World Cup Watch “Party” at Project 9

 

6/24/26 Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

With my usual fervent indifference toward all professional sports, I hadn’t participated in any of Seattle’s FIFA fever. Although I hoped that my city would be a good host for this global event, my interest ended there. As I’ve learned from past experiences (see my sketches at watch parties for the Mariners and the Super Bowl), my entry into any subject I have no interest in is always sketching.

Last Wednesday’s noontime match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar seemed like a good opportunity to give it a shot. I certainly had no intention of joining the massive mobs downtown. Instead, I walked over to my favorite neighborhood watering hole, Project 9 Brewing Company. Maybe my expectations were too high for something called a watch “party.” Or maybe Maple Leaf doesn’t have many fans of the Bosnia-Herzegovina or Qatar teams. In any case, except for one sudden roar, patrons remained quiet. Facing away from the four huge screens available for viewing, a few people kept working on their laptops.

Live video sketches

Enjoying my lunch of Mexican Seoul’s usual tasty burrito bowl with a NA beer, I had the most fun trying to capture a few gestures of close-up action on the screen.

There – I participated in Seattle’s historic sports hosting event. Now, will everyone please go home so that I can go downtown again?

Nothing Better

 

4/24/26 Project 9 Brewing Co.

On a lovely late afternoon, USk Seattle met at Project 9 Brewing for the first unsheltered drink & draw of the year. We had a great turnout, including Lisbon artist Mario Linhares, who was in town to give a presentation and workshop through the University of Washington’s Landscape Architecture Department.

Other sketchers who had never come to a USk outing before and long-timers who hadn’t come in a while all joined us on Project 9’s sunny deck. And why wouldn’t they? A warm (but not hot) Friday afternoon, sketching with good friends while sipping cold beverages – does it get any better? We all agreed that it doesn’t.

Overcharged at Project 9

Evidence

When I was reviewing a credit card statement a while back, a charge from Project 9 Brewing Company from the night of the Super Bowl caught my attention. The charge was for $41.05. I knew that I had had only one small beer and some food, but the food was from an independent food truck vendor, so it was a separate charge. Why was the charge so high? Had I forgotten that I had treated my friends that night? I checked with them, and they remembered buying their own drinks. It was obviously an error.

I knew I could file a formal dispute with my credit card company, but I really like Project 9 (it’s a favorite venue for USk drink & draws), and filing a dispute would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to talk to them about it directly instead. The bartenders gave me contact info for the owner.

In my email to him, I described what had happened and that I believed I had been overcharged. As “evidence,” I attached one of my sketches from the evening (detail shown here). The shape of the glass indicates the size of my beer, and of course, I had labeled the beer’s name.

He fully refunded the overcharge (including the legitimate cost of the beer) with apologies and no questions asked. I appreciate the customer service, and I’m sure I’ll be happily returning to Project 9.

The moral of the story: Always sketch your food and beverages in case you need evidence of an overcharge! 😉 

Consolation Drink & Draw

 

3/6/26 Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

USk Seattle was hoping the weather would cooperate for an outing at the big Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown/International District on Saturday, but rain was in the forecast. We decided to change the plan to a drink & draw on Friday afternoon instead.

With such short notice, I was afraid I’d be alone at Project 9 Brewery, but five sketchers came out to join me for brews, snacks and casual sketching. Our group size was just right for the cushy seats in the sheltered, heated patio area. Most sketchers had fun drawing each other, but no one was sitting directly across from me, so my victims were the usual random kind. (I did manage to catch the brewery’s house cat, whom I first sketched on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s probably the chillest cat I’ve ever met, wandering around to get petted by human patrons, unfazed by canine patrons, and napping and grooming on tabletops.)

At 6 p.m., we could take group and throwdown photos by natural light! Hallelujah, the Big Dark is finally over!

P.S. Today is Day 1 of the One Week 100 People drawing challenge! I hope you're joining me! I'll report in after the week is over!

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.

