Maples Afire

 

10/27/25 Maples, Crown Hill neighborhood

After the weekend’s atmospheric river and high winds that took power down in some areas, I was afraid leaf-peeping season was over. Ever hopeful, I drove over to the Crown Hill neighborhood again, where I had intel that a certain intersection was blazing with red maples. 

Indeed, four of them were afire! In fact, driving to the spot, I saw quite a bit of glorious color. Though late to turn this year, the trees are going out in style.

Cozy Drink & Draw

 

10/24/25 Drink & draw at Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood 

After walking through the deluge from our current atmospheric river, I was afraid I’d be all alone at the USk drink & draw. Happily, I was joined by four others who braved the torrents to get to Project 9 Brewery, where the heat lamps kept us cozy in the perfectly dry tent. (We could have gone indoors, of course, but it gets very loud in there, especially on a Friday evening.)

With one highly skilled professional artist and one who had begun drawing only a few months prior, both new to Urban Sketchers, I was reminded of one of many reasons I appreciate USk: People of all experience levels can draw and chat together while sipping beers and munching tacos. No judging, just fun!

Blazing Oak (and Technique Notes)

 

10/23/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

On my morning walk when I didn’t have my white Hahnemühle sketchbook, I still wanted to remember this blazing orange oak growing out of a traffic circle. An orange acrylic marker and Uglybook would have to do.

Driving home from an errand that afternoon, I had planned to stop and sketch the oak again, this time in full color, so I grabbed the Hahnemühle. It was my last outdoor sketch before days of rain set in.

The same oak in the afternoon of the same day.

Technique notes: The full-color sketch here, made with Museum Aquarelle pencils, is a good example of something I mentioned last week about how Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons have taught me tricks to use with those colored pencils.

I used to apply crayons dry to dry paper, then activate with water. With practice, I found that I could get more vibrant, thorough activation when I wet the paper generously first, then appled dry crayon to the wet paper. This technique isn’t new to me; I’ve been using dry-on-wet pencils for several years, too. But because Museum Aquarelles activate more easily and readily, I usually don’t need to take it further. The waxier crayons take more water to fully activate, so I sometimes reapply water and apply another layer of color.

In the sketch above, I used only pencils in a similar fashion while keeping the paper fairly wet. What I really like is that as the paper began to dry, the top-most (orange) layer showed more texture, giving the tree a nice foliage effect. To be honest, hitting the paper at just the right degree of wetness is usually a crapshoot and not something I know how to fully gauge (as most watercolor painters also experience). It’s nice when it happens just right, though.

Inktober, Week 3

 

In addition to being the most challenging InkTober I’ve given myself in a while, this year is also the most enjoyable in a long time. I love drawing pets, and with these practice sketches, I’m under no pressure as I am with commissioned portraits. Even as they’re all challenging in different ways, they’re all pure fun!

With Bailey (above) and Butters (below), both dogs had solidly dark fur on their faces. These are among the hardest for me to draw using nothing but a brush pen. I want to show the form and whatever subtle highlights are visible on dark fur, which means I have to avoid inking too solidly. It’s a fine line between good shading and going flat.

I especially like the way Bailey came out with a graphical quality that evokes comics. Practicing this technique, though, requires reference photos with good lighting and strong contrasts – apparently difficult to come by when people quickly snap photos of their pets doing whatever it is pets do.

In most cases this week, I did an OK job of capturing likeness but a better job capturing the animals’ character (although somehow the cats ended up with more attitude than they appear to have in their photos. Hmmm, maybe that says more about this artist than the sitters).

The reference photo for Dixie Sue (below) was among the worst I have had to work from for a commission: Dimly lighted, a bit out of focus, with almost no contrast. The photo’s saving grace were the lovely catchlights in her eyes that gave her so much expression. I went with a simple line drawing and let the features do the work. (I’m always amused by the slightly worried expression all chihuahuas seem to have!)

Cold and Windy Swansons

 

10/22/25 Swansons Nursery

“Why do we always meet at Swansons in the morning when we know it would be warmer in the afternoon?” I complained to Kate when I arrived. (Note to self: Schedule the next time in the afternoon!) A fall and holiday season standby for USk Seattle, Swansons offers colorful displays outdoors and a cozy café for inclement weather. In addition, the staff are always friendly and welcoming.

It wasn’t raining Wednesday, but it was downright cold and windy. I stayed outside for as long as I could stand it, sketching some bright blue pots, even brighter leaves that had caught my eye in the tree section, and Mark sketching by the shopping carts.

After that, I had had enough of the chill. Retreating to the café for coffee and a snack, I spotted Natalie and Kim – ideal victims under a jungle of enormous leaves. Swansons is always a good meetup spot in any weather.

Swansons Cafe

This entire fence at the back of the property was covered with dazzling Boston ivy!

Color Fest at Japanese Garden

 

10/21/25 Seattle Japanese Garden (I started a fresh square-shaped Hahnemuhle sketchbook with this outing. One thing I love about a square format book is the handy panorama landscape that can be made as a spread.)

Last Tuesday we had phenomenal weather for late October. Sunny and clear, it was an ideal day for Mary Jean, Roy and me to catch the color at Seattle Japanese Garden.

Although chilly enough that I was happy I wore multiple layers, including my down parka and gloves, we were smart to meet in the morning right when the garden opened. An hour in, the garden was mobbed with photographers, tourists and others who wanted to enjoy all that color as we did.

The resident tortoises and a heron were sunning themselves next to the pond.

Lunch at Arosa Cafe

After lunch at nearby Arosa Café, we kept walking another mile or so northeast toward the Madison Park neighborhood. Oooh-ing and ahhh-ing the whole way, we snapped photos of the dazzling color all around us. Seeing all the golden oaks made walking on busy, noisy Madison Avenue worthwhile.

Madison Park neighborhood

Affogato at Madison Park’s Scoop du Jour was the perfect ending to a beautiful day.

At Scoop du Jour, I enjoyed my Death by Chocolate affogato as I sketched the scene across the street.

The Madison Park neighborhood is afire with color!

Close to Home

 

10/16/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

This maple a couple of blocks from home is fun to watch each fall. It changes colors in a very irregular pattern, with some leaves at their peak while others are still as bright green as summer.

Material note: I sketched this one with my faithful watercolor pencils in an A6-size Hahnemühle sketchbook. As much as I love using water-soluble crayons in a (necessarily) larger book, nothing can beat the portability and convenience of colored pencils and a small sketchbook – materials so small and lightweight that I can take them on my fitness walks. I would miss a lot of sketches if not for that.