More Towels, Less Clothes

Out of curiosity, I ran a few Quicken reports to see how our spending during the past six months compared with the same period in previous years. Of course, the big difference is travel – we haven’t spent a penny on that this year, and very little on auto fuel. And clothes – not a stitch, not even socks or underwear. Well, that’s not entirely true – I did buy one T-shirt.

We bought a lot of towels – a lot. With all the handwashing at all of our sinks and constant cleaning of countertops and other surfaces, I decided it was time to replace all the towels in bulk quantities. In fact, I’m finding joy and satisfaction in replacing ordinary household items that were worn or not working well. We are in the habit of using things long past their reasonable life because we were both raised in thrifty families. But in these troubled times, why not use fresh, colorful towels or high-quality scissors that make our daily lives a tiny bit better?

I also bought several small works of art, mostly from friends, mostly impulsively. During uncertainty, there’s no reason to hesitate.

We’ve spent zero on professional haircuts, but I sprang for a pair of hair-thinning shears that makes it easy to trim my own hair in front and on the sides. As for the back, we give each other buzz cuts – fast and easy. We may never go back to a barber or salon again.

Then there’s the matter of hobbies and art supplies. Hmmm, I may have spent a bit more than in previous years; perhaps I seek solace in colored pencils and notebooks. And three new bags from Rickshaw! OK, possibly excessive, especially since I rarely travel more than a mile. But I am about bags the way some are about shoes: They always fit, and you can never have too many.

Sadly, I’ve spent nothing on lunch or coffee dates with friends.

What are you spending more or less on during these pandemic times?

My only clothing purchase this year. . . or should I put this
expense in the "hobby" category?

Pink Disc, Yellow Sky

9/12/20 Maple Leaf neighborhood, early afternoon

Although we have our own deadly fires here in Washington State, the Seattle area has been covered by a blanket of smoke since Wednesday that originated with Oregon’s equally devastating wildfires. The smoke here is not nearly as thick as it has been in Oregon and California; photos and sketches of those areas show the sky as dark orangey-brown. Here in the Puget Sound area, the sky is more yellow than orange.

On Friday when I tried to look at the sun, it was still too bright to see with bare eyes, so I knew the smoke wasn’t too bad yet. I recalled the thick smoke we had two years ago from fires to the north, when the sun was an orange ball that was easy to look at with unprotected eyes.

By Saturday, the expected “super-massive plume” had fully arrived. I kept looking for the sun, but behind the smoke, the sky must have been partly cloudy, because it was nowhere to be seen most of the day. I stood at our bedroom window in the early afternoon to capture the weird yellow light and low visibility. The “unhealthy” Air Quality Index was 185 (under 50 is considered “good”).

9/12/20 the sun is finally visible around 2:40 p.m.

By mid-afternoon, the clouds behind the smoke must have parted because I suddenly spotted the sun – a coral pink disc that, by contrast, gave the yellow sky a bluish-gray cast. Under any other circumstance, I would have called that pink “pretty.” It’s not often that I can sketch the sun by viewing it with unprotected eyes: Other than the smoke two years ago, the only other time was the moment of totality during the 2017 solar eclipse.

This smoke is terrible, but it’s not nearly as terrible as fleeing for my life as so many are from fires engulfing many parts of the West Coast. I’m grateful to be safe. I’m grateful for all the firefighters working day and night to put the flames out.

Afternoon and Morning

8/22/20 across the street

Sketch the same view at different times of the day: That was the USk Talks Challenge that Shari Blaukopf had offered sketchers when she gave a USk Talk way back in May. I liked the idea and kept it in the back of my mind all summer, but I kept forgetting to do the same scene at a different time. Then a few mornings ago, I looked across the street at the shadows cast by our neighbors’ planters on the lawn, and I suddenly remembered that I had sketched the same view in the afternoon a few weeks ago. It was an ideal opportunity to finally respond to the challenge.

Above is the scene in the afternoon, and below is the one I did in the morning. The afternoon sketch was leisurely on a lovely sunny day, but the morning one was quick: The air was still hazy with smoke from wildfires in distant parts of Washington State. I used violet and yellow to capture light and shadow as well as to evoke the strange color of the sky.

9/9/20

Demo: Sequence for Spritzing Watercolor Pencil

Demo sketch

Several months ago when I sketched a peek-a-boo view of Mt. Rainier from our upstairs deck, I had enough forethought to take a few process photos that explained one method for planning the water-activation sequence when using watercolor pencils. The critical point is when I use a spritzer, which is my favorite way to activate foliage because it retains more texture and sparkle compared to dab, dab, dabbing with a waterbrush.

The issue is that it can be difficult to aim the spritzer accurately and confine the water to a targeted area. Adjacent parts of the sketch can be unintentionally sprayed, causing those details to become blurry when I want them to remain crisp (here’s an example of such a mishap). In the Mt. Rainier sketch, I used a waterbrush to activate the parts that I wanted to keep sharp and let them dry completely. Although activated watercolor pencil pigments are not permanent, they are far less soluble than dry pigments. When I spritzed nearby trees, the crisp areas were minimally disturbed.

