A Larger Demo

 

A practice demo I did at home using markers on 9x12 paper.

My second in-classroom workshop for ArtSpot was on drawing animals with colored pencils. Since the brush pen workshop had focused on pets, I broadened the second one to include any animal, but the chosen subjects were all pets anyway. As I’ve found with my own commissions, pets are always an endearing subject!

After my first workshop, I thought hard about how I could improve my demos. The issue was that since I typically work on small paper, it’s difficult for the students to see my work in progress. Yet trying to use colored pencils on a larger scale would be time-consuming. I decided to use a 9-by-12-inch sketchbook at an easel to demonstrate the drawing methods (scaling, measuring, the drawing sequence) using bold markers. I felt that students could grasp the concepts that way, then apply them to colored pencils.

I think it worked out better, and the students all did really well. It’s always rewarding to interact with hard-working, motivated students!

Demo sketch on how I might use bright yellow to imply highlights that are
difficult to see in the reference photo.

An urban sketching-style group selfie!

Photo courtesy of ArtSpot

Photo courtesy of ArtSpot (I'm holding the demo I did with markers at the easel)

Long-Awaited Forest Trailhead Exhibit Opens

 

4/29/26 A tree kangaroo and a kea in the Forest Trailhead exhibit

Members got a preview this week of Woodland Park Zoo’s long-anticipated Forest Trailhead exhibit. The spacious, well-designed environment is a much-improved home for Carson, the red panda (a zoo ambassador for his endangered brethren), tree kangaroos and a kea. In an equally spacious indoor area, nearly 20 species of fish, reptiles and amphibians live in tanks.

On the day I visited, I focused on the outdoor exhibit (I’ll get to the indoor part some rainy day), where I was happy to see and sketch all three of the furry and feathered residents. (I was so eager to sketch that I forgot to take photos! I’ll certainly do that on return visits.)

Carson, the red panda, a popular zoo ambassador

As I took a walk through the rest of the zoo, I came upon Skyanna, a North American porcupine, who is a much more active ambassador. Out of her exhibit and on the main thoroughfare with human companions, Skyanna was as tame and friendly as a house a cat! We all awww’d as she munched on treats and tore up a toilet paper tube for fun.

Skyanna, a North American porcupine

This is the time of year when I get my money’s worth from my zoo membership. I’ll be back soon!

Skyanna munching on a treat

In response to a question, Skyanna's human friend explains that porcupines don't need to run fast because they wear very sharp armor!

When I arrived at opening time, the stroller set filled a long line. I sketchwaited a few minutes so that I could just walk in without standing in line.

Bunny Sighting

 

4/23/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

I don’t usually sketch during my short golden-hour walks; I enjoy having no sketching objective, destination or fitness goal. Still, it’s hard to resist a bunny quietly chewing grass. Getting out a colored pencil and my Field Notes made the least noise and movement.

Cherry Blossom Pink Flamingo

 

4/9/26 Chilean flamingoes, Woodland Park Zoo

Since I park on that side of the zoo, I like to catch the
Humboldt penguins on my way out.

On yet another gorgeous day (we were treated to eight of them consecutively last week), I went fitness walking through Woodland Park Zoo. Silly me – I forgot that it was still spring break, which gave me déjà vu of my visit to the Smithsonian National Zoo. (I exaggerate; Seattle’s zoo will never be as crowded as DC’s panda exhibit was, although as I was walking out, the attendant told me that she had counted 6,000 visitors so far that day – a combination of spring break and several field trips.)

I usually avoid the Chilean flamingo exhibit because it smells so bad there. However, the cherry blossom pink crayons in my bag compelled me to use them (holding my breath). At least half the large population on exhibit were a pale grayish-brown instead of pink. The keeper who was washing out their feeding tanks informed us that the dull-colored ones were still young. When they matured, they would take on the brilliant pink hues that flamingoes are known for.

Detail showing the "licked" color wash and textured details added with water-soluble pencil. 
I used a Derwent Drawing pencil for shading.

