Versatility

 

5/31/21 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Like trains and ferries, this excavator can take care of business from either end without turning around. I like versatile tools.

Skyline

 

6/3/21 Downtown Seattle from Maple Leaf Park

Sometimes I forget that the downtown Seattle skyline is visible from Maple Leaf Park. It’s too far away to identify individual buildings easily, but I started with the Space Needle at the far right and kept going, trying my best to get the relative heights accurately, if not the shapes of the buildings. At that distance, I couldn’t even see any cranes, though I know they are there.

I miss downtown. I’m ready to sketch there, but I haven’t figured out how to get there (the part I’m not ready for is using public transportation). Rip Van Winkle has to gear up for the shock – I know that so much has changed in 15 months.

Top Pot Queue

 

6/4/21 Top Pot Doughnuts, Wedgwood neighborhood

I try to observe National Doughnut Day annually. Last year, I almost didn’t; the pandemic didn’t keep me away, but shaken and outraged by George Floyd’s murder, I wasn’t feeling festive. Still, there’s nothing like sugary, deep-fried dough to (temporarily) improve one’s mood, so I went ahead with it, and I was happy that I did.

Yesterday I was feeling much more upbeat as I set out for my neighborhood Top Pot. At 8 a.m., a decent line had formed outside the door. In the past, I have enjoyed sketching the Wedgwood store’s giant donut sculpture and twin palm trees from across the street, but this time I wanted to get close enough to sketch the queue. Though the sketch itself isn’t very exciting, it tells a larger story: masked patrons standing in line six feet apart, and my vaccinated self feeling safe enough to sketch them. (A palm tree makes a cameo appearance as a shadow on the building.)

Afterwards, I got into the line myself for a classic chocolate raised ring, which I sketched at home before scarfing it down. I noticed that the store is hiring; the donut biz must be thriving. We have many reasons to feel upbeat.

By the way, like many occasions and holidays, the origin of National Doughnut Day has gotten lost over the years. It was first observed in 1938 to honor Salvation Army volunteers who gave out donuts during World War I.

Peony

 

6/2/21 Prismacolor on Stonehenge Lenox Cotton paper

This week’s class lesson was drawing a flower of our choice. In the bouquets I had purchased at the farmers market last Saturday were some irises with distinct, mostly non-overlapping petals that might have been easier. Since Kathleen used a rose for her demo, though, I knew that something with lots of spiraling, overlapping petals would be a better challenge. I chose the brilliant pink peony that I had already attempted (not very successfully) to sketch loosely a few days ago.

By the time I began drawing my class assignment, it was Tuesday. In the morning when I started, the blossom was already past its prime, but I like the look of flowers at that stage, so I thought it was perfect. During the two hours that I worked, I could see that the peony was changing before my eyes: I kept looking at it and thinking, “How could my drawing be that far off?” when I’d realize that the petals had drooped further. The temperature was heading toward 80 degrees.

My plan was to finish the drawing the next day, but by that afternoon, I realized I would not have a model by then, so I needed to continue immediately. Of course, I had taken a photo when I began (it’s part of our assignment to show a photo of the subject), but the colors, lighting and perspective are slightly different in the photo from reality, so my preference was to work from the actual peony as long as I could.

My peony on Day 1... 

Thankfully, I had focused on the blossom first, so the next day all I had left to do were the stem and leaves. (This is my urban sketching training at work: Always sketch first the people, cars or other things that may move or disappear.) The petals had drooped further, completely obscuring the leaves, so I gently lifted them, and that’s when the whole blossom fell apart.

Drawing this peony was informative and illuminating in several ways. One thing I’ve learned about using traditional (wax- or oil-based, not water-soluble) colored pencils is that as soon as I put them in my hand, my tendency is to make a tight drawing that ends up overworked and lacking freshness. I had been feeling that using colored pencils wasn’t conducive to the type of drawing I wanted to do with them, so this class with Kathleen Moore was an opportunity for a self-challenge: How can I learn to use colored pencils while retaining freshness (if not looseness)?

...and on Day 2.

My second day with the peony was the point when I would normally start to overwork a drawing. The flower was now a pile of petals, but I pulled out the photo to see if I could use that to continue poking away at it. Looking at the drawing with fresh eyes in the morning, however, I realized I liked it the way it was. It still had some freshness left without looking unfinished. Maybe I should stop! And I did.

