Sunday, March 29, 2015

Sketching from Vashon to Port Townsend


My day began on the Vashon Island ferry dock waiting for the next boat to Southworth. As I waited school buses arrived to pick up off-island children who attend school here on island. Just enough time for me to quick-sketch the buses and the arriving ferry. Micron 08 pen and watercolor pencils served my sketching needs.
Off loading at Southworth with my destination Port Townsend. Even though my day was going to be filled with meetings I knew I would make time for a sketch or two while I was there. Last meeting was over at 5:30 and I headed for the boat yard. By now the shipwrights have gone home for the day and the fishing boats they were working on became the subject of my interest. A lose sketch with my micron 08 pen and watercolors added by in my hotel room brought the day to a rewarding close in one of my favorite northwest sketching locations.










Tuesday, March 24, 2015

April's Wednesday sketch outing

This will be the second of our regular Wednesday sketch outings on April 15.  Come spend what might be a stressful tax day in the relaxing environment of the botanical conservatory!

W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory 

316 South G St., Tacoma, Wa  98405
In Wright Park
(253) 591-5330

We'll meet at 10 am just outside the Conservatory (or just inside if it's raining).  The Conservatory opens at 10 so early arrivals could sketch outside while waiting.   Pen, watercolor and stools are alright.  They ask that we just don't block the path for other visitors.  Darsie Beck has a previous commitment, so Kate Buike will be the host.

Admission is free but there is a suggested donation of $3 which helps offset the cost of the floral display plants.

Update 3/25: Media allowed:  We may use any sort of ink pens (pens with self-contained ink, not dip pens), graphite, watercolor pencils/wax-based colored pencils, and water-brushes with watercolor. We're not to use open containers of liquids (water, solvent or ink). In case anyone wishes to use oils, and with the restriction on open containers, please wipe brushes clean, and 'properly' clean them for storage later.

If you want to sit,  it's best to bring a small sketcher's-stool if you have one.

Of course, we are asked not to obstruct any pathways or views of other visitors.


PARKING OPTIONS:
along the semi-circular drive directly in front of the building itself

first come/first serve parallel parking on South G and other surrounding streets

pay-to-park lot on the corner of South 2nd Street and G Street

Thursday, March 19, 2015

More on Tacoma Urban Sketchers First 3rd Wednesday Sketch-Outing





This truly was a wonderful urban sketching experience and made special by those in attendance, as well as the historic nature of Tacoma's Union Station. To me, and all of us I'm sure, there is nothing
quite like the energy that comes from being together sketching, sharing our work and a part
of our lives that has such deep and satisfying meaning.
I am grateful to all those in attendance and I look forward to upcoming 3rd Wednesday sketching events throughout the year and beyond.
Kate will be hosting the 3rd Wednesday April sketching event at the Conservatory at Wright Park and I will be posting my sketches and blogging from France during the month.
See you in May - Darsie






Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Our first regular Wednesday outing

The first regular 3rd Wednesday sketch outing for the Tacoma Urban Sketchers was in Union Station, Tacoma.   It is a beautiful interior, full of graceful architecture and many Dale Chihuly glass pieces.  We had an excellent turn out, as well.  There were 18 sketchers, though some had to leave before the final group photo.

I chose a view from the second floor, looking through an arch to the Chihuly hanging glass over the lobby.



I had a few minutes before our sharing session at 12:30 so I quickly sketched this view through the Chihuly Monarch window.  It only took about 10 minutes.



Sketchers around the building:

 







Sharing sketches and our group photo, under the Chihuly Oval.



Monday, March 16, 2015

Wednesday Sketch Outing


Closest parking to Union Station is on the lower street level accessed just past the Tacoma Art Museum heading north on Pacific Ave. If you don't want to climb the stairs back up to Pacific park in the TAM lot and take the elevator into the TAM lobby and walk south to Union Station. Parking is $2. per hour in the lower lots

Friday, March 13, 2015

April 1st Saturday outing


Our next Saturday outing will be April 4th, 10 am to 12:30 pm at:
Washington State History Museum
1911 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98402




Meet in the lobby at 10 am.  We have been given a reduced rate entry fee of $6.00.
We will collect all of our fees upon arrival, and pay for the group, to save time. Please have correct change.


On-street parking is available in most areas of downtown for a maximum of either 2 hrs or 90 min. The rate in the paid area is $1.00 per hour, Monday - Saturday.  There is also the option of the free parking area at Freighthouse Square and then taking the free light rail to the Museum.

