Tag Archives: urban sketchers

USk: Montavilla Sewing Center and DEQ

Posted on March 10, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

Mitchell sews on machines; I do not. I used to follow him around for a while at the sewing centers and drive him crazy behaving like a five-year-old, then go sit with the husbands waiting for their wives. Now I … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, drawing, graphite, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged De Atramentis Document ink, DEQ, Montavilla, Platinum Preppy pen, Portland Oregon, sketching, Strathmore journal, urban sketcher, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor | 2 Comments

USk: 17th and NW Davis

Posted on March 9, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

I’ve approached these buildings, which are part of the St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception complex, dozens of times. Needing a break from bidding I stole away to sit in the car (easier to lay watercolors out) and do … Continue reading →

Posted in art | Tagged Alphabet District Portland, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, NW Industrial Sanctuary Portland, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Platinum Preppy pen, Portland Oregon, sketching, St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Strathmore journal, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor | 4 Comments

USk: 26th Street, WHAT IF?

Posted on March 6, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

Took a walk and sketched in our studio’s neighborhood, buildings I look at all the time. I was able to sketch both of them, and it was a bit like old times, architectural sketches. They are both shades of grey: … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, color, creativity, journal, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged Alphabet District Portland, art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, ESCO, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, NW Industrial Sanctuary Portland, NW Portland, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Platinum Preppy pen, Portland Oregon, Rejuvenation, Strathmore journal, urban sketcher, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, watercolor | 5 Comments

USk: Nick’s Italian Cafe, McMinnville

Posted on February 15, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

McMinnville Oregon is a sleepy town with great places to eat, and a wonderful art store (Merriartist) which is staffed by people who either know the products or say they don’t, a refreshing change from overly huge chain stores that … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, drawing, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, drawing, McMinnville, Nick's Italian Cafe, Oregon, Platinum Carbon pen, Strathmore journal, urban sketcher, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, watercolor | 6 Comments

USk: Kiva Tearoom, NW Portland

Posted on February 8, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

I braved another day of sketching with the intention to sketch people in a crowded place. There were few people in today — what? — Saturday in Portland? This post is a big deal for me because I am posting … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, journal, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged Alphabet District Portland, art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, Delta journal, journal, KIVA tearoom, NW Industrial Sanctuary Portland, NW Portland, Platinum Carbon pen, Portland Oregon, QoR watercolors, Strathmore journal, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor | 7 Comments

USk: St. Honoré, Lake Oswego

Posted on February 4, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

I risked my weight loss diet and spent 90 minutes at St. Honoré Boulangerie to sketch while Mitchell went to a client’s home. (Yes I did “break it — but only a tiny bit with a teeny chaussen aux pommes … Continue reading →

Posted in art | Tagged art journal, boulangerie, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Hero pen, Lake Oswego, Platinum Carbon pen, Platinum Preppy pen, Portland Oregon, Primatek, QoR watercolors, Sailor pen, St. Honoré, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor | 6 Comments

USk: Drawing Around Portland

Posted on February 1, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

I haven’t had much time to paint anything this week but found moments in the car. Being back in a city is overwhelming in terms of the cacophony of lines and layers, rhythms and patterns. (Yes I spelled that wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, creativity, journal, painting, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged bridge, bridgetown, Daniel Smith watercolors, I-5, Interstate, Noodlers ink, Platinum Preppy pen, Portland Oregon, Strathmore journal, struggle, Swan Island, urban sketcher, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor | 8 Comments

USk: Palm Motor Hotel

Posted on January 24, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

Whenever I drive by the Palm Motor Hotel I get a little surge of home energy. It looks like motels I remember staying in when visiting Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. I’ve always loved these Mid-Century Modern signs. Today I … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, drawing, journal, painting, pencil, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, caput mortem, MCM, Mid-Century Modern, motor hotels, Noodlers ink, palm, Palm Motor Hotel, palm sign, Portland Oregon, Strathmore journal, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, watercolor | 2 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Mattress Ranch

Posted on January 22, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

I’ve had this finished a long time and almost didn’t post it. There really is a Mattress Ranch on the way to Olympia Washington. It was the source of much amusement as we drove up in the morning to work … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, drawing, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, Delta journal, Mattress Ranch, Noodlers ink, Olympia Washington, Platinum Preppy pen, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, Stillman & Birn, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, watercolor | 7 Comments

