K-12 Art Curriculum

Tentative Curriculum for 7th and 8th Grade Art

7th Grade Art Curriculum

Unit 1. Realistic Drawing Skills: Still Life Drawing

Skills: Observational Skills, Compositional Skills, Technical Skills with a Pencil

Duration: Two Class Periods (80 to 90 minutes) – Pre-Test (25 minutes), Demonstration (15 minutes), Still Life Drawing (40 minutes)

Activity 1: Pre-Test - simple or complex still life with one or more objects; little or no instruction

Activity 2: Demonstration - Discuss observation and composition; demonstrate close study of objects in the still life; demonstrate sketching a blanket or tent on the paper to compose the drawing; demonstrate outline of all of the objects on the paper; demonstrate drawing individual objects while pointing out overlapping and the relationships between objects (height, width, distance, space); emphasize drawing lightly so that lines can be more easily erased

Activity 3: Student Still Life Drawings - further emphasize observation and composition as the students work on their own drawings, point out details in still life, give suggestions to students for ways to improve their skills, perform additional demonstrations for individuals, further discuss overlapping, space, and the relationships between objects

Supplies/Resources: Drawing pencil, 9”x12” paper

Unit 2. Shading Skills: Value Sheet with Blended Shading, Hatching, Cross-hatching, and Stippling

Skills: Technical Skills with a Pencil, Tortillon, Kneaded Eraser

Duration: Two Class Periods (60 to 85 minutes) – Demonstrations for each of the four shading techniques (10 minutes), Student work (60 to 75 minutes)

Activity 1: Demonstration of shading with blending (more pressure = darker value, less pressure = lighter value), Discuss drawing pencils (2H is light and 6B is dark), tortillons (wrapped paper used for blending), kneaded erasers (can be cleaned easily and formed into fine points when needed)

Activity 2: Student shading with blending, creating gradual change in value from dark to light in two rectangular boxes; Individual suggestions, critiques, demonstrations

Activity 3: Demonstrate hatching, Discuss the relationship between the proximity of hatch lines and value (closer the lines = darker the value; further the lines = lighter the value)

Activity 4: Student creation of values with hatching, creating gradual change in value from dark to light in two rectangular boxes; individual critiques

Activity 5: Demonstrate cross-hatching; Discuss proximity and value again

Activity 6: Student creation of values with cross-hatching, creating gradual change in value from dark to light in two rectangular boxes; individual critiques

Activity 7: Demonstrate stippling; Discuss relationship between the proximity of dots and value (closer the dots = darker the value; further the dots = lighter the value)

Activity 8: Student creation of values with stippling, creating gradual change in value from dark to light in two rectangular boxes; individual critiques

Activity 9: Student creation of value changes from light to dark in four more rectangular boxes while working with each of the different shading techniques one more time; additional critiques, if needed

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, tortillon, kneaded eraser, Value Sheet (handout)

Unit 3. Lesson 1. Linear Perspective: 1-Point Perspective Road

Skills: Compositional Skills, Technical Skills with Pencil and Ruler

Duration: One Class Period (45 minutes) – Demonstrations/Discussions (15 to 20 minutes), Student work (25 to 30 minutes)

Activity 1: Draw a horizon line and one vanishing point, and use the vanishing point to draw a road leading away from the viewer on the paper; discuss how the horizon line is the viewer’s eye level – everything above the horizon line is something the viewer would look up to see in real life and anything below the horizon line is something the viewer would look down to see in real life; discuss how lines that are parallel in real life get closer together if you draw them on a piece of paper to create depth; show example(s) from drawings or photographs or real life

Activity 2: Have the students draw a horizon line, vanishing point, and road; emphasize drawing lightly so that lines can be more easily erased

Activity 3: Demonstrate using the vanishing point to create the tops of buildings of different heights on the right side of the road; further discuss 1-point perspective

Activity 4: Have the students draw buildings on the right side of their roads using the vanishing point; give suggestions, individual demonstrations

Activity 5: Demonstrate using the vanishing point to create a fence and/or power lines and/or a row of trees on the left side of the road, creating a countryside across from the city

Activity 6: Have the students draw their own fences, or power lines, or tree rows using the vanishing point; give suggestions, individual demonstrations, critiques