This link takes you to off street parking locations in downtown Tacoma, including the cost of parking in them.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

The lil' guy's progression

 
Treats at Les Schwab Gig Harbor WA
ball point pen 6x9
 Usually when I go sketching "the scene" I have a few different sketchbooks- depending on how much time I think I might have to sketch. I have the down and dirty, half hour or less book which goes almost everywhere with me. It has a ball point pen and a pocket in the back to carry the pen and any other name, card, info I may collect to research later. More than half the book is probably 5-15 fleeting attempts to catch something or burn time while waiting- Dr's appointment, car repair. Best of all it makes me draw faster, draw more and it keeps me connected to sketching more frequently.
   The opposite end of the spectrum would be my event sketchbook. It is a 7x9 book that I take when I know I have at least an hour or more to do a little study. It is filled with alternating sketch paper between a heavier watercolor paper and of which has saved a few watercolor studies that were a little too wet to close the book on... oops. The lightweight paper also gives me a chance to do a drawing in case I don't want to paint. More often I can do little composition studies (usually by dividing the page in half both ways) in 1/4 size to better determine what I want to paint.
N.W. room at library Tacoma WA
micron pen 2.75 x 4.5 each

    I have been enjoying the "little guys" (1/4 size) when I flip back through the book to find a blank page but lack of quality in the paper and soft graphite has made the sketches fade and blur from the clarity in which they were rendered. I had wished the sketches had been done in pen but don't carry one with me... until now.
  This idea unified the points I have been making on the last Urban Sketching event when I found I didn't have enough time to do a full sized watercolor sketch like I usually do. Now I'm playing with pen on a 1/4 size portion of the page to do shorter sketches in a non-smearing medium.Thus I'm not drawn between color or black and white, smaller or larger, short sketch or longer study- one sketchbook, an extra tool and I have more choices and a better way to utilize more pages in the sketchbook.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Curlew Lake from Fisherman's Cove Resort

Curlew Lake is a favorite summer vacation spot for my family. During that week of sun and fishing I have taken the time to also sketch. In this sketch I attempted to lay down the watercolor first in trying to catch the textures and values of the hill side across the lake. I then used a micron pen to work in the loose details of trees and shoreline.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Old Ferry Dock, Port Townsend

This noon day scene on the Port Townsend water front was created using Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and micron ink pens. A water soluble ink was also used which created a softer line in the brick building when the watercolor was applied.                  Rom LaVerdiere

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Sketching history at Tacoma Library

About 28 sketchers joined in for a the monthly sketch outing with many new people again this month!  Welcome!!  We met at the main Tacoma Library, hosted by Beverly, one of our own, and the manager there.

I'd been there once before for an exhibit of Chandler O'Leary's sketchbooks.    So I knew what I wanted to sketch.

At that first visit, I was amazed to see such old technology in the NW Room, which is the archive. "Everything you have ever wanted to know about our city and our region can be found here. The collection includes a wealth of unique databases, hundreds of thousands of photographs, genealogical records and much more." 







There is a card catalog... a real wooden case with actual paper cards.  Since Rom took care of documenting that, I decided I wanted to sketch the Microfilm Reader!  Who remembers those?   I didn't even plan the "National Geographic red" sweater. She was actually wearing it.  Without it, the scene would have been rather monochromatic.    There is a bit of photo-collage in the microfilm reader screen.   




History of the library:  It opened in 1903 and was the first Carnegie Library built in Washington state! 

This room also holds the beautiful domed ceiling.



We gathered to share sketches in a conference room and then had our group photo.  More photos are here


Photo by Scott
Thanks to Beverly for providing the room, the tour and the snacks!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Finding Beauty 'In-Between'



When I was in Kindergarten I was given a boxy, plastic device called a View-Master, along with some white cardboard disks that had tiny squares of film around their edges. I would put one of the ‘reels’ into the slot on top, look into the eye-hole lenses, push down the lever on the side…and, Oh My! I would see beautiful, blazing-with-color 3-D scenes of wild flowers in mountain meadows. The context: This was before TV, and, our Brownie Box Camera took black and white pictures. Since that gift, I’ve loved watching for special views through ‘apertures’…like a  garden seen between two broken fence slats,  a carnival parade between two buildings, a school of minnows between two lily pads.
 So, this morning…I wasn’t disappointed when I learned I couldn’t go to the beach edge due to private property ownership issues. A very nice person let me sit on his porch to sketch, and, poor me: I had to peek between his and his neighbor’s roofs to see ‘the scene.’ My original color in the sketches looked ‘regular’…so, I gave them both another dose of pigment, and enjoyed a blazing fond memory of my old View-Master.  Strathmore sketch pad-Toned Tan. 01, 03 Micron pens. Prismacolor pencils.


Monday, March 2, 2015

Tully's of the Triangle


Coffee house sketches like library sketches are some of my favorites for no other reason than people don't move much and provide an easier target. Reading Feather's post made me smile because I'm sure she highlighted experiences most of us have had attempting to sketch urban wildlife.

This sketch was done at Tully's in the Theater District. The SUV was already on the page and my original plan was to just sketch the guy's head and shoulders...maybe his computer.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a watercolor Moleskine. See you Saturday at the Tacoma Main Library, the hunting should be good.