The Rhythm of Commuters

 

5/15/25

As you’ve seen in previous posts, I like to save up a collection of fellow commuter sketches to put together in a single post rather than show them along with whatever I sketched at the destination. Commuters form a bridge between where I was and where I will be. They collectively create their own story separate from the purpose of my travel. 

5/21/25

7/22/25

When viewed together, they have almost a rhythm: faces, hands, feet; observations of clothing and grooming; observations about fellow passengers I’d rather not be sitting near. There’s also the visible passage of time in my sketch journals: Four Uglybooks colors since May – my own personal seasons.

8/21/25

8/21/25

9/11/25

9/6/25

Always Summer

 

9/16/25 Always Summer ice cream shop

Always Summer – that sounds like the name for a very inviting place, especially once the Big Dark settles in. The small Lake Forest Park ice cream shop was just right for Roy’s birthday celebration.

When I arrived, he was already busily sketching the free S’mores pastry he had been given by the owner. A new dessert that hadn’t yet been added to the menu, it was a chocolate-drizzled Graham cracker with toasted marshmallows all on top of what tasted like Nutella. We were more than happy to taste-test it (it was a bit too sweet for me, but still fun to sketch)!

I had an affogato with (somewhat redundant) coffee ice cream, which I scarfed down while sketching the café counter. With sunny yellow walls and decorations (the ceiling is covered with rows and rows of yellow ice cream scoopers), jazz playing softly, it’s a cheerful place that we’re definitely going to return to this winter when we need a place where it’s always summer.

Suki and Adik

 

8/26/25 (both reference photos by MJ Gilman)

These gift portraits of Suki and Adik gave me an opportunity to practice the looser, faster pet portraiture process I’ve been trying. I especially like the way Adik came out – almost like sumi-e, except I used markers instead of ink.

8/26/25 

Efficient Walking

 

8/1/25 Green Lake

8/5/25 Green Lake (experiment with a primary triad)

My mission this summer was to incorporate as much of my fitness walking as possible into my other routines and activities so that I could reduce the amount of time I spent purely on self-care. Doing nothing but walking around my ‘hood for an hour a day is a significant time commitment, even when I enjoy it, and even if I can squeeze in a sketch. But with a little planning, I figured out ways to put more walking into whatever else I was doing. For example, if I parked a half-mile away from a destination, that’s a full mile round trip. Timewise, it’s still the same as walking around my ‘hood aimlessly, but somehow it feels more productive. Bonus: I saw more neighborhoods.

The downside was that since those walks had firm destinations and sometimes time constraints, I didn’t sketch as much while doing those walks; hence, most of the sketches shown here were on my usual home turf.

8/5/25 Green Lake

8/5/25 Green Lake

8/16/25 Maple Leaf

8/19/25 Maple Leaf

9/8/25 Green Lake

9/15/25 Maple Leaf (As I was sketching these brilliant birches, I witnessed a rear-ending at the same intersection where I sketched on Aug. 16, sitting on the same bench outside Cloud City. The victim pulled over and assumed the driver behind him would pull over, too -- but the latter drove off. The victim examined his bumper; the damage didn't look too bad from where I sat.)

Birthday Party for Wedgwood Top Pot

 

9/12/25 Top Pot Doughnuts, Wedgwood neighborhood

Although I certainly have no problem indulging in donuts in any neighborhood, I consider the Top Pot Doughnuts in Wedgwood to be my “home” donut shop. When I first began sketching in 2011, one of the first cafes I felt brave enough to sketch people in was that Top Pot. Its interior is wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor bookshelves, giving it a comfy, library-like feeling. I also love the wide windows facing the street, which gives patrons a beautiful side- or backlighting. USk Seattle even had a small gathering there. (I have often thought that it could be my “third place” if only it were a bit cozier; my only complaint there is that it’s often chilly.)

