drawing 101 for art teachers - the art of ed 101 for art teachers the basics ... the pros and cons...
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
The Basics In this section, you’ll find practical resources to get your basic drawing knowledge and teaching methods on track for immediate use in your art room.
You Can Do Observational Drawing in Kindergarten!
I rarely try new lessons with Kindergarten. It freaks me out. I like to stick to what I know, and what works well because sometimes that is just how I am! Plus, I’ve spent years getting my Kindergarten curriculum to where I want it and like it. But this year, I tried a new lesson that I found while browsing and old Arts and Activities magazine. Architecture and Observational Drawing (two of my favorite things) all rolled into one lesson! Continue reading…
Take the Boredom Out of Observational Drawing
Let’s face it. Observational drawing can be downright boring for our students. The default setting many art teachers revert to when approaching observational drawing with is a traditional still life. A vase of flowers, a cube, a sphere, a box filled with a bunch of random objects from a thrift store from 1975. Woo Woo.
Put yourselves in your student’s shoes for a minute. If you were 15, or 9 years old what would you be interested to sit and look at for hours and observe carefully and draw? Chances are it isn’t the same objects that the masters got thrilled about 100+ years ago. Just saying. The times they are a changing. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersTeach Your Students to Draw Contour Lines
Teaching contour line is a simple way to hone students ’ obser vational drawing skills, preparing them for more advanced drawing activities to come. Because the idea, drawing the outline of an object, is so simple, it can be difficult to find ways to teach it creatively. In addition, it sometimes is difficult for students to understand at first. You’ll always have a few that can’t resist drawing in all the details! However, you CAN introduce observational drawing at any level, even kindergarten! Here are some of my tried and true tips to teach contour line at any age! Continue reading…
3 Easy to Prep Activities for the End of the Year We all know to expect the unexpected at the end of the school year. Between field trips, ice cream socials, and other special activities, your daily schedule is bound to get mixed up at least once. That’s why I love to have a few simple activities on hand for days when I see my classes for less time than usual, or when my rotation of classes gets off. The three activities I’m going to share require little to no prep and can be whipped out at a moments’ notice. In addition, all provide a way to practice valuable art skills. Win-Win. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersHarptoons: How-to-Draw Books Your Students Will Love
My students LOVE how-to draw books. In my art room, they are an option for centers or when projects are completed early. How-to draw books encourage practice and improve drawing confidence in young artists. Although I’m a fan, most How-to-Draw books are pretty similar. When I got the chance to review the Harptoons drawing books by Steve Harpster though, I thought, “Wow- finally something different!” The unique attraction of the Harptoons books is that each cartoon character starts with LETTERS or NUMBERS, symbols and lines our students are already pretty familiar with! Continue reading…
5 Reasons to Love and Hate How-to-Draw Books How to draw is seemingly the most un-creative way to teach children art, however, how to draw books and follow the leader methods continue to be very popular among kids and art teachers. What’s the deal? Decide for yourself with this quick lowdown and the pros and cons of each side. 5 Reasons to LOVE ‘How to Draw’ Books 1. They inspire confidence in kids to draw something realistic 2. They produce a nice looking product 3. Students can do them independently without much help 4. They make great gifts and free art activities 5. Kids and parents love them, they are addicting 5 Reasons to HATE “How to Draw’ Books 1. They don’t teach artistic decision making 2. They don’t teach observational drawing from real life 3. All the products look the same 4. Kids rely on them and won’t draw anything without their help 5. Parents view this as the only type of “real art” their kid can do Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersThe Benefits of Using Guided Drawings
When I first started teaching, I never thought I would be the kind of teacher that would be in front of the room leading a step-by-step drawing. Boy, was I wrong! Guided drawing has become the cornerstone of much of my 2D teaching. With a lot of trial and error, I have found just the right balance between those draw-along strategies and a more open-ended emphasis. There are a few things to keep in mind when finding the right balance for you in your classroom. Continue reading…
Whatchamadrawit: A Creative Drawing Game for the Classroom
Are you looking for a versatile teaching tool that is fun, imaginative, and helps students practice critical thinking skills essential to their growing minds? Then you need to get Whatchamadrawit for you art room today! Whatchamadrawit is a fast-action drawing game that includes a deck of 110 drawing prompts and a timer. The prompts are silly in nature and range from simple to abstract such as, ‘Draw life on Mars’, ‘Draw an animal that has a chicken head, a pineapple body, and duck feet’, ‘Draw an ice cream cone sitting on top of a bike playing the trumpet’, or ‘Draw a tree that grows shoes and socks.’ Students hear or see the drawing prompt, then draw their resulting interpretation. The end results are unique to each student and tend to result in bursts of giggles and laughter. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers3 Must-Have Drawing Activites for Your Free Choice Center
“We all have activities available for students that finish projects early, and I just know you’ll want to add these three ideas to your bag of tricks. Instead of “free time,” I like to think of this time as “opportunity time.” These three drawing games will help students make the most of every minute they spend in your room. Watch the video below to learn more about the student-generated Drawing Barrel, the versatile Whatchamadrawit, and the humorous Luck of the Draw.” Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Advanced Techniques Feel like you already have a good understanding of the basics? This section will dive deeper into aspects of drawing that require a little more experience.
