5 cm

Had to get something up here before E enters the world! Again...it's been too long. My excuse this time is going through my last months of pregnancy, trying to get all my design work done, getting ready for E, being a mom to a 3 year old girl experimenting with her independence (along with dealing with her own little feelings of great anticipation at being a big sister), spending time with my husband, cooking, cleaning, living. Now...just waiting. The relief of completing projects. Painting done. Having E's & HM's closet cleaned out — room ready. Soup made. Fridge stocked. House clean (even the laundry room!). Carseat in car. Bag packed. Waiting. Even though November 10 is 2.5 weeks away, we all feel like it could be any minute. 5 cm. Ready for you, E!

Lucile & Airport Way S : blackberries + Ford 750 + Castrol

It was perfect! I had about an hour between dropping HM off at MK's place (last Thursday with her Auntie before her first day of preschool next week!) and getting to the Central Library for a West Coast Paper + Mohawk presentation (not to mention the delicious box lunch provided from Gourmondo — grilled vegetable panini, mixed greens and a powdered sugar-dusted, shallow, muffin-shaped brownie — the last of which I saved to have with my coffee back at the studio).

A couple weeks ago, walking past this scene with M, I mentioned that I wanted to sketch it — this scene...among others still on my "to sketch" list for Georgetown. There was a parking spot right in front. I stood against the car for about an hour for this one. I love the industrial, forgotten, fallen apart, rusty bright colors paired with with on-their-way-out blackberries (the blackberries were better a couple weeks ago). It has the same colors and quality as the stacked up containers I have been meaning to draw for so long — the ones at the Port, along W Marginal Way, Airport Way S, etc.

At first I was going to watercolor it when I got back to the studio. Instead I used colored pencil since I haven't used them in a while. Plus, it was quicker.

Hope to do more of Georgetown soon.

Tip: Did you know that clicking on the sketches (or other images in posts) lets you see them larger?

Lake Kachess camping

I will skip all the excuses I could make for not sketching for almost 2.5 months! Finally, a new one!

Went camping last week for four nights at Lake Kachess. HM's first camping adventure! It was a beautiful spot. A refreshingly cold lake to swim in. Not far from here. Despite a couple nights of rain and a lot of mosquitoes, it was a great time. Will definitely go there again...but next year with a 4 year old and a 9 month old baby boy (how will THAT work out?!)! Discovered that camping with a 3 year old is quite a bit different than when it was just me and M! No long hours of relaxing and reading by the campfire at night, much less time to sketch. HM and I did manage to get in a quick sketching/watercolor session before it started raining one day. I tried to teach HM how to mix colors — different hues and shades. Greens. Blues. How to make pink. I got the sketch done before HM woke up from her nap, but finished is just now with my Windsor & Newton travel watercolor set. The one I took to India almost 10 years ago! I haven't used it in so long — amazing to think that some of those dried up colors on the tray were mixed on the other side of the world in a different lifetime.

Hopefully I can get back into sketching again after too much time off.

Olympic Sculpture Park : Friday afternoon

Stopped in to see if M could have lunch with me. Busy until 2pm, so I got a snack to hold me over and walked down to Olympic Sculpture Park. I envisioned a little painting of the big orange-red sculpture (Alexander Calder's Eagle) set amid the blues and greens of its surroundings. I've given up for now carrying my paints around with me (yesterday the strap on my purse broke from too much stuff...even without my paints). I should carry around that new watercolor pad though to at least get the drawing down, then have the right surface to paint on once I am back at my studio. I painted this one with gouache in my studio — wishing I had done the drawing on watercolor paper. The sketch paper gets so wrinkled — not right for water. I kept debating if I should include a person in the foreground — for the contrast. In the end decided not too. Thought it would be too much the focus. Wanted the bright sculpture to remain the focus. Nice to get outside for this one. (I've always wanted to draw one of those giant barges!)

