Have you ever given mirrors to young children? Do this and observe without judgment. What you will notice is one of the purest forms of first hand, primary source research. You will witness curious faces test an array of poses. The mirror wants to play and so the children feel free to play too. Eyes widen and squint, lips…
Category: Drawing
All art created with dry materials. Includes observational, imaginative and exploratory drawing.
Flower Portraits
Artist Georgia O’Keefe once said “Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.” Her most famous works are large scale flower portraits. Georgia zoomed in on each flower and illustrated their form to help us witness the fine…
PEOPLE: From Collage to Drawing
PEOPLE. That is what we are. Super complex beings on the inside and out. Have you ever sat down to draw the human figure? Drawing people from observation is quite challenging let alone creating one from our imagination. There is so much to include, so where do we begin? SHAPE. We begin with geometric shapes. Read on, I…
Materials for creating self-portraits
An integration with mathematics, students measure the parts of their party, divide by 2 and use collected data to create a miniature version of themselves in a self-portrait. First collage, then drawing… Students first create collages of humans using simple geometric shapes. They then draw their collage and use details to enhance their art. …
Art/Science: Fossil Study
It is important for students to understand how artists and scientists share many work habits, one of which is utilizing the page as a “study” for multiple observational sketches. While learning about fossil formation in Science, students study ammonites and trilobites in the art studio and record their lines, shapes and pattern using brown and…
Gesture Drawing
Gesture drawing with children creates an open and accepting classroom environment. It allows students to loosen up their drawing style and helps them to view the “gestalt” of the figure or the big picture. When beginning this activity, students may feel like every mark is final and may feel self-conscious. I emphasize that gesture drawing…
Fuel the Maker in YOU 