Phinney Station from the Other Side

 

8/25/26 Phinney Station, Phinney Ridge neighborhood

After our zoo visit and lunch nearby, Roy, Mary Jean and I walked a half-mile up the street to Bluebird Ice Cream for dessert. The tiny shop’s outdoor seating gave us an ideal view of Phinney Station directly across the street. That’s the venue where USk Seattle had a drink & draw a few weeks ago. I always find it fun to sketch a venue from the outside after having sketched it from the inside – especially when it has lots of umbrellas.

Paper notes: Since I knew I wanted to use Derwent Drawing pencils to draw zoo animals that day, I had brought along my Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook – my favorite paper for use with those soft pencils. Although they’re ideal for fuzzy animals, soft colored pencils weren’t right for Phinney Station’s hard edges. For that, I preferred using a brush pen on Zeta’s smooth surface, which imparts a crisp line to all inks.

How I love Hahnemuhle paper with water-soluble materials!

But what to do about all that background foliage? I knew better, but I went ahead and used water-soluble colored pencils (Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle and Derwent Inktense) and water-soluble Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons anyway. I activated the color, waited for the water to dry, then went back over it lightly with more dry color, trying to put back the texture I had lost. It’s not the same, though, as my all-time favorite 100 percent cotton Hahnemühle with water-soluble materials (as I used in the sketch at right, shown for comparison). Both the texture and especially the sizing of Zeta paper just don’t take wet media as well.

The Zoo is Full of Surprises

 

8/25/26 Silverback gorilla, Woodland Park Zoo

Visiting the zoo is always a crapshoot. Some days the animals are awake and active; others they are sleeping or just hiding from visitors. Woodland Park Zoo opens at 9 a.m. each day because the animals are supposedly more active in the morning, but I’ve had both good and bad luck at all times of day. You never know what you’ll get.

When Mary Jean, Roy and I visited last week, our sketchbooks were ready for whatever the animals gave us. I’ve been visiting the zoo for all the years I’ve been sketching, and on this day, the gorillas were the most visible and sketchable than any time I can remember! The silverback gave us the best show, loping around, leisurely chewing on twigs he was foraging and finally chillin’ with his snack very close to the viewing area. Several other adults and a few adolescent gorillas were also actively hanging out. They were all fascinating to watch and draw.

The Humboldt penguins are usually easy to see and sketch wherever they are in their large, open exhibit, but on this day several were within the viewing area that puts them closest to visitors. Molting and apparently uncomfortable, the birds vigorously scratched and preened their scrappy-looking feathers. After taking a dip, they would shake their tiny wings and rear ends, then dive in again. So much fun!

Humboldt penguins

A few weeks ago when I visited, Carson, the red panda, had been easily visible. This time, I could barely see him in the distance, so all I sketched in the Forest Trailhead exhibit was a tree kangaroo (probably the same one who was sitting on the same perch as last time).

Tree kangaroo and Humboldt penguins

Like all urban sketching, much of the fun and challenge is not knowing what you’ll get but enjoying whatever it is.

(See this Instagram post for a couple of videos I took of the silverback and a penguin.)

Wallingford Dick’s Drive-in

 

8/24/26 Dick's Drive-in, Wallingford neighborhood

“Serving Seattle’s favorite burgers, hand-cut fries, and real ice cream shakes since 1954,” Dick’s Drive-in in Wallingford still has the classic drive-in shape. I haven’t eaten a burger anywhere in four decades, and I haven’t even eaten fries at Dick’s for years (though I know they are good), but I appreciate any venue widely regarded as an institution. Although I’ve sketched both the Queen Anne Dick’s and the one on Capitol Hill, this was my first time sketching the Wallingford branch of this local chain.

I looked for a composition that would include both the restaurant and the iconic, original sign, but there was too much empty space between them to fit right. Instead, I sketched the sign as an inset (which is a favored layout technique of Mike Daikubara). I don’t always take the time to color in all the details of signs, but who could resist those candy corn colors?

Seward Park Trees

 

8/26/26 Seward Park

Although I visited Seward Park fairly often as a teen, after I moved further north as an adult, I rarely went there. I wish it were closer: It has a lovely 2.4-mile walking loop with Lake Washington on one side and a dense, old growth forest on the other. It’s one of Seattle’s more serene parks; even on weekends, it never seems crowded (unlike Green Lake, my own neighborhood park, which can look like Malibu beach on sunny weekends).

USk Seattle met at Seward on Wednesday when it was cool and overcast. Since the temperature was ideal for fitness walking, I began the outing with a loop around the park. Although the dense growth of trees is serene, it’s formidable to sketch; I was looking for an individual tree I could isolate easily in a composition. About three-fourths of the way around, I came upon an old snag with an interesting shape (at right).

