My usual hangouts in Portland. Spring 2015

Working on a new project that involves drawing from the point of view of an urban sketcher from the 17th century, continuing my series of Portland landmarks, working on a couple of book projects kept me from posting in the recent weeks but not from sketching. Here are some highlights from the last couple of months.

Cyrano Production at the Portland Center Stage

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Cyrano, one of my favorite love stories of all times. I knew the costumes were going to be spectacular, so getting the seats close to the stage was essential. Stage lighting is also the only source of light in the dark theater. Still, most of these were done half blind, as lighting was limited. Need to research some night time vision goggles or bring a very discreet spotlight next time.

Happy Hour at Rontoms

It was one of those beautiful sunny Friday afternoons when all of Portland's pub patios are buzzing with people sipping on their pints. Since at 4pm it was already too late to land a spot outside my friends and I had to content ourselves with staying inside and enjoying the spacious interior of Rontoms decorated with  mid-century styled furniture and bar. 

Skating at the Oaks Amusement Park 

Drawing people rapidly skating around the rink was another fun challenge to undertake this spring. I was only mildly pleased with the results. 

Sketching at Web Visions Conference 2015

The annual fest for web geeks and designer types took place in Melody Ballroom this year, instead of the usual more sterile convention center. Speakers talked about happiness, creative play, libraries being at the frontier of digital culture, roller derby. Not much has been said about the web itself. Still a great opportunity to steal a few sketches and funny quotes. 

During lunch at the nearby at Pho Green Papaya restaurant I drew this couple of lady friends who were enjoying their vacation to Portland.

Sketches of Musicians

As usual, attending chamber jams, milongas, music salon parties, my daughter's violin classes, and concerts gives me access to one my favorite sketching subjects–musicians and their instruments.

Bus #20

Finally, occasional rides on Trimet Bus #20 allow me to do very quick and shaky sketches of Portland's characters like this one.