SketchCrawl 01: Berkeley

On Sunday November 21 2004 the first worldwide SketchCrawl event was held. The idea is that all over the world people go out and spend the day sketching, then share their results online. Although not everyone is together, the idea that others are pursuing the same activity is encouraging. It’s sort of like a Pub Crawl, but (not necessarily 🙂 ) without the beer.

UC Berkeley Champanile

We spent the day around our town, Berkeley, and had a blast. The day was clear and sunny, but unusually windy and cold. It is hard to draw with numb fingers and hair blowing across your face!

Our local North Berkeley neighborhood is known as the Gourmet Ghetto and is loaded with great restaurants and food stores. Berkeley is a “foodie” town, and this area is the center of the action.

Tapas at Bar César”

Yum! We had a wonderful lunch at Bar César. I realized after I finished this sketch that it is heavily influenced by the lively food sketches in the New Basics cookbook. Update: I made note cards for myself from this Cesar sketch, which have proved quite handy.

Peet’s Coffee & Tea

It was just too cold to sit outside in the wind, so we sought further refuge and more caffeinated fortification in Peet’s Coffee at Walnut & Vine. This is the original Peet’s location.

Arlington Fountain

I love this fountain and pass by it every day. It sits in the center of the Marin Ave. traffic circle and is a reproduction of the fountain that stood there from 1911 to the 1950’s. The critters are supposed to be baby grizzly bears (symbol of California and U.C. Berkeley, and a reference to nearby Grizzly Peak), but I think they look more like hyenas. Cute hyenas.

Post Office

French Hotel & Cafe

North Berkeley Shops

Bay View

From Left to Right, Back to Front: San Francisco, Golden Gate bridge, Marin County, Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, Berkeley Marina, Berkeley Flatlands, Berkeley Hills.

My Sketching Kit

I have been drawing lately with a Namiki Falcon fountain pen with a fine nib. The book is a pocket Moleskine, but I don’t like the paper it comes with so have rebound it with Fabriano Artistico Hot Press 90lb. My watercolor box is an old-style Winsor & Newton Bijou Box with tube paints squeezed in, and a Niji Waterbrush completes the kit.

Update: For information on my current sketch kit, see:
How I Sketch: Materials

Other Related Articles:
Other SketchCrawls
How I Sketch: Demo
Rebind a Moleskine Sketchbook