Week 3 Activity - Sketching

 For this activity, I worked from the window and used my Kindle Scribe to attempt my sketches (I wanted to try something different and I have my kindle with me for reading and taking notes, so it might be nice to also use it as a sketch pad)  I drew the mountain scene in front of me while watching cross-country skiers move along the trail (the groomer also went by, though I didn’t attempt to draw that). At the same time, an elementary or preschool class was out exploring in the nearby bush, leaving winding tracks through the snow. 

What stood out to me right away was the contrast between human-made and living things. The skis, poles, Fernie sign, and a nearby light pole were all defined by very straight, clean lines, clear examples of the grid at work. In contrast, the trees and mountains were irregular, curved, and organic. Even the ski trail itself was noticeably straight, especially when compared to the meandering paths left by the children and by deer moving through the snow.

As I spent more time watching and drawing, I began noticing other patterns. One type of pine tree had branches that angled upward, while another type had branches that were more horizontal or slightly down. At home,  I also sketched a spider plant in a woven basket. The basket had clear symmetry and repeated patterning in the macrame adornment, while the plant itself had a loose spiral shape, but it was imperfect. Some of the leaves damaged and one side is fuller where it leans toward the window. 

I finished by drawing the bark of a bull pine in my backyard. Up close, the bark is rough, uneven, and difficult to capture, but when I stepped back, an overall pattern began to emerge, it just isn't a tidy or predictable one. It made me think about entropy, and how living systems tend toward variation, irregularity, and change, especially as they respond to their environment. The differences I noticed, branches angling upward toward light, fuller growth on one side of the plant near the window, worn and weathered bark, all reflected how surroundings shape natural patterns over time rather than preserving perfect symmetry.

This activity made me think about how close observation and sketching could really support students in learning about patterns. Slowing down to draw forces you to actually notice whether a line is straight, curved, angled, or irregular, and to see how those features show up differently in living and human-made things. Students sketching branches, paths, or bark patterns and then talking about the kinds of angles they see, rather than only encountering angles through worksheets.  I think this could make lines and angles feel alive and connected to the world, not just something drawn perfectly on graph paper.