A Third Place

5/11/25 Chocolati, Greenwood neighborhood (For the record, this brownie drenched in hot fudge sauce was so huge that I could eat only a quarter of it at a time!)

For most of my adult life, I have longed for a “third place.” Traditionally, the third place is a pub or bar where people stop after work for a pint with familiar faces before heading home. Rather than an evening pint, an afternoon coffee has always been more my vibe. When I was single, I enjoyed taking my journal out to cafes on lazy Sunday afternoons before the next work week began. As a strong introvert, I wasn’t necessarily seeking conversation or community, but I liked the feeling of recording private thoughts in a public space. And people watching was always fun.

Throughout my working life, I continued taking occasional breaks from work and home chores by seeking out coffee shops, but I never really found a place that had exactly what I was looking for. Maybe I’m too picky: The shop couldn’t be too small nor too large. The music couldn’t be too weird or too loud. Ideally, it should be within a 15-minute drive and with easy parking. The ambiance had to be comfortable in just the right, difficult-to-articulate way. And it goes without saying that the coffee and snacks had to be good. Is that so much to ask?

5/17/25 Revolutions Coffee, Green Lake neighborhood

When I started sketching, the requirements became even stiffer. I still needed all of the above, plus the tables had to be set at angles that made it easy to sketch other patrons. And good lighting, preferably from big windows. Back in the day (spoken with that familiar tone of everything-was-better-in-the-past old fogeyness, emphasized with a deep sigh of resignation), people read hard copy books and wrote in paper journals, so cafes with good lighting invited such patrons. Now, most patrons use screens, so lighting isn’t important or even welcome.

And speaking of those people on screens, some are using those potential third places as their actual work places – occupying tables for hours, conducting meetings or job interviews, and writing their PowerPoints, all for the price of a latte. Zoka Coffee, one of my favorite indoor spots when I first began sketching, became impossible in later years because seating became so competitive. (Not to mention that their pastries went downhill. Pfft – that put an end to that.)

5/26/25 Macrina Bakery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Most recently, I had high hopes that Macrina Bakery would become my third place. When it first opened, it seemed to check all my boxes with the added benefit of being within (too-easy) walking distance. Fairly quickly, though, it became too popular. I’ve stopped in many times lately when I couldn’t find a single seat available.

As you know, I visit many coffee shops in my own ‘hood and outside of it, hoping one will feel just right and become my third place. I’m still searching.

Mighty-O Donuts

 

5/16/24 Mighty-O Donuts, Green Lake neighborhood (bonus points to Mighty-O for the bright orange sticker that looks fantastic in my blue Uglybook!)

For years, Zoka Coffee was my favorite coffee shop to sketch in. The large, high windows and an interior space that made it easy to see people from various angles (not to mention good pastries) made it very appealing. I really missed it during the pandemic, and it was one of the first indoor places I spent time in during the first winter after I got vaccinated.

Unfortunately, Zoka’s liberal wi-fi policy (free and unlimited all day; it has become a rent-free office space) means that it’s nearly impossible to find a table there unless I arrive when they open at 6 a.m. (which I’m not inclined to do). After walking there on a drizzly, chilly morning, I was disappointed that every table was occupied, as usual. My on-location comic tells what happened. I guess I’m going to have to cross Zoka off my list.

Although Mighty-O lacks a good interior space for sketching people, at least they have plenty of outdoor seating. On a warmer day, I wouldn’t mind spending more time there. (Yes, there’s also the donuts, though a bit too wholesome for my taste.)

Retreat at Green Lake

 

11/17/22 Retreat, Green Lake neighborhood

In the Before Times, Zoka Coffee had been my favorite wintertime sketching spot for years. Last year after I got vaccinated, I went back eagerly, but somehow, it just didn’t seem the same. Now freshly boostered again, I was ready to get back into coffee shop sketching, and it was time to find a new venue.

Retreat is a newish spot at Green Lake where we enjoyed al fresco lunches or coffee several times during the summer. In the afternoon, it is usually mobbed with the queue overflowing onto the sidewalk. I had noticed on my morning walks, though, that it isn’t crowded at all in the early hours. Compared to Zoka, it’s much larger, it has a more interesting interior, and it also has a very different vibe with a wider range of music genres. I decided to give it a shot last week.

