Tina’s Top 10 Memorable Sketches of 2024

 

2/1/24 Downtown Seattle from Greg's apartment

Every December, I do a series of year-end review posts related to new products I tried that year that I liked or didn’t like; products I wished someone would make; my most memorable sketches of the year; and reflective thoughts. However, with big life changes and downsizing tasks taking a large part of my attention this year, art supplies – acquiring, using and reviewing them – weren’t on my mind as much. And with my new commitment to acquiring less of everything (recent wagon falling-offs notwithstanding), it will be the same going forward. It’s a good time to downsize my end-of-year blog traditions, too.

The one post I want to continue, though, is my review of the year’s most memorable sketches. I truly enjoy looking back at my sketches from the past 12 months (I don’t know the total number, but I scanned 1,080 images as of Dec. 23) and thinking about why some stand out as special. These sketches are almost never my “best” work (in terms of “art quality,” whatever that might be); instead, they are memorable for the feelings they evoke or meanings they hold in some way.

It’s always interesting to see the themes that emerge. A strong one is the change in my style and approach this year as I moved away from individual, stand-alone sketches and toward visual storytelling and on-location comics made of multiple sketches. It’s a very different way of thinking visually, and I’m still enjoying the process.

Of course, I enjoyed sketching with my local Urban Sketchers group regularly, but I also did more social sketching with small groups of friends than ever before. After the pandemic had subsided, and I could have gone back to social sketching, I pulled back. It was not so much out of fear of COVID but because those years were when my time and energy were increasingly committed to Greg’s care. Twenty twenty-four was the first post-pandemic year that I could spend long periods of time sketching with friends whenever I wanted. It’s an activity that I especially cherish.

As is almost always the case, my most memorable sketches are ones I made on location. Although I have learned to value drawing from photos, those sketches don’t stay with me as special. For that, I have to be there, live.

Feb. 1, Seattle skyline (top of post): Although I didn’t share this sketch of the downtown skyline until April when I was ready to talk about it, I had sketched it from Greg’s Aegis Living apartment window on Feb. 1, the day he had moved in. At the time, he didn’t understand yet that it would be his new home, and I sketched to quell the anxiety, guilt and sorrow I was hiding.

 April, family reunion in Dallas (below): Gathering with my family to view the total solar eclipse in Dallas was very special and memorable in many ways.

4/7/24 Koyama family shoes

6/24/24 Ole Bolle, Portland

June, Portland: Because I was on my own, this short trip to Portland was memorable for being a wonderful opportunity to sketch as much as I wanted without the usual daily routines and responsibilities. Sketching Ole Bolle (left) with a friend was especially fun.

 June 29, Greenwood Car Show: Year after year, this neighborhood car show has been one of my favorite summertime events where I usually made portraits of individual cars (as well as the general goings-on). This was the first time I thought of it more as a reportage opportunity, telling the story of the event with a series of sketches (below). My post includes a retrospective of past years, which show the differences in approach.

 

6/29/24 Greenwood Car Show

July 3, Ballard neighborhood: Roy, Mary Jean and I had so much fun following the sketch path through Ballard (below) that Gabi Campanario had published in the Seattle Times. The day inspired us to brainstorm other neighborhoods we’d like to walk and sketch through in a similar way next summer.

 

7/3/24 Ballard neighborhood

7/17/24 Fishermen's Terminal

July 17, Urban Sketchers Seattle 15th anniversary celebration (at right): As the opening event leading up to Sketcher Fest as well as a milestone celebration, USk Seattle’s anniversary outing at Fishermen’s Terminal was very special, indeed.

July 18, Sketcher Fest ice cream cruise (below): Another Sketcher Fest auxiliary event, the ice cream cruise was a wonderful way to reunite with lots of sketcher friends, many of whom were visiting from other states or countries. I also felt personal and civic pride showing off my hometown, delighted to sketch it from a unique point of view. 

7/18/24 Sketcher friends on the ice cream cruise

July 18, Mt. Rainier: After all the social excitement and non-stop activities leading up to Sketcher Fest, Joel and I ended the day quietly sketching Her Majesty from Maple Leaf Park (below). Both of us introverts, we needed the relaxing, quiet time to appreciate Mt. Rainier’s beauty.

7/18/24 Mt. Rainier from Maple Leaf Park

 Oct. 14, Waterfront Overlook Walk: Seeing and sketching the brand-new Overlook for the first time with Kate and Mary Jean felt like a worthy culmination of years of civic planning (and plenty of tax dollars). It was also an ideal opportunity to take a reportage approach and show as much of the new attraction as possible (below).

10/14/24 Waterfront Overlook Walk

 Dec. 11, Omakase Lunch at Moriyama Sushi: Rats perform better when rewarded. When my big downsizing efforts began mid-year, sketching while eating treats became my reward system. The most unusual treat of the year was a colorful omakase meal (below).

12/11/24 Omakase meal, Moriyama Sushi