Category Archives: drawing

USk: Meriwether’s Restaurant NW Portland

Meriwether’s Restaurant looks like a nice house on a commercial street, but for the riot of bright yellow echinacea that bloom every summer in front of lavender and blue hydrangea.  Walking between the building and the flowers you might forget … Continue reading

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Worldwide SketchCrawl USk: PSU Outdoor Market

Portland Urban Sketchers did not go on the World Wide Sketchcrawl today. After weeks of too hot weather this weather was perfect, a bit overcast, some sprinkles (Oregonians do not care about sprinkles) and cooler temps. I had work to … Continue reading

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Palace Cakes

Good coffee.  Not Espresso but good coffee. Cake and coffee can do a lot to change your world! A bad day saved by Palace Cakes in Portland! Drawn in an Strathmore Mixed Media journal with Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Platinum … Continue reading

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Gratitude Journal: Music, Ice Cream, Pema Chodron & K.D. Lang

I missed Ani Pema Chodron’s talk with K.D.Lang due to the medical debacle. I kept praying that they would allow us to go back and see it. YAY!  Sound’s True reposted it! I sketched while listening to it.  I was … Continue reading

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Favorite Waterproof Inks

My beloved brown inks.  How did I ever live without them.  I bought the De Artramentis Document (DeA Doc for short) Brown because I read that Lamy pens have problems with Noodler’s ink, but I prefer the darker Noodler’s Polar Brown … Continue reading

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USk: Pyramid Juices + Schoolhouse Electric

Schoolhouse Electric is on Nicolai St. It’s been revitalized with a barista and a great home furnishing and lighting store. It was a hot day to sketch. Pyramid Juices was once made in Ashland Oregon before it was bought out … Continue reading

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Gratitude Journal: Summer Bounty

Summer suddenly appeared after my medical hibernation! Being on drugs for months is like hibernating . . . the world goes on and you are unaware! When I “woke” it was summer and Portland was in that lovely state of … Continue reading

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USk: MPF Conservation’s NW Neighborhood

I haven’t sketched outdoors much lately.  I wondered what I might make of our buildings. Our studio is in an industrial area in NW Portland. This is the approach from the freeway. We share space in the building with Portland … Continue reading

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Gratitude Journal: One

Now that I have published the Healing Journal I can move on to happier things, or at least a different reality than the awfulness of the first quarter of this year! Mitchell brought me beautiful sunflowers, my favorite. The card … Continue reading

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The Healing Journal

Note:  The Healing Journal in its entirety has been mostly removed with just a few images left. This journal started out as a journal to record positive uplifting thoughts to speed my healing on what was to be a five … Continue reading

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4th of July: The best part was the morning

We went to the PSU Farmer’s Market on the 4th of July, arriving when it opened as we wanted to avoid heat and crowds. It was lovely, cool under the canopy of trees and on the cool lawn.   We bought … Continue reading

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Challenges Saved My Sanity

During this medical debacle, challenges saved my sanity.  When you just can’t think of anything to draw and you are stuck looking at the same things day in and out, challenges can prompt giving you a drawing to do without … Continue reading

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Jinhao: Inexpensive Pens

I wanted to like them, I really did. They are inexpensive, they are Japanese. I thought they might be like the Platinum Preppie pens, which are inexpensive, hold a good deal of ink, and will go for MILES without clogging … Continue reading

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June Challenge, Week Two

I am in the home stretch of this frigging stupid stent and frankly, what has helped keep me sane is these crazy challenges on Facebook.   I am heavily drugged on pain killers and frankly, that does not make me creative.   … Continue reading

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June Challenge, First Week

I’m participating in another keeping-me-sane while recouping challenge! This months prompts are really good, and I am working small and fast. Selfie started it, and this is one from an image we use in the business.  Shell game was next. … Continue reading

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May After Surgery: Recouping, In Pain, and Bored

I guess it is good to be able to say I am bored. Drawing this EDM challenge has not helped all that much because it is a bit like a coloring book, not what I am interested in.  On the … Continue reading

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IFJM 30: Rome, Our Last Day

April 30 From my journal:  “Hard to believe it is our last day.  We thought to go to Vatican City, but we saw the lines and decided, another trip. . .  and back to Castel Sant’ Angelo, or the Roman … Continue reading

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IFJM 29: Genoa to Rome, A Slow Drive on the Coast

April 29 From my journal:  “Last day in Genoa, and we wandered into the Mercato Orientale . . . a well-kept tourist secret.  We wandered the stalls, bought more chocolate (we ate what we bought in Nice — oops!), bought … Continue reading

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