My Old Office Chair

 

3/15/25 Thanks, old chair, for your 30+ years of service! 

A couple weeks after moving into my new office/studio, I realized that my old chair was no longer comfortable. First I replaced the two foot rests (one at my PC, one at my drawing table), hoping that would do the trick. They helped, but something about the furniture and the fact that my chair was now on hardwood instead of carpeting somehow changed the ergonomics.

On the other hand, my new “dining” chair (which I had proudly assembled), which is actually an office chair, has been very comfortable. For a few days, I rolled it back and forth between the diningroom and the office, using it at both my computer and drawing work stations (the color temperature study I did last week was a chair-testing sketch) to see how it felt. I thought I might miss the arms on my old chair, but I didn’t at all. In fact, sometimes when drawing, the arms have gotten in the way, so an armless chair was better.

I decided it was time to replace my old office chair, now more than 30 years old, and I would have no problem choosing the right one: I got a second one identical to my “dining” chair (only the color is different). The best part: I already knew how to assemble it, so I wouldn’t have to sweat that part, either!

My new chair in the "office" side of my office/studio.

Compared to Greg’s office chair, I don’t feel much sentimentality toward my old chair. One arm is torn, and the upholstery is looking a bit thin in places. It has served me well and doesn’t owe me anything. I’ll probably put it out on the Buy Nothing group as I did with his chair. I couldn’t let it go, though, without a farewell sketch.

Taking it in Stride

2/22/25 Residents watch a program about building construction innnovations.

3/11/25

As I’ve gotten to know Greg’s fellow residents at Aegis, I’ve often wondered what they used to be like when they were younger and healthier. As we were all chatting together one day, I learned from one of the caregivers that Jamie had been a principal at a prominent local architectural firm. She pulled out her phone and showed me images of a couple of familiar downtown skyscrapers that he and his firm had designed. Seeing him now, barely functioning with severe dementia, it’s hard to imagine, but I appreciate knowing something about who he used to be.

Sandy was a painter, and it’s clear that she still has artistic skills and interests. During the “coloring socials” when residents are offered coloring pages and art supplies to use, Sandy will occupy herself for long periods carefully and mindfully coloring beautiful pages.

3/14/25

I have come to learn who to avoid sitting near during snack time if I don’t want to risk having food thrown at me. I keep my belongings on me while I visit (otherwise, things have a way of walking off).

Val, a very thin, frail-looking woman, has a mean right hook that has caused injury to some caregivers. The same strong overhand that can lob a balloon across the room during balloon volleyball can do the same with a juice cup (sometimes still containing juice).

The caregivers all take it in stride, as I have learned to. Greg has, too. He often finds humor in his fellow residents’ behavior, which makes me laugh, too. Just another day at Aegis. 

3/14/25

Pi Day

 

3/14/25 Macrina Bakery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Given that geometry was never my favorite subject, Pi Day is not usually one of the holidays I observe. But toward the end of a busy Friday when I needed a break, I had no objection to a mini maple apple pi at Macrina Bakery.

Not only was I able to snag a seat at all at this always-busy place, I was lucky enough to get my favorite window seat with a great view of a bumpy, old linden (which I had sketched from the same window shortly after Macrina opened in 2023). It’s a nice spot that also gives me a view of the Maple Leaf Reservoir water tower and park walkers.

Color Study from Photo

 

3/13/25 Prismacolors in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook (photo reference)

After a couple of attempts at trying to study color temperature indoors (once inside a café and once at Suzzallo Library), I’ve been itchin’ to try it outdoors. Artificial lighting coming from all directions mixed up with natural window lighting makes a challenging exercise even more confusing.

I can’t be bothered with waiting for the weather to accommodate me, so I resorted to a photo reference (see below). My color temp analysis: The backlit trees are slightly warmer than their shadows. The background light is relatively cool. The warmest areas are the sunlit grass and foliage.

Still leaning on a simple complementary palette, I chose a dark purple and the yellowest yellow-green I could find. Initially I tried lavender for the cool light, but I abandoned it for a pale blue. The mixing pyramid shows the three hues I settled on.

In the past, before I became aware of color temperature, I probably would have treated this more as a value study (even if I used color) by making the trees and their cast shadows the same hue and leaving the lighted background areas paper-white. If I were doing this on location, even if I had noted to myself, “The background light is relatively cool,” I probably wouldn’t have colored the background at all, simply to save time. But thinking like a painter in the comfort of my (new!) studio, I wanted to cover every speck of paper with color, even if very pale.