When I completed the loop, I looked around for another sketch and found myself at a familiar spot just as the sky was clearing. I think the first time I sketched this stand of shoreline poplars (top of post) was with graphite in Kathleen Moore’s nature drawing course years ago. Another time I made a quick stop when I happened to be in the neighborhood. Anytime in the afternoon, the slender trees cast lovely shadows that I find irresistible.

Here and Now

 

8/18/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

A friend, also newly widowed, gave me this book: Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss (Alan Wolfelt). I read each dated page in the morning before breakfast (an idea I got from her). A recent page resonated with the way sketching has long been my primary form of meditation:

Being present in the moment is a difficult way of being to master, but it’s worth working on. When you need a break from your grief and mourning, try to focus on the here and now. Pay attention to your breathing…. Notice the people, objects, colors and textures around you. Attend to the sounds you hear. Smell the aromas in the air…. While we will always miss the person who died, focusing on the present moment can provide breathing space.

8/8/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

8/16/26 Green Lake neighborhood

Sometimes I’m unexpectedly and suddenly flooded with grief. It pulls me inward, where my entire past with Greg and my entire future without him exist. After the flood recedes, I take a walk, which puts me back out into the world where only the present exists. Attending to sensory observations is essential for meditation, and sketching documents that attention: I observe this, I draw this, here and now.

8/19/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

8/16/26 Green Lake neighborhood

Majestic Bay Theatres

 

8/21/26 Majestic Bay Theatres, Ballard

Opened in 1914, the Majestic (and later Bay) Theatre used to be a single-screen neighborhood theater in Ballard for decades. Although I don’t recall seeing any movies there, I remember it as the Bay, probably in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Renamed the Majestic Bay, it was rebuilt as a modern multi-plex in 1998, where it continues to screen first-run and older movies.

When I sketched it last week, the Majestic Bay was showing “The Odyssey,” “Spider-Man” and other first-runs. One marquee promoted “Retro Night,” which was featuring “Snakes on a Plane.”

Although the blue lighted sign is probably original, the rest of the building has a contemporary look. It was difficult to find a good composition that was unobstructed, but since I’m not too fond of the building anyway (other than the sign), I went across the street to sketch it behind a tree. (Trees make such great compositional obstructions when I’m not interested in sketching a building, which is almost always. Now you know my secret: When I don’t want to sketch something, I just look for a tree to block it.)

Goin’ to the Dogs – from Life!

 

Barnaby Sherlock patiently sits for me as I help raise funds for PAWS. (photo courtesy of ArtSpot)

When I look back on the 15 years that I’ve been drawing, a few experiences come to mind as the most intense. Being a correspondent at the Manchester Urban Sketchers Symposium would be near the top of the list. My early days of one-minute life drawing poses used to leave me breathless (both exhilarated and exhausted). But I’d have to say that last week’s benefit for PAWS beat both of those as the single-most intense drawing experience of my life!

What made it so intense? Beginning at ArtSpot, people and their dogs were lined up halfway down the block all evening, waiting for a portrait! When I participated in the same fundraiser last year, the time pressure was the same, but the work was divided among four artists. This year, one had to cancel at the last minute, so three of us carried the load for the full three hours.

8/20/26 Bob

Nessie had the most amazing eyelashes!

The other big difference for me was that of the 20 portraits I made, only three were from photos – all the rest were from sniffing, squirming life! Last year, it was the other way around: I started out doing a couple from life, but I soon realized it was impractical, given the time constraint. For the rest of that evening, I used photo references provided by the clients or that I had snapped myself. Using photos, though, can also be challenging (as I’ve learned from the many commissioned pet portraits I’ve made) when they are poorly lighted or blurry. Taking good photos of excited, distracted dogs in fading light isn’t easy, either.

Barnaby Sherlock

Phoebe Anne

When the first couple of clients said they wanted portraits from life, I was delighted – drawing from life instead of from photos is certainly my preference anytime. Up for the challenge, I decided I would continue drawing all of them from life unless a client showed up with a photo instead of a dog. At any time, I could have taken my own photos, but once I got started, I just kept going.

Lilo

Phe Phe (pronounced like Fifi). Chatting with Phe Phe's mom and another customer who had a part Chihuahua, I learned that a disproportionate number of mixed-breed dogs show Chihuahua lineage when they get their genes tested. Those little dogs get around!

Exhausted by the end, I still had a blast at this unique opportunity. It gave my confidence a big boost that I can sketch any dog’s portrait in less than nine minutes – from life!

