Volunteer Park Water Tower

 

6/16/26 Volunteer Park

The first time I encountered the Volunteer Park water tower, I was with my Brownie troop in second grade. We all climbed up to the observation deck, which has a unique view of the city. Built in 1906, the tower is still part of the city’s water system. The reservoir is no longer in service, but the standpipe, which holds 883,000 gallons of water, is still in use.

The water tower up close

It’s been a few years since I last climbed up there. On a stunningly beautiful afternoon with temps in the delicious mid-70s (my outdoor temperature sweet spot), I wasn’t motivated to climb it. Instead, I went looking for different views of it. First I found the peek-a-boo view (top of post) of its conical top through many layers of trees (which has lately become a favorite sketching subject).

Then I walked around to the tower’s opposite side and made a small sketch of it up close (at left). I was so close, in fact, that the conical tower isn’t even visible from this angle.

Color notes: Two of the green Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons in my current daily-carry palette recently broke. While pencil tips can break from drops on the pavement, at least they can be sharpened easily. When crayons break, they become too short to use easily – once because they are difficult to hold, and again because they disappear into my crayon holder, out of sight. I’m now trying to find a crayon extender so I can comfortably use the stubs again.

It was as good an opportunity as any to pick out some new greens, both in crayons and in water-soluble pencils (Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle and Derwent Inktense). This is the first sketch using the new greens.

I also returned to my long-time favorite Middle Cobalt Blue Neocolor II for summer skies. As I yammered about recently, I like to use whatever blue I’ve chosen for the sky in at least one other place in the sketch to pull the palette together. It’s a bright, warm blue that doesn’t apply well as a shadow hue, but when mixed with the darkest green, it blends in without shouting “blue.”