My trip to New York last month had lots of highlights. I ran the marathon with my friend Ahmed, a fellow Mill Creek runner. I reconnected with Melanie Reim and Veronica Lawlor, two dear sketchers I’ve known for years — Melanie also introduced me to Steve Brodner, one of the most brilliant editorial cartoonists in the U.S. And I sketched a couple of important city landmarks: Frank Lloyd’s Write Guggenheim Museum and the Empire State Building. There’s something magic about sketching grand buildings onto the minimal space offered by a sketchbook spread. I feel like I’m getting away with something ..read more

A boat parked on a trailer may not be as picturesque as the waterfront scenes that most people are drawn to, but living in the Seattle area, a land of beautiful lakes and waterscapes, has heightened my curiosity for ships of any kind, whether they are moored at the marina or sitting in a parking lot. This government research boat belongs to the regional offices of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife in Mill Creek, the suburban town near Seattle where I live. After seeing it frequently on my morning runs around the neighborhood (and sketching it once on my pocket sketchbook) I ..read more

If you walk along Market Street in downtown Kirkland, Heritage Hall will definitely catch your eye. A striking example of neoclassical architecture, the building serves as a gateway to a beautiful park with breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Washington and Seattle. I love the simple geometry of the Greek revival facade: a triangle (the pediment), a horizontal rectangle (the frieze), and the supporting columns. Architects from Ancient Greece would be amazed if they knew how influential their work would become. From city halls and courthouses to schools and museums, you could say the look of ..read more

My first 11 x 14 sketch since I stopped The Seattle Times column. Perfect weather. Interesting subject. And good company sketching with Mack Schroer, a talented artist and illustrator who recently reached out to learn more about my career trajectory. I hope we’ll get to sketch together again soon ..read more

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It’s a chilly January morning, but this picturesque bend along the Sammamish River Trail is busy with Sunday walkers and quite a few cyclists. My sketcher pals, Dave and Roy, and I aren’t deterred by the weather either. We are here sketching the old rail bridge that crosses over the river and the pedestrian path. It is an intricate structure of wood, concrete and steel that poses the kind of drawing challenge I often enjoy: fitting a wide scene across a spread of my pocket sketchbook. To make it work, I force the perspective on the right side of the page, but try to avoid too much distortion ..read more

Dec. 12, 2021. Brrrrr! Cold morning with @uskseattle at King Street Station. Yet I couldn’t help but choosing to draw outside, which I haven’t done much lately. My hand was shaking after about 90 minutes sizing, penciling and inking this view of the 115-year-old depot and its singular tower, which was inspired by St. Mark’s Campanile in Venice. Seeing travelers hauling their carry-on bags in and out of the station made me quite nostalgic for train travel. Micron PN and diluted ink washes on Leuchtturm1917 pocket sketchbook ..read more

On New Year’s Eve, I went out for a walk hoping to make a sketch that would lift up my dwindling creative spirits. The scene of snow-covered houses was beautiful, and I was all bundled up and wearing my fingerless gloves, ready to put pen to paper. But I didn’t draw a thing. The cold weather was not the problem. The problem was setting too high expectations for myself. I wanted to close my troubled sketching year with a more-than-perfect drawing. Somewhat defeated, I headed back home, only to find an interesting moment worth recording: an Amazon Prime delivery van was stuck in the s ..read more

I spent a wonderful weekend in Santiago de Compostela participating in “Historias de Cadernos de Viaxe,” a conference on travel sketchbooks included in the official programming of #Xacobeo2021. What an honor to be invited to teach a few workshops and share my experience as the founder of Urban Sketchers ..read more

Aug. 15, 2021. I’ve joined my pals Roy and Dave for a Sunday morning of fun sketching around the future Mountlake Terrace light rail station. After walking around the construction site for 15 or 20 minutes, I’m afraid that no good vantage point will materialize. But, eventually, I find a spot that affords me an interesting view. Peeking over the chain-link fence, I can see the elevated tracks and construction equipment near and far, including a giant crane topped by an American flag that is waving in the wind. Evergreens silhouette the skyline, seeming to mark a frontier between nature and de ..read more