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| 7/25/26 Scavenger hunt at South Lake Union |
Months ago, I viewed a YouTube video by Teoh Yi Chie showing an urban sketching bingo game that USk Singapore had put on. With sponsored prizes and a huge turnout, the game looked like so much fun that I was inspired to do something similar with USk Seattle. Bingo, however, has an element of chance; it’s not enough to simply sketch the objects – you had to get a certain number in a row. It would also be a lot of work to create multiple variations of bingo cards. I got an easier idea: An urban sketching scavenger hunt!
Shortly afterwards, I took a wander through one of my favorite sketching neighborhoods: South Lake Union. Within an easily walkable area, I jotted 20 things I saw (many of which I sketched myself). Some were specific, like the Space Needle, while others were left open to interpretation, such as “a cylindrical building” (SLU has more than one) or “something yellow.” I had so much fun developing the game!
The hunt was on! Last Saturday, a terrific turnout of USk Seattle met near the Amazon Spheres for the game: Whoever sketched the most items on the scavenger list during the three-hour outing would win. Prizes were donated by USk Seattle admins and Gabi Campanario of Sketcher Press – art supplies, sketchbooks and published art books. Thankfully, we had a lot of prizes, because I had under-estimated how many sketchers would be so successful: Eleven sketched all 20 items!
Since I had made the game myself, I didn’t compete, but I took my leisurely time sketching many of my favorites on the scavenger list. Compared to all the hard-working participants, I felt like a slacker: I even took a lunch break!
It was inspiring to see people helping each other figure out clues or find the subjects – a collaborative spirit instead of competitive. I got so much positive feedback about the game that I’d like to make it an annual summer event in varying locations!
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| An enthusiastic turnout! |
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| These intrepid participants sketched all 20 scavenger items! (Not pictured: Ching Hung) |
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| This fussball machine qualified as "something blue." |
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| "Orange chair" was one of the scavenger items. |
Could you publish the list of 20 items? I'm going to be in Seattle in a couple weeks and I'd love to try it on my own. - Michele USK-STL
ReplyDeleteOh, that would be fun! Let me know how many you find! :-) Here's the list:
Delete1. Monorail
2. Memorial/statue of a local statesman
3. Cylindrical-shaped building
4. Something yellow
5. Trolly stop shelter
6. Space Needle
7. Share scooter/bike (such as Lime)
8. Spherical-shaped building
9. Elephant
10. Orange chairs
11. Accordion-folded building
12. Dog walker
13. Something blue
14. Construction crane
15. Queen Anne broadcasting towers
16. Tree stumps
17. Building with diagonal top
18. Bike rider
19. Building under construction
20. Something pink
Thanks so much. The last time I was in Seattle was just after your Gas Works Park post, so I took the bus up to Fremont for a sketch day. I loved finding the troll, and of course the great thing about Seattle is that you can always find a unique coffee shop to take a break.
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