New YouTube Tutorial and Sketchbook Flipthrough

 I made this sketchbook for a friend so I have blue taped over the name on the tag.

See inside 3 new accordion style sketchbooks that fit into your pocket for on the go sketching anywhere! I just uploaded a new YouTube tutorial with a Bonus Flipthrough of one of my watercolor sketchbooks at the end.  Give me a thumbs up if you like it!              

Watch a full tutorial and see inside 3 new accordion style sketchbooks 

Look inside for ideas on gift sketchbooks

     Naturally, you wouldn't use the sketchbook with a heavy refrigerator magnet still in it!            

I will miss Bothell Country Village

Bothell Country Village is a unique place where character abounds. Naturally it is one of the favorite sketching locations for Seattle Urban Sketchers, who met there today for what may be the last time. The property has been sold and the village will be dismantled after April, 2019.

Fading into history

Keepsake Cottage Fabrics has been at "The Barn" since 1984. The owner, Julie, told me they will have to relocate to a warehouse and try to continue their business online.

Sketching from across the street under the covered porch by the bakery.

The windmill originally came from a wheat farm in Waterville, Eastern Washington.

I was surrounded by blue lace cap hydrangeas and borders of summer flowers in full bloom as the day turned from a cool, overcast 60°F to a pleasant partly sunny 70°F towards lunchtime.

Ann was on the front porch, documenting all the beautiful bolts of fabric lined up along the wall.

Tina was across the street on the covered boardwalk, sketching the barn with graphite and kneaded eraser.

Meandering paths lead you through a whimsical world of duck ponds, home decor, restaurants, one of a kind toys, gifts, antiques and more.

It seems there is never enough time in the 2-3 hours that we spend sketching during each outing. How could you possibly document it all?

See IG and Flickr tags #uskseattle for more sketches from our outing on Friday, August 3.

A small family runs their flower stand at the Friday Farmers' Market. June 1 - Sept 28, 2018

First, sketching, then lunch with friends at Village Eatery & Tea Co, then buying flowers on the way to the car. Can it get any better than this?

World watercolor month is a wrap

I’ve been working on both series of prompts for July

For the final day of World Watercolor Month and the Firefly Watercolor Challenge I want an image that will help cool us down from the current heat wave we're experiencing.

I remember fishing in the Tumwater River near Wenatchee with my parents, cooling down by walking barefoot in the cold water. You had to watch your step because the round rocks were slippery. My sister and I were always disappointed when we took our pretty rocks out of our pockets at home and they had changed from shiny jewels to dull grey stones.

"River Rocks" I learned a lot from books and videos by Tony Couch

FireflyWatercolorChallenge Day 31: You Did It!

“Watercolor: you can do it!” — Tony Couch. Congratulations! You’ve done it! Our 31-day watercolor challenge is complete, and you’ve proven your creative skill and dedication to your craft. Let us know what you plan to paint next.

What’s next? I think I’ll take the little peg man for a walk with my sketchbook around Portugal and extend my virtual vacation. They have tuktuks there now, an added convenience since we were there last. 

Worldwatercolormonth - Celebration of color on Doodlewash.com prompts

I’m celebrating complimentary color, value and chroma. This time a real watercolor, not an illustration or a sketch. 

Stay tuned for all 31 watercolors in one post. 

Did Somebody Say Collage?

The prompt for today's daily watercolor challenge from #fireflywatercolorchallenge is "paper collage." Say no more! I have a few drawers full of exotic papers and panels on which I've already collaged with "rice paper" and painted with abstract watercolor washes. (At one time, I was the president of the National Collage Society.)

A few of my watercolor and Asian paper collage panels from the studio hoard.

Serendipity! The daily prompt from Doodlewash for #worldwatercolormonth is "nature hike". I am still reminiscing about my recent Watercolor Nature Journal Workshop last month. I tore out a few pages of my little sketches from our nature hike on Saturday and collaged them into a mountain scene. I scored and two for one this time!

Nature Hike. A collage of memories and sketches.

Shells drawn with a Mapping Pen

I'm still having so much fun making my daily drawings on DIY postcards! I like the Fabriano Studio 140lb CP paper for the surface that takes pen and watercolor perfectly for this illustrative style.

I'm trying out my new dip pen and Dr. P.H. Martins Bombay Sepia ink. The ink dries relatively quickly in this 82°F weather we're having. (That's the cooler part of the late morning this week!) So right away I can start painting layers of watercolor washes from my DIY Altoids Mini Kit. No smearing!

I found my new "rare" pen on Ebay

Now about the pen. I saw Ohn Mar Win using it a year or two ago, but lately she mentioned that it was her favorite and I can see why. I wanted a dip pen that I could take sketching and not get too inky all over. Look! the nib stores in the pen just like my travel watercolor brushes do! I also wanted a flexible niib. Voila! Thanks, Ohn Mar!

William Mitchell Joseph Gillott Reversible Mapping Dip Pen Holder with 659 Mapping Nib. The 659 Gillott Mapping is a delicate and flexible nib which can create fine and wide lines depending on the pressure applied. Suitable for most mapping and drawing requirements.

The Gillott 659 Crow Quill nib can be stored inside the holder to preserve the point. The nib can be replaced when worn.

Cooking up a Surprise in Hip and Historic Columbia City

In a show of solidarity with our fellow sketchers in Porto, Portugal, Usk Seattle met in the Columbia City neighborhood today. We knew that the participants at the Porto Symposium were attending workshops and sketching on the street in Portugal at this very same moment.

The hip and historic Columbia City Neighborhood at Rainier Ave and Ferdinand

A sketchers' party on the street.