As I’d hoped, it wasn’t crowded, so I had my pick of tables. Unfortunately, I chose a spot that left most patrons backlit against large windows with their faces difficult to see. (Before I left, I cased the joint thoroughly, so I have a better idea now of where to sit next time.) Fueled by good coffee and a decent (but not perfect) blueberry scone (yes, I’m picky about scones), I filled a few pages in my orange Uglybook, trying to get my people-sketching mojo back. Making all those portraits from photos the past couple of months was good practice, but it made me crave sketching people from life all the more. It felt good to be back at it.

Speaking of Uglybooks, the sketch at the top of the page is the first time I opened one up to sketch across the gutter. When I did, I realized that it is only a tiny smidge smaller than an A5 page! Often while sketching at Zoka, I had wished I’d had a toned sketchbook in A5 size so that I could use white pencil or gel pen for the window light. But I knew that as soon as I brought one instead of my usual white sketchbook, I would want the white one (and I had no intention of lugging around two A5 sketchbooks). Now that a color Uglybook is a daily-carry, it gives me the option of toned paper that is nearly as large as an A5. Sweet! Uglybooks are becoming more versatile every day.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!

Rusty at Javasti

 

11/8/22 Cafe Javasti patron

Sketching at coffee shops used to be an inclement-weather routine for me (that’s one part of my blog’s name, after all!). I spent many fall and winter mornings happily sketching people and interiors at one of my favorite spots, Zoka Coffee. The pandemic changed all that, and the first time I ventured back to Zoka post-vaccine was last December. Then the delta and omicron variants made me skittish again.

Greg and I sometimes stop at our favorite coffee shops along our neighborhood walking route, and we enjoyed taking a break outdoors all summer and early fall. Last Tuesday was the first time it was too cold (barely 40 degrees) to sit outside, so we had our coffee inside Café Javasti. I pulled out my pocket-size Uglybook for a couple of quick sketches of other patrons. Whew – did I feel rusty! Freshly boostered, I hope to get back into more regular caffeine sketching this winter.

New View of Cloud City Coffee

 

6/7/22 Maple Leaf water tower from Cloud City Coffee

Less than 2,000 steps from home, Cloud City Coffee is where I cut my teeth as an urban sketcher. For people sketching, I later favored Zoka Coffee because its large interior and unlimited free wi-fi encouraged Internet squatters to become excellent (though unwitting) life models. But one thing Cloud City has that Zoka (or any other coffee shop) doesn’t have is a fabulous sign – one that I have sketched many times.

The first time was early in my sketching life in 2012. A couple of years later I sketched it from across the street instead of from the café itself. Most recently was in 2016 when the sign was repainted and the logo redesigned.

Now that the weather is finally becoming hospitable, I’ve been thinking about cafes with outdoor seating, and Cloud City sprang immediately to mind. I’ve sketched the entire sign often enough that it was time to try a different composition. Surprisingly, even though our neighborhood’s iconic water tower stands right behind the sign when viewed from the outdoor tables, I’ve never sketched the two together (I deftly avoided the tower in my 2012 sketch). It was tempting to include the entire tower, especially with that nice sunny spot on the left, but this tight crop was the one I had liked in an initial thumbnail, and I wanted to try it.

Hardest to resist were the sign’s colors (bright yellow and sky blue), but the entire sign was facing away from the light, so I kept the colors subdued. I gave in, however, to a few letters in Cloud City’s name as homage to the best coffee shop in Maple Leaf.

Long Live Blogging

5/26/12 Gas Works Park

The day I began Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, trendsetters and others in the know had already declared blogging dead. Facebook, Twitter and other stuff called “social media” had been gaining ground for years. Not conducive to continual, real-time interaction, blogs were deemed too slow, too wordy, too 20th century. I had only recently become aware of blogs shortly before I started mine. Always on the leading edge – that’s me.