.18 fl. oz. x 3 : mini mani-pedi

9:30 - 11:45 : Swam 17 laps at YMCA / get ready / HM happy in the kids' room
11:45 - noon : Drive through bank with HM
noon - 12:30 : Giannoni's pizza slices { carmelized onion/sausage slice & Diet Coke for me, pepperoni/pineapple slice & apple juice for HM }
12:30 - 12:50 : Sally Beauty Supply — no luck with hair product so 3 mini Sally Girl nail polishes for HM { she picked them out — buy 2, get 1 free } and one mommy-size one for me
12:50 - 2:10 : Home / teal nails for me / HM nap
2:10 - 3:00 : Multi-colored mini mani-pedi for HM / story while drying
3:00 - 4:00 : Southwest Library { the orange one } / lots of books and movies for HM — a couple movies for me
4:00 - 4:20 : Tony's Market for fresh produce / blueberries for HM on the way to Safeway
4:20 - 5:30 : Roxbury Safeway / HM a little rascal with her pigtails and tiny, colored nails — lounging with flip-flops off and feet up in the kids' car eating rice cakes / no to Curious George fruit snacks / no to Coco Puffs
5:30 - 5:40 : Fill-up at Safeway gas with HM
5:40 - 6:10 : Make salad / HM watches "Big Bird Sings"
6:10 - 6:40 : Dinner with HM, M @ work { fried chicken, salad, rest of blueberries, milk }
6:40 - 7:00 : HM bath
7:00 - 7:40 : Jammies, pull-up, milk, new library stories, snuggle, songs, prayers, sleep

I think we set a record — 8 places together in 1 day! And...up until 12:30am in my studio.

"Daddy will be so surprised at these books!"
"Daddy will be so surprised at my nails!"
"I am putting lipstick on to get ready for my mani-pedi..."

Medium: pen & nail polish { photographed, not scanned }

West Seattle Junction

A bit of time before a meeting at Cupcake Royale and a bit of time after with lunch at Easy Street Records Cafe. I didn't finish the sign sketch because I got the perspective a little off and had to go into a meeting. I was going to do the brick building, windows, etc. too, but at least here's something. Sketching the items at the table while waiting for my Philadelphia Freedom sandwich reminded me of of all the sketching I used to do at restaurants and bars back when I was single — sketching my drinks and cigarettes. Thank God those days are over. Anyway, not too much to say about these.

Columbia Park cherry blossoms

It seems the only time I am finding (or making) to sketch is on Friday mornings between dropping off HM and getting to the Y for my swim class. Columbia City is always right on the way. I was determined to get something done. Speed sketching. I only had about 20 minutes and needed to sit somewhere besides the bakery (did get a double, short latte to go though...no baked items since I made waffles with strawberries this morning for breakfast) — somewhere outside. I barely recognized Columbia Park without the Farmers Market and all the people meandering — the only other time I have been there. I have really been wanting to get the cherry blossom trees down on paper. I love them — so soft, pink and fluffy. I just want to squeeze the little bunches of perfect blossoms — like they are baby cheeks or something.

I thought a pen and colored pencils would do it, but of course...I found I needed to finish with watercolor when I got home. I didn't have them with me or the time to finish at the picnic table anyway. I didn't have my Uni-ball black pen with me, so I used one from my new set — Pigma Micron 02. I can't believe it took me so long to rediscover these. A set of 6 — each with a different line width. From finest to thickest: 005, 01, 02, 03, 05, 08. Archival black ink. Great for detailed pen illustrations. For this sketch, I just used one...but they came in really handy recently for a pen illustration I had to do for another project. Anyway...got the pen and colored pencil sketch done in 20 minutes. Just added the watercolor back at my studio.

Finally, an outdoors sketch! Expect more as spring warms up and into summer.

On a side note...I also rediscovered Crowded House. Love every song on Recurring Dream. I never buy new music and still scrounge through my old case of CDs every now and then to find something.

Rainier Ave. S. & S. Ferdinand St.

Another hour at Columbia City Bakery before my swim class. Finally, a new small sketchbook. Not too much to say. I couldn't do the bread and flowers again, so I sat near the window hoping to find something outside to sketch. Thankfully there was a bike in view — and a few people. Something. Keeping it simple. Just trying to get something up. I need to get outside soon and sketch/paint some cherry blossom trees. Some scenery — spring colors…even though it still doesn't feel like spring. At least it's not freezing out. No snow — some sun.

An hour at Columbia City Bakery

I have to confess — I have not been carrying my sketchbook around with me everywhere. One of those times again where I had no inspiration, felt too busy. My little sketchbook is all filled up. That is part of the problem. I am much less likely to toss my big one in my bag. Need to get a new one.

Today, I finally gave it a try again. Perhaps the sun had something to do with it. A fresh start. A month should not have gone by with no new posts!

