Day Ten

Tuesday, June 3

  

This morning at eight I met with Mrs. Williams and talked about my presentation/new sketches.  Afterwards, similar to yesterday, I decided to go to one location in Seattle and spend more time there- Pike Place Market.  The market has always been one of my favorite spots in Seattle because no matter what day or time it is, it is always bustling with life and different people and activities.  There was so much going on that I took forever to decide what to sketch.  Luckily I had my mom with me again today!

 Our first location was Café Campagne in the Post Alley.  We chose this spot because it faced the Post Alley sign and we could sip our tea while sketching.  Both of us felt like we were on vacation or in a different place because of how relaxed and happy we were.  You know it is going to be a good day when the city you have lived near for most of your life feels like a vacation spot.  

        

(The top is my mom's, the bottom is mine) 

  Next we went to a gluten free bakery for lunch (where I had a croissant for the first time in ten years!!)  Then we went to the lower levels of the market and I stood and sketched the scene around us.  After walking around and exploring some more we found the only bench in the entire market -which happened to be right in front of the fish-tossing area- and sketched for about an hour.  

 

What I have discovered about urban sketching is it makes the craziness and chaos around you become silent.  When I was sitting on that bench and hundreds of tourists and screaming kids walked by, I was so focused on what I was drawing that I hardly noticed the noise.  And another sweet old lady complimented us on our drawings again, she was a bit lost…

 (This was in my horizontal sketchbook so I had to take two separate scans)

(My mom's drawing from the same spot)

 To end our day at the market we bought peonies, a Polish dish, and of course, Beecher’s Cheese.  

 

Day Nine

Monday, June 2

Today I decided to go to one location in Seattle so I would have time to work on the presentation later in the afternoon.  After an intense spin class with my mom (I’m dying) I drove to Fishermen’s Terminal.  I had to cut across to the Mercer exit again but it went really well, I am so much more comfortable driving to Seattle now than I used to be. 

Once I found a legal parking spot I walked around a little bit to get a feel for the place.  I hadn’t spent much time here before but I was excited to come here because I’m a boater.  I found a bench in a central area looking out at the docks and started by sketching a wide view of multiple boats. 

I think I was a little out of it still when I sketched this one because it did not turn out how I wanted it to.  I really don’t like it.  But that’s a huge part of art- not every drawing is going to be a success.  

After completing my first drawing my dad met up with me for lunch.  He ate fish and chips and I ate my gluten free sandwich and then we walked the docks and talked about how excited we were for boating season. 

Since my first drawing did not turn out well I decided to use a medium I am very comfortable with for the second: charcoal.  But instead of using black charcoal like I usually do I used brown and sketched a tugboat in front of me.  This one turned out much better and a little, old, Greek lady even came up to me and asked me if I went to art school and told me I had talent.  It is funny how I was feeling a little down about my first drawing but then I was more motivated to do the second and I even got a compliment. 

 (The one on top is a quick practice with brown charcoal) 

I started sketching the building behind me but decided to finish it at home so I would not be stuck in traffic for hours and hours. 

Today was one of my favorite days yet and anyone who knows me knows that I am happiest by the water. 

Day Eight

Friday, May 30

To make up for not going to Seattle yesterday I decided to spend the whole day sketching in Seattle.  In the morning I met with Mrs. Williams and she gave me a book that connects to art and my project.  I also talked with Mrs. Osborn for half an hour about art/life in general.

After my meeting I met up with Nick Hagan who has been in my art classes with Mrs. Osborn for three years and we went to Seattle.  Our first stop was the Seattle Public Library.  I chose this spot because of the architecturally distinctive building and the variety of people that hang out at libraries. 

Once again I saw how unique different people’s perspectives are.  We had the same view the whole time we were sketching but I focused more on the building and he focused more on the people.  It was interesting to see what we both picked out of the scene in front of us. 

After the library we walked to the Seattle Art Museum.  While the museum itself does not have the most incredible art collection, I have always been drawn to the decorations in the building.  The lobby contains hanging cars that light up and I knew I wanted to sketch these.  For me, it was fun to sketch in an art museum.  Making art at a place that celebrates art is really inspiring.  

 (The last two are really quick sketches...)

