Spotlight Studio: Landscape Sketching

Patty Liang

You may not know that Deaf Spotlight sponsors cool programs that celebrate cinema, performing arts and the visual arts.  Spotlight Studio is a monthly workshop led by a signing artist to give novice and experienced artists an opportunity to meet together, try out new materials and different mediums to hone their skills and do art.

I had the opportunity to lead the landscape drawing session with artists at the Discovery Park. We situated ourselves facing west, seeing various islands and boats sailing by. We fully enjoyed sketching the natural terrain along the Puget Sound with the lovely weather that day.

To capture nature is rewarding and challenging because you need to decide which material to use and what area of focus you want to show to the viewer. You can travel anywhere in the world and sketch a moment in time with a pen, pencil and paper!

We sketched compositions that attracted our interest: trees, mountains, beaches, and plants. We practiced capturing details, using the techniques of depth and shading. We worked at two different sites to document nature. We plan to come back again this summer to explore further with different mediums such as water color painting.

I also recommend for you to check out Discovery Park because this is a great spot for bird watching, sketching, trail running and picnicking! You can learn more about this park at this link to Seattle Parks and Recreation:

Next month, Bre Dolan will lead the Spotlight Studio session on Paper Craft Techniques on May 19, 2012.  More info to come on the Deaf Spotlight website!