Bee Paper mixed-media sketchbook

Material notes: Like last year, I kept materials simple, bringing only my current favorite Pentel Sign Brush Pen, a broader Kuretake Brush Writer and a gray Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Soft Brush Pen for shading. Once I got going, though, I mostly used only the Pentel with occasional help from the Kuretake.

For paper, ArtSpot offered each artist their choice of sketchbook to use for the benefit. I chose the same book I used last year: a 6-by-6-inch Bee Paper Co. Super Deluxe Mixed Media spiralbound sketchbook (the spiral binding was most practical for ripping out pages to give to clients). Although I would never choose a spiralbound book for urban sketching, I have grown fond of this Bee paper after using up the remains of last year’s book on Pencilvember and other animal portraits. It takes everything I’ve used on it beautifully – colored pencil and crayon, both wet and dry, various juicy brush pens and markers. If it weren’t for the darn wire binding, I would happily use Bee books for general urban sketching.

Happy 50th Birthday, Freeway Park!

 

8/22/26 Freeway Park

USk Seattle was invited to a very special birthday party: Freeway Park’s 50th! Initiated by civic leader Jim Ellis, the five-acre park became the first in the world to be built over a freeway. The Freeway Park Association put on a fun event last Saturday to celebrate with live music, art activities, free tamales and popsicles, photo opportunities and other ways to enjoy the unique space that the park offers.

Gabi Campanario and Sketcher Press shared a canopy with USk Seattle to introduce park visitors to Urban Sketchers. Quite a few new members joined us, and I expect a few more will join the Facebook group and our mailing list later. And what a massive turnout: I counted nearly 40 in our throwdown group photo!

Since I hadn’t sketched at Freeway Park since before the pandemic (which was the last time USk had an outing there), the event was a good reintroduction for me, too. I warmed up with a few gestures of buskers and visitors playing ladder toss on the lawn (below). I was amused that the electric violinist and the Chihuahua both wore red shoes!

Although I’m not a fan of Brutalist architecture, that’s what the park is all about, so I found a spot to capture some of it (top of post). What I do appreciate about Freeway Park is the beautiful integration of all those hard, brutal, geometric lines with the organic softness of so many trees and other plants. It’s a unique urban space unlike any other in Seattle (or anywhere in the world, for that matter).

Now that Freeway Park is back on our radar, we’ll be sure to plan more USk outings there again.

What a turnout!

Sketcher Press and USk Seattle's canopy

Black-Eyed Susans

 

8/20/26 Black-Eyed Susans, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Although my walk was getting hotter than I like, I couldn’t resist making a quick stop to catch these Black-Eyed Susans near the sidewalk. After sketching them hastily with a brush pen and coloring the petals with a yellow Museum Aquarelle pencil, I was disappointed that they didn’t pop as I wanted them to. Usually adding a dark background does the trick, so I used a dark blue-violet Neocolor II crayon. I snapped a photo (below), thinking I was done.

About to close the sketchbook, I looked again and thought the flowers still lacked pop. Although I don’t usually use water in Uglybooks, and I like the raw, rustic look that dry crayons impart on colored paper, I thought I’d try applying water to the Neo II to see the result (at left). I avoided fully activating the color to retain some of the dry look. I like it.

By the way, do you know the difference between Black-Eyed Susan and Brown-Eyed Susan? I wasn’t sure which these were, or even if those were just two colloquial names for the same flower. They are, however, different: Brown-Eyed Susans have rounder, shorter petals, while Black-Eyes have slender, tapered petals.

What did we ever do before the Internet?

Neocolor II background before activation

Prepping for a Dry Fall

 

Anticipating a dry fall!

The summer of ’26 has been one of ambivalence. On the one hand, the weather has been mostly beautiful: only a few days of extreme heat, and only a few of smoke (so far). I’ve been sketching outdoors to my heart’s content.

On the other hand, it’s been the hardest summer of my life.

Our foggy mornings lately and the blushes of color I’m seeing in some trees are hinting that fall isn’t far off. Although I have no regrets about summer ending, I still feel a bit wistful.

To waylay a post-summer slump, I decided I needed a fresh sketching approach for autumn. Not just a refreshed palette but a medium I haven’t focused on for urban sketching in a long time: Non-soluble colored pencils! Seems like every couple of years or so, I pull out a selection of dry colored pencils (often a secondary triad, which I especially like in the fall) and tell myself I’m going to use them without the help of water-soluble materials. Although I enjoy it for a short time, I eventually go back to the speed and convenience of water-soluble pencils and crayons.

