Mixed-Media Eavesdropping

 

6/28/26 Retreat, Green Lake neighborhood

Sipping my Cortado outside Retreat at Green Lake on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, I overheard two conversations, one on either side of me, each in a different language that wasn’t English. For a while, I was frustrated, especially with the pair of men who were talking very loudly and simultaneously (wasn’t either listening?), because I couldn’t properly eavesdrop. Finally, I blocked out those conversations and decided to focus on the sidewalk passers-by: Incomplete discussions but at least eavesdroppable.

Pencils and crayons are my jam!

Media notes: I’m digging my current combo of Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water-soluble waxed pastels with water-soluble colored pencils – Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle and Derwent Inktense. Each has its own quirks (well, Museum Aquarelle is so perfect that it’s basically quirk-free, but maybe that’s just because I’ve been using it the longest and most consistently). Using them together, I must still be a bit mindful (pencils need to go before crayons, for example), and Inktense has a mind of its own. But I like the overall effect of the combo, and I love having a wider range of colors to choose from, especially greens.

Paper note: I keep wanting Stillman & Birn Zeta paper to work with this mixed-media combo because I love it so much with dry pencils (especially Derwent Drawing pencils). If I could use just one book for all my media preferences, my life would be perfect! While Zeta works OK when I keep the water light, with this sketch, the colors lost their richness, and I missed the texture of cold-press Hahnemühle. Sigh.