Setting Up a Successful Grid Drawing
Let’s face it; drawing is a difficult concept to teach. Drawing takes a lot of practice, patience and students tend to get frustrated easily. How many times have you heard the phrase “I can’t draw” in your classroom? Probably too many times to count. I help build students confidence by providing them drawing assignments where they can be successful. A strategy I use in my classroom is drawing with a grid. Using a grid helps break down the drawing into smaller sections. Chuck Close once said, “If you’re overwhelmed by the size of a problem, break it down into many bite sized pieces.” Breaking the drawing into “bite sized pieces,” or small squares, helps students feel less overwhelmed. Continue reading…
'Selfies: Student Self Portraits'
In this lesson plan selfies take a step back, and become self portraits, providing an easy way for students to see the proportions of their faces and the placement of the features. Follow along with this hands – on demonstration! Watch the video here…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers7 Distinct Techniques to Transform Your Oil Pastel Projects
Oil pastels are one of those mediums that you either love or hate. Sometimes, the mess of them smeared over every surface just outweighs the benefits of using them in your classroom. Maybe you have always felt that you were demonstrating techniques incorrectly leading to your students’ work looking like they used plain ol’ crayons. Well, have no fear! Here are seven techniques to wow your students with the next time you dig out the oil pastels. Be sure to download the handy guide at the end of this article! Continue reading…
3 Easy Right Brain Drawing Strategies
Have you ever noticed that younger students (say, Kindergarten through 4th grade) are more uninhibited with their drawing than older students? The answer has to do with brain development. As a student’s brain
develops the corpus callosum (the thick bundle of nerves connecting the right hemisphere to the left hemisphere) strengthens. This
happens primarily around age 10-12. What happens is the left hemisphere (with strengths in reading and math) becomes more connected with the right hemisphere (with strengths in creativity
and emotion). Basically the left hemisphere begins to tell the right hemisphere that they “aren’t doing it right.” Students are no longer
h a p p y drawing a hand, for example. They want it to look “right.” Sound familiar? This is the perfect time to introduce right brain drawing activities. These activities are designed to help students learn to utilize the amazing potential of the right side and learn to draw what they see. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersHow to Make a Chalk Pastel Gradient
It seems like chalk pastel projects are either hit or miss. If you can teach students techniques for controlling them, they can achieve some beautiful results. On the other hand, if you can’t stop them from spreading, you end up with rainbow dust from one end of your room to another. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite things to do with chalk pastels- make a chalk pastel gradient! The technique is simple and can be used from second grade right on up through high school. Continue reading and watch the video here...
Mystery Solved: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a 3D Anamorphosis Drawing
How many times have we stared in amazement at the street art chalk drawings of Julian Beever or the 3D pencil drawings of artist Nagai Hideyuki and thought, “How did they do that?” Their art appears to pop off the very pavement or paper that it was created on. We know it’s anamorphosis. What we aren’t quite sure of is how it’s done. Today I’d like to let you in on the secret with a project that merges technology with traditional drawing and the concept of perspective into one
fun, effective lesson. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersA Simpler Way to Create a Drawing Grid
So many educators have their students utilize grids when drawing on a larger scale. While this technique is useful to know, it can often become ex tremely t ime consuming, tedious, and confusing for s t u d e n t s . Th i s m e t h o d i s a g re at introduction to enlargement, plus, it’s a great adaptation for kids who don’t yet understand rulers or grids. Watch the video here...