That day was March 18, 2012 – ten years ago today. I had thought about it for quite a while before I launched. What would be the purpose of my blog? How would it be different from what I do on Facebook? And if blogging was already dead and everyone was moving on to the next cool thing, why start now?

First, I’m a writer by vocation. I express myself best with written words – not clumsily truncated words to meet a 140-character limit or words riddled with typos because they were typed with thumbs on a phone – but carefully considered, crafted, edited and proofread words. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s the way I like my words to be presented.

By 2012, I had been on Facebook for several years, and I had noticed how difficult it was to find items others had posted. The search function was unusable (and hasn’t improved much since). I was even having difficulty finding things I had posted myself. If I had something worth saying or showing, then I wanted it to be easy to find on a platform I could manage to some degree.

Finally and foremost, I had just started learning to draw about six months prior. It was the first time in my life that I had the opportunity to document my own creative process nearly from the beginning. Blogging seemed like the appropriate medium for a visual practice.

3/12/13 Zoka Coffee

As I began drafting my first posts, I felt like I had plenty to say. Since I was trying to draw daily, I thought I would be able to create new content regularly. Even so, I gave myself full permission to stop blogging any time I wanted to. If I got bored, or the process gave me more pressure than pleasure, I could end it without apology or excuse. It would be nothing more than an experiment.

As the months went on, I saw that a few people were visiting my blog, but comments were rare. I figured I was mostly talking to myself, and I was OK with that. I truly enjoyed analyzing and articulating process thoughts or telling the stories that went along with my urban sketches. To my surprise, the blog itself began motivating me to keep sketching every day – not because I thought I had an “audience” to entertain but because I enjoyed the habit and process. In that way, it was like the written journal I had been keeping most of my life – except now I had to use my professional editing chops to clean up my writing for public consumption (which I do not do in my personal journal).

In addition to process documentation and storytelling, I knew that I would talk about art materials (because who doesn’t like to talk about art materials?). I didn’t realize, however, how much I would enjoy writing product reviews. Obviously, I sometimes have strong opinions about the materials I use, and it’s fun to pontificate. (My product reviews are always the most popular posts, so I have to assume readers are interested in my pontifications.)

2/5/14 Forza Cafe

The longer I blog, the more readers I “meet” through occasional comments and private email conversations, and I realize that I’m not always talking only to myself. Many readers have told me that they are on a similar drawing journey and appreciate what I share. It’s gratifying to know that others might be benefitting from whatever I learn and write about. It adds to my motivation to keep blogging.

I have only one regret: That I did not pay for a more robust and flexible blog platform instead of using free (and limited, inflexible and increasingly buggy) Blogger. When I began, Blogger seemed good enough for what I had in mind. Now I’d like a better platform, and I’m certainly willing to pay for it. But migrating 10 years’ worth of blog posts with tons of images and links seems burdensome and fraught with peril for a non-techy person like me. I’d rather use the time to sketch. (I’m still considering moving it someday, though.)

So here I am today, still using a medium declared dead a decade ago. To celebrate my 10^th anniversary, I thought I’d cite some blog statistics. Since March 18, 2012, I have published:

• 3,289 posts (including 274 product reviews or other posts focused on product information, observation or opinion)
• 11,421 sketches and other images (I don’t have a count of the number of sketches I’ve made because I don’t scan everything, but a quick look at my folders of the scanned sketches I’ve posted shows an average of 900 per year.)
• 994,196 words (Whoa, that’s close to a million words! I guess I do have a lot to say! My most verbose year was 2021 . . . a global pandemic will do that.)

12/24/15 Pike Place Market

According to Blogger’s statistics (as of March 16, 2022), Fueled by Clouds & Coffee has received an all-time total of 1,519,591 views (page views? home page landings? Not sure; unclear stats is another Blogger weakness). Google searches are my top referrer. Most of my readers are in the US, but a surprising number come from Germany.

