Pocket Sketchbook

An old rail bridge and a bat box

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…

King Street Station on a chilly morning

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…

Amazon vs. Mother Nature

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…

Boston Old State House

Oct. 10, 2021. I’m here to run the marathon Monday morning, but how could I not make at least one sketch! This city is an open book about the American Revolution, with plenty of storytelling (and eye-catching!) landmarks. Outside this…

Light rail is coming

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…

Rhody Ridge Arboretum

This arboretum just around the corner from our street is very much a hidden gem in our neighborhood. It gets its name from large rhododendron trees that are hard to find elsewhere. On this summer day, I sat on a…

Amsterdam Oosterdok

Ballpoint pen sketch on a hot summer day while attending the 10th Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam.

Jumping into a drawing while my friends jump into a lake

Glacials melt directly into this alpine lake in the North Cascades. The water is ice-cold. But that didn’t stop my friends Ahmed and Ben from jumping for a swim after a 5-mile run up to this gorgeous piece of wilderness. I…