![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYGqXMrp5ZD3-FwFScTFGhwbVhar6k1cPoTycoKlldyFvtJtCIxVOFUtnIxIpb1jEoXa-1TyMUTlOxalgM3GZgsxh3ccENp6LBZkQuSThZaJbA5LjPtWHuZnPmiTsEqwFTPC_CddIwwjG2K_3npr7FnSUrCSnuZwB0_B5LXRLYpcmFx9GgffViw/w464-h640/10-11-22%20Museum,%20Hahnemuhle,%20secondary%20triad,%20Dayton%20Avenue,%20Crown%20Hill%20neighborhood,%20Seattle.jpg) |
10/11/22 Crown Hill neighborhood |
After more than two weeks of smoky skies, the air finally cleared
on Tuesday. To celebrate, I threw open all the windows and doors, even though
it was still a bit chilly in the morning, and inhaled deeply. Ahhhh! Then I
took the top down and headed for the Crown Hill neighborhood: My annual
leaf-peeping tour was on!
You’ve seen these trees on my tour many times. Nearly every
year, I sketch this traffic circle at Northwest 83rd and Dayton
Avenue North, where three slender, tightly packed maples stand. (I can only
ever see two at a time; I only know there are three because of the trunks.) The
one facing south always turns first, and it’s usually done by the time the other
two are at peak. I try to sketch them at various times of day, different times
of year, and from different directions.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRgx8QPfgb0lkU_e7MfsYWHYq-GY9PJSBHwvjbdmHv8s0LS0yXO909jSTaTWe5eyvH_ubkc4ZLy1IkN3kCSOsMnHr2OADf249IFK4iUnbXNjyDnQh2Z3dlZSL1fIefkEjs956bnR6i6Mm5Kj65Iaw6hn7i7iP3QPzs6A2WyHVzFG7lLRpZ7P3PA/w373-h400/10-11-22%20Uni%20Pin,%20Museum,%20Uglybook,%20line%20worker,%20Crown%20Hill%20neighborhood,%20Seattle.jpg) |
A fast line worker... I hardly had time to sketch him. |
Of all the times I’ve sketched there, I’d never seen human
activity nearby. What a treat: Halfway through my sketch this week, a line workers’
crew showed up, including flaggers directing traffic at the circle. I quickly
put one guy in, but they moved around quickly, so I made a separate sketch.
Then I caught the line worker – barely. He was up there for only a minute or
two, then the team moved on down the street.
Just for fun, I’ve included below a few sketches from
previous years. I have more than these, but I chose the ones sketched closest
to Oct. 11, the date I made the sketch above, to compare the difference in
coloring. It’s also fun to see how my media have changed over the years (and
hopefully my skills).
Secondary triad note: Although I’m mostly happy with the
secondary triad I’ve been using the past few weeks, I sometimes miss
yellow. I haven’t missed blue at all, and red is easily improvised with the
red-orange I’ve been using as part of the triad. Yellow, however, is impossible
to fake (Caution/SLOW sign yellow, which I used above, doesn’t help, as it’s more
yellow-orange). When I compare this year’s sketch to previous years when I had
a full palette, I wish I’d had a true yellow to put more light on the very tops
of the trees. Maybe I’ll put yellow back in.![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFe5Nf0gIrZrCVhVcnWcVAz9eDY-kh9HMyj-16B-mW4Hvr5BWV0xztwZARg1kVzGRIG2SRSx3Tk1QtuCYBD9ovE8SeoxZ4_UZSK0v8soLcEgnFQdDefWrgJmXZ31R5lHIqQCXK0P0uCNNId9rkeu35CBinhJCcZafDKje-IzHSJm-Q2fXfOJ3Vgw/w266-h400/10-14-15%20Plat%20Carbon,%20Pilot%20WA,%20Fuyu-syogun,%20grey%20ink%20mix,%20wc,%20XL,%20traffic%20circle%20trees%20on%20Dayton%20and%2083rd,%20Greenwood%20neighborhood,%20Seattle.jpg) |
10/14/15 watercolor |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUv2rEeBuuM7IvgZ9jbecyHw1wzcbU7NDXQMPocUhdIqpe76f_GghjUai0dGmBHVVuabDawyFV-cpXdltyP6a5NsW6MQyMT0SACJcl4CuTUgVrkDfSfLf6EwNtpkcXy9BNL9AkMVbcUrD-qZg5FYoMOUoLeoXVMUU67H5zZqfROQxFuCseIZvYCQ/w263-h400/10-5-17%20w-s%20colored%20pencils,%20Pitt,%20Plat%20Carbon,%20fude,%20XL,%20maple%20trees%20at%2083rd%20and%20Dayton,%20Greenwood%20neighborhood,%20Seattle.jpg) |
10/5/17 watercolor pencils, marker |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIxON1bh4qqCsYLJJ7aspdeoH2Nk4ugOIFKkMF4r_TJJQVVYUO4jpUvBWDLYA2ThdLyjyljJqexyHq5tx5KnWTS0xMICPinvcBE8J77SZwGdGrLBYQcIbgY89bbMQHfY12XOz2q3Eg1q5hWx6F2rVmB_fgYi3141sT4BFP60kzwi3SCoeB_x2oA/w264-h400/10-19-18%20Museum,%20Neocolor,%20ballpoint,%20XL,%2083rd%20and%20Dayton,%20Greenwood%20neighborhood,%20Seattle.jpg) |
10/19/18 watercolor pencils, wax pastels |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLc1wuzB8D_t3MxhkBhZ8t7eaGm3TLWt9xImqtff5sTBxVncM-iVdb7zZ7zzena4PXbJddf3KbVDvi7SWKADmJJt-bCXV3wTbKvuyHUvt7zTAFDhSqdnkizEDKvhoxYGoMx6gpAsfv9e24ou8s-XQfDvjN-Vl30ya6FptnxAx3mF3OkKuZz8vGFg/w264-h400/10-22-20%20Museum,%20Beta,%20maples%20at%20Dayton%20and%2083rd,%20Greenwood%20neighborhood,%20Seattle.jpg) |
10/22/20 watercolor pencils |
Loving those purple shadows! I think you're right about the yellow, and it would add a nice contrast to the shadows, too. I like the sketches of the work crew.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yellow is back in! ;-)
DeleteI like comparing the effects that you get with the different kinds of media. Each one is so different. It is hard to work without a yellow. I've been thinking of finding a nice yellow watercolor pencil to put in my bag. Invariably when I reach for my yellow paints (and there are 3 of them in my palette) they are all contaminate with green. It is hard for me to get a pure yellow without wiping paint off the yellows.
ReplyDeleteI remember from my watercolor days how hard it was to keep yellow clean! If you get a Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle, it is so rich in pigment that you will feel like you are using paints! :-)
Delete