I do like the subtle differentiation between the trees and their shadows, especially because the yellow-green gives the dark purple trees a slight shimmer of warmth, like an underpainting.

Reference photo taken at high noon in November.

I know it will be more challenging to do this kind of analysis on location before sketching. Will I eventually get faster as I integrate the learning? I hope so. I also don’t want it to be a mechanical exercise (as it is now while I practice). I want the results to reflect what I’ve learned by being more expressive and dynamic and less literally descriptive (“trees are green; sky is blue”).

At heart, I will probably always be a realistic sketcher; it goes against my nature to choose random, crazy colors just to be less descriptive (like those rainbow faces I made in class). My goal here is to make color choices that make sense and seem “real” without simply trying to replicate what I see. I think this sketch is moving in that direction. What do you think?

Pushed Indoors Again in Columbia City

3/12/25 Empire Roasters & Records, Columbia City

Déjà vu: I recalled a USk Seattle outing in Columbia City way back in 2016 when heavy rain and wind pushed us all indoors. It wasn’t quite that bad on Wednesday, but it was definitely wet enough for our small group to retreat indoors.

Mary Jean and I decided on Empire Roasters and Records, where I had sketched with Roy and Kate just about a year ago. It’s a funky space combining a café and record store on three narrow floors. As I did last time, I admired all the furniture made from wood that still retained the raw edges, cracks and holes of the trees it came from.

I started with my current obsession: A color temperature study of the interior I faced. Using the tricks that seem to work best for me in Sarah Bixler’s class, which I had just finished, I looked for the warmest spots (the man’s face and the yellow painting on the wall) and the coolest area (his shirt). I noted that the light coming in through the window was on the cool side. From there, I just kept asking and comparing, Is this cooler or warmer than…? Eventually I want to bust out of this blue/orange (plus a little yellow) palette, but for now, it’s working for me as a learning tool. (I added the ceiling lamp at the library right before we had our throwdown.)

That done, I could relax and make a comics diary page to commend myself for unpacking my drawing table and filling my sketchbook bookcase (below).

It’s a shame that we couldn’t sketch outdoors because the Columbia City neighborhood is full of old architecture and fun business street fronts. But I was happy to have a comfy opportunity to work out color temperature concepts in a real-life location, not just a portrait from a photo. 

Cool Light/Warm Shadow = Brain Buster

 

3/10/25 Both exercises done with Prismacolors
in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook

Unattributed reference photo

The final assignment in Sarah Bixler’s class was to use reference photos with relatively cool light and warm shadows, which is the reverse of how I usually see and interpret light/shadow. For the first one (above), I used the same reference photo (unattributed) that Sarah had used in her demo.

Per her suggestion, I kept the lighted side fairly saturated while the shaded side was more of a mix of warm/cool and therefore less saturated. While Sarah explained her interpretation and logic as she demo’d, what she said made sense. But when I tried to do it myself, I got confused and befuddled! The light didn’t seem cool at all, nor did the shadow side seem particularly warm.

Feeling frustrated that I didn’t do it right, I tried again, this time with an Earthsworld reference photo (below). I deliberately chose one with a warm shadow side enhanced by a warm light under his chin reflected from his yellow shirt. To avoid the repeat of my confusion, I took a more mechanical approach that had worked for me previously: I determined that the warmest area was under his chin. Relative to that, everything else on his face was cooler. Though my approach feels mechanical, I think the second one’s result is much better. More important, I felt more solidly that I “get it,” even when the logical warm light/cool shadow is reversed.

3/11/25

Earthsworld reference photo

Whew! I took her class because of the brain blowouts I had gotten during her previous workshops . . . and this time, the blowouts continued, all the way to the end! One thing is for sure: I cannot unsee what I have learned to see about color temperature! Portraiture from photos is all fine and good for learning concepts, but we all know what I really want to do: Practice what I’ve learned out in the real world!

