Drawing Basics: Contour LineS
CONTOUR LINE DRAWINGS UNIT: 8/6 – 9/6
o Face/Vase worksheet: Monday, 8/6 – A Day; Tuesday, 8/7 – B Day (1 class)
§ Students focus on shapes and lines to try to recreate a mirror image line to create a face/vase drawing.
o Upside down drawing: 8/9 – A Day; Tuesday, 8/10 – B Day (1 class period)
§ Teaches students to focus on lines and shapes rather than the image.
§ Everyone draws the man, then they get to choose to draw the woman or horse.
o Contour line exercises and drawing (shoe): 8/16 – 8/24 (3 classes)- 1st Major Contour Project
§ Blind contour drawings of objects and people. 8/13 & 8/14 (1 class)
§ Contour line drawings of vases (discuss ellipses) and simple still life arrangements.
§ Larger scale contour drawings of student’s shoe.
o The Things We Carry (backpack drawing): 8/27 – 9/7 (4 classes) - 2nd Major Contour Project
§ Contour line drawing of backpack, completed while teacher reads a chapter in the book “The Things We Carry.”
§ Once drawing is complete, students will include text in the drawing about the things they carry physically and emotionally on a daily basis.
o Face/Vase worksheet: Monday, 8/6 – A Day; Tuesday, 8/7 – B Day (1 class)
§ Students focus on shapes and lines to try to recreate a mirror image line to create a face/vase drawing.
o Upside down drawing: 8/9 – A Day; Tuesday, 8/10 – B Day (1 class period)
§ Teaches students to focus on lines and shapes rather than the image.
§ Everyone draws the man, then they get to choose to draw the woman or horse.
o Contour line exercises and drawing (shoe): 8/16 – 8/24 (3 classes)- 1st Major Contour Project
§ Blind contour drawings of objects and people. 8/13 & 8/14 (1 class)
§ Contour line drawings of vases (discuss ellipses) and simple still life arrangements.
§ Larger scale contour drawings of student’s shoe.
o The Things We Carry (backpack drawing): 8/27 – 9/7 (4 classes) - 2nd Major Contour Project
§ Contour line drawing of backpack, completed while teacher reads a chapter in the book “The Things We Carry.”
§ Once drawing is complete, students will include text in the drawing about the things they carry physically and emotionally on a daily basis.
Contour Line Drawings:
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
GOALS: For students to…
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
ART STANDARDS:
Middle School:
SUPPLIES:
PRODUCT:
HANDOUTS:
- What is a contour line?
- How can you learn to accurately redraw an object?
- How can you use contour lines to add detail to a drawing?
GOALS: For students to…
- Learn what a contour line is.
- Practice paying attention to the outlines of objects when drawing them.
- Learn to focus on the lines and shapes that make up an object rather than the object as a whole.
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
- Complete the face/vase worksheet.
- Complete two upside down drawing worksheets.
- Complete blind contour line drawings.
- Complete contour line sketches of various objects.
- Complete a larger than life contour drawing of their shoe.
ART STANDARDS:
Middle School:
- Visual Art/ Creating, Grade 6, VA:Cr2.1.6: Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design.
- Visual Art/ Creating, Grade 7, VA:Cr2.1.7: Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.
- Cambridge IGCSE – A04: Selection and control of materials, media and processes. Show exploration and experimentation with appropriate materials. Select and control appropriate media and processes, demonstrating practical, technical and expressive skills and intentions.
SUPPLIES:
- Face/vase worksheets
- Upside down drawing worksheets
- 8.5”x11” white paper
- 11”x17” white drawing paper
- Pencils
- Erasers
- Shoes
- Art notebooks
PRODUCT:
- Completed face/vase worksheets
- Re-drawn upside down drawings (2)
- Blind contour sketches and sketches of various objects
- Larger than life drawing of a shoe
HANDOUTS:
- Face/vase worksheet
- Upside down man worksheet
- Upside down woman worksheet
- Upside down horse worksheet
- Shoe rubric (attached below)
- Line: A line is an identifiable path created by a point moving in space. It is one-dimensional and can vary in width, direction, and length. Lines often define the edges of a form. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin.