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, ruler, kneaded eraser, 9”x12” paper

Unit 3. Lesson 2. Linear Perspective: 2-Point Perspective House

Skills: Compositional Skills, Technical Skills with Pencil and Ruler

Duration: Two to Three Class Periods (90 to 120 minutes) – Demonstrations/Discussions (40 to 50 minutes), Student work (40 to 80 minutes)

Activity 1: Review Horizon Line and 1-Point Perspective; Discuss 2-Point Perspective; Draw Horizon line and two vanishing points; Have students do the same

Activity 2: Hand out the 2-Point Perspective House Steps sheet; Begin leading students through the steps by demonstrating how to draw in vertical lines and connect those lines to the vanishing points while discussing which vanishing points to use for which parts of the house

Activity 3: Have students follow the first steps; individual critiques, demonstrations; emphasize drawing lightly so that lines can be more easily erased

Activity 4: Demonstrate erasing lines while following the handout so that only the box of the house remains; Discuss how to find the middle of the side of the house in order to draw a slanted roof and demonstrate drawing it in

Activity 5: Have students erase lines and find the middle of the side of their houses for the roof; individual critiques, demonstrations

Activity 6: Demonstrate drawing the roof while using the appropriate vanishing point

Activity 7: Have students draw their roofs; individual critiques, demonstrations

Activity 8: Demonstrate drawing doors and windows while discussing which vanishing points to use and why

Activity 9: Have students draw their doors and windows; individual critiques, demonstrations

Activity 10: Demonstrate and discuss drawing a chimney while using the vanishing points

Activity 11: Have students draw in their chimneys; individual critiques, demonstrations

Activity 12: Demonstrate drawing a sidewalk and a driveway using the appropriate vanishing point

Activity 13: Have the students draw a sidewalk and a driveway; individual critiques, demonstrations

Activity 12: If time, add other details: Bricks, siding, shingles, window frames, bushes

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, ruler, kneaded eraser, 9”x12” paper; 2-Point Perspective House Steps (handout)

Unit 4. Lesson 1. Linear Perspective, Basic Color Theory, and Abstraction: 2-Point Perspective Abstract Drawing 1

Skills: Compositional Skills, Technical Skills with Colored Pencils and Ruler

Duration: Two Class Periods (60 to 75 minutes) – Demonstrations (15 to 20 minutes), Student work (40 to 60 minutes)

Activity 1: Review linear perspective, especially 2-point perspective, horizon line, and vanishing points

Activity 2: Discuss complementary colors and warm/cool colors; Emphasize how warm/cool colors might make you feel (hence their names) and how complementary colors create contrast and tend to look good together when in close proximity

Activity 3: Demonstrate creating values with colored pencils (more pressure = darker value, less pressure = lighter value)

Activity 4: Demonstrate drawing a horizon line, two vanishing points with a regular pencil, and a basic geometric shape (circle, square, triangle, or rectangle) with a red colored pencil

Activity 5: Have students draw a horizon line, two vanishing points and a basic geometric shape with the red colored pencil

Activity 6: Demonstrate connecting the red shape to the further vanishing point with the red colored pencil and gradually shading the shape, changing value from light to dark while moving from the outer edges of the shape toward the center; demonstrate gradually shading the space between the lines leading to the vanishing point, changing from dark to light while moving from the lines inward

Activity 7: Have the students connect their red shapes to the vanishing point and work on their gradual shading in the same manner; individual critiques

Activity 8: Demonstrate drawing a green geometric shape on the opposite side of the paper and connect it to the further vanishing point so that the red shape overlaps the green lines; demonstrate creating values for the green shape and lines just like the red

Activity 9: Have the students draw a green shape, connect it to the vanishing point, and create the values in the same manner; individual critiques

Activity 10: Demonstrate drawing an orange geometric shape and lines going to a vanishing point so that it looks like it is overlapped by the red and green shapes and lines, and create the values like before

Activity 11: Have the students draw an orange shape, connect it to the vanishing point, and create the values in the same manner; individual critiques

Activity 12: Demonstrate drawing a blue geometric shape and lines going to a vanishing point so that it looks like it is overlapped by the other shapes and lines, and create the values like before