Drawing Table Unpacked

 

Ahhhh! It will never again be as clean and tidy as it is right now! I cherish this moment! On the desktop are my current first-tier colored pencils (Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelles, Prismacolors and Supracolors), brush pens, brushes, graphite pencils, other pencils, ballpoint pens. All those pots might look full, but I culled each one and filled a large baggie with duplicates, rejects or just meh items that will go to the next gab & grab or charity. The wood holders contain more graphite pencils and related tools and two fountain pens. An electric AFMAT sharpener on the left and Carl Angel Royal crank sharpener on the right.

Two weeks after the move, my drawing table is finally unpacked! A lot of general busy-ness kept me from unpacking as quickly as I wanted, but much to my relief, at least this primary point in my studio/office is done. (I’m still working on organizing and storing my supplies; stay tuned!)

My new drawing table (previously Greg’s PC desk; see above) is quite a bit larger than my old one (see end of post for photo) and also has nice drawers for storage. Since it’s intended for computer use, the table has a pull-out keyboard drawer to tuck away my tablet, pencil “valet” and current project when not in use. It probably looks jam-packed, but compared to my old table, it has a huge unoccupied space! My old table started out that way a decade ago, but somehow things kept creeping in – both on top and underneath – to the point of being out of control. I’m sure the desktop contents will evolve as I use different media, but I am going to do whatever I can to keep it from getting overcrowded again! (More details in the photo cutlines.)

The pull-out keyboard drawer holds my pencil "valet," tablet and current project (in this case, my class homework).

I just finished my final class assignments at my new drawing table! See below for setup.

The tablet is propped up on a box of colored pencils (see below) to bring the image closer to my eye level. The sketchbook is supported by the pencil case (not visible) and the edge of the tablet, which gives it just the right angle for drawing.

In the top drawer are second-tier Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils, a few watercolor supplies, Caran d'Ache palette and a box of blending stumps (too many... I need to cull those).

Second drawer contains second-tier Derwent Lightfast and Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils, Neocolor I and II, and a few other pencils I use occasionally. (The largest, lowest drawer is, sadly, filled with file folders, not art supplies. This is an office as well as a studio.)

This side view shows my current sketchbooks in progress, mostly for desk-based work. My sketchbooks in use for urban sketching are stored elsewhere (you'll see them eventually).

BEFORE: My train wreck of a drawing table shortly before I packed it up for the move! Note that the working space is very small because so much stuff is crammed onto the surface -- not to mention under the table! Hardly any room for my feet on the footrest!

It’s Happening!

Although it doesn’t feel like it, the trees and flowers say it’s so: Spring is on its way! The ornamental plums are just getting started, and the crocuses and daffodils have been up for more than a week. I still begrudgingly grab my down parka and gloves when I go out walking, but at least I’m rewarded with these glimpses of optimism.

The Mobile Studio Rides Again

 

3/8/25 Wedgwood neighborhood

Before I became a committed fitness walker in 2019, my winter-weather sketching routine usually found me in my mobile studio. It was so easy and convenient to drive a mile or three, pull over when I saw something interesting (or not), and sketch in warm, dry comfort.

I spent most of Saturday unpacking, doing laundry, errands and other boring chores. By late afternoon, I was itchin’ to get out for a sketch. I still had one more errand to run in Wedgwood, so I pulled over on my way to make this “nothing” sketch. It sure was warm and comfy! Fitness-walking in winter bites!

My Sketchbook Bookcase

 

More than 13 years of sketchbooks -- plus a little room to grow. Most books are in chronological order, but, of course, many books were used concurrently, so absolute chronology isn't possible. On the fourth shelf from the top, my colorful Uglybooks fit compactly and tidily in plastic storage boxes. Unfortunately, much of the bottom shelf gets wasted because the heating vent is behind it.

This sketchbook from 2020 expresses a little attitude.

A couple of weeks ago, I viewed a YouTube video that stabbed me directly in the heart. Teoh Yi Chie, better known as Parka, talked about how he lost nearly all of his completed sketchbooks.

As I was packing up all my sketchbooks for my move, I thought about Teoh and felt his loss and grief keenly. Although I have digital images of almost all of my sketches, they could never take the place of the bound books I carried around and filled daily, a page at a time. I couldn’t linger as much as I would have liked, but as I handled the books, I occasionally flicked through one, and it was like a visual flashback. Even the covers – handmade with ephemera when I traveled, or stickered with editorial commentary – captured the contents or era.

