The Pencil I Never Sent

 

For many years now, I’ve been a member of the Erasable Podcast Community on Facebook, where the main topic of conversation is – you guessed it – pencils. In addition to geeking out about all things pencil, we also do a lot of swapping and some buying/selling. That group is how I acquired some of my vintage collection. I’ve had many ultra-geeky chats with certain members who fly the same colored pencil freak flag as I do.

A highly skilled colored pencil artist and budding urban sketcher, Gary had many of the same pencil interests as I do, not to mention deep knowledge of some esoteric pencil subsectors I had no clue about. We’ve had numerous chats that would make unwitting eavesdroppers’ eyes roll if their heads weren’t already spinning from discontinued color numbers or pencil brand logo changes.

I knew that Gary was seeking the red version of Field Notes Brand’s carpenter pencil. Although the notebook company has periodically offered various versions, the red one has been out of production for years. Gary has surprised me with numerous vintage and contemporary colored pencils and other gifts from the UK over the years (he gave me the King Charles III coronation commemorative Bic 4-Color Pen!). He is well known in the Erasable community for his generosity. I wanted to surprise him with that red carpenter pencil. It took me a while, but I worked out a swap with another member, and I managed to acquire his coveted pencil.

That was more than a year ago. It would have been a simple task to package up the pencil and ship it to him in the UK, but it seemed silly to ship only one pencil across the pond. I kept thinking I’d add a few more things to the package. Meanwhile, I was going through all my downsizing shenanigans and various other distractions, but I kept the red Field Notes pencil on my desktop as a reminder.

A reminder.

Every now and then I’d see the pencil, think of Gary, and tell myself to just put it into the mail. And then I’d ponder what else to put in the box – he’s a vast collector who owns many pencils; what else would he possibly want? – and that would prompt me to procrastinate further.

We had not chatted in a while, and I hadn’t seen his witty comments in the group for a long time. A few days ago, I learned that he had passed away recently after a bout with cancer.

I have no use for the red Field Notes carpenter pencil, and I don’t really want it. But I’m displaying it prominently for a while as a reminder to myself not to procrastinate with intended gifts or other acts that might make someone happy. Meanwhile, if I hear that another Erasable member wants it, I will not hesitate to ship it off immediately. Life keeps trying to teach me this lesson; it’s time to start learning.

The Collective Joy of Super Bowl

 

2/8/26 Pre-game snacking and sketching at Project 9 Brewing Co., Maple Leaf neighborhood

I have an unusual perspective on the Super Bowl game that captured the country’s (and especially Seattle’s) attention last Sunday: It was my first time watching one.

An hour before I was to leave for the game, I realized
I couldn't go to a sports bar on Super Bowl
Sunday without wearing Seahawks gear!
Thankfully, my neighbor across the street had
exactly what I needed.

It’s probably stating the obvious to say that I have no interest in any sports, nor have I ever. In fact, when I was in college, I used to feel resentful that sports received so much funding and attention while liberal arts programs were barely hanging on. Over the years, my attitude mellowed to basic indifference, and I note the date of the Super Bowl only to take advantage of empty stores and light traffic.

As I’ve grown older, my lack of interest in sports has not changed, but I’ve learned to appreciate the bonding mechanism that sports provide in our culture. Beginning with a Mariners game I watched last fall, I realized that I could observe fandom energy the way an anthropologist studies a culture – with sketchbook in hand.

I invited Ching and Natalie to join me at Project 9 Brewing Co., my neighborhood brew pub, to watch and sketch the big game. Arriving early enough to find seats in the huge venue, we found an ideal table: It was at a bad angle from the TV screens, so it would not appeal to most patrons, but we could face Seahawks fans without their noticing us sketching them!

For a different viewpoint, I sometimes walked out to the entirely empty heated patio where no screens could be seen, but I could sketch other patrons easily.

In general, I didn’t understand what was going on (though Natalie tried her best to explain the rules to me), but it was fun to observe the explosive exclamations of joy or disappointment with each score or fumble. (The three of us left after half time, so I missed the final triumph. It must have been an ear-shattering roar, but I appreciated it from a distance when I heard fireworks in the neighborhood.)