Activity 13: Have the students draw a blue shape, connect it to the vanishing point, and create the values in the same manner; individual critiques

Activity 14: Discuss how the students created depth with this piece through linear perspective, value, and overlapping; discuss how place a warm color in front of its cool complement creates contrast and helps the warm color visually pop off the paper even more

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, colored pencils (red, orange, blue, green), ruler, kneaded eraser, 9”x12” paper

Unit 4. Lesson 2. Linear Perspective, Color Theory, and Abstraction: 2-Point Perspective Abstract Drawing 2

Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Colored Pencils and Ruler; Problem-solving; Risk-taking

Duration: Two Class Periods (60 to 90 minutes) – Discussion (5 to 10 minutes), Student work (50 to 80 minutes)

Activity 1: Review the previous color abstract linear perspective piece; discuss and demonstrate drawing other geometric shapes as well as patterns created by repeating and overlapping geometric shapes; brainstorm ideas for another piece using these ideas which the students will develop and create on their own

Activity 2: Students work on their own pieces, using the same colored pencils (as well as violet) to create their compositions while using linear perspective, value, and overlapping to create depth; they will focus on balance and on using warm/cool and complementary colors to create an eye-catching composition of their own doing

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, colored pencils (red, orange, blue, green), ruler, kneaded eraser, 9”x12” paper

Unit 5. Shading Skills: Non-representational Value Drawing

Skills: Compositional Skills, Measuring Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil, Tortillon, Eraser, Ruler

Duration: Two Class Periods (60 to 90 minutes) – Demonstration (10 minutes), Student work (50 to 80 minutes)

Activity 1: Review shading by applying pressure with a drawing pencil, blending with a tortillon, and removing graphite with an eraser

Activity 2: Demonstrate using a ruler to carefully measure, mark, and draw a 1-inch border on the 5”x7” paper; explain how to use the ruler, noting what each of the marks indicates

Activity 3: Have the students carefully measure, mark, and draw a 1-inch border on their papers; critique individually, perform further demonstrations

Activity 4: Demonstrate drawing an abstract composition with five circles and several straight lines on the paper; draw the circles first and use a ruler to draw the lines in the surrounding space so that the circles overlap the lines

Activity 5: Have the students draw their circles and use rulers to break up the surrounding space with straight lines overlapped by the circles

Activity 6: Demonstrate shading each shape so that the values in each shape created by the lines gradually changes from light to dark; while moving around the paper, alternate the value changes so that the light value of one shape borders the dark value of the surrounding one or two shapes; leave two shapes white and darken two shapes a solid value to add more interest; leave two of the circles white and darken the other three solid values

Activity 7: Have the students shade in their shapes in the same manner; individual critiques and demonstrations

Activity 8: Discuss the drawing, focusing on abstraction, shading, overlapping, and contrast – the round lines of the circles contrast with the straight lines of the surrounding space; the dark values contrast with the neighboring light values; if possible, place their drawings on a wall to critique them – they will see what they could change better when the piece is on the wall ten feet away than when it is on the table a couple feet from their eyes

Supplies/Resources: Drawing pencil, tortillon, kneaded eraser, ruler, 6”x9” paper

Unit 6. Graphic Design: Ruled Name Drawing

Skills: Compositional Skills, Measuring Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil, Ruler, Tortillon

Duration: Two Class Periods (75 to 90 minutes) – Demonstrations (25 to 30 minutes), Student Work (50 to 60 minutes)

Activity 1: Review and demonstrate measuring, marking, and drawing a 1-inch border on paper

Activity 2: Have the students measure, mark, and draw a 1-inch border on their papers

Activity 3: Discuss and demonstrate ruling, creating boxes for letters for a graphic design image; in graphic design, artists carefully create the spaces for their letters (typography); draw a line separating the rectangle into an upper and lower half; tell the students that they will need to use math to figure out where the line should be; their rectangle should be 4 inches high, so the middle line will be 2 inches from both the top and bottom of the rectangle

Activity 4: Have the students measure and draw a line separating their rectangle into an upper and lower half; emphasize drawing lightly so that lines can be more easily erased

Activity 5: Add one line 1/8-inch above and one line 1/8-inch below the middle line

