Fall Has Fallen

10/19/16 water-soluble colored pencils, ink

Although our storm last weekend was lackluster compared to the Armageddon that the media had led us to expect, the wind was still strong enough to take down a lot of leaves (and even a few trees in some areas). This is the same aspen I sketched a couple weeks ago when it was still bright yellow.

Anniversary Bouquet (Plus Gabi’s Sketch)

1017/16 water-soluble colored pencils

If you’ve seen some of the fruit and vegetable still lifes I’ve been doing in colored pencils lately, you know that my approach has been to be fairly tight and detailed. I enjoy that approach when using colored pencils with some subjects, but this bouquet seemed to demand a looser, more painterly approach. It’s harder to be loose with colored pencils compared to watercolor, but I like that I can have some control over the looseness (Contradictory? Probably).

The bouquet was from Greg for our 27^th anniversary last Friday. :-) And here’s something else that relates our anniversary to sketching:

Our wedding took place at the top of the Smith Tower, which has always been one of our favorite buildings in Seattle. Years ago the Seattle Sketcher sketched the tower (it appears on the cover of his book), and I once asked Gabi Campanario if I could buy that original sketch. Of course, the sketch belonged to the Seattle Times, so he couldn’t sell it to me, even though the original was just sitting in a flat file in his office. Undeterred, I went directly to the Times and asked if I could buy it; I was referred to the reproductions department, where I could buy a print. A print might have been OK, but by then I had my heart set on owning the original.

Fast-forward to a few months ago when I had noticed that Gabi was starting to sell both originals and prints of his personal work on his website. I decided I didn’t have to have the one that he had made several years ago – I would simply commission him to make me a new one! So I did, and just in time to surprise Greg with it on our anniversary, I received the beautiful sketch from Gabi. 

Sketch of the Smith Tower by Gabi Campanario

#InkTober2016: Pushing Past Old Habits

10/9/16 Kuretake brush pen

Week 2 of InkTober2016 is done, and it was something of a struggle for me. The early part of the week began well with a pair of gestural sumi-e-like sketches of a running rabbit inspired by photos on the Internet. Then Sunday evening when I felt my blood pressure rise while watching the Presidential debate, I decided to bring it back down by sketching the candidates. I felt much better immediately, and sketching from the TV was something I’d never done before, so it fit with my InkTober goal to try new challenges.

But the next few days, especially when I was short on time, I found myself falling back on old habits again and simply sketching whatever birdbath or potted plant I happened to see. As an urban sketcher, drawing from life comes so easily to me that it’s almost second nature. I’m not saying the act of drawing itself is easy – that part is always a challenge on some level – but choosing something to sketch from life is the easy part and requires almost no thinking at all.

10/14/16 Copic Gasenfude brush pen

On Thursday I gave myself a swift kick in the rear to get back to my goal of making imaginary sketches, and I kept at it through today. Sometimes I managed to conjure up an image in my mind and get it out on the page. Other times when I had an image in mind but couldn’t quite get started with the sketch, I would search for photos on the Internet for something close, then work from that, which I found immensely helpful.

I was reminded of the article by Jake Parker, founder of InkTober, talking about how it takes him the first 10 days to get past his “old tricks” before he can get to new and exciting work. I’m not going so far as to hope for “new and exciting,” but I am finding that every time I make a sketch from imagination, the next one is a bit easier. I’m looking forward to the second half of the month to see where it takes me.

See all my InkTober2016 sketches in my Flickr album.

10/15/16 Kuretake brush pen 

Here's the photo from the Internet that helped get me started in making the sketch above.
(photo by Eric Isselee)

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Go Sketching

10/14/16 Copic brush pen, colored pencils

10/14/16 ink

Despite high-wind warnings and other predictions of a storm that could rank among the five worst storms in Western Washington history, seven hardy sketchers met in Columbia City – and several of them even sketched outdoors!