Day Seven

Thursday, May 29

This morning I woke up feeling a bit under the weather, and definitely not up for driving to Seattle alone, so I decided to stay close to home.  One of my favorite places in Woodinville is the Tolt Pipeline Trail that runs about 14 miles through Woodinville, Redmond, and Duvall. My family has been walking this trail for as long as I remember.  My favorite spot is a group of three boulders in the middle of Heart-Attack Hill.  Yes, this is its literal name which is ironic because it happens to be the hill I almost died sledding down when I was little (nearly gave my parents a heart attack).  I love these boulders because when I was younger we would always take a break here and my mom would pull chocolate or Fruit Gushers out of her bag for a special treat.  

I sat down in the grass and sketched these boulders and the surrounding rolling hills for an hour and a half.  Unfortunately it started to rain so I had to finish the drawing at my house- typical.

After a lunch break I went down to the roundabouts in Woodinville and sketched the Hollywood Schoolhouse.  I have passed this building about five thousand times so it was very familiar to sketch.  But, something I have observed repeatedly is you never truly know something until you sketch it.  Everything looks different after you sketch it.  For my senior exhibition I sketched my little brother and now when I look at him I see the shadows and shades of his face…its weird.  

A huge part of this project is how my sketches show a progression of skill and improvement.  I feel like I have improved a lot already and I can draw faster and more precisely. 

Day Six

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

This morning I met with Mrs. Williams and showed her my new sketches and the progress I have made. 

After meeting with her I drove to Gas Works Park in Seattle.  The drive was easy (no Mercer shift or screaming) and I was surprised by how close the park is to UW, where I will be spending the next four years.  I had never been to Gas Works Park before and was amazed by the gorgeous view of Seattle.  I chose a spot in front of a large, rusty, machine and sketched it for an hour. 

                                     

 The sun was shining and the beauty of this park equally amazed the tourists and joggers around me.  One thing that I like about Gas Works Park is the juxtaposition of the shiny Seattle skyline with the rusty old machines in the park.  This historic site containing some of the only remaining remnants of coal gasification plants in the US truly shows the diversity of Seattle.  I was able to sketch a piece of Seattle’s history then turn around and sketch the modern skyline behind me. 

                       

                                

Later on in the day I went up to Snohomish to sketch some of the unique antique shops.  There was so much clutter in all of these shops that it was hard to choose what to sketch.  However I found a shop containing tons of neon signs (and junk) and instead of being overwhelmed, I tried to look for the simplicity within it.  I penciled in the details of the shop then finished it later at home.  Within all the clutter the color red stood out to me the most so I decided to only watercolor the red parts of the shop. 

                                     

My main challenge of the day was sketching in the antique store.  I used to get overwhelmed really easily when urban sketching- there is so much to choose from.  But I think I am getting better at finding simplicity in scenes in front of me.  In some ways, finding simplicity within clutter is a valuable lesson for every aspect of my life.  It is easy to get caught up in the “clutter” of our lives but sometimes the simple moments are the ones we value the most. 

Day Five

Friday, May 23, 2014

This morning started with a giant cup of green tea at Victor’s in Redmond.  I love the dark colors and atmosphere of Victor’s so I knew it would be a good place to sketch.  I found a table in front of the espresso bar and sketched for an hour and a half.  

 Something that I have found really interesting about urban sketching is people sometimes forget you are there.  A highly botoxed woman and her friend she hadn’t seen for twenty years sat down next to me and at first they were pretty conscious I was there.  But after a few minutes they started talking about their struggles with alcoholism and all of these highly personal events in their lives. I felt kind of bad because in a way it was eavesdropping, but there is a reason I never get bored sketching and it is people like this who keep it interesting.  

After sketching at Victor’s my mom and I headed down to Seattle to sketch at the Chihuly Exhibit.  I was excited to have her along because she is an artist herself and it is always fun to compare sketches and viewpoints.  This was my third time going to the exhibit but sketching it was completely different.  I sketched a few of his big art pieces and was completely in awe of how complex and beautiful they are.  

  It also amazed me how different my mom’s sketches and mine were.  We were sitting on the same bench, looking at the same things, but they were completely different.  I think this is an illustration (literally) of the way God makes each person unique.  We are both creative people and we both interpret the scenes in front of us in our own ways.  When people sketch the same thing in different ways it shows their interpretation of the truth and beauty in front of them.

 (Mine is the first one, my mom's is the second) 

Turned out that today was also Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center, which-no offense to Folklife Fans- is basically a weirder version of Bumbershoot.  I saw more true hippies in one place then I ever thought possible…Let’s just say my mom and I didn’t really fit in.  I was very happy to have her along and overall it was another exciting and unique experience.  

I also got to spend the rest of my night with these two goofs. Which is always fun.