Activity 6: Have the students add these two lines to their papers

Activity 7: Explain to the students that they will draw the letters of their first name in the upper rectangle that they just created and their last name in the lower rectangle; before they draw the letters, however, they need to decide how much space each letter will take up; they will need to do more math – if their rectangles are 7 inches wide, than any name with 7 or fewer letters can fit into a 1 inch box; longer names will require more than 7 boxes that are less than an inch wide (7/8-inch or 3/4-inch)

Activity 8: Demonstrate measuring and drawing in lines for the letter boxes by using some of the students’ first and last names of differing lengths

For an even number of letters, measure and mark a center line (3 1/2 inches from both sides of the rectangle), and then measure and mark the same number of letters on each side of that center line; for example, a name with six letters will have three letters on the left of the center line and three letters on the right, each within a box that is 1-inch side

For an odd number of letters, measure and mark a center line and then measure and mark two more lines equal distance from that center line for the middle letter; for example, a name with five letters will have the third letter in this box and the lines for this box will be 1/2-inch on both sides of the center line (which will be erased once measuring is done); the first two letters will be to the left of this center box and the last two letters will be to the right, each box being 1 inch wide; there will be 1 inch left empty on each side of the name

Activity 9: Have the students draw in the lines for their letters; perform further demonstrations and individual critiques, making sure they are measuring correctly; they should have either no extra space or an equal amount of extra space on both sides of both names

Activity 10: Discuss fonts, including serifs and sans-serif fonts; choose a basic font shape for the letters for the names – a font with serifs tends to look older; discuss the importance of readability of fonts

Activity 11: Demonstrate drawing several letters with this basic font inside of boxes, carefully taking the students through the steps while emphasizing the size and the spacing; the letters will touch the tops and bottoms of the boxes but not the sides; leave a little space at the sides so that there will be space between the letters when the ruled lines are erased or shaded over

Activity 12: Have the students draw the letters of their own names; perform further demonstrations of specific letters for the class and specific letters for individuals; perform individual critiques, focusing on spacing and readability

Activity 13: Discuss creating contrast so the letters visually pop off the paper by adding a darker value in the space around the letters

Activity 14: Demonstrate erasing ruled lines and using a drawing pencil, tortillon, and eraser to create a solid value inside the large rectangle around the letters

Activity 15: Have the students erase their ruled lines and add a solid value inside the large rectangle around their letters; perform individual critiques; if possible, place their drawings on a wall to critique them – they will see what they need to change better when the piece is on the wall ten feet away than when it is on the table a couple feet from their eyes

Supplies/Resources: Drawing pencil, tortillon, kneaded eraser, ruler, 6”x9” paper

Unit 7. Basic Color Theory and Abstraction: Color Sphere Drawing

Skills: Compositional Skills, Technical Skills with Colored Pencil, Ruler, Compass

Duration: Two Class Periods (90 minutes) – Demonstration (20 to 30 minutes), Student work (60 to 70 minutes)

Activity 1: Review the color wheel and basic color theory (complementary colors, warm/cool colors)

Activity 2: Demonstrate using a compass to draw one relatively large circle placed off-center toward one of the corners of the paper, and four to six smaller circles around the paper with a couple of circles overlapping; discuss composition, focusing on creating an emphasis or focal point; for many, turning the paper instead of the compass makes drawing a circle easier

Activity 3: Have the students use compasses to create circles in a similar manner on their papers

Activity 4: Demonstrate using a ruler to draw a twelve lines that are roughly lined up with the center of the larger circle and which lead away from that circle to the edges of the paper; these lines will be roughly equally spread out and will be overlapped by the other circles

Activity 5: Have the students draw in these same lines; individual critiques

Activity 6: Demonstrate using complementary colors for the larger circle, using the warm color as the dominant color, creating changes in value and layering that warm color with its complement to create a shadow along one side of the circle in order to make it look like a sphere; discuss how light and color work – how light travels in waves and how complementary colors can be blended to create a brown color good for shadows; tell the students they will do the same with the other circle, varying the color combinations (yellow and violet, red and green, orange and blue)