Not me – I retreated to PCC’s café, where I sketched the salad bar. Shortly after I arrived, Frank Ching came in, so I sketched him. When we shared sketches over lunch, I was impressed by those who sheltered under awnings and in doorways – at least until the rain started pouring sideways – to capture the neighborhood.

The worst of the storm is not supposed to hit until tomorrow afternoon, when I intend to be safely bundled up at home, flashlights and candles at the ready. Hope the rest of you locals are all safely indoors by then, too! 

Hardy sketchers!

The Ever-Versatile Colored Pencil

10/12/16 water-soluble colored pencils, ink

I hope you’re not tired of my tree sketches yet. In addition to getting a daily color fix, I’m learning more about how to use water-soluble colored pencils every time I sketch one. With most of my earlier tree sketches, I was using a basic dry-on-dry technique to lay down color fairly heavily with the side of the pencil core. Then I’d dab the color with the waterbrush to activate it. I like the textured effect from it, but it’s a time-consuming method. 

For the yellow tree I sketched Tuesday and the maple yesterday (at right), I tried something new: After laying down the color dry-on-dry as usual, I picked up my ever-handy water spritzer, held it at a distance from the paper to keep the mist fine, and then spritzed the entire tree. It was fun to see the explosion of color as soon as the mist hit the page, but it was also much, much faster than dabbing with the waterbrush. (This maple took no longer than it would have with watercolor paints.) (See the full tutorial on this technique.)

To intensify the color further in some areas (like the shady side of the tree), I went in with pencils again while the paper was still wet. I was happy to be using my usual 140-pound Canson XL watercolor paper; anything lighter and I think I would have had problems from all the water and aggressive pencil scrubbing on the wet page. In addition, the cold-press paper has a relatively coarse texture, which picks up a lot of colored pencil pigment quickly.

10/11/16 colored pencils

At the same time that I’ve been experimenting with water-soluble colored pencils to sketch trees, I’ve also been making still life studies at home, this time with traditional colored pencils or watercolor pencils kept dry. Sharpened to a deadly point, colored pencils can render really fine details, like all the (nasty looking!) warts on the gourd or vine leaves on the cherry tomatoes. I’m finding it much easier to blend hues optically by simply layering pencil strokes rather than trying to mix the right hue from liquid paints.

Loose and splashy; tight and detailed: I like to do both, and colored pencils are accommodating either way. The more I use them, the more I appreciate their versatility.

9/22/16 colored pencils and water-soluble colored pencil

Sidetracked by Color

10/10/16 colored pencils, ink

Driving through the Greenwood neighborhood yesterday afternoon, I was actually heading for my favorite traffic circle to see if our recent heavy rain had taken down the maple leaves. But I never made it that far, because I took a turn onto a street I don’t usually take – and stopped dead in my tracks. Though mostly bald on top, these two maples still blazed with color, going out with a big bang.

A similar sidetracking happened today, when I was walking across the University of Washington campus. I was on my way to the Quad, which is one of my favorite places to sketch during cherry blossom season. (It turned out the cherries were disappointing – mostly green but turning straight to brown instead of yellow and orange first.) On my way back to the car, I passed Paccar Hall, where a yellow tree (wish I knew what kind it is) was afire in the high sun. I went up to Paccar’s third floor terrace to sketch it.

The Pacific Northwest is not known for color (except dark coniferous green) the way the Northeast is, but we are having the most amazing autumn this year!

10/11/16 brush pen, colored pencils

Blown Away

10/6/16 water-soluble colored pencils, ink

On Thursday morning I heard that we were in for a lot of rain and wind over the next several days, so I was afraid it might be my last chance for color before all the leaves started blowing off. I went back to the Metropolitan Market parking lot, where some maples were already going bald compared to last week. These maples are on the opposite side of the entrance from the trees I sketched then. Flowers, a pile of pumpkins and a few umbrellas gave the entrance even more color.

Sure enough, we’ve had mostly rain ever since, with high winds on some days. We’ve had a gorgeous month since Labor Day, but I think autumn has turned from pretty to precipitation.