This summer workshop series explored how drawing and embodied observation can deepen understanding of the environment.
We began with quick sketching exercises, then learned to use their bodies as tools for measurement and observation.
Participants independently created their own site sections, applying the techniques they had learned. The series emphasized hands-on learning, collaboration, and seeing the landscape through direct experience with a landscape.
Workshop 1: Body Measurements
In this session over summer of 2025, we explored how to draw a transect and how the embodied experience helps you understand your surroundings.
Each workshop starts with brief sketching exercises to warm up participants to the idea of drawing and observing what’s around them.
For our first workshop, we explored the various uses of body measurements. Everyone took turns, working together, to measure and record their pace, height, forearm, and various others they found helpful. We also learned how to measure a tree height with a friend and stick (or pencil, finger, leaf, etc).
Workshop 2: Scaled Transect Teamwork
For the second workshop of our 2025 summer series, we returned to RISD Beach in Barrington, RI where we further developed drawing skills and techniques to represent the environment we were in.
After warming up with brief sketching exercises to start, the youth formed groups of 3-4 to collectively draw a 75’ transect of the site. The group worked together to apply the techniques they learned the previous week to measure their surroundings and draw it to scale using a scale bar. They did a great job at working together to measure and took turns adding components to the drawing.
It was great to see their efforts to improve and work through struggles of understanding the scale bar or how to draw tree canopy in section.
Workshop 3: Independent Section Drawing
The final workshop of a series is always so exciting to see the accumulated skills! The final activity was to individually measure and draw a section and each participant did a great job challenging themselves with this new technique!
Thank you Green Team for such a great summer!! We can’t wait to work together again soon.