- Contour line: a line that defines a form or an edge. The outline or silhouette of a given object or figure. Can also be used to show basic details or changes within the plane of an object.
- Elements of art: The building blocks of a work of art. The visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value.
- Principles of design: describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art. Includes: balance, emphasis, movement, proportion, repetition, pattern, rhythm, unity, and variety.
Directions:
DAY 1: Introduction (1 Class Period)
DAY 2: Blind contour drawings (1 Class Period)
DAY 3: Contour drawings (1 Class Period)
DAY 4 & 5: Shoe contour line drawing (2 Class Periods)
GRADING:
- Face/Vase worksheet:
- View examples
- Students are to complete the other half of the face/vase by replicating a mirror image line.
- Worksheet with Picasso’s drawing of a man:
- Learn to draw in a new way.
- In order to learn how to draw students will learn how to focus on the lines and shapes that make up an object. Often, when we try to look at something and re-draw it we try to draw what we think the object looks like rather than what it actually looks like. Our preconceived idea that a nose is a triangle, eyes are round, etc. get in the way of looking at the detailed lines and shapes that actually make up an object.
- Get an 8.5”x11” sheets of paper.
- Turn the drawing of the man upside down.
- Students will NOW re-draw the man upside down on the paper (both the image and their drawing are upside down. Avoid trying to look at the image upside down but draw it right side up).
- Students are not allowed to turn the image or their drawing right side up until it is 100% complete.
- Once their drawings are complete they will add the original image and their drawing to their art notebooks.
- Students can choose either the image of the woman or horse to complete a second upside down drawing.
- Once this drawing is complete the original image and drawing need to go in their art notebook.
- Students clean up the last five minutes of class and collect completed worksheets.
DAY 2: Blind contour drawings (1 Class Period)
- Place vases on the tables
- Students will start drawing real objects using contour lines, but today, students will draw the objects without looking at their papers.
- Blind Contour Line Drawing - Demo
- Students: look at the vase closest to them. Think about what shape the top is. Is it a circle? Is it an oval? It is actually called an ellipse. When you look at something circular at an angle, it appears to be oval.
- Students will pick a starting point on their paper and on the object.
- Students’ hands must never leave the paper, if they pick up their pencil they will loose your spot; therefore, their drawing is finished at that moment.
- Students: As you draw the object; your eye must slowly trace the edge of the object. Your hand should be moving at the same pace as your eyes. Your hand is drawing what your eye is seeing.
- Draw what you see, NOT what you think you see.
- Students: open your art notebooks and begin your first blind contour drawing of the vase in their notebook.
- Next, students will complete a blind contour of their hand.
- Next, each student will turn to their neighbor and complete a blind contour of their neighbor. Switch people and repeat a second time.
- If time allows – we’ll add additional objects.
- Switch the vases around: students will then complete a contour drawing of the vase closest to them
- Students can now look at their paper and pick up their pencil.
- Students: continue practicing drawing EXACTLY what you are looking at on your spare time.
- Clean up
DAY 3: Contour drawings (1 Class Period)
- Various objects will be placed on the tables.
- Students will complete contour line drawings of the objects
- As they continue to draw – students should add more detail with each new drawing
- This should be completed in the sketches section of your art notebook
- Mrs. Green will create a small still life in the middle of each table while the students are working on their contour line drawings.
- Starting halfway through the class - students will pick a section of the still life to draw.
- For the rest of class they will work on the still life drawing.
- This should be completed in the sketches section of the art notebook.
DAY 4 & 5: Shoe contour line drawing (2 Class Periods)
- Pass out 11”x17” sheets of paper.
- Students will take off one shoe and put it on the table in front of them.
- