Looking Back, Looking Ahead

 

Last year was all about figuring out what my life’s “normal” setting is, learning to live in that new normal, and downsizing. Finally settled in 2025, I began looking ahead – to something that has been on my mind, unfulfilled for years.

Twenty years ago, a significant portion of my freelance income came from teaching – work that I genuinely enjoyed. In early 2020, I had been planning and looking forward to begin teaching in the Urban Sketchers workshop program – and then 2020 happened (my blog post announcing it was literally only a month before the world shut down for COVID). The workshop program never resumed when the world reopened, and by then, my full attention was on Greg. Some part of me, though, kept the idea of teaching tucked away for another time.

That time is finally here, and I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching in 2026! Prompted by the pet portraits I drew for ArtSpot’s fundraiser last summer, the Edmonds art supply store invited me to offer workshops related to animal portraiture. I’ll be offering two this spring: Pet Portraits in Brush Pen and Animal Portraits in Colored Pencil.

All the practice I did during InkTober and Pencilvember this year was, in fact, not just practice; I was also refining techniques so that I could articulate them to students. I’m looking forward to getting back into the creative process of helping others to learn.

Although we all like the neatness of closing an old year and beginning a fresh one, I’m more of the mind that life is a perpetual continuum.  To honor the unfinished continuity of life, shown here are sketches that got interrupted and were never finished. Life goes on, whether the sketch gets finished or not, and I’m looking forward to it.

Happy New Year!

Tina’s Top 10 Memorable Sketches of 2025

 

1/18/25 The People's March

Continuing a long-standing, end-of-year blog tradition, shown here are my 10 most memorable sketches of 2025. It’s always fun and illuminating to look back on all my sketches from the year and think about why some are noteworthy. 

As I always say in my intro to this post, these are not necessarily the “best” sketches I made this year; they are my most meaningful in various ways. In fact, in most cases it wasn’t a single sketch that was most memorable – it was the whole experience of sketching in that location. My sketches are not necessarily about special moments; they are moments made special because I sketched them. For me, that’s what urban sketching is.

 

4/14/25 Hollywood sign, Los Angeles

Jan. 18, The People’s March (above): This was the first of several protest rallies I sketched to document the anger and outrage many people have been feeling about the state of our country and its so-called leadership.

April 14, the Hollywood sign (at right): Although all the sketching I did in L.A. last spring was among the most memorable, I chose this little sketch of the iconic Hollywood sign as the most touristy and therefore emblematic of my visit.

 July 12, Old Dog Haven’s Pups on Parade (below): I had so much fun sketching dogs (some costumed) and their humans at this event that it will definitely be on my annual summer calendar going forward.

 

7/12/25 Pups on Parade

July 22, Hing Hay Park: Some of my favorite and most memorable sketching of the summer was during the days leading up to and winding down from Sketcher Fest. After all the hubbub was over, it was both relaxing and fun to sketch a familiar spot and experience it through the fresh eyes of an out-of-town visitor.

 

7/22/25 Hing Hay Park

Aug. 21, drawing pets at ArtSpot: Although none of the hasty pet portraits were my best work, the experience of drawing them during ArtSpot’s fundraising event was a fun and memorable time.

8/21/25 Sketching pets at ArtSpot (photo by Janet Wang)

 Aug. 21, Beacon Hill sketch outing: This USk outing in the Beacon Hill neighborhood became something of a media event: A Seattle Times writer and photographer gave us a little coverage as part of a story they were doing on Gabi Campanario.

 

8/21/25 Beacon Hill neighborhood

Aug. 29, Gasworks Brewing Co. drink & draw: This was my favorite USk drink & draw of the year, partly due to its location on Lake Union but mostly because it’s where I finally met Naoko, a sketcher I had been following on Instagram for years.

 

8/29/25 USk drink & draw at Gasworks Brewing Co.

Aug. 30, my childhood home in the Leschi neighborhood: It was a very special moment to finally sketch the house I grew up in.

