Drawn the Road Again

Category: Built to Last

  • We’re going to need a lot of butter

    We’re going to need a lot of butter

    Confession: I planned an entire leg of my trip around this place. Now, pretty much all of the central California coast is worth any detour, if you ask me, but when it comes to the kitsch category, Castroville’s got a permanent blue ribbon in my book. And while Giant Artichoke is not quite technically a…

  • Duck dining

    Duck dining

    A “duck” is kind of the architectural version of “you are what you eat”—at least in this case. Hey, if you’re looking for good roadside food, it’s hard to go wrong with a place that gets a blue ribbon in the atmosphere department.

  • Just slightly corny

    Just slightly corny

    Every time I see something like this, I have to wonder why there are still plain, non-food-shaped watertowers in the world. I mean, come on!

  • Home sweet homes

    Home sweet homes

    You know how much I love drawing houses—and Prince Edward Island seemed to be the pretty-farmhouse capital of the world. There were so many, in fact, that it was hard not to spend my entire vacation sketching houses. So this was the only way I could think of to save room in my sketchbook for…

  • Rainbow road

    Rainbow road

    Judging by the news lately, and all the dire terms like “polar vortex” being bandied about, I think it’s safe to say that most of the U.S. is still in the absolute dead of winter (including my neck of the woods). But I just can’t bear to post another sketch of icicles or snow. So…

  • Banke of Colonials

    Banke of Colonials

    Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, there’s pretty much zero architecture that predates 1850; but I grew up in New England, where early American buildings are abundant. And as you can probably guess, I absolutely adore colonial houses—so I go a little nuts when I get the chance to sketch a whole neighborhood chock…

  • New day, new year

    New day, new year

    I made this sketch at the start of the last lunar year—on a crisp morning, surrounded by orange trees, in the still-breathing heart of a Gold-Rush-era Chinatown. So here we are, with another Chinese new year upon us—wishing you a happy and prosperous Year of the Horse!

  • 12th Night

    12th Night

    I’m not really a fan of American football, but I do love seeing (and sketching!) a city transformed by a rare event. And I have to admit, it was pretty hard not to get swept up by all the excitement humming in Seattle’s very bones this weekend. So I’ll go ahead and add my voice…

  • Travel checklist

    Travel checklist

    I love hanging out with other travel bloggers—sometimes it’s just fun to know I’m not the only one closely studying my surroundings. Last year I took a road trip with my friend Mary-Alice of Dog Jaunt fame (with her lovely pup Chloe in tow). When we arrived at our hotel that day, we both did…

  • Night and day

    Night and day

    Speaking of neon signs, this might not be a sketchbook post, but I figured it wasn’t too far off-topic. For those of you who might find yourselves in the Pacific Northwest this year, I’ve got a solo exhibit opening tomorrow, right here on my home turf. The show is called You’ll Like Tacoma, and features…