- Teacher: Ruthie V.
- Course Length: 5 weeks
- Class Days: Fridays, begins July 10
- Time: 10:00 – 1:00 pm PDT
Sketching in the Seattle Arboretum
Draw among the trees, paths, leaves, ponds, and lush green tangles of the Seattle Arboretum.
Inspired by the loose, searching landscape sketches of Pierre Bonnard, this outdoor class focuses on drawing as a way of noticing. Students will learn how to simplify complex natural forms, build a page from observation, and use line, value, gesture, and interesting marks to capture a sense of place.
We’ll work in sketchbooks, moving between instructor demos, short guided exercises, independent sketching walks, and group feedback. Students will look for plant forms, layered branches, repeated marks, and the half-hidden spaces that make a garden feel alive. The sketches made in class can stand on their own or become starting points for future paintings.
The goal is to make drawings that feel like being there: alive, responsive, and full of looking.
Open to beginners and continuing students. Students should be prepared to walk and work outdoors.
Suggested materials: The instructor will be using a clutch or mechanical pencil with a sketch pad.
- Pencil or pen
- Plastic eraser
- Sharpener
- Hard spiral-bound sketch pad (that lays flat or can be held comfortably in one arm). Any size from about 5 x 7 inches to 11 x 14 inches is fine.
- Students may bring drawing materials of their choice.
- A big clip is recommended to keep pages from blowing in the wind.