One mistake I’ve made in the past is to continue using an A5-size sketchbook as I usually do with water-soluble materials. Filling an A5 page takes significantly longer without the efficiency of water to spread color. This time, I’ll probably still carry an A5-size book (likely a Stillman & Birn Zeta) for versatility, but my plan is to work on a half-page at a time (a size I’m accustomed to from using A6-ish Uglybooks). We’ll see if that keeps me going longer.

I pulled out my color journal recently to trial a color palette (below). Recalling all the joy I had last winter working from photos with Derwent Drawing pencils, those pencils will form the bulk of my palette. Even the largest set, though, is severely lacking certain hues; specifically, bright reds, magenta and dark greens. I pulled in Prismacolors to fill those holes. Knowing me, I’ll probably change up the palette before I even start using it, but I’m showing what I have so far just because I’m excited about it.

I'll probably further refine the palette, but here are the finalists in Derwent Drawing and Prismacolor non-soluble pencils.

Now when the trees start turning in earnest, I’ll welcome it with something fun and potentially illuminating.

Selfie as Dog

 

8/16/26 Self-portrait from mirror

Roy texted us a self-portrait he had made that morning. He challenged Mary Jean and me to make self-portraits by the end of the day for Selfie Sunday (which I guess is a thing, as I’ve long seen the hashtag, but I’ve never participated).

The last time I made a self-portrait, I had treated myself like a dog. I decided to do the same again, but this time I used a brush pen. Unusual for a self-portrait, I like this one, even with the severe selfie scowl.

Deep Fog in August

 

8/14/26 8:15 a.m., Maple Leaf neighborhood

The day dawned to a deep fog of the type we usually don’t see until autumn. Say it ain’t so!

Material and process notes: When drawing fog, I tend to use graphite, but on a whim I tried a Derwent Drawing pencil (Midnight 6710). Soft, creamy pencils like this make me want to bear down and use them like crayons, so it took some self-control to use as little pressure as possible.

Working on this sketch, I thought of all the exercises I’ve done from instruction books and in classes to make a gradient of values using one pencil, beginning from the lightest value and working darker. Drawing fog is the on-location version of that exercise: I must begin with the lightest value (the distant fir) so that I’ll know how much darker to make the other values.

Two Moments at Green Lake

 

8/13/26 Green Lake

I can’t count the many times I’ve sketched at Green Lake by now, yet I never tire of the (mostly) same subjects and similar compositions: trees, water, the opposite shoreline, ground shadows. Each is a new challenge cushioned by the familiar.

While the resident geese, too, have been sketched many times, I thought I found a fresh composition. A (human) couple were sitting on the bench when I began, but I went against my own urban sketching policy and didn’t sketch them first. Sure enough, they got up and left by the time I’d sketched the geese. Again, a challenge cushioned by the familiar.

Rear Views of the Center of the Universe

 

8/15/26 Lake Washington Ship Canal path, Fremont neighborhood

Lenin from the rear

Fremont, AKA the Center of the Universe, is one of my favorite sketching neighborhoods, and I was happy to be back there with USk Seattle. Although I’ve sketched the (in)famous statue of Lenin many times (and I’m sure other long-time sketchers have, too), I never seem to tire of his strong angles and challenging lighting from all the trees around him. This time I tried a fresh perspective – from the rear (at right).

After that, I took a long walk around Fremont to look for my next sketch and to soak in the happy Saturday-afternoon summer vibe. I found myself on the Lake Washington Ship Canal walking/biking path, where I stopped to see how the topiary dinosaurs (which I’ve sketched several times) were doing. Some years, they have looked shaggy or somewhat bald, but they were looking good last weekend. With temps in the mid-70s by then, I walked all around them to find a view that I could sketch in shade (top of post). Coincidentally, the only shady view was again from the rear. Unrecognizable in my sketch, the mama dinosaur’s rear end is on the far left.

Thumbnail to try out the square composition

The more inviting view was of the shadow pattern crossing the Ship Canal path, a power tower and the Aurora Bridge in the distance.

Material note: Lacking a fine-tip marker, I used a Pentel Sign brush pen to draw the relatively fine lines of the power tower in the color sketch – as well as the people, the dry-brushed border and to write the caption. The more I use it, the more I love this brush pen’s wide tip range and versatility (though I do curse its nonrefillable, disposable form factor).

New Drink & Draw Venue

 

8/14/26 Phinney Station, Phinney neighborhood

I feel like I say this every time, but USk Seattle showed a record-breaking turnout for last week’s drink & draw on a gorgeous afternoon! The venue, Phinney Station, was new to us, but I knew from sketching the final World Cup match there that it looked ideal – and it was! We filled up quite a few of their plentiful umbrella’d tables in a huge area. Two food trucks offered different foods, and bringing in outside food was also welcome. Of course, I’m always pleased by dog-friendly venues.

