Amsterdam!

7/8/19 map and flag of the Netherlands

By the time you see this, I’ll be in Haarlem, which is our first stop in the Netherlands before heading for Amsterdam and the Urban Sketchers Symposium. After the symposium, we’ll spend a few days in Delft before returning home.

I won’t be blogging while I’m gone, but I’ve scheduled a couple of vintage colored pencil reviews next and the following Friday, so I hope you’ll drop by. In the meantime, please follow me on Instagram to see what I’m sketching! Tot ziens!

Street Cat

5/30/19 Maple Leaf neighborhood

“What’s going on?” I asked, peering into the hole in the street. They had just returned from their break.

“Just sewer work,” one replied, barely looking up from his phone screen.

“Will you be coming back with more equipment later?”

“Naah – just this,” he said, head jerking in the direction of the CAT. 

Bummer.

A Return to Heavy Equipment Heaven

5/23/19 Viaduct demolition on Seattle's waterfront

It had been nearly a month since we were down at the waterfront to view ongoing demolition of the viaduct – it was high time to return and see how much progress had been made. We didn’t see quite the concentration of heavy equipment as last time; the machines were all still there, but undoubtedly scattered over a larger area moving north.

5/23/19 Greg doing his thing

This time I got a closer view of the remains of three supports. Shredded rebar and other debris spilled out like veins from ripped limbs. I also got a better look at a lobster-clawed Ferma machine that I had sketched previously. It was busily gobbling up what looked like piles of black wire.

Meanwhile, my favorite photographer continued to document progress with his camera.

50th Annual U-District Streetfair

5/19/19 Didgeridoo busker

While the summer season offers a multitude of community festivals and fairs, the University District Streetfair holds the distinction of being the country’s longest-running festival of its kind. USk Seattle helped celebrate the fair’s 50^th year on 10 city blocks of art and craft vendors, street food and music.

As I usually do at street fairs, I found myself irresistibly drawn to a wide variety of buskers. A classical cellist, a tuba and clarinet/washboard duo and a didgeridoo player (whom I had caught a couple of years ago at Folklife, too) were among the musicians performing for the crowd.

While sketching the guys on tuba and clarinet, I was standing near a very colorfully dressed balloon man who had created an eye-catching palm tree (I think?). He asked me to guard his prop and supplies while he went to use the restroom, so I obliged. When he returned, he told me a lengthy story about how a competing balloon vendor at another fair had stolen a hundred dollars’ worth of balloons from him, so he has been extra-cautious ever since. “I don’t trust just anyone to watch my stuff, though,” he assured me. “Usually I ask first if they are from Vashon Island to make sure I can trust them.” He had more stories to tell, but he was interrupted by customers (though he didn’t seem particularly happy about it).

 

5/19/19 Colorful balloon man with stories to tell.

Meanwhile, the tuba player came over to see what I was doing. Relieved that I was only sketching, he and the clarinet player had been afraid that I was writing them a citation.

The other balloon vendor I sketched had no drama to impart. A young man who was good with kids, he first started making what I thought was a tall purple crown, but he suddenly had so many customers that his headwear remained unfinished while I sketched. Later I saw in Swagatika’s sketch that it wasn’t a crown at all – it was the foundation for a well-designed unicorn.

After all that, I got hungry, so I explored the food booths, which are getting more and more state fair-like. Deep-fried PB&J, anyone?

Langostino sushi burrito, didgeridoo, and balloon man drama: Something for everyone at the U-District Streetfair.

 

5/19/19 Jazz and blues from clarinet/tuba players

5/19/19 classical cellist

5/19/19 This balloon vendor began by making his own
headgear, but he got too busy to finish.

P.S. Although I forgot to mention it then, yesterday’s outing was a personal celebration for me: It was my seventh anniversary since joining Urban Sketchers on May 20, 2012!

Happy 7th anniversary to me!

Like Speeding, it’s OK As Long As You Don’t Get Caught

4/8/19 He was fairly far away, which made it easier to avoid detection.

While I was feverishly drawing people during the #OneWeek100People2019 challenge, some followers (non-sketchers) on social media inevitably asked me if I have ever been caught by a “victim” while sketching them. (This is also a major concern of unseasoned sketchers who feel self-conscious sketching in public.) I am proud to say that, in my seven-plus years of sketching several hundreds of people by now, I have never yet been caught or confronted.

How do I do it? Mainly, I’m fast, so I don’t linger or stare long at any one victim. Here are some other practical tips:

4/12/19 OK, she was easy -- she was dozing.