The Big Draw
The Big Draw aims to get everyone drawing by breaking down barriers and helping people of all ages enjoy its benefits. Drawing is not exclusive to any age or group and The Big Draw invites people of all ages, levels and abilities to take part. Everyone can hold a Big Draw event and anyone can participate. We collaborate with educators, artists and arts education agencies who work in formal/informal education to extend learning, innovation and engagement. Learn more…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Organization & Management The most daunting part of teaching about drawing can be the management of the media and supplies. The section will go through helpful suggestions to keep your sanity in check!
The Ultimate Eraser Management Plan
Erasers can be the source of both serious debate and intense frustration among art teachers. They are so tricky to manage and use that some teachers elect to eliminate them from their classrooms completely! Erasers get destroyed and lost quicker than you can say, “That was a mistake!” So what is an eraser-loving teacher to do? 1. Don’t provide erasers! I know this seems like a counter-management method, but if you really hate the hassle of erasers, don’t give them out. Ask students to provide their own. Sell pencil-top erasers for 10 cents and pink erasers for a quarter each. This works best for upper elementary and secondary students. Continue reading…
Handheld Pencil Sharpeners: The Complete Guide
We are all very familiar with the troubles that befall handheld plastic pencil sharpeners: messy emptying, broken and stuck lead, inability to handle colored pencils and more. With my students urging and my own curiosity peaked, I set out to do a side-by-side comparison of available sharpeners on the market. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersThe Pros and Cons of Pencil Sharpening
Sharpening pencils is one of those weird art-teachery issues that only we can understand. The whole process can be downright maddening! Don’t even get me started on colored pencils! Bah! Each teacher has their own routine and solution. Before you go changing yours, take a look at the pro/con list below… Continue reading…
What's Your Number? Labeling Student Art Supplies
For many secondary art teachers, we have two “first days of school”, one in August and the other in January. The first-first day in August arrives with fresh faces, boxes of new art supplies and an overall sense of organization. The second “first day”, well, that arrives on a cold day in January, with half used boxes, missing supplies and a holiday hangover. To remedy second semester blues, I have found, over many years of supply chaos that I gently settle into my first days of a semester when I’m ORGANIZED; but organization is more easily said than done. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersThe Best Way to Store Small Supplies
Many of my most-used supplies are stored right on student work tables. But what about all of the other great supplies in the art room? Colored pencils, oil pastels, crayons and other small items present a unique challenge. It takes only one class period for students to destroy the boxes they come in, but if you put them all together in one bin, passing them out is a nightmare. Watch the video below for a super simple solution. Watch the video
here…
Extreme Makeover Art Room Edition: Strategies for Organizing Any Art Room by Alicia Eggers
W i t h A l e c i a ’ s e s s e n t i a l organization tips in hand, you, too, will be motivated and prepared to tackle that ominous supply closet or cupboard full of who-knows-what with ease – and have a little fun in the meantime. Watch this stora ge ro om's amazing transformation video here…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
10 Storage Hacks for the Art Room
Let’s face it — as art teachers we have a lot of STUFF. The key is to organize our glorious abundance of materials in accessible and efficient ways. Below are some of my favorite storage hacks for the art room. The best part about most of these is that they are student-friendly too! 1. Store “like” objects together. Like my cart article suggests, keep similar materials and supplies together to avoid running around your room to gather them. 2. Develop systems of sorting. Whether you sort by color, artist, or in another visually pleasing way, have a system that YOU can stick to. I love browsing Pinterest for sorting ideas! Continue reading…
Is Your Paper Cutter A Huge Safety Hazard
Hazards in the art room exist. From smelly paints to sharp objects, safety should always be in the back of your mind when teaching art. The one item that keeps me up at night in MY art room is the paper cutter. In the video below I will talk about some of my safety concer ns and precautions surrounding paper cutters! Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Conquering Paper Clutter Today we will declutter our physical space with a Perfect Paperwork solution for those everyday documents you always need, but can never find when you need them! The solution? Put everything into ONE binder. I’ve created a binder that ONLY holds things I will use daily. This sits at the end of my desk and is used as my schedule, curriculum and lesson planning guide, PD planner/ calendar and contact information all in one. Continue reading…
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Printmaking Lesson Plan Ideas
Not a Stick Drawings
Teacher description of lesson: This lesson is a favorite among students, staff, and families. Students are encouraged to think “outside the box” by taking a popsicle stick and turning it into something else. They come up with the most creative solutions for these simple shapes! You’ll be amazed at their creativity! Plus, this lesson is a great introduction to oil pastels and the capacity to blend and experiment with them. In addition, you can make a language arts connection by having students write sentences to go along with their finished pieces.