Activity 7: Have the students color their circles in a similar manner

Activity 8: Demonstrate using the complement of the dominant warm color of the largest circle to draw over the lines created with the ruler; then work around the largest circle filling in each space created by the straight lines with the same color of the lines, working from a darker value near the circle to a lighter value near the edges of the page; alternate each space between a darker value and a slightly lighter value to create a little bit of contrast between those spaces and to add more interest to the composition; for example, a predominantly orange circle will be surrounded by blue lines, and the spaces between those lines will alternate between a very dark blue gradually getting lighter and a not-so-dark blue gradually getting lighter

Activity 9: Have the students add color in the same manner; individual critiques; if possible, have students place their pieces on a wall and look at them from further away to see things they can adjust

Activity 10: Review composition, emphasis, and focal point; discuss contrast and the various ways the students are creating contrast – by working with complementary colors, values, and round lines surrounded by straight lines

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, colored pencils (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet), compass, ruler, 6”x9” paper

Unit 8. Color Theory: Color Wheel with Watercolors

Skills: Technical Skills with watercolor and brush

Duration: One Class Period (45 minutes) - Demonstration (5 to 10 minutes), Student work (35 to 40 minutes)

Activity 1: Review the color wheel and basic color theory (complementary colors, warm/cool colors)

Activity 2: Discuss how watercolors can work (less water and more pigment = darker value, more water and less pigment = lighter value); demonstrate using watercolors to paint one or two colors on a color wheel, gradually changing the values so that there are at least three distinguishable values; demonstrate using a tissue to blot the watercolor and remove excess color; explain that it is often easier to see value differences by looking at the watercolors from an angle; ask the students what they see

Activity 3: Have the students work from relatively light to relatively dark colors as they create their watercolor color wheels – yellow, orange, red, green, blue, and violet – placing the colors in the appropriate spaces so that complementary colors are across from each other; individual critiques

Activity 4: Class critique – show each color wheel to the class without revealing the names and have them critique the wheels for distinguishable values and craftsmanship

Supplies/Resources: basic watercolor set, small brush, cup of water, tissue paper, 6”x9” paper with the image of a simple empty color wheel (a circle with six roughly equal pie pieces)

Unit 9. Monochromatic Art and Abstraction: Color Abstract Still Life Drawing

Skills: Observational Skills; Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Colored Pencil Pencil, Pencil, Ruler; Problem-solving; Risk-taking

Duration: Three Class Periods (120 to 135 minutes) – Discussions (20 to 30 minutes), Demonstrations (10 to 20 minutes), Student work (70 to 105 minutes)

Activity 1: Review still life drawing and look at examples of monochromatic paintings from Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period; read and talk about why Picasso used blue as the predominant color in these paintings and how color can communicate emotions or ideas

Activity 2: Demonstrate drawing a basic still life while focusing on the outlines of the still life objects, creating a still life that is more abstract than the still life drawing done earlier in the semester; instead of centering the still life objects for the composition, carry parts of the outer objects off of two or three edges of the paper (the sides or the sides and bottom); separate each of the objects into simple shapes and, if the still life has fabric, simple lines where the most evident folds are located; if there is a large centerpiece in the still life grouping, draw a single vertical line that follows the contour of the centerpiece and that divides the centerpiece roughly in half

Activity 3: Have the students draw their abstract still life in the same manner while studying the objects in real life; they are drawing the outlines of the objects while overlapping them, but, at the same time, they are creating a series of shapes inside of the larger outline of the objects

Activity 4: Demonstrate using a ruler to break up the negative space around the still life objects with a series of diagonal lines set at different angles; draw these lines so that the still life objects overlap the straight lines; the curving lines of certain objects will contrast with the straight lines of the background

Activity 4: Discuss analogous colors on the color wheel - a primary or secondary color and the two tertiary colors on either side of it; discuss how the students can create these analogous colors by working with one primary or secondary color and blending it with the secondary or primary colors next to it on the color wheel

Activity 5: Demonstrate blending a primary and secondary color to create a tertiary color, and discuss placing the primary color on top of the secondary while blending and placing the secondary on top of the primary to create slightly different tertiary colors in the various spaces that students have to work with

Activity 6: Have the students work with a primary or secondary color and the two secondary or primary colors next to it to create a variety of analogous colors for the numerous shapes they have created for their drawings; individual critiques