My most-viewed page is Favorite Art Materials (15,800). My most-viewed post is How Many Colored Pencils Do You Really Need? (4,500) followed by The Colors of Autumn (3,720) and Book Review: Mike Daikubara’s Sketch Now Think Later (2,590). For the longest time, the review of Mike’s book was my most-read post ever (I think I got a lot of click-throughs from the global USk Facebook page). I can understand why How Many Colored Pencils took the lead eventually (hits on my product reviews and other product-related posts far exceed other posts), but why so many hits on The Colors of Autumn? That sketch and story certainly aren’t anything extraordinary, nor did it get reposted anywhere that could have led to more clicks. Maybe that’s just a Blogger glitch. (I don’t care enough about stats to investigate.)

Whenever The Well-Appointed Desk links to one of my posts, the views on that post go through the roof. Thank you, Ana – I always appreciate your boosts!

12/30/16 Grand Central Arcade

I have written a couple of other retrospective posts about my blog on the milestones of my 2,000^th post and my 1,000^th post (I meant to do a retrospective for the 3,000^th post, but I forgot). As I did for my 2,000^th post, I’m showing old sketches here that have nothing to do with anything except that they were in a folder of scanned sketches that I never got around to blogging about. Although my thoughts today are not random, please indulge me in some random sketches.

Blogging is dead. Long live blogging. 

10-Year Anniversary Giveaway

If you have read this far, then you are one of the readers I want to thank for your visits, whether occasional or regular. Even if you are silent, I appreciate your companionship on this journey. Knowing you are out there has helped keep me posting regularly (which I will continue indefinitely, even if my blog is the last one standing).

3/12/18 Green Lake

To thank you for your readership, I am offering a first-ever giveaway! If I reviewed a product here, then I purchased it myself (this is not nor has it ever been a sponsored blog). I also review products for the Well-Appointed Desk, where supplies are provided to me for the purpose of review. In any case, I have accumulated quite a few art supplies that were only lightly used, and even if I like them, I may not get around to using them up in this lifetime. It’s time to share!

11/4/19 Green Lake Starbucks

If the winner is in the US, I will put whatever will fit into a medium-size flat rate Priority Mail box. If the winner is in any other country that the US Postal Service will ship to, he or she will receive 8 ounces of art materials. To enter, please comment once below. The winner will be drawn on Friday, March 25 (selected by Random Number Generator), and announced shortly thereafter.

Sun Break

 

12/8/21 Maple Leaf neighborhood

After days and days of gray and rain, we were treated to sunshine! I knew it wouldn’t last, so I dashed out as soon as I could. My weather app told me I still had several hours before the rain would return.

To avoid wasting time looking around, I drove only a couple of blocks from home and parked at the top of a steep hill. I thought the distant blue horizon (and the silhouette of downtown Seattle) with dark trees in the middle ground would make an interesting study of atmospheric perspective using color temperature. Wouldn’t you know it: A few minutes into the sketch, it started raining, so I had to make most of it through the wet windshield. I would have liked to have deepened all the colors, but at some point, it became ridiculous trying to see.

Shortly after I returned home, the rain stopped and the sun came back out again.

Technical notes: This was one of those times when I missed my tried-and-true watercolor pencils. It is so much faster and easier to deepen colors quickly with a swipe of a waterbrush or a spritzer.

After momentarily dithering over paper, I decided to go back to my Stillman & Birn Zeta after all. I used it at Zoka Coffee last week, too. Since I’m not using water, a smooth surface somehow feels “faster” to work on with soft Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils. I don’t know if that makes sense or is even actually true, but I’m sticking with it for now.

Sandwich in the mobile studio

I’m pleased that my Tombow pencil “sandwich” is working out well, especially in my mobile studio. I just lean it up against the steering wheel on my lap, and it’s much handier than going through my bag. I have a sketch outing coming up, though, where I’ll probably want to sketch standing . . . I’ll probably switch back to my usual Tran Portfolio case for that.

Changes at Zoka Coffee

 

12/1/21 Zoka Coffee, Green Lake neighborhood

I had been thinking for a long time about going back to Zoka Coffee – one of my favorite winter sketching haunts for many years in the Before Time. Now that I’m boostered, and since I knew Zoka requires proof of vaccination, I felt more confident about spending time there.