When I heard that the Wedgwood store was celebrating its 20^th anniversary, you can bet I put that special occasion on my calendar! In addition to helping myself to free Pot Holes and coffee, I got to meet one of the chain’s co-founders, Mark Klebeck. It was fun to see all the families and neighbors stopping by for the festivities.

The Wedgwood store’s iconic twin palms and giant rooftop doughnut are so much fun to sketch that it’s obviously my favorite spot to observe National Donut Day. For this special occasion, I picked out some of my favorites from past years, below.

6/1/18

6/2/16

6/2/17

6/2/23

6/5/20

Party time!

Eagle in Blue

9/11/25 Olympic Sculpture Park

When I visited the Olympic Sculpture Park briefly last month, I realized I hadn’t sketched there in quite a while. Mary Jean and I picked a morning that turned out to be  chilly and foggy, but I dressed in enough layers to be comfortable. In fact, it was fun to capture the Space Needle disappearing into the thick fog.

Although the park exhibits numerous sculptures, I somehow always end up sketching the same three or four icons. Alexander Calder’s “Eagle” and Richard Serra’s “Wake” are two of them. It had been a long time, though, since I last sketched Jaume Plensa’s “Echo,” the haunting, serene, 46-foot head near the waterfront.

Brush markers and colored pencil -- a useful pairing.

Material notes: Since I’d sketched all of them before, the challenge this time was limiting my palette in an unusual (for me) way: blue and sepia (both Faber-Castell Pitt Brush Pens, 146 and 175, respectively). I enjoyed using these colors in a tonal way in Bothell, so I was eager to try them again, this time with a slightly lighter blue as a better midtone. The Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle Middle Cobalt Blue (660) that’s part of my everyday-carry colored pencil palette is very close in hue to the blue marker. As I was contemplating the Space Needle, I was trying to figure out how to do the subtle gradation required to depict fog – markers are either “off” or “on” with nothing in between. Then I suddenly remembered the colored pencil! Nothing like pencil to make subtle gradations easy.

Later when I sketched the Eagle, I wanted one step darker than blue, but not quite as dark as sepia, to show the shaded underside. Adding a layer of pencil over the marker did the trick. Pencil is also much better for suggesting foliage (behind “Wake”) than a marker is (at the base of “Echo” and behind “Eagle”). I’m digging the pairing of markers with colored pencil – each doing what it does best.

What a brain-blowout to sketch the bright red Eagle in blue!

Your Recliner

 

9/5/25

The Park at Bothell Landing

9/9/25 The Park at Bothell Landing

Right on the shore of the Sammamish River, the Park at Bothell Landing is an urban oasis of nature and history. Dodging the rain that had threatened earlier forecasts, USk Seattle enjoyed a chilly but fun morning exploring this park’s gems.

First, there’s the river itself. Despite being a short distance from Highway 522, it’s a quiet spot where kayakers and ducks share serene water surrounded by green. Walking on the trails immediately made me feel like I was in a forest instead of in the middle of a suburb.

Then, there are several sketchworthy buildings, especially the log cabin school house that was built in 1884! On the City of Bothell’s historic register, Hannan House was built by Andrew and Augusta Beckstrom. The Bothell Historical Museum is also housed in a fun-to-sketch building.

Finally, a timber-truss pedestrian bridge over the river leads to the Sammamish River Trail. These are just the things I chose at this new-to-me location, but I saw several other sketchable subjects that other sketchers jumped on. Noted for next time!

Process notes: After using colored Uglybooks consistently for more than two years, I started feeling kind of flabby: I always let the colored paper do the heavy lifting of the midtone. Inspired by some diary comics Roy had made, I brought along blue and sepia Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Dual-Tip Markers to use in a white Hahnemühle sketchbook (during the throwdown, I noted that I was the only sketcher who didn’t use any green!)  The blue was intended to be the midtone while the sepia was for the darks, but I later thought the blue was a bit too dark as a midtone. I loved working this way, though, so next time I’ll bring a lighter shade of blue. You’ll be seeing more of this!