Technical notes: On a whim, I colored the flamingo by using a waterbrush to “lick” the end of a Raspberry Red Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayon and painting it like watercolor. Then while that was still wet, I used orange and red Museum Aquarelle pencils for some feather details. I don’t know why I don’t use those techniques together more often – I love the look of the smooth wash combined with texture. Now that the crayon holder I MacGyver’d gives me easy access to a “watercolor palette,” I have to remember to take advantage of it more often.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Neocolor II crayons? That’s not new – I’ve loved them for many years. The difference now is that I’m able to use them on location, so my long-time crush has turned into a committed relationship. Although I wrote a thorough review several years ago, I might need to write a fresh love letter sometime soon.

Getting My Teaching Chops Back

 

4/12/26 

4/12/26 Dexter

After being away from teaching for 15 years, I was feeling rusty going into my ArtSpot workshop last Sunday. As soon as I sat down with my enthusiastic students (a full class), though, my confidence returned and anxiety vanished. It was good to be reminded of the pleasure of interacting with creative, motivated students, which I had enjoyed for many years in my previous life.

Drawing pets with a brush pen was the topic of the day. In my supply list and in the email I sent to students several days prior, I reminded them that the single-most important thing they must bring to class was a high-quality reference photo (several to choose from, if possible). Drawing from a tiny phone screen is less than ideal, so I encouraged them to bring a tablet or iPad or, even better, large prints of images. I was relieved that everyone heeded my recommendations.

I gave the students an opportunity to try drawing from an upside-down
reference image, an exercise I learned from Betty Edwards' Drawing on the
Right Side of the Brain. I drew Teddy upside-down along with my students.

In fact, although I had come prepared with my own images to use for demos, some students had such great photos that I used them to demo with (and gave away the results). Each demo was in response to questions that came up. For example, the mom of the grumpy cat (the only cat! Whaaat??! Of course, I have a preference for dogs, at least to draw, but I was certain more would want to draw cats) asked about how to show the catchlight in light-colored eyes and shading on very pale-colored fur. Although I feel strongly about showing the catchlight, in this case, I concurred that it was difficult to do with a brush pen. Instead, I showed her how to subtly shade the fur on one side.

I sketched Roxy from life as she rested in a sling.

My favorite sketch wasn’t a demo at all: It was a live sketch of Roxy (at left), who spent the class time in a sling around the neck of shop staff member Viani. What a sweet, quiet model she turned out to be.

My learning for the day was to figure out how to do future demos that will be easier to see. I’m not sure I know how to demo on a large scale using an easel, but maybe I need to learn.

Overall, I had a blast, and I hope my students found it rewarding, too.

Maisy and Sammy

 

4/6/26 Sammy (reference photo by Tom Constantini)

3/21/26 Maisy (reference photo by Natalie Taylor)

Although I haven’t been doing as many commissioned pet portraits lately, I’m happy for the opportunities to practice that keep coming up. Last month when I was an ArtSpot featured artist during Art Walk Edmonds, I demo’d a few pet portraits for visitors who had photos on their phones. I started Maisy on the spot, but then more people came by to chat, and I felt too distracted to finish. I told Maisy’s mom that I’d finish at home and give it to her later. Drawing Maisy with a brush pen gave me a good opportunity to include a stepped-out example in my workshop handout. (My brush pen workshop is tomorrow! I’ll report back soon on how that went.)

The calico was a sadder event. A friend posted on Facebook that his beloved Sammy had just passed away at a ripe old age. It’s always a joy to sketch a beautiful animal, and I hope the gift brings some comfort.

Washington, DC, Part 4: National Zoo (Plus Sketch Journal Randomness)

 

3/31/26 Smithsonian National Zoo

My most frustrating time of the DC trip was our visit to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Famous for its resident pandas, the zoo is probably crowded throughout the year, but never more so than during spring break aligning with peak cherry tree blossoming. Could we have chosen a more congested time to visit?