• Choose victims who are engrossed in their phones, laptops or (sadly, rarely) books. They will never notice you. Even if they are not engrossed, most people are busy inside their own heads and don’t care what you are up to.
• One caveat about the above tip: People who are in the middle of a text conversation tend to type quickly, then look around while they are waiting for the other person to respond. I watch for this rhythm, and I time my own glances at the victim to match the moments that they look back at their phones.
• In general, men are more oblivious than women. I think women are generally more aware of others in public places and tend to sense if someone is looking at them for longer than a glance. Women are easier to sketch if they are engaged in conversation.
• Easy victims are those whose profiles you can see – you are outside their peripheral vision. Even easier, of course, are the ones facing away from you completely.
• Avoid “head bobbing” (as Liz Steel calls it); the frequent, unnatural motion attracts attention. Liz suggests glancing up and then working from memory to avoid bobbing. My approach is to simply lift my eyes instead of my head.
• If your victim starts to look up, and you sense that you are about to be noticed, quickly look away, then write rapidly in your sketchbook. You will look like you’re journaling.

4/11/19 Fully engrossed and even occasionally smiling at what he was seeing.

4/17/19 In the background, you can see my victim at fairly
close range. He was reading a book (!) as I sketched him.
I was impressed by his beard.

Forklift

4/19/19 Maple Leaf neighborhood

The Maple Leaf Ace Hardware store shares a parking lot with Reckless Video, so although I don’t go into the hardware store often, I frequently use the parking lot to pick up our weekend entertainment (Reckless is one of only a couple of remaining video rental shops in the city). On this rainy afternoon, I was delighted to spot this cute little forklift. After picking up our video, I reparked the car at a different angle so that I could see the forklift through a side window more easily.

Showbox Theater and Pike Place

4/20/19 Showbox Theater, downtown Seattle

Last year, the historic Showbox Theater near the Pike Place Market was in the news when its owner announced that it was selling the property. The theater, opened in 1939, would be demolished and replaced by a (yet another, most likely boring and boxy) 44-story apartment building. (It’s the story of Seattle these days.) After that, nostalgic venue fans, historic preservationists and even high-profile musicians like Eddie Vedder stepped forward to try to save the Showbox. The debate rages and is still unresolved. Meanwhile, the venue continues to operate.

I wasn’t even aware of that last part until I arrived Saturday to sketch the theater and saw that the marquee was current. Although I’ve never seen a concert there, the marquee and Showbox sign are downtown icons, and I wanted to document them, since it’s likely that they’ll eventually come down. Others must have felt the same way, as we got a good turnout of Showbox sketchers.

4/20/19 buskers at Pike Place Market

It probably helped that the morning was dry and mostly sunny (though not warm). After the Showbox, I swam upstream through the throngs (what is this, July or something?) at the Pike Place Market to my favorite busker spot near Rachel the Pig. Performing were a ukulele player and a tuba player – a colorful duo that I’ve sketched before.

Swimming further upstream, I spotted the usual long line of people waiting their turn to buy coffee at the “original” Starbucks location on First and Pike. As I captured the storefront and P. K. Dwyer (another busker I have sketched many times) playing guitar and harmonica outside, I overheard a couple of young men (visiting from the UK, based on their accents). Taking photos of each other with upheld Starbucks cups, it was clear that this was an important stop on their tour. Reviewing the photos, one man was especially delighted to finally be photographed in front of his mecca. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the actual first Starbucks on Western no longer exists (though natives like me remember it), and this second store on First somehow became the “original.”

Times change, old buildings get torn down, history gets rewritten. Meh. I may be a grumpy, overcrowded native, but at least I’m sketching it all.

4/20/19 One-man band P.K. Dwyer busks in front of the "original" Starbucks on First and Pike.

A good turnout at the Showbox!

Victoria, Part 2: Strategic Windows

4/13/19 Yates Street, Victoria

As Part 1 indicated, Victoria, B.C., was chilly and sometimes wet and bitterly windy on the days we were there. Strategically placed windows were my best friends.

After Gabi’s Architecture workshop on Saturday morning, my plan was to follow his afternoon People workshop students to wherever the workshop location was, but my teeth were still chattering! I went back to the Airbnb apartment that I was sharing with Cathy McAuliffe and spent a leisurely afternoon sipping hot tea as I sketched the spectacular street view (above). Within the scope of our huge picture windows on the seventh floor, an interesting mix of historic, modern and funky architecture shared the block.

When the sky was partially clear, we could see the snow-capped Olympic Mountains to the west. Although the Olympics are visible from various spots in Seattle, including our own street, the portion I see from there is different, so it was cool to see a new view.

 

4/16/19 Olympic Mountains

Another apartment window offered a view straight down into a courtyard. This mind-bending perspective gave me a fun challenge!

 

4/17/19 From the 7th floor

An especially strategic window was the one I learned about from Cathy: a perfect view of the Chinatown gate from Starbucks.  

 

4/15/19 Chinatown from Starbucks

On Sunday morning, Greg joined us, and we spent a few more days exploring Victoria. One of our favorite spots to escape the chill was the Royal British Columbia Museum, an excellent natural and human history museum. Our Burke Museum reciprocal membership allowed us free admission, so we visited twice. I found a number of skeletal and stuffed critters to sketch and even a couple of live ones.