The ancient log cabin school house

Snapshot Moments at the Waterfront

9/4/25 Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion

My grand-niece Kaila, who just turned three, was in town last week. As her birthday gift, I took her and her parents to the Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion, which I had been wanting to visit, too. Although the aging original aquarium is still there, the new pavilion is a shining star by comparison with much brighter, easier-to-see exhibits. A couple of days after Labor Day when Seattle Public Schools were back in session, the aquarium as well as the whole Waterfront Park and Overlook Walk were remarkably uncrowded! We had a delightful visit.

Touring with a three-year-old, I had no expectations of sketching that day, and yet an opportunity suddenly occurred: Kaila’s attention span lengthened by a few seconds as she became rapt by fish and several types of rays gliding by. I caught a few gestures of their graceful, serene movements.

At lunchtime, I had another such moment: Kaila herself, snacking on oyster crackers while we awaited our meals. They’re nothing more than snapshot sketches, but I’m always ready. 

Mom’s Sewing Basket

 

9/2/25 My mom's (and now my) sewing basket

During some recent reshuffling of stuff *, I unearthed my mom’s sewing basket. It was one of few things I had claimed for purely sentimental reasons after she died. At the time, I was a fiber artist, so I had some vague ideas of using the basket as part of an art piece. Mainly, though, I was still grieving too much to even look at it, so I simply wrapped it up to keep it clean and stored it behind a pile of other stuff. Out of sight, out of mind – for 16 years.

When I unwrapped the basket, I knew instantly what I would do: Use it! My own sewing basket had been an ugly plastic bin that you get at craft stores. Made of a woven material that was getting a bit shabby, my mom’s basket wasn’t anything special except that she had used it for many decades. I kept her notions and sewing tools that were still inside and added my own sewing stuff (which I rarely use except to mend or hem, but everyone needs a sewing kit, right?).

At some point, the basket’s clasp had broken. Child of the depression and of farmers, my mom wouldn’t dream of replacing the whole basket just because the clasp had broken. She rigged up a Bic ballpoint cap to replace it – so practical and utilitarian! That’s my mom. I know she would be pleased that her basket is still being used.

9/3/25 Cloud City Coffee

* Downsizing, Phase 3, has begun! My original plan was to replace the carpeting upstairs after I finished clearing out the last two attic areas that need to be downsized. I’m proceeding with the attic tasks, but I’ve decided to defer replacing the carpet for a while. Instead, I had all the existing carpeting deep-cleaned – which was just as tedious as getting new flooring because every single, tiny thing had to be removed from the floor! That meant that all the remaining random dribs and drabs in my studio/office that I hadn’t brought downstairs or gotten rid of in the spring now needed to be moved or removed permanently.

The good news is that the carpet is now cleaner than it has been in 35 years (even a sizeable Platinum Carbon Black ink spill and numerous small paint stains came out)! And instead of dreading it, I’m actually looking forward to the remaining downsizing tasks because now I know the deep satisfaction that awaits me when I’m done. My goal is to finish by year’s end. Of course, I’m also looking forward to the small celebrations along the way!

Yoga Interrupted

 

9/1/25 Outside the upstairs window

Mrehh, mrehh. . . chit-chit-chit-chit-chit. Mrehh, mrehh. . . chit-chit-chit-chit-chit.

It was that funny sound squirrels sometimes make. I was in the middle of my online yoga class when I heard it through my open windows: a squirrel on a utility line with its rear jammed up against the pole, fluffy tail curled over its head.

You may recall that I have a long, troublesome, expensive history with squirrels. My feelings toward them are still ambivalent, and on this morning I was curious what that familiar sound means. Is it distress, anger, threatening? Was this an inexperienced climber uncertain about scaling back down the utility pole it had obviously scaled up? Was it calling a friend? Admiring the view into my yoga studio?

By the time I had finished the first sketch, it had skittered up the pole a short distance to another, slightly less precarious perch, then rested a while in the same pose, making that sound again. Eventually, it skittered away.