Normally I have HM on Fridays, but she's with her little friends today. I had an hour after dropping her off before I had to get to my swim class. Columbia City Bakery was right on the way. A double, short, extra hot latté and an apple morning bun. Yum. The bun was just what I had in mind — like the cinnamon rolls I used to get at The Little Cheerful Café in Bellingham. Flaky, not doughy. If only it had been bigger! I had to keep myself from devouring it while I sketched it. I only had a black pen and a wrinkled, used piece of paper floating around in my bag. I also used the backs of some flyers I found on their shelf. Three quick ones. Added watercolor when I got home. Gouache too since I couldn't get the watercolor intense enough. The paper was the worst for these paints. Super thin, no texture. Better than nothing though!

I will try to keep up my sketching without feeling guilty about the lulls in inspiration. Especially for those of you that check back for new stuff.

First daffodil

I never draw flowers! Now I know why. This was tough. I still don't think I got it quite right — the depth/inner part of the straight-on daffodil contrasting with petals curving out in the foreground. I kept at it though and finally had to stop. HM was getting restless and L woke up. Time for lunch. Used pencil, watercolor pencil and colored pencils. I purposely didn't use a black pen — just to challenge myself since I always use one. Trying to get a softer look for this first bit of spring.

Pizza obsession

It worked! Thanks to my sister for her recipe & tips. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (not 450 like I had been doing) for 1/2 hour before baking. Bake on bottom rack of oven. I baked it for 8 minutes on the sheet then slid it directly onto the rack for the last minute. Was crispy on the bottom finally, not all floppy like before. Both the pepperoni/olive/garlic and the veggie were delicious — just ate the leftovers for lunch. I have to admit that I was obsessed with getting it right this time! Much to my family's relief, it turned out — or they would have had to listen to me complain about it all night. I almost lost my temper with the dough — guess it just takes practice. I lack patience!

Sketched the toppings while the oven was heating up. After dinner, drew the slice directly on top and colored with pencil and watercolor pencil. Nothing digital this time.

Pizza for dinner tonight

I've tried the pre-made TJ's pizza dough twice now. The first time I worked with the dough I didn't leave it out at room temperature long enough. Too cold, couldn't get it to roll out thin enough. Almost gave up and threw it all away. Ended up with a veggie calzone and a pepperoni pizza with crust too thick and undercooked. Last Monday, the second time, I left it out too long. It was too thin. Still didn't cook right, not crisp enough on the bottom and just blah throughout. This time I called my sister for her recipe. Her and Y's pizza is always perfect! Hoping the homemade dough will be an improvement — even without using a pizza stone. { sketched the mozzarella, yeast package and pizza sauce jar on the striped receipt }

2 double, short, no room Americanos

Originally I was going to post a new sketch every day. I figured out soon that a more realistic goal would be to get one up weekly. Also, they were going to be quick. Spontaneous. Just whatever I saw laying around or happened upon. I was running out of things at home that I wanted to draw. Looking for things. Trying to outdo myself with composition, level of detail, new techniques. Two weeks since the guitar and had no desire to sketch. Today I was going to go to the I.D, Lincoln Park, Alki or sit in the car by all the containers piled up on West Marginal Way. Morning turned out differently — hanging out in the car at the Burien Starbucks with M while HM slept in the carseat. I went back to the original idea — quick sketches with black pen only. Doesn't have to be a masterpiece. I didn't have my sketchbook, thus the kraft bag and napkin. I can't help putting bits together digitally too.

Fender Telecaster Deluxe

M's most played guitar.

Half-price Maruta

The minute I threw the bag of sushi on the car seat, I knew it was what I wanted to draw tonight after HM went to bed. Even though I really wanted to eat the deluxe California roll, I held off so I would have them left to draw. My brother-in-law let me in on the Maruta Market 50% off deal. Weekdays starting at 5pm, all the items of the bottom shelf of the deli case are half-price! You have to get there a few minutes before 5pm before all the sushi-lovers have emptied the case. I learned tonight there is a 5 item limit. It's perfect for Thursday nights since it's right on the way to pick up HM — between Highland Park and Beacon Hill, in Georgetown. Also, M always has meetings Thursday nights so it's just HM and me for dinner.

I thought the black & white drawing would take at least 2 hours. Only one tedious hour. I was scared I would ruin the detail with color, but really wanted to see the bright orange flying fish roe and clean greens and reds of the packages. I taped a piece of translucent paper on top and used colored pencils to complete it on a second layer. Put them together digitally.

Dickie's bag

It's kind of tricky to get a black bag to look like something other than a dark blob on the page! I was just going to have the linework and not fill it in — so you could see all the stitching — but went for it with the black. The inside of the bag is olive green camouflage, but I didn't feel like painting it, so I ended up adding the texture and color by repeating the bag artwork on top and underneath digitally.