 

8/30/25 My childhood home, Leschi neighborhood

9/22/25 elephants at the Oregon Zoo, Portland

Sept. 22, elephants at Oregon Zoo (at left): The highlight of my fall trip to Portland was a visit to the Oregon Zoo, and by far the most fun animals to sketch there were the elephants.

 Nov. 30,  the Seattle Marathon (below): Sketching the first marathon I had ever attended certainly made it a memorable occasion.

11/30/25 Seattle Marathon

Closing Out the Year at Westlake Center

 

12/27/25 Overlooking Sixth Avenue from the walkway connecting Nordstrom to Pacific Place

Westlake Center tree and former Macy's building

Despite temps in the low 30s Saturday morning, a hardy group of sketchers showed up for the USk outing at Westlake Center – and some even sketched outdoors! BRRR! All I could stand was five minutes to sketch the big Christmas tree in the central plaza and the former Macy’s star (at left). The latter was always a symbol of downtown Seattle’s shiny past. These days, the star still shines, but much of downtown sadly lacks luster.

After that, I decided to spend the rest of the outing indoors. Joining several other sketchers at Nordstrom’s Ebar coffee shop, I discovered a dazzling view of – not much (below). The blahness of the view, however, gave me an opportunity to try out an unusual color palette I have begun experimenting with (more on that soon).

While there, I learned that if I went up to Nordstrom’s top floor, I could walk across a sheltered walkway that connects the store to Pacific Place. As promised, the walkway’s floor-to-ceiling windows offered unique views overlooking Sixth Avenue near Pine Street. Although architects would have had a field day sketching the skyscrapers on both sides of the street, I chose Nordstrom’s corner where the deep awning was decorated by huge ornaments (top of post).

The last outing of 2025 for USk Seattle, it was a fun morning to close out the year and look forward to the next one!

Unexpected: Caran d’Ache + Germanier Colour Set

 

Now that's a tin worth having!

Even as the Caran d’Ache Alpine Frost Bicolors set disappointed me, another newish Caran d’Ache product inspired and interested me more than I expected: the Caran d’Ache + Germanier Colour set (available at Blick). While I don’t go after every celebrity special edition (which Cd’A puts out fairly often), this one called to me because of the unusual color selection and especially the brightly colored metal tin.

A collaboration with Swiss fashion designer Kévin Germanier, the set includes Supracolors in standard colors, Supracolors in metallic colors and four neon colors. Although the metallic colors do not have the water-soluble icon, they are, indeed, water-soluble (as seen in my swatches). 

None of the colors are new or “special” to the Germanier set; they have just been branded as a “special edition,” and some pencils include Germanier’s bubbly icon (symbolizing his over-the-top, bead-laden fashions that he is known for).

Swatched in Hahnemuhle student-grade watercolor sketchbook (as usual, my scanner is not able to show neon colors well)

The four neons are not part of the Supracolor line, as seen by the uncapped ends.

Although the metallics are part of the Supracolor line, their cores are slightly thinner than standard Supracolors.

As with most of these artist/designer collaboration sets, purchasing the set gives free access to an online Creative Class by the celebrity. Whenever I’ve purchased these special editions, I’ve viewed the videos to see what they are about, and some are more inspiring than others. For example, a few years ago when I bought the Beya Rebaï Neocolor II sets, I was intrigued enough by her unusual palette (which was very not-me) that I carried it around for a while to shake up my urban sketching. I even found equivalents in Museum Aquarelle pencils so that I could further experiment with the palette without having to use crayons. It was an informative exercise in color temperature and using colors picked out by someone else (which is always a weird but eye-opening experience).

Since Germanier is a fashion designer, I wasn’t interested in his subject matter, but his unexpected mix of neon and metal was intriguing enough. Although I wouldn’t call the video a “class” or even a tutorial, he gave a spontaneous demo of his approach to sketching an initial design concept.