Cozy Drink & Draw

 

10/24/25 Drink & draw at Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood 

After walking through the deluge from our current atmospheric river, I was afraid I’d be all alone at the USk drink & draw. Happily, I was joined by four others who braved the torrents to get to Project 9 Brewery, where the heat lamps kept us cozy in the perfectly dry tent. (We could have gone indoors, of course, but it gets very loud in there, especially on a Friday evening.)

With one highly skilled professional artist and one who had begun drawing only a few months prior, both new to Urban Sketchers, I was reminded of one of many reasons I appreciate USk: People of all experience levels can draw and chat together while sipping beers and munching tacos. No judging, just fun!

Scouting Mission: Old Stove Brewery

 

6/1/25 Old Stove Brewing Co., Ballard neighborhood

All the umbrellas gave me interesting compositional possibilities to make small studies from.

Now that outdoor dining weather has begun (fingers crossed!), I’m on a mission to scout potential USk drink & draw locations for the summer. My favorite, of course, is Project 9 because it’s within walking distance, but it would be fun to try new locations in other neighborhoods, too. First on my list was Old Stove Brewing Company Gardens in Ballard, which is the newest location in this local chain.

What attracted me most in the photos I’d seen online was the huge beer garden. I picked a sunny Sunday afternoon to check it out with Ching and Natalie. In addition to the garden, it has spacious indoor seating, too, with views of brewing tanks.

Lots of shaded tables? Check. Good food and brews? Check. Good space for inclement weather? Bonus!

Special Guests at Drink & Draw

 

5/30/25 Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Sunshine and warm weather have a way of bringing people out! One of our biggest turnouts ever at a USk drink & draw included a special guest who came all the way from Pune, India. An enthusiastic member of USk Pune, Rajeev was in Seattle for his daughter’s wedding and brought his whole family to Project 9 Brewery – and they all sketch!

Rajeev (at left) and his family

Exquisite Corpses Live!

 

Exquisite corpses by Roy, Mary Jean and me

Mary Jean, Roy and I always have a lot of fun whenever we get together for art play dates, but last Friday we kicked it up a notch: We made exquisite corpses! Begun by the Surrealists, it’s a drawing game in which each player draws one part of a figure, then others add to it without seeing what the previous players have contributed. Obviously the drawings must be done from imagination, which is always a tough stretch, but Roy and MJ have a way of inspiring me. Maybe the game itself freed me to lower my expectations and just have fun with it. Indeed, we all had a ball and were delighted by the amazing results! These are not the last of the corpses we’ll see!

After the corpses came to life, we settled in for NA beers from Project 9 and burrito bowls from Mexican Seoul. Project 9’s large tables are especially suitable for collaborative projects like ours. Since we’re all more comfortable with urban sketching than with imaginative drawing, we all relaxed into our comfort zones with more sketching. We all agreed, though, that giving our imaginations a kick in the butt was good for all of us!

Exquisite collaborators!

3/21/25 Project 9 Brewery

D & D for R & R

2/28/25 Project 9 Brewing Co., Maple Leaf neighborhood

 After my busy week of packing and unpacking, Friday night’s drink & draw with USk Seattle was welcome R & R! Several of us were warming up for One Week 100 People (which begins today) so we became each other’s victims. I couldn’t resist one of the canines, too. (One of many reasons I like Project 9 Brewing Company for our drink & draws is that dogs are welcome.)

The USk Drink & Draw is Back

1/31/25 USk drink & draw at Project 9 Brewing Co. (After half a beer, I apparently lose my ability to spell!)

After a holiday season hiatus, the USk Seattle drink & draw is back! All summer and early fall, our “usual” table had been in Project 9 Brewing Company’s huge sheltered outdoor space, but I was afraid it would be too cold and wet last Friday afternoon. With all their heaters going full blast, though, it was perfectly comfy (and so much quieter than inside). The only surprise was the occasional splatter of rainwater from the tent roof, which must have had some tiny leaks. But all the sketchers took the drops in our sketchbooks in stride – we’re urban sketchers, after all.