This drawing gave me another insight: In her demo, Kathleen had used mineral spirits to “melt” the pigment after each layer of application. Doing so took away the visible pencil strokes, giving her resulting drawing a strong painterly effect. Since using mineral spirits is optional, I decided against it for this assignment (though I have kept my mind open about it for future assignments). By avoiding its use, many of my pencil strokes are still visible and “unmelted,” which I think helps to retain the drawing’s freshness.

Beyond the relative freshness of my drawing is the larger question of what I want to do with colored pencils: Am I trying to emulate a painterly effect? If so, why not use paint?

These questions evoke conversations I’ve had with some sketchers who did not have much experience with either watercolor pencils or paints. They had hoped to achieve watercolor-painting effects with pencils, which seemed easier to use than paint. I told them that if they want the look of watercolor paintings, they should learn to use watercolor paints. Watercolor pencils have their own unique qualities (and it’s obvious that I love them for those qualities), but emulating paints is not their best.

If I wanted to achieve a painterly result from colored pencils, then using mineral spirits would help me do that. But one quality that I love about colored pencils is that they are not paints; I like seeing visible pencil strokes and the delicacy they can impart. I appreciate the beauty of the medium without trying to emulate another.

Maybe my path to achieving the look I want is to continue refining my technique with colored pencils while also learning to STOP before I pass the point of freshness. That’s a good skill to have with any medium! Anyway, writing this post has made me think more about the difference between “looseness” and “freshness.” I’ll have more to say about this later, I’m sure.

Prismacolor colors used in the peony

Farmers Market Bouquet

 

5/30/21 Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle and Supracolor in Stillman & Birn
Beta sketchbook

One of my purchases at the farmers market on Saturday was a couple of gorgeous bouquets. I think fresh flowers from local growers are one of the best bargains at farmers markets – so much less expensive than a florist, not to mention many times fresher. Before taking them to the cemetery, I pulled out a few favorites for myself. (I knew my parents and sister wouldn't mind sharing.)

I needed a peony for my colored pencil class this week. Before I did the homework assignment, though, I attempted the bouquet as loosely as possible. The result is a colorful mess. The pink peony, which was intended to be my focus, came out overworked and formless; I certainly hope I do better for class. I think I like the foliage best – loose, yet evoking the gesture of the way leaves grow.

Farmers Market Busker

 

5/29/21 U-District Farmers Market busker

About a year ago, our desire for fresh local produce won over anxiety and trepidation, and we went to the University District Farmers Market one Saturday morning. When we arrived at the opening time, however, the six-feet-apart line of shoppers already stretched around the block. Discouraged and disheartened, we turned around and went back home. We hadn’t been to any farmers market since.

Saturday of Memorial Day weekend dawned sunny and beautiful. Other than shoppers and vendors being masked, the U-District Farmers Market looked very much like the Before Times. A staff member with a counter was managing the number of people on the closed-off street, but there was no line. Saxophone music greeted us.

After handing Greg my purchases to carry, I stepped away from the market thoroughfare to sketch the saxophone busker. Of all the post-vax things I’ve done so far, this quick and simple sketch made me feel the most emotional. Maybe someday things will be as normal as they felt.

Santo Coffee Co.

 

5/28/21 Santo Coffee patrons

One of many things I had missed dearly during the past 14 months was sketching in coffee shops. After being vaccinated, I had been wanting to do it, but I was still a little uncertain about spending time indoors in public places. I needed a little push. Then I got an invitation from Carol and Natalie, and it was the push I needed.

When Rip Van Winkle woke up at Santo Coffee, she blinked her eyes and realized she had forgotten how to sketch real-life people! I had a clear view of the man just outside the window and the bright red Jump bike next to him, but I didn’t get far before another guy sat down inside and blocked that view. Oh, that’s right… that’s what urban sketching is about! The café felt busy and noisy, and I felt out of place, but it helped to have good friends (figuratively) holding my hand. I had certainly missed them, too.

Once again, the result is not my best, but I will always remember it as my first post-vax sketch at a coffee shop and part of my ongoing re-entry to the public world.