Kevin Germanier

He “loves” making gradients by blending unexpected hues, like neon green with dark green or neon yellow with metallic gold. Although he didn’t talk much about values directly, it was clear to me as I watched him work that he was applying basic value principles to his wacky palette. For example, he used gold to shade the model’s neon yellow hair. He reserved the darkest standard colors – Ultramarine, Dark Carmine, Grass Green and Black – for the darkest values. (As we’ve all heard, even if grass is red and trees are purple, the work will still “read” correctly if you get the values right.)

His sketch was nearly done here. He pointed out that in this type of sketch, he doesn't bother with trying to convey human proportions, as it's just an initial concept. In fact, he kept referring to her as an "alien" to prevent viewers, I suppose, from thinking this could be an actual model.

What’s that Cream doing in his palette? He said he likes to use off-white on black paper – but then didn’t demo that (Booo – I really wanted to see that!). He also uses Cream for his initial contour drawing (which I thought was the weakest part of the demo, since Cream on white paper is basically invisible on video).

Using the same reference photo of Jaxon, the pup I sketched with a brush pen last week, I used Germanier’s palette and tried to apply his principles. Since I rarely use neon or metallic pencils, his colors are fun to use, and his approach to blending them is a brain shaker-upper.

12/25/25 Caran d'Ache + Germanier Colour set in Bee mixed media sketchbook

In fact, I started thinking . . . what if I pulled a palette of my own unexpected, unrealistic hues and tried them while urban sketching? Not necessarily metallic or neon, but simply colors that I wouldn’t consider using in an urban landscape. It would be similar to phases I’ve gone through of sketching with only red/blue or only a secondary triad, but I’d have to get crazier than that. Hmmm . . . intriguing to consider.

Fewer Creatures Stirring

 

12/24/25 Shoppers heading for the Shoreline Costco exit.

Last year a friend had told me that the best day of the year to shop at Costco is Christmas Eve. As someone who avoids entering Costco anytime between Thanksgiving and New Year, I was skeptical. What about frantic, last-minute gift buyers and people prepping for the big Christmas day meal? It defied logic, but as I was getting low on basic supplies nearing Christmas Eve, I decided to give it a shot. She was right! It was the least crowded I had seen in years.

This year I made my last Costco shopping trip the week before Thanksgiving, then waited until Christmas Eve for my next trip. Although it seemed a bit more crowded than last year, I ran around (2,000 steps on my FitBit) getting all my usual staples in 20 minutes. More impressively, none of the checkout stations had lines!

That afternoon, I wondered if the same could be true at other venues that are mobbed the rest of the year. For science, I stopped at Macrina Bakery on my way back from a walk. The space where a couple of large tables usually are had been taken over with shelving to organize all the orders waiting for pickup. Even with that reduced seating, I got my favorite seat, and several other spots were available.

12/24/25 Macrina Bakery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Huh! Next year, I’ll have to think of some other usually crowded spot to test.

Year-End Skyscapitos

 

12/22/25 sunrise, Maple Leaf neighborhood

After many consecutive days (weeks?) of gloomy, gray and wet sunrises, the dawn after the solstice brought a colorful one (at left). I think I missed the best of it by the time I got upstairs, but I was too delighted not to sketch its tail end. The other surprise was seeing how far south the sun rises this time of year (which is why I could see the colors so well). Yes, it happens every year, and yet it always surprises me!

There’s a chance for more, but looking at the weather forecast, these are likely the last skyscapitos of 2025. This is also a wrap for the Uglybook that I began on Nov. 10, 2022.

It’s the third white Uglybook I’ve filled. The others contain skyscapitos, but they also contain more randomness than this one does. When I bought the first three-pack, I was skeptical that I’d have enough uses for white Uglybooks; after all, I have plenty of high-quality sketchbooks containing white paper. I realized quickly, though, that the 80-pound paper is sufficient for the light washes I use with watercolor pencils in thumbnail-size sketches. More significantly, the inexpensive book invites small color captures of sky scenes that are changing by the second. It shouts, “Hey, we’re not making plein air paintings here! Just grab the color before it’s gone! Now!” Realizing that I did have a use for them, I eventually got a second three-pack. I’m glad I did; Uglybooks stopped making white books a long time ago, probably realizing that they didn’t need to compete in the traditional white sketchbook market.

