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 |
I just love your enthusiasm for Urban Sketching! It’s alway inspiring. Congrats on 10 years too!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on ten years!! I really like your grayscale thumb, the forms and values overlap nicely.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found company to sketch with on your 10th anniversary!!! I really like your neighborhood thumbnail/"real" sketch...lots of good values.
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