That’s one way to keep the crisp areas from blurring. Another way is even more effective, but it takes more planning, which I don’t always remember to do. I explained the process a couple of days ago with the sketch of the North Substation tower, but I hope the steps below will be more thorough. This time I used the sketch with a tiny view of Green Lake that you saw on Wednesday:

Step 1 - block in: I like to use a Payne’s Gray Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer pencil for blocking-in because it’s harder and retains a point better than my usual Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles. As you can see, I don’t draw much with the initial block-in – just the large elements that I want to scale accurately to fit the composition on the page. (Sorry that the marks are difficult to see . . . I do the block-in very lightly.)

Step 1: block-in

Step 2 – draw tree and spritz-activate: I forgot to photograph this step, but instead, I’m presenting here the images I made for my workshop (which, sadly, was cancelled), which are probably clearer than any photos I could take in the field. Image 2A below is a tree drawn with dry pencil. In Step 2B, it has been spritzed just enough to activate the pigments while still retaining texture and sparkle.

Step 2A: dry pigment applied

Step 2B: spritzed

By contrast, shown below in image 2C is a brush-activated tree, which has lost most of its texture (this may be the look you want; I tend to prefer a more textured look). Image 2D shows what can happen if you are over-enthusiastic in spritzing – the pigments will float away in a messy puddle. Take care to spritz lightly, wait a moment for pigments to activate and settle, then spritz again if needed.

Image 2C: brush-activated

Image 2D: result of over-enthusiastic spritzing

A note on the spritzer: My favorite spritzer originally contained hand sanitizer, but it was purchased several years ago, and I can’t find the brand anymore. Ideally, use a spritzer that delivers a fine, even spray. Make some heavy swatches of watercolor pencil pigment and test your spritzer before using it on a sketch. You can vary the concentration of the spray by moving your sketch closer or farther away from the spritzer. I hold the spritzer about a foot and a half away from the sketch.

Step 3 – “licked” sky: I spritzed the sky area generously. Working quickly before the paper dried on this warm day, I “licked” pigment from the Museum Aquarelle Middle Cobalt Blue (660) pencil with a waterbrush and used the brush to apply the pigment to the wet paper. (This step is similar to the wet-in-wet technique with traditional watercolors.) I showed more details of the “licking” process in another demo a few years ago. The small refinement I’ve made in recent years is shown in the second image below: I’ve sharpened the pencil with a knife to expose as much pigment as possible, which makes the “licking” more efficient.

Step 3: pigment "licked" from pencil point with waterbrush and applied to wet paper.

pencil sharpened with knife to expose more pigment core

Step 4 – draw the main elements: While waiting for the sky and tree to dry, I drew the other elements, avoiding areas that were still damp. If you try to use watercolor pencils on paper that is damp but not glossy-wet, it’s truly unpleasant! The pencil point skids around without applying color, and if you rub too hard, you could damage the paper’s surface. If the pencil hits a slightly wetter area, it leaves a mark that might be unintentionally too bright. As with watercolor paints, it’s worth it to wait patiently. Note that distant foliage is left dry to keep them less vibrant and therefore in the background. By contrast, activation brings the closer tree forward.

Step 4: draw remaining elements, avoiding areas that are still damp

Step 5 – finishing details: After the sky and other areas were completely dry, I drew wires and other details.

Step 5: final details added

If you try this, please let me know how it goes and whether you like the results. This demo is similar to the one I wrote a few years ago except that I’ve improved and refined a few points.

9/4/20 completed sketch

Taiko from the Porch

9/5/20 live video of Kristen, Mark and friends

As they did for the fourth of July, my niece Kristen and her husband Mark hosted a neighborhood musical concert from their front yard in Maryland last Saturday. Several friends joined them in taiko during “Labor Day Porch Play,” including Rowan Corbett, a vocalist who also plays a percussion instrument called “bones.”

During one piece, I spent so much time trying to get the perspective right on the row of drums bending away from the video camera that I managed to capture only one player by the time the piece was done! After that, I decided to focus on small gesture sketches instead, which is always fun and challenging with dynamic taiko.

A Glimpse of Green Lake

9/4/20 Maple Leaf neighborhood

For most of the 30-plus years I’ve lived in Maple Leaf, I walked around Green Lake at least weekly, year-round, and often several times a week during the good-weather months. A three-mile loop, it’s just right for a vigorous fitness walk or a leisurely stroll with good conversation. On rainy winter days, only hardy locals make the loop, but when the sun comes out, it can look like Malibu (even if the temperature is only in the 50s).

Of course, it is also one of my favorite places to sketch: A quick search of my digitized files indicates that I’ve made more than 200 sketches in the Green Lake neighborhood, and my blog shows at least 30 posts featuring sketches made at the lake.

That tiny spot of bright blue near the center of this sketch is Green Lake. The last time I walked around it was March 11. I miss it.

Every Sketch Has a Story

 

9/3/20 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Years ago, Don Colley, one of my artist heroes, talked about how he begins by looking for the one thing that will make the whole drawing – the thing he’s going to focus on to get right. At the time, he was referring to his life-drawing practice, and he showed examples of what he meant by that (I wish I had saved the link to the blog post in which he discussed this): The light curving around the edge of a muscle; the indentation in the hip that indicates the pressure of the model’s weight against the platform – they were subtleties that showed the depth of both the artist’s observational skills and the drawing skills to convey those observations. His comments stayed with me and made me realize that even a life-drawing sketch can be so much more than practice in the hands of a master.

I don’t think he used the term “story,” but I look for the same thing when I begin a sketch by asking: What is the “story” here? What is the one thing I want to get right so that the viewer understands what I saw? In this case, it was the tiny rectangular tunnel of light on this backlit street.