DAY 1 Paper HatsPresenting a challenge to solve creatively
Students are presented with a problem. They they need to build a hat using only paper, maybe some glue/tape/or staples. Students use past student art work and learn how to work with a new material in a short amount of time. The hats need to expressive of their personality, fit on their heads, and the students are required to work the full amount of time. At the end of class students practice cleaning up and wear their hats for a chance to win a sticker prize. Everyone loves stickers. Students who participate receive full points for the day. |
Blind Contour Hand DrawingsLearning to Draw from Observation
Ready to retrain your brain to draw what your eye sees? Blind contour line drawings are a perfect way to do just that. In this drawing exercise you will slow down and fine tune your drawing skills by close observation and drawing what you see without looking at your paper. The first step we do in class is to draw our hand the best that we can. This helps us know where we are starting because everyone is at a different skill level. Then, I usually have students draw with their paper inside a paper bag--this helps us from peaking. The whole purpose is to draw from observation...not memory. Each practice drawing is about 2-5 minutes. We usually work up to the 5 minute mark. Now, students place their hand in an appropriate hand gesture and pick a starting point. It helps to just use one continuous line. Students follow the edge of what they are drawing with their eyes very slowly...as if an ant were crawling along the edge. If you go too fast, you will miss all the cool details in your hands--especially all the wrinkles, different angles, and texture that is in a hand. When you are drawing, remember, your pencil should be moving no faster than your eyes. Your eyes have a tendency to want to jump ahead, but you can't let them. Keep looking at your hand, moving your pencil and your eyes no faster than a snail. You might not finish a completed drawing of a hand in 3 minutes, but that is ok! After a significant number of drawings, and even practicing a few drawings peaking from time to time, then students draw one last hand drawing the best they can. Compare the first drawing with the last. Did you improve? |