USk: Smith Tower, Vancouver, Washington

Posted on January 16, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

I had lunch with my niece yesterday and went an hour early to find an interesting building or scene to sketch. As I was driving into the city of Vancouver I remembered the “beer can” building, looking glum and peachy … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, history, painting, pen & ink, pencil, sketchbook, timed painting, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Caran D'Ache, Daniel Smith watercolors, Platinum Preppy pen, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, Portland Oregon, Portland Urban Sketchers, Primatek, Smith Tower, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, Vancouver Washington, watercolor | 6 Comments

Art Journaling: Miscellaneous Picks

Posted on January 15, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

Random sketches from my journal, continuing to play with the watercolors is the point. My confidence is growing; I am dropping into my best drawing habits from my teens and twenties. While sketching my favorite coffee cup, I realized why … Continue reading →

Posted in art, art journal, challenge, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, pencil, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged Caydanlik, coffee, cup, Daniel Smith watercolors, La Gabbianella, La Poet Laval, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, palm, Portland Oregon, QoR watercolors, St. John's Wort, Stillman & Birn, tangerine, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor | 17 Comments

From My Earliest Art Journals on Design

Posted on December 25, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

I came across my old architectural journals the other day. Way way back in time I practiced architecture — in another life! Back in the old days we didn’t call it art journaling, it was just what many of us … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, creativity, drawing, graphite, journal, memory, pen & ink, sketchbook | Tagged 200 Oceangate Boulevard, Arco, art journal, Charles Luckman, George Kaneko, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Portland Oregon, urban sketchers, USC | 15 Comments

Happy Solstice and New Moon

Posted on December 22, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

Happy we are turning toward the light. Even on this rainy day, I know the light is growing . . . Looking across the river towards St. John’s, quick sketch while waiting. Drawn in an Stillman & Birn Alpha journal … Continue reading →

Posted in art, art journal, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged moon, new moon, Portland, solstice, St. Johns, sun, Suzuki Roshi, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland | Leave a comment

My “Business” Sketchbook: Washington State Justice Building

Posted on December 15, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

My last sketch onsite from earlier in the year, with watercolors added Sunday. It was pouring, our work at the Capitol completed, and we were on our way home. Mitchell wanted to explore the Justice Building. The Library was lovely … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Caran D'Ache, Daniel Smith watercolors, Delta journal, fleur-de-lis, lamps, Lamy Safari pen, lions, Platinum Preppy, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, Stillman & Birn, torchére, urban sketchers, USk, Washington State Capitol Justice Building | 1 Comment

My “Business” Sketchbook: The Lion Torchéres

Posted on December 11, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

At the end of our last day working in the Senate Offices of the Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol Campus, we crossed the grass in the pouring rain to the Justice Building. As you walk into the building … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, color, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, pencil, process, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Caran D'Ache, Delta journal, lamps, Lamy Safari pen, lions, Platinum Preppy, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, Stillman & Birn, torchére, urban sketchers, USk, Washington State Capitol Justice Building | 1 Comment

My “Business” Sketchbook: Symmetry + South Entrance

Posted on December 8, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

I love it when an architect moves you through spaces, making you experience an environment as it was meant to be seen or felt. I also love symmetry, especially in the hands of architects who know how to use it. … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, creativity, history, pen & ink, sketchbook, timed painting, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged art journal, central axis, circulation, Delta journal, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, marble, Pentalic, Platinum Preppy, Prichard Building, rotunda, Stillman & Birn, urban sketchers, Washington State Capitol Legislative Building | 3 Comments

Travel Palette, FINALLY

Posted on November 14, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

I love paint colors. Friends have been pushing me to get serious about a travel palette so I can paint comfortably onsite, and I resist because I love all my colors, especially the transparent parrot colors and earthy mossy greens … Continue reading →

Posted in color, journal, painting, sketchbook, tools, watercolor | Tagged art journal, color, Daniel Smith watercolors, Primatek, tools, travel palette, urban sketchers, watercolor | 13 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Tiffany Chandeliers Mark Pathways

Posted on November 2, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

It is unusual for me to start my sketchbook posts with photographs, but this Tiffany chandelier is simply too beautiful. I did not do them justice! They line the hallways and mark entrances to the various rooms, providing a delicate … Continue reading →