WHAT ARE DIRECTED DRAWINGS?

Directed drawings are a step by step approach to drawing something.  The teacher guides students in the steps to create a drawing.  

HOW I DO DIRECTED DRAWINGS

First thing I do when we begin a drawing is I ask the students to turn their paper either landscape or portrait. These will be two important words they will learn on Day #1. We will also talk about how we draw lightly until we are sure that we are happy with what we have created. After students are happy with their drawing, we use a Sharpie to outline the lines we like. The final step is to give our drawing color to make it pop! Students will use colored markers, watercolors, or crayon to add vibrant detail to their drawings. The point of art is not to replicate something perfectly, but to create a something that is unique and all our own.

WHY I DO DIRECTED DRAWINGS

The WHY is probably the most important part.  It’s been my experience that directed drawings increase the listening skills of my students.  They must listen and keep up with me as I draw each part.  In addition to the listening, the other obvious benefit is learning to follow directions.  I want students to learn that drawing is FUN.  Each drawing is unique and there is no "right answer" when it comes to art. 

WHAT ABOUT NAYSAYERS?

But what about the folks who say:

But I don’t like to limit kids’ creativity and have everyone draw the SAME thing the SAME way!

Well, my reply to that is that directed drawing lays the foundation.  Kids will take what I show them and use it to draw bigger and better things.  I never limit their creativity, it’s not a problem if they want to draw it a different way or add to it.  Once we have done a group directed drawing, students can practice what they’ve learned or do something different.