Lesson 23: Park Design

Objective: To have children design a park with compositional movement and unity.

Vocabulary:

compositional movement - The way a viewer's eyes travel from one element to another in an artwork.

landscape design - The analysis, planning, and design of exterior spaces.

unity - A design principle that creates the sense that an artwork is complete and that its parts work together as a whole.

Garden at Villandry by Unknown ArtistFrance, EU

Garden Design

Look at Garden at Villandry by Unknown Artist. The designer arranged the lines in the garden to show compositional movement, or to guide the viewer's eyes from place to place. As you look at Garden at Villandry, think about the way your eyes move along the diagonal lines.
Now look at the different parts of the garden. This garden design shows unity. Unity is a sense of completeness in an artwork. An artwork has unity when it parts fit together well.

Flower Conservatory, Golden Gate Park by Unknown ArtistSan Francisco, CA, USA

Landscape designers choose color schemes for their gardens. How would you describe the color scheme shown in Flower Conservatory, Golden Gate Park by Unknown Artist. Does the garden have symmetrical balance or asymmetrical balance? How did the designer give this garden a sense of unity?

Desert Pavilion at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden by Unknown ArtistBrooklyn, NY, USA

Now look at Desert Pavilion at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden by Unknown Artist. What kinds of plants do you see in this garden? What textures do these plants have? The designer of this garden used plants with similar textures and colors to create a sense of unity.

Think Critically - Tell what you learned.

Studio Time: Park Design

Materials:

Pencils, Sketchbooks, Colored Pencils or Markers, Magazines, Scissors, Glue

Plan

Imagine a park where you would enjoy spending time. Think about the kinds of trees, plants, rocks, and other objects you would like in your park. Sketch your ideas.
Check list:
- Create a landscape design of a park.
- Use compositional movement and unity in your design.

Create

Use your sketches as a guide to draw your park design on white paper. Arrange the parts of your design in a way that shows movement.
Choose a color scheme for the plants and other objects in your park.
Find magazine pictures with colors and textures you like. Cut them out and glue them onto your drawing.

Reflect - Tell about your work.

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: Watercolor Garden

Create an abstract watercolor painting with a predetermined color scheme by adding color to wet paper, let dry and complete with fine-tip black marker.