An interesting trend I’ve noticed at our drink & draws is that they seem to attract first-timers who have not yet attended a regular Urban Sketchers gathering. I always explain that drink & draws do not follow the usual outing format; they are simply casual, informal opportunities to sketch while we chat.

From an introvert’s perspective, if I were a newcomer, I would find it much easier to attend an actual sketch outing where I’d spend the bulk of the time sketching on my own instead of talking with people I don’t know. For others, though, it’s apparent that they feel more comfortable getting their feet wet in a familiar social situation such as enjoying a beer and snacks while they socialize. I’m happy that USk Seattle has different ways of making newcomers feel welcome. We all had a blast, and I’m looking forward to more of these, especially as the days grow warmer and longer.

Productive and Creative, After All

3/18/24 (memory)

With all that was going on in my life (and in my house) in 2024, I had been feeling a bit disappointed that I didn’t explore creatively as much as I usually do (either in media or in approach). But reviewing the year’s sketches for my Top 10 Memorable Sketches post reminded me of my on-location comics, which were a major change in approach. My interest in the comics style also led me to try autobiographical comics using my imagination, which is always a big stretch for me. Early in the year, I made a lot of pet portraits as a fundraiser, which was a rewarding and challenging project. It’s been a productive, creative year, after all.

Currently my studio is in a transitional mess of partly filled boxes and ongoing dishevelment. It’s hard to relax and create here because I see so much stuff I still need to sort and haul downstairs (which will be Phase 2 of my big downsizing plan). Looking ahead to 2025, I can’t wait to get my studio move completed so that I can get back to doing more drawing (maybe even painting) at my desk this winter. I’m shooting for the end of January for completion (though that might be overly optimistic).

9/29/24 Greenwood neighborhood (This was the last of my street tree series
for the year.)

My tradition for last-day-of-the-year reflections is to include sketches that I didn’t get around to sharing at the time that they were current. Interestingly enough, many are experimental in nature but also one-offs that didn’t go further, which made it difficult for me to form any coherent thoughts or ideas around them.

Wishing you creativity and fulfillment in 2025!

10/30/24 A collage/random paint splotch exercise inspired by Drewscape

11/9/24 Aegis resident

12/18/24 pale primary triad (photo reference)

11/11/24 metallic Neocolor I in Uglybooks (photo reference)

Walk-Sketch Randomness

10/18/24

9/24/24 

Most of my walk-sketches get posted on my blog chronologically because I have some kind of story to tell, either about the subject, media explorations, or whatever. Still, I realized I had some sketches from September and October that I hadn’t shared. I don’t want to get too far behind, so I’ll catch up here, along with a few for Pencilvember.

10/27/24

The one from Sept. 24 (top left) is something of an anomaly. Out for a walk with my daily-carry Uglybook, I wanted to capture the thick fog on that strangely warm morning, and watermelon red just wouldn’t do it. I didn’t have a white sketchbook, but I always have a Field Notes jotting notebook and a graphite pencil with me.

The only other sketch here with much of a story is Oct. 18 (top right) – an excavator digging up trees and roots from a driveway and yard. Back in August, I wrote a post about an old, dilapidated garage I see whenever I get a table at Macrina Bakery’s outdoor seating area. Out of place on that tidy street, the eyesore of a garage had been that way for years. Not too long after I made that sketch, I walked by one day and realized that it had been taken down! On Oct. 18, I saw that the entire yard was being excavated, including some small trees. The excavator operator saw me sketching and alerted the owner, who was attending.

“Is there a problem?” the owner said, crossing the street toward me with a worried expression. (People seem to interpret sketching as furious notetaking.)

“Oh, no problem at all – I’m enjoying sketching your excavation!” I replied. Relieved, he started chatting about his ongoing plans. His project is done now, and the landscaping looks nice, but strangely, I sort of miss the garage, even if it was an eyesore. I’m glad I sketched it when I did.

