Tag Archives: Friday Harbor

San Juan Island corgi sketch by Chandler O'Leary

Four-legged harbormaster

When I sat on the pier to do this sketch, I only meant to draw the boats—I’m a sucker for bunches of masts and linear elements like tielines. To make sure I could fit the whole mast in the picture plane, I started at the top and worked my way down. It wasn’t until I got to the mass of windows and decks that I noticed the corgi sitting quietly and staring back at me!

This is the perfect example of why I prefer to sketch my surroundings, rather than photograph them. If all I had done was snap a photo of the scene, I never would have noticed that pup in a million years. Instead, I got to have a private little thrill of discovery, like I had just found out a small secret.

San Juan Islands sketch by Chandler O'Leary

On island time

When my best friend Elizabeth came to visit last year, she told me she’d always wanted to visit the San Juan Islands. So we packed every bit of waterproof gear we had and headed north for a girls-only trip.

San Juan Island ferry sketch by Chandler O'Leary

We spent a good chunk of our trip on various boats—

San Juan Islands sketch by Chandler O'Leary

—which, even in spring’s constant cold drizzle, is the best way to see the islands (and their inhabitants!) in all their misty glory.

San Juan Island wildlife sketch by Chandler O'Leary

Still, even though we’d gladly risk pneumonia any day to catch a glimpse of an orca, it was wonderful to have a warm, cozy room to come back to at the end of the day.

We are landlubbers, after all.

Kirk House B&B sketch by Chandler O'Leary