Namaste, squirrel. Namaste.

Tops Down at Edmonds Car Show

 

9/7/25 1937 Nash LaFayette, Edmonds Classic Car & Motorcycle Show

Although the Greenwood Car Show is still the Seattle area’s best and biggest annual car show, the Edmonds Classic Car & Motorcycle Show is a very close second. Like Greenwood, the Edmonds show has a strong community feeling. Another high point is that it seems to have a stronger emphasis on classic cars – and lots of convertibles, to boot. The only drawback is that the streets of Edmonds are narrower, so it’s harder to walk during peak times, and it feels more compressed, even though it probably draws a slightly smaller crowd. In any case, this was my third year, and it’s definitely staying on my calendar of annual sketching events!

Since I didn’t arrive until late morning, it was lunchtime by the time I finished doing an initial walk-through of the whole show (a fun habit I developed at the Greenwood show so that I could get my fitness walk first as I note which cars to draw later). I spotted an ideal table on the sidewalk at Market Edmonds. While munching fish and chips, I sketched a bright red 1937 Nash LaFayette (above), which was almost fully in view.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sketching in the way I love most: Wandering around the entire show, stopping to sketch whenever and wherever something caught my eye (below). I saw so many beautiful convertibles, including a beloved ’57 T-Bird and a Mustang! Not just cars, though – I enjoy catching things that make the show a community event, like the two teenagers busking with their cellos. It’s also always amusing to jot comments I overhear as well as comments made directly to me.

When I started to run out of steam, I took an ice cream break at Molly Moon’s while facing the rear ends of a row of diagonally parked cars. These were my favorite cars to draw of the whole show. Not caring about how wonky my sketches were, I was intrigued by the shifting perspective and challenging foreshortened views from where I sat.

So many gorgeous convertibles!

This is the same T-Bird I sketched... my favorite!

Out of the Groove at Drawing Jam

9/6/25 Life drawing at Gage Academy's Drawing Jam

Gage Academy’s Drawing Jam has long been one of my favorite art events of the year. I’ve attended every year since 2012, even during the pandemic years when this popular event went virtual. Last year was the first time it was held at Gage’s new facility at South Lake Union, so that gave Drawing Jam an additional air of excitement.

For the first time ever, Gage moved the Jam from its traditional first Saturday in December to September to coincide with the new facility’s anniversary. I’m all for that change: I remember way too many cold (even sub-freezing), rainy drives to Capitol Hill in winter. Like last year, the spacious building felt comfortable instead of over-crowded as the old school often did. The vibe was again relaxed and pleasant.

Despite all that, I just couldn’t get into the groove this year.

After my first life-drawing session, I’m usually so buzzed that I feel like I could sketch all day (and often did). On Saturday, I kept waiting for that feeling, but it never came. By noon, I felt like I had seen and drawn enough. I wasn’t tired; I still had the stamina to draw more. I just didn’t want to.

Maybe the only thing that somewhat excited me about my life drawing attempts (which, admittedly, felt very rusty – I haven’t practiced life drawing in ages) was that I spontaneously tried a different tactic than usual. First, I kept the initial figure sketches tonal with brush pens. Then, before the 15-minute poses were over, I picked one of the two models’ faces to make a small study in black colored pencil. That kept my attempts fresh throughout each 15-minute session rather than belaboring a single sketch for the duration.

When I got tired of drawing models, I stepped back behind the group and sketched the artists, which is always a fun, “urban sketching” perspective to take.

After seeing all the exhibited art and having lunch with Ching, I decided to go home, still feeling frustrated and restless that Drawing Jam just didn’t buzz me like it usually does. 

On my walk back to the light rail station, I spotted an unusual scene (below): A pianist busker, and nearby was a man (part of a large group) who was protesting the Communist Chinese practice of organ harvesting. That’s got to be a unique combo even in downtown Seattle! 

After that, I finally felt satisfied and ready to go home. 

Fourth & Pine, downtown Seattle