Activity 7: Demonstrate using a pen to darken all of the original pencil lines and discuss how this will make the composition less chaotic and more appealing

Activity 8: Have the students use a pen to darken all of their original lines; have a final critique individually or as a group – discuss composition and craftsmanship, and talk about the feelings they get from the color choices

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, colored pencils (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet), pen, ruler, 9”x12” paper

Unit 10. Using Multiple Drawing Skills to Develop an Original Idea with Surrealism

Skills: Observational Skills; Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil, Colored Pencil, Ruler; Problem-solving; Risk-taking; Creativity (Generating Ideas); Sketching

Duration: Five to Six Class Periods (200 to 260 minutes) – Introduction/Discussion of Surrealism (10 minutes), Demonstrations (10 minutes), Brainstorming and sketching ideas (30 to 40 minutes), Student work (130 to 160 minutes), Critiques (40 to 60 minutes)

Activity 1: Introduce the artwork and talk about its inspiration – Surrealism; show examples of Surrealist pieces by Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico, and others, and discuss the possible intentions of the Surrealists; emphasize a focus on dreams or the imagination as the inspiration for Surrealist art

Activity 2: Discuss the wide variety of skills they will use to make this piece: working with at least two shading techniques to create values; with linear perspective; with warm/cool colors; with shading using complementary colors; with overlapping; with a drawing pencil, tortillon, and eraser to draw a realistic hand; with colored pencils to add a variety of other items and images to create an eye-catching and thought-provoking composition

Activity 3: Brainstorm ideas with the students and have them develop and sketch ideas; ask them about dreams they have had or about an unusual story they might tell with their piece; find and print off reference photographs for specific items or images that will appear in student pieces

Activity 4: Have the students practice creating a possible composition and practice working on specific skills such as drawing their hand realistically; perform demonstrations when needed

Activity 5: Have the students create their final pieces; individual critiques; individual demonstrations

Activity 6: Final class critique (part 1) – ask students as a class a variety of questions about the group of pieces: Which pieces get their attentions first and why? Which pieces are the most unusual? Which pieces cause them to create stories in their minds, and what are those stories? Which pieces are the best drawn and why?

Activity 7: Final class critique (part 2) – ask each student a variety of questions about his/her piece: What is the dream you are communicating or the story you are telling? How did you use each of the different skills in your piece?

Activity 8 (optional): Give the students an additional 10 to 20 minutes to make any final changes or additions to their pieces after critiquing their pieces as a class

Supplies/Resources: Pencil, tortillon, eraser, colored pencils (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, white), pen, ruler, 9”x12” paper, reference photographs; rubric for assessment

8th Grade Art Curriculum

Unit 1. Realistic Drawing Skills: Still Life Drawing

Rationale and Brief Narrative: Artists develop observational and compositional skills in order to better recreate what they see in the real world while making art. In this case, these young artists will work on these skills, as well their technical skills working with a pencil and eraser, while drawing a group of three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional paper. For the artists who worked on these skills in 7th grade, this still life drawing will be more complex.

Skills: Observational Skills, Compositional Skills, Technical Skills with Pencil

Duration: 2 class periods (90 minutes) – Demonstration/review of process (10 minutes), student work (80 minutes)

Unit 2. Realistic Drawing and Graphic Design Skills: Developing an Original Tool Drawing

Rationale and Brief Narrative: Artists often develop compositional skills while thinking about the elements of art and principals of design. In this case, these young artists will continue to work on their still life drawing skills while incorporating their drawing of a tool into a larger graphic design composition. The artists will need to think about line, space, color, balance, movement, value, and contrast as they create an eye-catching image that combines image and text.

Skills: Observational Skills; Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil and Colored Pencil, Ruler, Compass (Optional); Problem-Solving Skills; Risk-Taking Skills

Duration: 6 class periods (240 to 270 minutes) – Introduction (5 minutes), Demonstration (5 minutes), student practice with still life tool drawing (40 to 50 minutes), student brainstorming ideas and sketching for composition (60 to 70 minutes), student work on final composition and individual in-progress critiques (130 to 140 minutes)

Unit 3. Lesson 1. Graphic Design: Developing an Original Monogram

Rationale and Brief Narrative: Artists explore a variety of avenues to develop their creativity. In this case, these young artists will create a visually appealing image from their initials, essentially developing a personal logo. They will continue to reflect on elements of art and principals of design, especially line, shape, space, and balance.