Aside from the game, I was moved by the significance of the primary half-time entertainer, the Puerto Rican performer known as Bad Bunny, who sang entirely in Spanish (apparently a historic first at the Super Bowl). During the past year when all immigrants, especially Spanish speakers, have been oppressed and tortured, I hope we all heard the message of Bad Bunny’s exuberant, proud performance: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

Even without being a Seahawks fan, I appreciate the collective joy and celebration that the team’s triumph gave Seattle. This year, we needed this, more than ever.

The Nutcracker House

 

12/23/25 Sunset Hill neighborhood

Each holiday season for more than a decade, a family has been displaying stage design props from Maurice Sendak’s Nutcracker ballet in front of their Sunset Hill neighborhood house. This Seattle Times article explains how the owners started acquiring the pieces, one of which is 15 feet tall, after the ballet production retired in 2014. A team of neighbors and friends helps out each year.

Although I’ve known about “the Nutcracker house” for a long time, it was the Times’ recent article and learning about how much work it takes to put up the display that gave me the nudge to finally go and sketch it.

Meeting Mary Jean there around 4 p.m., I had just enough daylight to sketch a few characters with the house behind it (top of post). The 1936 house looks like a fairytale year-round!

MJ and I talked about how some characters are kind of creepy, like this nutcracker with the maniacal grin. I wonder if some kids found this ballet scary?

By 4:30, it was dark, and that’s when the illuminated characters really came to life (see my Instagram post for a short video of the scene). Although it got more and more difficult to see, we both kept going until, as MJ said, she couldn’t tell which colors were which anymore. It pushed my nocturne sketching to a new level of darkness! It was also the most fun sketching I did this holiday season. 

Merry Christmas!

Scowling Mouse King (the one on the left)

15-foot-tall Nutcracker

The Opposite Bush

 

12/14/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

The house on the corner lights up later in the season than the rest of my neighbors. It’s always a simple strand of lights on the bushes near the porch. When I compared this to last year’s sketch, I could see that the owner had put the lights on the bush on the opposite side this time. I can’t see much, of course, but I can tell where the lights are relative to the pale illumination from the porchlight in the grass.

Update: After I made this sketch, she added a string of lights on the other side, too.

New Lights

 

12/11/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

More extravagant with lights than the house I sketched last week, this family also likes the freeform look on their shrubs and trees. They put up a few more strings of multi-colored lights than they had last year, and a small, illuminated snowman, too. My favorite part is the quiet tree in their upstairs window.

Pre-Coffee, 6:38 a.m.

12/9/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Last year these neighbors were a bit more tidy with their lights. This year, they decided to take a freeform, minimal approach. It’s a nice contrast to their neighbors’ symmetrical design.

Sketching pre-coffee in the pre-dawn darkness, I enjoy the special stillness of this time that’s so entirely different from the same time during the summer. 

Across the Street, 7:48 p.m.

 

12/2/25 Maple Leaf neighborhood

I’ve kicked off nocturne season with my most convenient night view: the house across the street. Their lights and decorations are (thankfully) more subdued than in some years, but I’m bracing myself – they might not be done yet. I prefer sketching during the half-done stage before the inflatables and blinky stuff appear. (Here’s how the same house looked in 2023 and in 2022.)

Often I prefer making nocturnes in the pre-dawn quiet when the family is still asleep, and no interior lights clash with festive lights. This time I tried an evening view after they turned out their diningroom lights. The tree in the window looked lovely.

Simple kit with the essential light

Material notes: I’m keeping my nocturne sketch kit simple again: A white Prismacolor, a white Gelly Roll, and a couple of Posca paint markers. Initially, I had used pink and green metallic Posca markers, but when I scanned the image, I was disappointed that the tiny dots of color didn’t really show. I went back in with regular red and green Poscas, and they showed up better.

An essential item in a good nocturne sketch kit is a light. I’m pleased with the Gritin LED book light that I got last year. It’s so lightweight that even a softcover, landscape-format Uglybook (which is none too stiff) can hold up its weight when I stand at the livingroom window to sketch.