As I always used to, I arrived before 7 a.m. to get the best choice of tables. People using the free wi-fi to work on their laptops and even conduct meetings usually start filling the tables by then, but to my surprise, only a few other patrons were there.

“So – what do you have planned for the day?”

“Getting my booster. Exciting, huh? How was your Thanksgiving?”

The counter chit-chat between the barista and an apparently regular patron might have seemed unusual during ordinary times, but not now. Some tables had been removed and others rearranged to allow for more space between them. Well-worn stickers on the floor helped patrons to space themselves in line (by now, don’t we all intuitively know how far away six feet is?). Everything is served in disposable cups and bags, even if you are staying.

I chose my favorite corner table. The sun would not come up for at least another half-hour, and it seemed much darker inside than I remembered. Without natural light from the large windows behind me, I could barely see the two women deep in conversation about their Thanksgivings and home renovation plans. Instead of struggling to draw facial features and other details, I decided to use the colored pencil techniques I had learned from Sarah Bixler’s workshops and focus only on large shapes and color temperature changes. It was not at all my usual style for sketching people in public, so it felt fresh, foreign and not entirely comfortable, just like being back at Zoka.

Zoka no longer served my favorite coffee cake. When I asked about it, the barista said she didn’t think they had ever had coffee cake. She obviously had not worked there in the Before Time. As soon as I bit into the croissant, I remembered that I don’t like them there (they leave a film on my palate). By the time I finished it, the sun had come up, and more light filled the space with familiar shapes and shadows. I used my “normal” style to draw the young woman in the beanie working at her laptop. A nice touch: Every large table had a bottle of hand sanitizer, like a café condiment.

These COVID changes are probably things most people are used to already, but I didn’t get out much pre-vax, and I’ve only recently started slowly tiptoeing back to indoor venues.

Has Zoka changed, or is it mostly me who has changed?

I’m on a Roll

 

Plenty of loops to spare, but I'm sticking with a limited palette!

As much as I want to be, I’m not a pencil roll type of gal, yet I have coveted many lovely, handcrafted pencil rolls made of fabric or leather. (One I have drooled over repeatedly is the Peg and Awl Sendak Mini Artist Roll.) Each evokes fantasies of sitting at a sidewalk table in a Venetian or Parisian café, sipping my espresso as I sketch, my colored pencil roll – charmingly patinaed with years of travel – casually opened next to my sketchbook.  

A slim sandwich, not a bulky burrito.

I have come close to putting rolls into my shopping cart, but each time I have managed to talk myself out of it. The fact is, rolls simply do not fit with my sketching style. Sketching on the sidewalk, I prefer to stand, so I have no place to spread out a roll. My Tran Portfolio Pencil Case that enables all my pencils to stand upright, constantly accessible in my bag, suits me perfectly 100 percent of the time. And yet fantasies die hard.

Just as I was about to temporarily pull all my usual Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencils out of the Tran Portfolio to make room for the Luminance pencils that I’ll be using for color temperature experiments, I started thinking about how I sketch during the wet-and-cold-weather months: usually through the windshield of my mobile studio or at a coffee shop table. In both cases, I could easily use a pencil roll! This color experiment could allow me to indulge in the fantasy, at least temporarily (OK, OK, so Zoka Coffee is not the same as a Parisian café, but a girl can pretend, right?).

I wouldn’t even need to buy a roll (though, believe me, I was tempted) because I already have one that I really like: the Tombow Irojiten case that I reviewed for the Well-Appointed Desk last year. Although I’ve admired others that look prettier (and darker – this off-white canvas is going to show coffee stains immediately, and that doesn’t count as charming patina), the Tombow has an elegant, practical design that appeals to me on many levels. It has no excess pockets, flaps, snaps, Velcro or zippers that I’m unlikely to use, and the simple elastic band that secures it meets my needs much better than the belts, buckles or ties that most rolls have. Best of all, it folds like a sandwich, not a rolled burrito, which reduces bulk. It’s an ideal design for me.

I’m ready for winter sketching!

Slender profile, lightweight canvas fabric (though I wish it were darker).