Cupake Royale : West Seattle

Yesterday afternoon I headed over to California Avenue to sketch — disinterested in anything at home to use as a subject. I was going to do something quickly — an hour at the most — before going over to the Y for lap swim. Ended up at Cupcake Royale almost 2 hours and never made it to the Y. It takes a long time to draw in all those tiny cupcakes and boxes! After getting the scene down, it lacked the contrast of something up close — the yummy, perfect swirl of the frosting. A good excuse to buy two more, a carrot one for M (I cheated and made the frosting pink instead of white) and a babycake for HM. I wanted color without tediously (and not bold enough) filling in all the cupcakes in the case. The sparkly orange sprinkles, the pink frosting and sea green peppermint frostings provided the inspiration I needed for the color. I used the itty-bitty heart sprinkles (which I knew HM would be delighted to discover), white beaded sprinkles and oblong red ones as reference to scatter a bit on the sketch.

I had my whole kit this time — sketchbook, pen, pencil & eraser, pencil sharpener (in the much-used Altoids box, covered with Starbucks coffee blend stickers from college), colored pencils (in the same, dented tin from when I was a girl!), Japanese watercolors and brushes. I didn't have my own water cups this time, but a Verite paper cup worked perfectly for water filled from their fountain, and a black plastic coffee cup lid for mixing the few colors I needed.

My boots

Looking around for something to draw this morning — something other than HM's snacks and toys (and everything else strewn across the floor downstairs). I had been flipping through the pages of Kate T. Williamson's "A Year In Japan." I love poring over the details in her drawings and watercolors, coupled by her journal entries — how she captures the simple lines, colors and textures of everyday Japanese items, fashion, culture and scenes. She doesn't shade with her black lines. Instead she uses color or leaves flat outlined white shapes. I am used to using my pen to shade everything, but wanted to try something out with just the black lines, filled in with color. Used colored pencil instead of watercolors. My Onitsuka Tiger boots — whose dirt and wear I have finally accepted (I got over their initiation last season when, brand new, I wore them to help my husband put on chains in the slush and snow as HM waited in the car on the pass, then got soaked with black mud as I was welcomed by a couple dogs upon getting out of our car for the Thanksgiving family feast in Yakima).

Michael

Watching TV last night. I NEVER draw men, but thought I would give it a try and post whatever I came up with. So, here it is.

A pre-lunch treat

Even though it was lunchtime, I couldn't help stopping at Krispy Kreme with HM after she so patiently ran all my errands with me (and even sat on a stool next to me in the locker room with her apple slices while I did a quick half-blow dry and bang flattening). She loves doughnuts - always the sprinkled kinds. She will meticulously eat all the tiny sprinkles from off the bag or table. Always with the details. I managed to get most of the chubby zoo animal stickers from off the table and windowsill. I think she still has a few giraffes on her pant leg. She is sleeping soundly now after a full morning of playing with the kids while I ran on the treadmill, swimming together, a stop downtown and at Paper Zone — and finally home for leftover spaghetti with raw mushrooms and cucumber slices for dipping in Goddess dressing (her favorite).

Afternoon at Cherry Street

Stopped by to see M at work after meeting with some designer friends in the I.D. A windy walk over to Cherry Street Coffee House for a spontaneous coffee date. Thinking we should do this every Thursday since HM is with her Auntie on Thursdays. I had M put another hour in the meter on his way back to work so I could stay and do my sketch of the day. I have always loved the intricate shapes in the metal work here — in the entry way and by the bathroom door. For the first time today I noticed the shadows the shapes made on the walls, and the same shapes lightly painted — almost like a glaze, a coffee stain — on the cement floor. I don't know what happened to my brown watercolor pencil — wasn't in my little pouch. Also, I couldn't get the darks dark enough, so I just finished it in my studio with a bit of Japanese watercolors.

Putting off doing the dishes

Peppers from last night's fajitas. Sketching after dinner while M puts HM down for bed — a good reason to put off doing the dishes. I can always find an excuse why I can just do them later. Forgot about watercolor pencils — found them in HM's art stuff on top of the fridge. Perfect for a quick sketch — to add some color without making it into a big project.

Library books

After the gym Wednesday morning — while HM played with her dollhouse upstairs.

My studio

I want to start sketching more — like I did in college, like while travelling. Sketching 50 sketches a week for drawing class. Need to always carry a sketchbook with me. Everyday things. People. My favorite one today done while getting HM + L to nap this afternoon as my tea got cold.

Tuesday morning

Bathing, vanilla yogurt and mommy's coffee.