A couple of months ago when the media were filled with stories about Californians who had lost everything to fire, I realized I need to learn to detach myself from physical possessions, especially those I create myself. I have disposed of quite a few old artworks from my fiber and mixed-media days, but I still have a lot more work to do. I’m certainly not ready to toss entire sketchbooks.

Yesterday I unpacked six boxes and put more than 13 years of sketchbooks up into my newly moved (and now secured) bookcase. Still thinking about Teoh, I grieved for him all over again.

The sketchbooks on the first three shelves are stacked two-deep. Although these handbound books take up the most space, they were also the most fun to handle: The cover images told me immediately what season or location I was in when I filled them.

Finishing a Hundred-Plus at Pike Place Market

3/6/25 Fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Co.

LINK light rail southbound

On Day 4 of One Week 100 People, Roy, Mary Jean and I met at Pike Place Market to hammer out a few more. All of us were close to hitting a hundred, so the pressure was off, and it was pure fun.

After warming up on my light rail ride into town (at left), I got rolling at Pike Place Fish Company (top of post), famous for throwing salmon to each other to entertain tourists. At 10 a.m., the Market was still relatively empty enough that I actually had an unobstructed view of the fishmongers for a few minutes.

For the rest of my hundred, I strategically stood near the intersection of First and Pike, which has an all-way walk signal. That means pedestrians have to wait a bit longer than usual to cross, giving me a little more time. The most fun, though, was the guy making balloon animals (99), who eventually fashioned himself eye-catching headgear (103).

Roy shared his halo-halo with us!

I sketched 103 – 107 (I just realized I counted 103 twice) over lunch at Ludi’s Restaurant (below), which has a menu focused on authentic Filipino dishes. On Roy’s recommendation, I got a traditional silog with (nontraditional) veggie lumpia, all of which was delicious. The highlight of the meal, though, was the bright purple, ube-flavored halo-halo that Roy shared with us for dessert! It’s an amazing concoction of shave ice, sweet beans, coconut milk and some kind of unfamiliar fruit, all topped with ube ice cream, three cherries and a plastic flamingo. What a mess we made on the table sharing it!

Lunch at Ludi's Restaurant. All three of our round-robin concertina books are close enough to being filled that we decided to call the project finished. It's so much fun to go back through it and see the sketches MJ and Roy made. I cherish my book!

LINK light rail northbound

On the light rail ride home, I managed two more. The last one on the train, 109 (at right), may be my favorite of the whole week (despite being caught sketching her).

Since I knew Day 5 would be very busy, I didn’t expect to get any people sketched. You probably know, though, that I can be an over-achiever, so with one day left to the challenge, I couldn’t let it go. I snagged a few more at the Safeway pharmacy and Aegis (below). My final total: 113 (or maybe 114, since I can’t seem to count and draw at the same time).

3/7/25 Sketchwaiting at the Safeway pharmacy
and a couple of folks at Aegis

Caregiver at Aegis

113 in the Books!

 

3/3/25 Metro Market parking lot

One Week 100 People is always my favorite annual drawing challenge. Lasting only five days, it’s intense and challenging but also short and entirely doable because it has no restrictions. Sketches can be done from life, from photos, posed, candid, whatever. The only goal is to practice drawing people as much as possible for five days.

3/3/25 Metro Market parking lot

My personal goal has always been to draw all one hundred from life. The pandemic year made that difficult, so I tried to do a hundred selfies (I only made it to 58, the only year I didn’t hit a hundred). The other years were completed from life. This was my ninth consecutive year participating, and I had a ball!

3/4/25 Victrola Coffee

As I usually do, I chose simple materials that would enable me to capture quick gestures, no details and no color. This year I chose my favorite Pentel Pocket Brush Pen with occasional spots of a white Sakura Gelly Roll. Of course, my trusty daily-carry Uglybook was the best place to put all those people!

3/4/25 Victrola Coffee

Shown here are Nos. 1 through 82. Tomorrow I’ll show the rest. (Sorry that these got out of order . . . Blogger is not very friendly when uploading multiple images at once.)

3/4/25 Aegis Living and Victrola Coffee

3/4/25 Green Lake and Aegis Living

3/5/25 Bellevue Square (this spread and all that follow). This day was especially fun as it was with USk Seattle, and we were all working on our 100 people!

Bellevue Square turned out to be a particularly useful place to practice people walking up and down stairs. The handrail walls are transparant, so it was easy to see the legs and feet. Not easy to draw them, though!