Think Small

Normally when I'm out sketching, I carry around an 8x10 or 9x12 inch sketchbook, but there are times when this is not practical.  Such as anywhere I go without intending to sketch, and run across an appealing subject, or find myself waiting for a bus longer than expected.  Since I never carry a big purse (8" max on the longest side), I needed a small sketchbook that could fit inside and go with me everywhere, and I found one that is 4x6 inches.  That, and a nice artist's pen, and I'm all set.

The first day I carried it around, I found myself waiting at the bus stop longer than expected:

The next day I wandered over to the waterfront near my office...and look, fingers appear for scale!

There is a very monolithic building nearby (Marine Sciences) which has a plaza surrounded by thick angular walls, very unusual:

One day I was walking Truman and spotted this fallen tree -- he got a little impatient as I stopped to draw it, but he survived:

While birding at the Montlake Fill, I happened upon a newly established trail that was bordered by a log and branch construction:

It's a fine little sketchbook, though limited to pencil or pen.  After five days in a row of that, I wanted to do something larger and with color, so Truman and I trotted over to the Quad on the UW campus to admire the cherry trees.  Boy howdy, was it packed with people (it was Sunday), several of whom, despite the MANY LARGE SIGNS saying Do Not Climb on the Trees, were, of course, climbing on the trees.  It took me a while to find a spot out of the way, where I focused on only one tree that seemed less bothered by oblivious people than the others.

You'll notice that I left all the people out.  On purpose.  They were annoying.

Truman was also annoyed, since it was noisy and crowded and children wanted to come over to pet him, which he endured with his usual "Fine, I won't bite you but I hate this" expression.

Here he is after I finished, clearly telling me he is Done and wants to go Home:

As a commenter on another post noted, like most dachshunds I've ever encountered, Truman is a highly opinionated dog!