12/12/25 sunset

Although book No. 3 contains a few random sketches, and some skyscapitos required different colored papers (like the dark blue one at right), for the most part, it’s a continuous chronology of sunrises and sunsets I’ve sketched the past three years. I appreciate that kind of continuity.

My life three years ago was very different from now. Back then, I sometimes sketched sunrises not with joyful anticipation but with dread of what the day might bring. Sometimes my sunset sketches were brief moments of respite after long days of pain and anxiety. Now I finish the book with peace and gratitude, looking forward to more skyscapitos in 2026.

Three years of sky color

The Nutcracker House

 

12/23/25 Sunset Hill neighborhood

Each holiday season for more than a decade, a family has been displaying stage design props from Maurice Sendak’s Nutcracker ballet in front of their Sunset Hill neighborhood house. This Seattle Times article explains how the owners started acquiring the pieces, one of which is 15 feet tall, after the ballet production retired in 2014. A team of neighbors and friends helps out each year.

Although I’ve known about “the Nutcracker house” for a long time, it was the Times’ recent article and learning about how much work it takes to put up the display that gave me the nudge to finally go and sketch it.

Meeting Mary Jean there around 4 p.m., I had just enough daylight to sketch a few characters with the house behind it (top of post). The 1936 house looks like a fairytale year-round!

MJ and I talked about how some characters are kind of creepy, like this nutcracker with the maniacal grin. I wonder if some kids found this ballet scary?

By 4:30, it was dark, and that’s when the illuminated characters really came to life (see my Instagram post for a short video of the scene). Although it got more and more difficult to see, we both kept going until, as MJ said, she couldn’t tell which colors were which anymore. It pushed my nocturne sketching to a new level of darkness! It was also the most fun sketching I did this holiday season. 

Merry Christmas!

Scowling Mouse King (the one on the left)

15-foot-tall Nutcracker

Carolers

12/11/25 Carolers from Fairview Elementary

 

12/4/25 Holiday Harmony Pop

Holiday music has been the focus of Happy Hour at Aegis this month. The best carolers were the first graders from neighboring Fairview School (the group was larger than I sketched above, but their performance was short). As you might imagine, they were a squirmy bunch, but their festive hats (many too large for their small heads!) and earnest performance made them a joy to watch. A few older kids also read the poem “The Night Before Christmas” impressively. Looking around at the residents, I could see that almost everyone was engaged and enjoying their performance, especially Greg.

An adult group, a quartet called Holiday Harmony Pop, sang festive favorites wearing fun head gear. I sketched them twice: My usual way and then as blind contours. Can you guess which is which? 😉

Three Pups, Three Materials

 

12/19/25 Jaxon (Pentel Pocket)

12/19/25 Roxy (Holbein) (all drawings on Lenox Cotton)

12/21/25 Sammy (Derwent Drawing)

I made these pup portraits as a gift for a friend. Although they won’t look very cohesive displayed together, I felt like making each dog with a different material. Jaxon was made with my favorite Pentel Pocket brush pen. I used Derwent Drawing pencils on Sammy because I’m currently having a lovefest with that set. Holbein is not a pencil I ever think to reach for, but since I had them out for the opacity comparison I did recently, I used them on Roxy. I could hardly remember the last time I used them to sketch anything.

I don’t know what it is about Holbein: They blend beautifully; they are deliciously soft; they feel as close to graphite as any colored pencil can (which is a good thing). Yet I’ve never purchased more than the 50 colors I originally bought. Exorbitant price notwithstanding, I have never felt compelled to. I want to love them, and yet I don’t. Especially now that Derwent Drawing comes in a full palette.