 

4/16/19 taxidermy falcon and grizzly

4/16/19 bison skull, ammonite and weather symbols
as part of an excellent exhibit on climate change.

4/17/19 more skulls

4/16/19 These critters were sketched from life in a tank.

Finally, on the top floor of the BC Museum, I found my most treasured window sketch: the crowned dome of the Legislative Assembly Building. This is the kind of detailed sketch I thoroughly enjoy making, but the distance, cold and a sore neck would have made it difficult from any other location.

4/17/19 Dome of the BC Legislative Assembly Building

Of course, Victoria has plenty of other indoor attractions
during inhospitable weather, such as shopping at Bulk
Barn. . . I was so tempted to plunge my arm in.

It's never too cold for ice cream!

Sampling macarons!

I wanted the full Canadian experience... breakfast at Tim Horton's.

Two Cats

4/18/19 Roosevelt neighborhood

On my way to a haircut appointment, I was annoyed to discover that the whole block where I usually park had been closed due to construction work (what else is new?). Of course, my mood improved immediately when I saw that I had my choice of numerous earth movers and other heavy equipment to choose from!

As soon as my appointment was over, I dashed back to the construction site and started on an excavator I could see most easily from the sidewalk where pedestrians were allowed. It was an easy target because it wasn’t moving. But a short distance away, another machine sprang to life, moving things around with its claw. I managed to get both of these done just before it started raining again.

The curious worker who came by told me that yet another condo will be built on the property. He assured me that they still have plenty of digging and earth-moving to do, so I’ll be back for more.

4/18/19

#Oneweek100people2019 Wrap Up

4/10/19

By the end of day 2 of the #Oneweek100people2019 challenge, I wanted to up my game a bit and look for more active people to draw. On day 3, I headed for Northgate Mall and decided I would focus on the motion of walking, which is complicated to break down. In Thomas Thorspecken’s book, Urban Sketching: The Complete Book of Techniques, he breaks down the movement very effectively with simple illustrations (refer to my review to see the illustrations). 

I had these in mind as I closely observed people walking. When the front foot is planted firmly, the front leg is under the body weight, the back leg is bending, and the back foot is getting ready to lift. When the front leg is at an angle, only the heel should be touching the ground, and the back leg is distinctly bending with the foot sharply flexed. I found that these two phases of the walking motion are the easiest to see and therefore draw, but I still missed subtleties in some of these (is the toe up at a sharp angle, or is the foot nearly flat?). It’s easy to end up with the keep-on-truckin’ look (like No. 61) if the front leg sticks out too far. Most people walking at a comfortable mall pace seem to have a fairly short stride, making it even more difficult to see the subtleties among the various walking phases.

4/10/19

4/10/19

I also tried to sketch people walking toward or away from me. Although these are easier in that I can’t see (and therefore don’t have to draw) the varying leg motions, it’s much harder to show that a person is walking and not just standing. I think I did the best job on No. 64 in showing the bent knee and bottom of the shoe.

In about an hour and a half, I made 30 sketches, bringing my total to 87. The best part about this excellent practice is that I think I’ve developed my “vocabulary” for the walking motion that I can apply to future sketches.

4/10/19

4/10/19

After that marathon of walkers, I took it easy the next day and went to Starbucks. With the usual cast of characters – texters, a talker, a sleeper, a flirter, a couple of kids – I finished up my hundred. (I still had a few minutes left on my parking meter, so I did a couple more.)

How did your week of a hundred people go? I hope you had as much fun as I did! As always, taking on this annual challenge taught me new things about drawing one of my favorite subjects.

4/11/10

4/11/19

4/11/19

4/11/19

4/11/19

Secret Jazz Club

4/6/19 jazz trio performing at the Secret Jazz Club

A friend told us about the Secret Jazz Club, which is billed as an “intimate” concert venue in Georgetown. Its location is obviously not a secret, since it sells tickets through Airbnb and can be readily found when searched on the Internet. It turns out that the reason it is a “secret” is that the musicians you hear may or may not be the ones who were scheduled for the evening that you bought tickets for. It could be a total surprise! We love jazz, and the venue sounded intriguing, so we took a chance and got a pair of very reasonably priced tickets.

4/6/19

We’re glad we did. Indeed, the jazz trio we heard that evening were not the performers who were named and pictured on Airbnb, but no matter. The music was wonderful, and – more important to me – both the stage and the seating area were well-lit for a concert venue, so it was an entirely sketchable event. With a great view of pianist Matt, bass player Mike and drummer Max, I spent the first set sketching the trio. During the second set, I made a couple of small portraits, trying to achieve better likenesses and expressions. Max, especially, had such a blissful expression during his drum solos that I wanted to capture it.