Skills: Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil, Pen, and Colored Pencil, Ruler, Compass (Optional); Problem-Solving Skills; Risk-Taking Skills

Duration: 3 class periods (100 to 130 minutes) – Introduction (10 minutes), student brainstorming and sketching ideas (60 to 70 minutes), student drawing three best monograms (20 to 30 minutes), student drawing final monogram (10 to 20 minutes)

Unit 3. Lesson 2. Graphic Design: Developing an Original Illuminated Manuscript Page

Skills: Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil, Pen, Colored Pencil, Ruler, Charcoal, Soft Pastel, Silver or Gold Foil; Problem-Solving Skills; Risk-Taking Skills

Duration: 8 class periods (340 to 360 minutes) – Introduction to Illuminated Manuscripts (40 minutes), demonstration of calligraphy (10 minutes), student calligraphy practice (50 to 60 minutes), student brainstorming compositions (40 minutes), student practice with different media (30 minutes), student work on final composition (170 to 180 minutes)

Unit 4. Realistic Drawing: Recreating a Photograph on a Larger Scale with a Grid

Rationale and Brief Narrative: Artists develop observational and compositional skills in order to create imagery that appears as realistic as they can make it. For large-scale pieces, artists use a grid to help with composing their piece. In this case, these young artists will use their own photographs or a photograph provided by the teacher for a drawing. They will discuss the ideas of copyright and fair use, and they will discuss the advantages of using their own photographs for their own work in other media. They will grid off their photographs and their papers, and they will use those grids to compose their drawings as best they can. After they have composed their drawings, they will add details and values to make their drawings as much like the photographs as they can by studying those photographs carefully and by working on their technical skills with pencil, eraser, and tortillon.

Skills: Observational Skills; Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Pencil, Ruler, Tortillon, Kneaded Eraser; Problem-Solving Skills; Risk-Taking Skills; Perseverance

Duration: 9 class periods (390 to 400 minutes) – Introduction/demonstration of gridded drawing (10 minutes), measuring and cutting paper (20 minutes), student grids on photographs and paper (20 minutes), student drawing and individual critiques (340 to 350 minutes)

Unit 5. Lesson 1. Gesture Drawing and Visual Movement.

Rationale and Brief Narrative: Artists develop observational and compositional skills in order to better recreate what they see in the real world while making art. In this case, these young artists will work on these skills while quickly studying and sketching a series of people striking poses in real life. They will work on drawing the human body in proportion, and they will work on capturing the posture or gesture of the person while putting quick pencil or colored pencil marks on the paper.

Skills: Observational Skills; Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Colored Pencil

Duration: 1 class period (45 minutes) – Introduction/Demonstration (10 minutes), student work and critiques (35 minutes)

Unit 5. Lesson 2. Abstract Color Painting: Developing a Futurist Composition

Rationale and Brief Narrative: Artists look to the past for inspiration when they develop ideas for artwork. As they study past artwork, they come to an understanding of why that artwork was created. For their own work, they may use ideas that they discovered from the past but apply those ideas in new and more pertinent ways to their own art. In this case, these artists will examine 19th century developments in chronophotography as well as the early 20th century art movement called Futurism. They will study a variety of chronophotographs and pieces of Futurist artwork and discuss the significance of these works. They will focus especially on how chronophotography captures movement and how Futurists tried to convey movement in their paintings because they saw their early 20th century world was one of increasing speed. The young artists will brainstorm ideas for subjects that they could paint from their own world that would move in some way and how they could paint those subjects while conveying movement. They will think especially about abstraction, color, line, shape, space, and repetition. Then they will use tempera paints and canvas board to create their Futurist-inspired works.

Skills: Compositional Skills; Technical Skills with Tempera Paint, Brushes, Canvas Board

Duration: 7 class periods (300 to 320 minutes) – Introduction to Chronophotography and Futurism (30 minutes), student brainstorming ideas (30 minutes), Demonstration of tempera painting (10 minutes), student work and individual critiques (230 to 250 minutes)