Zoka Coffee

 

2/5/21 Zoka Coffee, Green Lake neighborhood

After dropping off a library book in the Green Lake neighborhood last week, it was almost as if I were in a driverless car: Inexplicably, I found myself on the all-too-familiar route to Zoka Coffee. Ever since my first months of sketching, Zoka was where I worked on my people-sketching chops through all the cold, rainy months. I haven’t been inside in more than a year. I miss it dearly. Wistfully, I parked across the street to draw it from the outside. (Ironically, despite the many, many times I have sketched its interior, this was the first time I sketched its exterior.)

I was happy to see that Zoka was open. Now that cafes and restaurants are allowed to serve indoors at 25 percent capacity, I hope it will do OK until we all make it to the other side. I will be there.

Preserve & Gather

2/27/20 Preserve & Gather, Greenwood neighborhood

If all you need is a caffeine hit, your options are plentiful here; Seattle is known for having more coffee shops per capita than boats (which we apparently also have a lot of). As a sketching venue, however, the requirements are longer: It must be spacious so that multiple interior views are possible. Plenty of natural light and comfortable chairs are essential. The tables must be arranged at various angles so that profiles can be sketched as well as fronts and backs. Window seats facing an interesting view are optional but a nice bonus. A good scone goes without saying.

Zoka Coffee, where I’ve sketched countless times, used to check all the boxes. But over the years, seating has gotten more and more competitive as patrons take advantage of the unlimited wi-fi for their “offices,” squatting for hours at a time. I’ve been looking for a reliable replacement for a couple of winters.

Recently I learned about Preserve & Gather in the Greenwood neighborhood. A small sign at the counter was refreshing: “No wi-fi here” (I saw at least one man walk out when he noticed it). Large windows on two sides flood the L-shaped space with light. Window seats face Northwest 85^th with future sketching potential. The bright yellow benches and metal chairs aren’t the most comfortable, but the buttered cinnamon swirl brioche toast compensated (several scones with homemade jams prompted dithering, but I rarely see brioche toast offered).

I’m not sure yet if it will become a “regular” place, but it’s high on the list. Certainly I’ll go back enough times to try all the scones.

Uncomfortable Chairs at PCC Market

2/6/20 Salad bar at Green Lake PCC Market

2/6/20 Lunchtime patron

I haven’t been going lately to Zoka Coffee, my former favorite sketching coffee shop. Unless I get there when it opens, every table is taken by free wi-fi squatters who seem to stay all day conducting everything from employee interviews to staff meetings (not to mention scrolling through their endless Facebook feeds).

I’m looking for a new regular place I can count on for sketching. On this very rainy afternoon, I tried the dining area at my neighborhood PCC Market. A huge benefit of this food store is underground parking, so I can pull out of my own garage and into theirs without getting wet at all. The downside is that the chairs are very hard and uncomfortable, so no one wants to sit long, including me.

It won’t become a regular place, but with the Atmospheric River still flowing, it was good enough this time.

Puffy

11/26/19 Zoka Coffee patron

Every winter I am challenged by the puffy coat. The reflective surface is more difficult to render than it seems like it should be. I always expect the brightest part of the reflection to be at the top of the puff, but when sketching indoors, it’s usually just above the lower stitching. It’s not easy to describe, but let’s just say it’s not where I think it will be.

At Zoka Coffee the other day, this apparently chilly young woman kept her down jacket on the entire time she worked, so I had two chances to try it.

11/28/19

Happy Thanksgiving – I hope you’re having a warm and cozy one!

Going Small with Epsilon

9/28/19 graphite (parking lot under the First Avenue bridge)

Ever since I got back from the Netherlands and reviewed my sketch kit, I’ve been vaguely restless about my sketchbook choice. In case you haven’t been tracking my sketchbook dithering, I became less than satisfied with Stillman & Birn Zeta’s sizing while sketching in Holland (activated watercolor pencil pigments don’t look as rich, and water sinks in faster than I want it to). I decided to switch to a Stillman & Birn Beta instead, which I just filled. Beta isn’t new to me – I’ve filled several Beta books with still lives at my desk, and I use a landscape-format Beta occasionally when I travel – but this was the first time I used a Beta as a daily-carry from start to finish. For the most part, I’m happy with the paper’s weight, texture and sizing with watercolor pencils, my primary medium on location (full review coming soon), so I just cracked open a fresh one.

