One of the key components of learning how to draw things accurately in SPACE is understanding perspective.  We did several exercises in both one-point and two-point perspective and then drew city blocks using two-point perspective.  Students had to draw streets, sidewalks, buildings, windows, doors and signs all with correct perspective.  Then they got to get creative and make their cities whatever and wherever they wanted!  

Rex Ray is a German-American artist who has made a career out of creating layered collages from ORGANIC SHAPES. He paints paper in a wide variety of colors and textures then cuts and layers shapes into interesting combinations and forms. We spend a class period painting sheets and sheets of paper in bright colors and textures then did our own collages with lots of layering and cool geometric shapes!

To focus on GEOMETRIC SHAPE, we learned about Pablo Picasso and his style called Cubism.  In Cubism, Picasso tried to show objects from diffent viewpoints all at once by flattening round objects into flat shapes.  He often did this in the subject matter of still life objects like we did for this project!

In art, VALUE is how light or dark something is.  It takes a lot of practice to learn how to control a variety of pencils to create a smooth range of values from light to dark.  We learned how to transform 2-D shapes into 3-D forms through shading with highlights and shadows and turn those forms into delicious sweet treats!

After learning about the basics of line, we took it one step futher and practice blind and modified contour line drawings of objects from life.  Students drew plants from photos with a modified contour line drawing technique--meaning they could only look at their paper occasionally and had to try to keep their pencil on the paper the whole time they were drawing. After drawing our plants we painted them with watercolor.

Students were introduced to artist Charles McGee (from Clemson, SC!) and his black and white abstract line designs. We learned how to fill a composition with nothing but lines--and make it interesting! 

We started out the school year with these fun drawings where students filled a spiral design with words and drawings about themselves. It was a great way to start getting to know them!