Although I managed to sketch a few animals here and there, it was extremely challenging just to move through visitor traffic, let alone stop for a sketch. To make matters worse, temps in the low 40s during the early part of the trip had suddenly changed to the mid-80s! I wasn’t quite ready for summer!

As expected, the panda exhibit was the most congested of all, but the well-designed viewing area made it relatively easy to get a good look. Delighting everyone, this panda spent quite a while sitting on his comfy stump, chewing bamboo. (See my Instagram post for a video of this cutie.)

After an exhausting, grueling day swimming upstream through a continual river of humanity, we all needed a break. Lucky for us, the district’s best donut shop was only a few blocks away! It was the highlight of my last full day in DC.

One of the zoo's stars

Donuts make everything better!

The rest of this post is a collection of sketch journal randomness during my travels. Using DC’s excellent Metro system daily gave me lots of commuters to sketch.

3/27/26 light rail ride to the Seattle airport

Waiting at SEA

3/28/26 First of many DC Metro train rides

4/1/26 Looking for lunch at DCA before our flight back to Seattle, my brother-in-law
and I found unexpectedly good sushi at Matsutake Sushi!

Waiting at DCA

Yes, I did get some peanut M&Ms -- a "shareable"
size bag that I didn't share! ;-)

Mandatory gate sketch

Washington, DC, Part 1: Family

 

3/28/26 National Mall, Washington, DC. A kite-flying festival was one of many events associated with the annual cherry blossom festival.

With members scattered on both coasts, my family tries to reunite annually. It helps to have an event to gather around (we especially like eclipses). This year the event was a taiko festival associated with Washington, DC,’s annual cherry blossom festival. Since I had never visited the DC area before, it was also an opportunity to sketch sights that were all new to me.

On stage in the shadow of the Washington Monument, the all-afternoon Sakura Taiko Festival was organized and led by my nephew-in-law, Mark Rooney. A challenging factor was that the event was the same day and location as the No Kings march and the peak of the cherry blossom bloom around the Tidal Basin. Lots and lots of people everywhere! Another challenge was that the temperature was in the low 40s with bitter wind most of the day. 

The taiko drumming could be heard from a long distance, adding a festive flair to other general cherry blossom festival goings-on all around. (Since I had opportunities to sketch the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms twice, I’ll put those sketches in a separate post.)

In addition to instructor and leader Mark, his wife Kristen and my other niece (and Kristen’s cousin) Alix are also taiko performers. The two cousins practice on opposites sides of the country, so it was especially fun to see Kristen and Alix perform together on the same stage for the first time. 

The highlight for my family was a performance by Kristen and Mark that was a tribute to my mom (Kristen’s grandmother). Called "Waiting for Spring," the performance included my mother’s haiku poetry. I got a little teary thinking about how proud and happy she would have been to see that performance (and I’d like to think she did from somewhere).

On another day, we visited the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism together. The memorial honors Japanese Americans who served in the US military during World War II. The 100th infantry battalion and 442nd regimental combat team, fighting in Europe, became the most highly decorated army unit for its size and length of service in American military history. (Ironically, many of these servicemen had family members who were incarcerated by the US government while they served). It also acknowledges the injustice of more than 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent being incarcerated for the war’s duration.

Ten markers surrounding the memorial indicate the names of the 10 concentration camps and the number of citizens who were held at each. My parents and both brothers were incarcerated first at Tule Lake and then Minidoka. Since the two markers happened to be next to each other, this spot was ideal for a family portrait.

A highlight for me was collaborating with my grand-niece Kaila at the memorial. Now three-and-a-half, Kaila had taken interest as I sketched the memorial’s central crane sculpture, and I invited her to participate.

3/30/26 Collaborative work by Kaila and Tina

3 1/2-year-old Kaila hard at work

Finally, we all got to meet two furry members of the Koyama family, Roxie and Mugicha (whom I had sketched previously from a photo).

4/1/26 Mugicha and Roxie