Kate made badges and signs for our "Porto Pity Party" and Michele and Kate cooked up a surprise for those who met at "Geraldines" corner this morning. There were fresh baked Portuguese style pasteis de nata and our own Starbucks coffee to start the day. Patrick, USkSeattle friend and baker, came through with the tasty egg custard tarts. Thank you, Patrick! In true urban style, we spread a Portuguese print tablecloth over the Seattle Times newspaper box (Hi, Gabi!) and everyone helped themselves.

The Myers Music Street Clock leaned over in curiosity to get a closer look, much as the Clerigos Tower in Porto curiously peered at what was going on around it. (A nod to Isa Silva for a witty symposium logo)

The clock across the street was once located on 1st Ave

As we walked down Rainier Ave toward the Columbia Branch Library, Kate and I talked about the dramatic changes in the neighborhood since it was built. The branch's landmark 1915 building is the smallest of the libraries built for Seattle with gifts from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).  The branch itself dates to 1909, two years after Columbia City was annexed into Seattle.

Sketching the Carnegie Library front door and patron

Carnegie would be astounded at how the library is used today.

Not only can you pick up a great book for your summer reading, you can play a game of chess, catch up on your email, research anything online or even engage in a popular art activity.

You can download and print a coloring sheet for your branch. Coloring sheets are available for all 27 Library locations. What a great way to start your urban sketching skills!

Download the coloring sheet

We are also celebrating the 9th Anniversary of the founding of Seattle Urban Sketchers. Kate had signs made of for that, too, which we proudly displayed at our sketchbook throwdown. See Kate's blog post with more photos.

Then we had lunch at Pagliacci.

A Virtual day in Lisbon

Okay, I decided to visit Lisbon via Google Earth. That means I can't claim this as an official urban sketch. You have to draw on location for that. But the little peg man and I went there via our virtual feet and I relived some past times in that amazing city. Thinking of friends in Portugal now. 

My Virtual Paint out in Lisbon thanks to Google Earth

Firefly Watercolor Challenge Rainy Day?

I have moved out onto the “patio studio” where the forecast is sunny and warm for the next ten days! This is my virtual Porto location where I pretend to be at the USK 2018 symposium. So I am having my virtual pastéis de nata with real espresso as if in a cafe in Portugal. 

For my sketching buddies at the symposium: I miss you! You will need these natas to fortify you to climb all over Porto. (We know. We have been to all the cities you have mentioned before.)

Insider Tip: Check for the words “Fabrico Próprio” when choosing a destination to eat your tarts. This means that the location makes their own pastries in-house, a guarantee that they are fresh and that care has been taken in their production. There are a lot of pretenders out there, keep your eyes open – as The Who so eloquently put it, “Don’t get fooled again!”  More info on natas in Lisbon

Looking over the day's challenge prompts for World Watercolor Month

Day 17 for Doodlewash prompt list is "city life". I can do that either on location or virtually through Google Earth. Hmm. Maybe I'll visit Porto or Lisbon.

Day 17 for FireflyWatercolorChallenge is "rainy day". I've been trying to do as many of these as possible on location. Aaack! What am I to do? Here in the Seattle area we finally have a real summer with sunny days in a row! I'm not about to mess with that! Is anybody getting rained on in Portugal right now? Send me a street scene.

In fact yesterday's prompt had me flummoxed as well. See? Here are the last two suggestions:
Day 16: Paint Night
You’re halfway through the challenge! Why not celebrate with friends by attending a Paint Nite or hosting your own at home.

Day 17: Rainy Day
Sometimes the rain is just as inspiring as the sunshine. Follow John Lovett’s lead and paint a rainy, abstract landscape scene.

I'm drinking my lemonade and thinking. Back in a little while

.

It's a Sign! Firefly Day 15 and WWM Day 16 "Casting Shadows"

The Firefly prompt for today is;

Day 15: It’s a Sign
They might have a bad reputation for blocking out the scenery, but signs can also be a great source of inspiration. Get up close and recreate a colorful sign.

I know just the thing! I've been wanting to sketch this little barbershop forever. Now the long time owner has sold it and the new owner's paint job really sets off all the signs. Is there any doubt as to what business is going on here?

Watercolor tip: When I have a building with a mid tone or dark overall value, instead of painting the entire building the local color, I just paint the shadows. Doing that in the local color is enough to suggest that the whole building is, in this case, red.

The red stripe on the old retro barber pole on the south side of the building had faded, so I refreshed the color. 

The Day 16 prompt for World Watercolor Month on Doodlewash is "casting shadows" which dovetails nicely with this subject as well. Watch a Hyperlapse video of the first part of my watercolor shadow wash on my Instagram feed.

Side Note:
Ha! I was sketching in the shady part of the off street driveway when I realized that I was in the wrong way. Although I moved over to the proper parking section, now all the angles were different and the shadows, too. As you see, I've taken a bit of artistic license to make a better composition while still getting the idea across.

Oops! I just realized that I'm parked the wrong way  in a one way driveway. 

Sunset on the Douro

Sunset on the Douro, Porto, Portugal

I was pretending to be in Porto again, inspired by the sunset photos some of the symposium participants posted the other night. So beautiful.

Here's the prompt for Day 16 of the Firefly challenge:

Day 16: Paint Night
You’re halfway through the challenge! Why not celebrate with friends by attending a Paint Nite or hosting your own at home.

Do you see my dilemma? Almost everyone is halfway across the world so how can I have them over for a paint night?

Then it occurred to me: paint. night. Yes! I will do a night painting! or rather a sunset one.