As usual, some folks new to Urban Sketchers joined us for the first time. Several others had come to previous drink & draws but had not yet joined us for regular sketch outings yet. One mentioned that while a general outing still feels intimidating, a casual sit-and-chat over brews feels more comfy and familiar. I’m happy that we have gatherings that are approachable at whatever level people feel ready to participate.

A Milestone Birthday

 

8/12/26 Kim' birthday celebration, University Village

At University Village, Kim’s sketching birthday party was already a treat just by being warm and mostly sunny. To top it off, she brought a magnificent peach galette ala mode from Coyle’s Bakeshop (sorry that I didn’t snap a photo of it, but take my word for it that it was magnificent).

As we all indulged, I sketched Kim and her other guests. Natalie recited a poem she had written to commemorate Kim’s milestone year. When I finished, I handed the sketch to Kim as her gift. (I used a half-sheet of Uglypads paper, which is a fun way to sketch in my usual colored-paper way without having to tear a page out of my sketchbook.)

Relaxed and happy, I looked past our table to sketch the distant scene. Celebrating a friend’s birthday is no different from my own: Another day cherished on planet Earth. (I think about this more often now: What a privilege life is.)

Behemoth

 

8/11/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Occasionally walking past the latest behemoth to join the ‘hood, I finally stopped to sketch it on a cool, sunny morning. Another walker stopped to see what I was sketching, and it launched a tirade of anger and frustration: These developments do nothing to resolve the severe shortage of affordable housing. The low quality of materials used by this and other notorious developers means the building will likely be torn down in a couple of decades (unlike our own homes that are a hundred years old). We both observed the number of trees that were probably cut down on the back side of the property where three more duplicate houses are in various stages of construction by the same developer. Note the scale of nearby houses.

Activity in the Forest Trailhead

 

8/10/26 Red panda and tree kangaroo, Woodland Park Zoo

I hadn’t been back to Woodland Park Zoo’s new Forest Trailhead exhibit since it opened in May. That time, it had been difficult to see the animals beyond quick, distant glimpses. Last Monday was a good time to return: All the animals were more active, so as they moved around the exhibit, I could follow until they were in better positions to sketch. Carson, the red panda, gave me the best view when he flopped down on a branch to doze.

As usual, I got so excited and engrossed in sketching that I took almost no photos. This photo of one of the tree kangaroos was the only one I remembered to snap.

On my way back out, I stopped to see the Humboldt penguins. A mama gull and her youngster were trying to get in on the penguin feeding. The keeper who was giving a presentation said that mama gull had made a nest in the open-air penguin exhibit and was now raising her chicks there! Although the keepers avoid feeding them, the clever opportunists know when free room and board are a good deal.

Humboldt penguins and an opportunist.

The Interview

 

8/7/26 Whole Foods cafe

I could tell immediately by their body language: A job interview was taking place. After walking to an errand, I had stopped at Whole Foods’ café for an iced Americano. Tempted to sketch them at the adjacent table, I resisted, not wanting to add to the candidate’s stress if she happened to catch me observing them.

Although I could hear the manager’s questions clearly (the position was for a Whole Foods cashier), the candidate’s responses were so quiet that I couldn’t hear them at all. Recalling the many job interviews I had been on in my career, they had all been conducted in proper offices – not in a noisy, distracting café where patrons could easily overhear. It all made me cringe with empathy.

Of the many things I am grateful for about retirement, never having to go on another job interview is near the top of the list.  

Colorful Clouds of Belonging

 

8/9/26 "Clouds of Belonging" installed outside King Street Station

USk Seattle had one of its most colorful outings ever. “Clouds of Belonging,” a temporary installation in front of King Street Station, “is composed of large cloud-like forms that introduce softness, color, and light into the surrounding urban landscape,” according to the city’s Office of Arts and Culture. Artist Alex Proba invites visitors “to move through, pause within, and simply enjoy a bright, sculptural environment designed for connection.” As nearly everyone in the group focused on the sculpture, it definitely formed a connection for all of us.

After finishing the full-color version (top of post) from the railroad overpass, I was going to move on to other subjects. Then as I walked around, I found more viewpoints I liked, so I drew it twice more.

While I ate lunch in the courtyard outside International District/Chinatown Station, Mariners fans continually streamed out of the station and walked in the direction of T-Mobile Park (below, right).

At the throwdown back at the “Clouds,” USk Seattle came through with an impressive variety of compositions. The whimsical clouds were certainly inspiring as well as colorful.