Lesson 2: Close-Up View

Objective: To have the children create a close-up view of an object using geometric, organic, and free-form shapes.

Vocabulary:

close-up view - A detailed view of an object or part of an object.

free-form shapes - Made-up shapes that may use a combination of geometric and organic shapes that are created from the human imagination or manufactured (human-made).

geometric shape - Shapes used in math that have straight lines with angled corners or circular shapes with regular curves. There are two categories of geometric shapes: ovoid and polygon.
Ovoid Shapes: circle, semi-circle, sector, oval and egg.
Polygon Shapes: triangle, square, rectangle, kite (diamond), rhombus, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon, etc...

organic shape - A natural shape that is made up of curved or irregular lines. Organic shapes appear in nature.

variety - A design principle used to add interest to an artwork by using many different objects and art elements (line, shape, color, form, etc...).

Shapes in Nature

Some artists paint full landscapes of natural scenes. Other artists focus on certain natural objects as subjects for their artworks. Look at Monkey Frieze by Franz Marc and Irises by Vincent van Gogh. What do you see in each painting?

Monkey Frieze by Franz Marc
1911, oil on canvas
76 cm x 134.5 cm
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany

Shapes
Each artist used different shapes to show his subject. Find the triangles in Monkey Frieze. Artists us lines with regular borders to make geometric shapes such as triangles and circles. Organic shapes are made up of curved or irregular lines.

Point out the diagonal line in Monkey Frieze. In which direction do they lead your eyes?

Irises by Vincent van Gogh
1889, oil on canvas
71.1 cm x 93 cm
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Look at Irises. Do you see more organic shapes or more geometric shapes in this painting?

Natural Scenes
Look at the leaves in Irises. Notice how the artist painted most of the leaves bending in the same direction. Did the artist use actual lines or implied lines to paint them? Follow the direction of the lines. Where do the lines lead your eyes?
The artist used diagonal, or slanted, lines to create the sense that the leaves and flowers are moving. What would Irises look like if all the lines were vertical, or straight up and down?

Close-Up View
Look at Poppies by Georgia O'Keefe and Prairie Flower by Kirstie. What is the subject of these images? Look back at the subject in Irises. Compare it to Poppies. In Irises the artist showed a large group of flowers. He painted them from far away. In Poppies the artist showed a close-up view of only two flowers. Painting a close-up view of a subject allows the viewer to see its details. Describe the shapes you see in Poppies and Prairie Flower.

Poppies by Georgia O'Keeffe
1950, oil on canvas
36" x 30"
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Prairie Flower by Kirstie, 4th grade

Think Critically - Tell what you have learned.

Studio Time: Close-Up View

Materials:

natural objects (such as plants or fruit), sketchbook, pencils, white paper, tempera paint, paint brushes, water bowl

Plan

Choose an object with an interesting close-up view. Make some sketches of the object from different angles. Look closely at the shape that make up the object. Decide whether they are organic shapes, geometric shapes, or free-form shapes.
Check list:
- Make sure to that you are zooming in on the object, that you are drawing part of an object and not the whole object. The object should be touching or "falling off" the edge of the paper.

04.02 Close-Up View

Create

Choose the sketch that shows the close-up view the best.
Draw the object as large as possible on the white paper. Try to fill the page.
Lightly outline each shape in pencil.

4. Choose your colors and paint the shapes.

Reflect - Tell about your artwork.

Photograph and Submit your work on Google Classroom.

Photograph sketches as well as completed artwork.
"Add" (attach) to Google Classroom assignment.
"Mark as done" to submit your work for a grade.

Challenge: Paper Flower Garden

Create 3D flowers from construction paper (or paper plates) by cutting pedal shapes out of paper and bending, layer and add details, complete with a frame.

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