Included in this randomness are graphite sketches from a few days ago. The Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil that I started Pencilvember with wasn’t doing it for me, so I’m trying out different pencils now. The 8B Mitsubishi Hi-Uni Super DX and the Viarco ArtGraf water-soluble graphite pencil both hit the spot in terms of darkness and softness, but unfortunately, they both smudge badly and reflect light. Activating with water, however, takes care of both the ArtGraf’s smudging and shininess. That might be the best solution.

11/4/24 (ArtGraf, Inktense, white Derwent Drawing pencil)

11/4/24 (ArtGraf, Museum Aquarelle and 
Inktense)

11/4/24 (Hi-Uni Super DX 8B, Museum Aquarelle)

I’m also regretting that I chose the tan Uglybook . . . perhaps I should have gone with a white one, as was my first inclination. With white, it’s very easy and fast to get the high contrast I want, and I can probably use harder graphite grades if I want to.

(Fussing about media sure is fun! I’ve missed it!)

I'm having fun mixing in some color with the graphite! Ahhh, pencils -- how I've missed you!

Documenting Un-Junking

9/17/24 Macrina Bakery, Queen Anne neighborhood

Instead of feeling like a chore as it occasionally has in the past, my sketch journal process has become fun and engaging, mainly due to subject matter: my downsizing project. I enjoy documenting meaningful objects and key events, including my little celebrations of accomplishments.

10/4/24 Caffe Ladro, Roosevelt neighborhood

A critical part of making my sketch journal process possible is sometimes using photo references, even for simple objects that are easily accessible for drawing from life – and that’s a huge change of attitude for me. Long-time readers of this blog know that I have always been so focused on drawing from life that switching to photo references has sometimes been a challenge. I still strongly prefer drawing from life, but in this case, I don’t want anything to interrupt my unjunking process. I’m like the proverbial shark: Once I start clearing an area, I need to keep moving.

10/9/24 Green Lake Starbucks (Sometimes my sketch journal is just about ordinary life.)

10/10/24 Mr. West, U Village

10/16/24 photo reference

The mini vac on Oct. 16 is a good example. When that long-missing item finally came to light, I knew I wanted to document it, but I did not want to set aside the vacuum cleaner until I sketched it. It was easy to snap a photo in the moment, then move on (the vac had been replaced long ago, so I gave it away).

10/17/24 The "We Take Junk" team, who came to my house a total of 4 times. (Photo reference)

10/19/24 When Chris installed my hardwood floors several weeks ago, he spotted the table saw in the basement. I told him I was getting rid of it, and his eyes lit up. I was very happy to know it was going to a good home. (Photo reference)

I’ve also been snapping quick photos of people that I want to include in my documentation. Obviously, I don’t want to get in the way of workers, and often I’m too busy myself helping with the work. I know it must sound so obvious to people who have always been comfortable drawing from photos, but for me, it’s a liberating and novel experience not to draw everything as it is happening.

10/21/24 Santo Coffee, Roosevelt neighborhood (a reward for the previous week's unjunking efforts)

The spread shown below was a spontaneous page design experiment. When I made the sketch of the voting box, my intention was to use the rest of the spread to document something else that happened that day, but I forgot and never finished the spread. The next day, I wanted to document the celebratory doughnuts I had gotten for my junk-removal crew (after four visits, each lasting several hours, you get to be good friends with the people hauling all your junk out). Although I typically would not put two days on a spread, especially crossing the gutter this way, it suddenly occurred to me: Why not? I do it all the time when all the sketches are occurring on the same day – what difference does it make if the sketches occur the next day?

10/23/24 and 10/24/24 

I like to think of myself as a creative person, but sometimes the most obvious things take a long time to occur to me! Anyway, I like the way the composition of the spread came out, and I’m going to push myself to think outside the boundaries of the single page more often. I always enjoy the challenge of making images fit together on a small page – especially since I never know what the next sketch will be.