My vague restlessness comes from the few occasions that I’ve had the urge to use graphite, which I don’t like at all on Beta’s tooth, and even ballpoint, which I also prefer on a smoother surface. The past week or so, I’ve been trying an experiment: In addition to my usual 8½-by-5½ -inch softcover Beta, I’ve been carrying a pocket-size Epsilon, which has the same surface as the heavier Zeta (which I do enjoy with all dry media, especially graphite). Here’s my thought process:

Both graphite and ballpoint are relatively time-consuming media for me when used in the way I like to use them – with layers of smudged graphite or lots of ballpoint hatching. So if I keep my sketches small in both media, they will go faster, and while carrying the additional pocket-size book adds some bulk to my bag, it’s tolerable.

9/26/19 ballpoint (Zoka Coffee patron)

A few days ago, I was waiting for the Daniel Smith store to open on their annual Vendor Day (lots of great demos and free samples, and it’s fun to run into my sketcher friends there), so I made a graphite sketch in the parking lot. I have more difficulty scaling large urban scenes to a pocket size, but that means I need the practice, so it was an enjoyable challenge, and it certainly took less time.

On another day, I was in the mood for a ballpoint portrait at Zoka Coffee. I could easily use ballpoint in a Field Notes notebook or on any kind of paper (ballpoint is arguably the paper-friendliest drawing medium I’ve used), but Epsilon’s weight is more substantial, and the book itself is easier to draw in because it has some heft and a stiffer cover than typical stapled notebooks.

It’s still a trial, but I’m already happier knowing I have a graphite solution when I want one.

#Oneweek100people2019, Days 1 - 2

4/8/19

The One Week 100 People challenge is under way! I gave myself the same personal goal as last year – capture the gesture or essence of an individual, not a generic symbol – with as few marks as possible.

On day 1, I went to my default people-sketching venue – Zoka Coffee. Instead of working on carefully detailed portraits of two or three patrons as I usually do there, I simply captured gestures of as many people as I could in one hour. My emphasis was on the posture and line of action, not features or details. Unfortunately, many people were waiting at the counter to order coffee, and I couldn’t see their legs from where I was sitting, so they weren’t good studies of figures. The line of action ended up being only a shoulder slump. A few were quick heads of people at tables. One was a dog (though I didn’t count it in my 100!). I made 27.

4/8/19

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4/8/19

On day 2 yesterday, I decided I wanted more practice of figures, so I rode the light rail to Westlake Station. From a bench on the platform level, I noticed the various ways people stand when they’re waiting. The commuters were more relaxed and somewhat slumped, staring that their phones. But Westlake Station is also a transfer point for people catching the train to the airport, so this stop sees many travelers encumbered with roller bags and backpacks. They carry more tension in their bodies because they still have a plane to catch after riding the train. Some stand with weight evenly distributed; others shift their weight to one leg, so that hip is higher. Even when people are standing still, there’s a line of action to be found. Completing 28 through 56 in about an hour and a half, I enjoyed observing these varying postures.

4/9/19

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4/9/19

By day 2, I was feeling reacquainted with my Sailor Cross Point fountain pen, which I hadn’t used for sketching in a long while. It’s a juicy, luscious nib, and I’m falling in love with it all over again. (I plan to do almost all sketches for this year’s challenge with the pen except when I’m on public transportation, where I prefer using a cheap brush marker instead. Ever since I dropped a cap and almost lost it as it rolled away under my seat, I’ve been fearful about using a good fountain pen on a bus or train. Without a cap, a fountain pen is useless.)

4/9/19

At some point I went up to the street level to use a department store restroom. A window washer was at work on Nordstrom’s large show windows (Nos. 34 and 35), moving very quickly. Capturing the line of action was more challenging and therefore more fun. I started thinking that for the rest of the week, I should seek out locations where people would be moving more.

4/9/19

To see what others are doing for #Oneweek100people2019, search for the hashtag on social media.