Unauthorized at the Sculpture Park

7/30/25 Calder's Eagle from inside Paccar Pavilion, Olympic Sculpture Park

I knew it had been a while since I had last sketched at the Olympic Sculpture Park, but I was surprised to find that it was as many as three years ago. Arriving there a bit early for a workshop (more on that tomorrow), I had time for a few quick sketches. (I made a mental note to come back sometime soon so I could spend more time there.)

On that hot, late afternoon, I had initially ducked into the comfy AC of Paccar Pavilion, Seattle Art Museum’s indoor facility at the sculpture park, which has a view of Calder’s Eagle. Shortly after I had begun the sketch, a security guard, surprised to see me, informed me that the pavilion had closed 15 minutes earlier. When I explained that I had entered because the door was unlocked (pointing to the door), he muttered something (which I took to mean that he was supposed to have locked it but hadn’t). Oopsy.

Fortunately, the outdoor part of the park stays open until dusk.

After I got kicked out, I sketched Ellsworth Kelly's Curve XXIV at the Pavilion's entrance.

Cruise and Brews Lead Up to Sketcher Fest

 

7/17/25 Ice cream cruise aboard the Fremont Avenue

The long-awaited Sketcher Fest in Edmonds and lead-up events in Seattle kicked off last Thursday with an ice cream cruise! The chartered Fremont Avenue boat launched from Fishermen’s Terminal, and Captain Mike took us down the Ship Canal and across Lakes Union and Washington.

This event was one of last year’s highlights, so I was delighted to be invited again. A relaxing opportunity to catch up with friends (especially visiting artists, instructors and attendees I hadn’t seen in a long time), the cruise was also a fun way to sketch familiar sights from an unusual water perspective. We all laughed at the challenge of trying to capture continually shifted views as we floated by.

Some of my favorite sights were when we cruised under the three bridges that I drive over so often. Another novelty was seeing Gas Works Park from the water side instead of the usual grassy side.

Figurehead Brewery drink & draw

Immediately following the cruise, we met more sketchers across the street from Fishermen’s Terminal at Figurehead Brewery for a drink & draw. It was all a great opening to Sketcher Fest festivities!

The relaxing, 2-hour cruise gave me plenty of time for selfies with Justin...

...Jane and David...

... Jim (visiting artist/instructor from Florida)...

Jenny (visiting artist/instructor from Chicago) and Gabi...

...Roy and Gail...

...Kim...

...and Cathy (visiting from Berkeley)!

Lapin (visiting artist/instructor) and his family from Barcelona

Pups on Parade

 

7/12/25 Pups on Parade, Cromwell Park, Shoreline

The day we unexpectedly ended up sketching at Richmond Beach, Natalie had serendipitously spotted a flier about Pups on Parade. Although neither of us has dogs, we both love them, and it sounded like a fun, dog-centered event at Shoreline’s Cromwell Park.

A benefit for Old Dog Haven, which supports and fosters senior dogs, Pups on Parade has been going on for many years, yet it was off my radar until a few weeks ago. This small, neighborhood-centric event is exactly the kind I like: Not too crowded, low-key, and full of people and their dogs to sketch. Natalie and I were in heaven!

The highlights of Pups on Parade were competitions such as best costumed dogs and dog/human lookalikes, “lick art” made by dogs, and a kissing booth featuring rotating dogs offering kisses. A fund-raising auction supports services to more than 300 senior dogs who have been permanently adopted to foster homes. Some pup parents had fostered more than 10 dogs each. (I was so moved by the organization’s mission and the dog stories I heard that I’ve decided to give Old Dog Haven ongoing support through my pet portraits.)

My only regret is that I was having so much fun sketching that I hardly took any photos of dogs, especially the costumed ones! Shown below are some contestants in the dog/human lookalike contest. Other than matching hair color, I’m not seeing much resemblance in these pairs, but I enjoyed their enthusiasm.

I’ve often said that the Greenwood Car Show is my favorite annual summer event, but doggoneit, Pups on Parade is now a strong contender for that title!

