, and traffic around there is being disrupted enough that you certainly experience it, but you can only see the tops of the huge cranes and other heavy equipment moving around in the distance. Nearly a year ago, I sketched the very beginning of construction, intending to continue sketching as progress was made, but they’ve since blocked the site off with fencing. I’ve been driving around that area for the past couple weeks trying to figure out a place from which to sketch, but it’s not easy.

Since it’s Saturday, I parked at Roosevelt High School and found a good angle on several pieces of equipment* that were quiet today (although something smaller was definitely moving around behind the fencing, making noise). I wish I knew someone who lived in one of the tall apartment buildings nearby – I would get up on the roof for a better view.

Still, I can’t complain. Despite the overcast sky, it was warm enough to get out of my car for this sketch, the sounds of RHS cheerleaders and the soccer team practicing behind me. Outdoor urban sketching at last: I could be happy drawing a potato bug.

* And since I can’t intelligently speak of what any of these pieces of equipment do, this sketch qualifies for this week’s Urban Sketchers Flickr theme, "What is this thing?"

Roosevelt is Crawling with Crawlers

3/11/15 various inks, Zig marker, Caran d'Ache Museum colored pencils,
Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Running an errand in the Roosevelt neighborhood, I spotted a yellow crawler excavator (this is one of two, actually) on Northeast 65^th where much of the street is blocked by cones, workers and heavy equipment of various kinds. There’s so much construction activity going on in that area that I’m not sure if this excavator is directly related to the Light Rail Station project or not. (I think this crawler is just like the one sketched last year on my own block.)

Part of me was annoyed – yet another traffic mess to negotiate when I drive into the neighborhood – but another part of me was delighted. I don’t know why I enjoy sketching things like this. Perhaps in a previous life I was an 8-year-old boy.

A Comedy of Frustrations

3/19/14 Diamine Chocolate Brown and Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo inks, Sailor pen, Zig markers, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Some days are like this.

The strong wind, predicted rain and solid, gray sky didn’t bode well for outdoor sketching, so I headed out for Zoka Coffee as I often do on days like this – except it was so crowded that I couldn’t find a single empty seat.

Annoyed but undaunted, I left and decided to look for a cherry tree or something else I could sketch from my car. Driving through a few familiar neighborhoods, I spotted one or two power line-mutilated trees I could have sketched, but the available parking near those trees wouldn’t give me the angle I needed.

I’ve been wanting to sketch the ongoing construction at the new light rail station, and I remembered that Roosevelt High School’s parking lot looked like it might give me a partial view. I was hoping I’d get there around the time school let out, but I was too early, so the lot was still full. Thwarted again.

Finally, only a few blocks from home, I spotted massive twin trees that had both been chopped away through the center, and the whole block was empty – at last, something to sketch and somewhere to park!

I hadn’t even gotten a pen out yet when I heard a plunk and then a plunk-plunk. Hail stones were bouncing on my windshield! If it was like most hailstorms around here, it would stop in a few minutes, so I started to sketch. The hail, mixed with rain, started falling faster, so I had to keep turning on the wipers. Sketching the trees as quickly as possible, I was filling in the darker areas when my trusty Sailor ran out of ink. I made do by washing the lines with a waterbrush.

By then the rain/hail was coming down so hard and fast that I felt a splash on my shoulder (I drive an 18-year-old convertible with a soft top that doesn’t seal completely), so I had to lean slightly away from the side window to keep my sketch dry. The wipers couldn’t keep up. I got out my light gray Zig marker, thinking I would simply show the rain – and that marker was practically dry, too! The sketch was done, whether I wanted it to be or not.

Despite my series of frustrations, I’ll end this post on a hopeful note: Even mutilated, those trees were covered with tiny buds. Spring is near.

Roosevelt Station, Sketch No. 4

6/23/14 Platinum Carbon and Diamine Grey inks, Pitt Artist Pen,
watercolor, Zig markers, Strathmore 400 140 lb. paper

Although it’s been nearly two months since the last time I sketched the Sound Transit Light Rail Roosevelt Station construction site, from where I stand, I honestly can’t say I see any “progress” as such. But different types of heavy equipment are now onsite, and some machinery has changed positions, so we’ll call that progress.  

I’ve begun numbering the sketches because it will be easier to track them over the months and years to come. The first three sketches in the series were done in April a year ago, in March of this year and in early May.