Drawing is a vital skill for becoming visual communicators at home, at school, and at work. This is not about having natural talent or artistic ability.... anyone can learn to draw! Drawing is all about looking carefully at things and seeing the relationships between lines and shapes, and gradations of light and dark. We call this "learning to see like an artist". "Echo … [Read more...]
Surf’s Up! With End-of-the-Year Surfboard Art
The last few days of the school year can be a challenge.... students are super-excited and their energy level is high! Add in a substitute teacher and things could get crazy! So, I was asked to sub for a couple of classes on their last day of Art. I knew I'd need something special to focus their almost-summer-vacation exuberance! We live in a surf town on the California … [Read more...]
The 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge
Kids spend so much time in the car! It's easy to reach for a movie or electronic game to fill the time on long trips... or even short errands around town. But why not take a break from technology and just reach for a sketchbook instead? "Almost all artwork, no matter what the final form, begins with drawing because drawing is the artist's fundamental tool." ~ Mary Blair, … [Read more...]
Learning to “Draw with a Light Touch”
January is the month for New Year's Resolutions.... for examining our habits and thinking about changes we should make. Kids hear adults talking about this so it's not a new idea to them. This means we can seize this opportunity to talk with students about their own habits that may not be serving them well and suggest ways they can change these habits to improve their … [Read more...]
Feed Your Creative Soul – with a Sketchbook
Most art teachers I know struggle to find time for pursuing their own artwork.... so if that's you, you're not alone! Summertime provides a great opportunity for teachers to do things they otherwise set aside during the school year. But if we're trying to teach our students how important art is, should we really be putting off our own art until summer? (I'm speaking to myself … [Read more...]
Make a Value Scale
Understanding value, or the use of light and dark, is an important factor in creating successful drawings and paintings. Creating a "value scale" of their own was a great way for my middle school students to get the feel for including the full range of values before starting a major drawing project. I created my sample as a fold-out in my sketchbook (above), but I had my … [Read more...]
Visual Texture
This activity is great practice for learning to see values (lights and darks) and duplicate them in your drawings. Younger students may only have the patience to do two or three of these, while older students may want to do several more. Make sure you use the same pencil and the same paper for both the rubbings and the copies, or you'll have trouble duplicating the lightest … [Read more...]
Duplication Exercise
Train your students to notice details and "see like artists" with this fun activity! In her classic drawing books, Drawing with Children and Drawing for Older Children and Teens, art teacher and author Mona Brookes offers an engaging way to practice seeing and drawing using her "Duplication Exercise". This activity is completely adaptable to any ability level, K through … [Read more...]
“Touch” Contour Drawing
A workshop participant trying out the "touch" method of contour drawingIn my last teacher workshop, I showed how students can improve their drawing skills with different types of contour drawing. In previous posts, I've talked about blind, memory and guided contour drawing. Last, but not least, is "touch" contour drawing. This is another great way to train students to pay … [Read more...]
More Contour Drawing – “Memory” and “Guided”
"Guided" Contour Drawing by Austin, grade 5In her book, Art for Kids: Drawing, artist and author Kathryn Temple reminds us that, "The most important thing an artist can do is pay attention." It's amazing how most people go through life without really looking at the world around them. Contour drawing will help you break this pattern and begin to notice all the amazing details … [Read more...]