Oil Pastel Nature Drawings
Teacher description of lesson: Although the materials are nothing like that of real wax-resist batik, the look of this project is similar, with wide, flowing outlines that produce a stunning effect. Layered oil pastel on black paper creates a subtle transition of color when blended. Try using metallic oil pastels for a shimmery finish or fluorescent versions for a bright pop.
Blind Contour Bobble Head
Teacher description of lesson: We all know that it’s beneficial for students to have a variety of drawing skills in their “drawing toolkits.” This lesson is a fun way for them to express their creativity while practicing their blind contour skills. Having students draw one another at the same time leads to lots of laughter both during and after the activity. The creativity that comes out when students start to add bodies and backgrounds is a riot. Don’t forget to have students write short stories about their images to take this project to the next level!
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
50 Objects Drawing
Teacher description of lesson: I use this lesson as a “break” from the realistic, precise graphite drawings we do to begin the semester. When I tell the students we are doing a simple, cartoony, colorful, easy drawing, the collective sighs of relief and smiles of joy are usually enough to get kids excited. This style of drawing takes the pressure off of kids, and they can cut loose and draw fun stuff that they love. The creative juices get flowing once they get started, and most of my kids say this is one of their favorite projects. If you must weave in some art history, innocuous Pieter Bruegel or creepy Hieronymus Bosch both make good connections.
Tool Drawings
Teacher description of lesson: I use these Tool Drawings as our first “real” project after we work on realism in my Drawing I class. We’ve already practiced shading, detail, and precision in other lessons and sketchbook assignments, and this is the project that ties them all together. I like to show students the work of Jim Dine. While they love his tools and his hearts, his bathrobes are a more difficult sell. Yet, all his pieces lead to a good amount of discussion, and we practice different methods of expressive drawing after seeing Dine’s examples. Adding that expression on top of the realism leads to interesting, successful drawings that the students really enjoy creating.
Candy Triptych Drawing
Teacher description of lesson: A triptych is a work of art divided into 3 pieces. Students will remember the definition simply because you’re giving them candy to draw. This is an excellent lesson to use when introducing the history of religious art. If you prefer to keep candy out of your classroom, you could use a box of crayons (or any boxed supply) as the subject. Have students draw the box of crayons for the 1st drawing, the open box of crayons for the 2nd drawing, and the empty box of crayons for the 3rd. You could also have them use modeling clay as the subject. Have students draw the modeling clay in the package for the 1st drawing, create a sculpture with the clay for the 2nd drawing, and smash the clay for the 3rd drawing. The idea is to show a progression. Options are limitless!
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Chuck Close Portrait Drawing
Teacher description of lesson: This lesson is a great way to introduce portrait drawing with middle school students. Students are able to make a realistic drawing with a fun twist to it. They can use a photograph of themselves, a peer or even a famous person. Make sure the photograph is half the size of the final. I find it works best to use a 4×6 photograph and an 8×12 final paper. Make sure their grid is actuate and numbered before they start drawing. The best part about this project is its high success rate. Students feel less pressure and stress when they draw using a grid. These portraits look stunning matted on a piece of colored construction paper.
Drawing the Line
Teacher description of lesson: This lesson is a great way to discuss different line types, and how each type of line can evoke a different feeling or visual experience for the viewer. Students will identify and apply a variety of line types and personalities. Using the internet or a book, find a simple image for drawing. Crop to make it square. Create a 4”x4” grid on drawing paper. Once the grid is drawn, lightly, transfer/trace object into boxes, making sure it’s centered. Demonstrate how to apply line terms to object outlines with drawing tools. Using specific drawing and design vocabulary. Apply one line term to each box: structural, outline, contour, gesture, sketch, calligraphy, line personality (3.) Tip: This grid is a great formative assessment in drawing.