This pair won the lookalike contest. Though I'm not 
seeing much resemblance other than color, I think this elderly
pup simply stole the judges' hearts. 

In the background is Martina, winner of the costume contest, in a pink and purple tutu that matches her human's.

Reignited

6/20/25 Green Lake

It’s been well over a year since I first became interested in the concept of on-location comics, inspired by Drewscape. Ever since, I’ve been intrigued, challenged and motivated by trying to capture the story of a location with multiple small sketches on a page in comics style. I’ve also enjoyed watching my process evolve into my own current style.

Just lately, though, my interest had started lagging because I felt I had pushed the concept as far as I could go. Whenever I try something new, I seem to eventually hit this point in the process when it starts to feel less challenging, like it’s coming too easily, and then I look around for something new.

5/13/25 Roosevelt neighborhood

This recent YouTube from Drew came just in time. Showing his approach live, he reignited my passion for this unique approach to urban sketching. Once again, he talks about how combining multiple small sketches on a page tells a more complete story of a place than one sketch could. For me (and these are my own thoughts, not his), not knowing what the next sketch might be and not being able to plan it means I have to trust the process. That’s what creates tension and also excites and motivates me to keep going.

Sometimes this approach leads to a dull page without much story, and I’m disappointed. But how is that different from a single sketch turning out less appealing than I had wanted and feeling disappointed by that? It’s exactly the same. I still love the comics approach, and I’m grateful to Drew for once again inspiring me.

Maybe my challenge now is to find a way to push it in a direction that I’m not yet aware of. Or not. In any case, I just have to trust the process. 

4/25/25 Pike Place Market and Seattle Art Museum

On the Waterfront

 

6/18/25 Pike Place Market and waterfront

When Seattle’s Waterfront Overlook opened last fall, a key part of that major renovation project was still in progress: the new Waterfront Park itself. In time for the summer season, the park is finally complete (or almost; some pieces still looked unfinished). Roy, Mary Jean and I decided to check it out last week.

Beginning at Pike Place Market, we walked along the Overlook down to the waterfront and kept going south all the way to the newish Pioneer Square Habitat Beach, “a man-made beach supporting the waterfront ecosystem, including enhancing the salmon corridor by adding rocks and nearshore vegetation.” The beach is landmarked by the historic Washington Street Boat Landing, which has also been restored – and is now the home of a Molly Moon’s ice cream shop!

Although I tell you all this, ironically, I didn’t sketch any of what I mentioned! We’ll be having a USk outing there later this summer, so I saved all the highlights for then (but you can see photos below). Instead, I sketched other things along the way, most notably the bricklayers who were repairing part of a Pike Place Market street. All of us were fascinated by how the workers applying mortar between the bricks used a cone that looked just like bakers piping a pastry with frosting.

The three of us have started another round-robin using single-sheet sketchbooks that Roy made. We switched books at the end of the day, and next time we have a play date, we'll use that book to sketch in, then continue the rotation.

Sketchbook note: The past year, I’ve been using A5-ish “wide” landscape format Uglybooks at outings when I want more space than my daily-carry A6-ish size Uglybook. But often I find the landscape format awkward to use, especially when I want to work across a spread.

Thinking about this as I was heading out, I grabbed a Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook for this outing. I wanted the same A5-ish size but in portrait format, which I find to be more flexible. Indeed, I like working with this format better, especially with my comics style, but then I missed the colored page. Sure wish Uglybooks would make some larger portrait-format books!

A George Tsutakawa fountain, formerly elsewhere on the waterfront, has been restored and reinstalled in a new location.

These giant swings (with the most comfy seats I've ever sat in on a swing) are made of reused materials.

Still incomplete and behind fencing, this interesting structure seems to be some kind of playground attraction.

Perhaps the most exciting attraction of all are the brand new, much-needed public restrooms -- first time ever on the Seattle waterfront! My tax dollars put to good use at last!

OK, the restrooms are exciting, but we all know what the MOST exciting thing is -- a new Molly Moon's ice cream shop! The shop is under this historic Washington Street Boat Landing, which is the former ferry landing.