Multi-Media Still Lifes
Teacher description of lesson: This lesson is a great way to infuse more choice into your classroom. Letting students independently choose materials based on their artistic visions is an easy way to begin the transition to a more choice-based approach. Encouraging students to bring in meaningful still life objects from home is another simple way to encourage students have more of a voice in this lesson.
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Lichtenstein Self-Portraits
Teacher description of lesson: Looking for a twist on a classic Lichtenstein lesson? Your students will love coming up with onomatopoeias to go with their self-portraits! Students will study the art and balance of Ben-Day dots as they create these mixed media pieces. Connections are endless as you bring in art history and language arts! This is an art show favorite!
Contour Self-Portraits
Teacher description of lesson: Get your youngest students excited about portraits with this contour line project! We all know students can be self-conscious about their drawing skills. This is especially true when it comes to drawing faces. This lesson is a fun approach to working with line, facial features, and observational drawing skills. It’s a huge hit that ultimately ends in unashamed giggles and guffaws! BONUS: Students often share this easy and fun activity at home with their families.
Artist Trading Cards
Teacher description of lesson: Artist Trading Gards (ATCs) are a fun way to begin or end the school year or semester. They’re also great for those times you don’t want to start a big new project, like around holiday breaks. The beauty of this project is that students can have a lot of freedom. Whatever imagery students choose, make sure they start with some sort of unifying background image or texture. Working on a small scale, it’s tricky to go back in to add a background later. In addition, although you can use high-quality glue sticks, like Uhu, rubber cement is the way to go. Students can easily clean up the inevitable “squish” around collage pieces, and it never warps or wrinkles like glue.
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Even More Lesson Plan Ideas
Art Teachers love Pinterest, and rightfully so! It’s a fantastic resource and tool for discovering new ideas, organizing your plans, and sharing your successes! Browsing through this lengthy list of Drawing Lesson boards will surely inspire some new ways to explore drawing with your students. Explore here…
Paul Klee Chalk Portraits
Teacher description of lesson: Impress, inspire, and invigorate your students with this chalk blending lesson. Your students will be in awe of the blended colors they’ve created with this Paul Klee inspired portrait. (And they won’t be shy about sharing their enthusiasm.) Use this lesson as an opportunity to learn about balance, color schemes, and, of course, a little art history. My students loved comparing and contrasting a variety of portraits before jumping into these!
Meaningful Metaphors
Teacher description of lesson: This lesson will challenge your students to view their world through a different lens. Students hear straightforward news stories every day. This project asks the students to think about these news stories and then design a parallel illustration that recreates the information using symbolism, metaphor and allusion. Don’t forget to ask for artist statements to help students solidify their thoughts.
Surrealist Zentangle Portraits
Teacher description of lesson: This is a great project to connect to portrait drawing, pattern design and Surrealist art. Students love the freedom of completing the body to compliment the magazine cutout while the marker-bleeding technique provides a subtle glow to the work. The project is stunning with or without the Zentangle patterns. Take this project further by making it collaborative.
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� Drawing 101 for Art Teachers
Drawing Resources In this section, you’ll find other helpful resources to inspire, motivate, and put to immediate use in your art room.
Drawing: Human Figure Tutorials
Scrolling through this pin board will provide and inspire you with a variety of tools and tricks to teach your students about proportion, shape, facial features, and more! Explore here…
4 Fabulous Drawing Books
Translated into more than seventeen languages, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is the world’s most widely used drawing instruction book. This book will give you greater confidence in your ability and deepen your artistic perception, as well as foster a new appreciation of the world around you. Learn more…
An easy-to-read guide with step-by-step instructions and beautifully illustrated examples, Drawing Projects for Children is a fun and comprehensive source of advice, with simple yet inspirational exercises and games, that enable an exploration of a wide variety of materials, techniques and approaches. Learn more…
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� Drawing 101 for Art TeachersChildren are the essence of Creative and Mental Growth, but more than that, they are the essence of society. Creative and intellectual growth are the basis of any educational system, and it is the hope that this book can contribute to an understanding of the importance of this area so as to make the education of children a joyful and meaningful experience. Learn more…
This unique guide serves up a hearty helping of inspiration. For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint, Gregory offers 5-to 10-minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule along with practical instructional on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that’s exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art. Learn more…
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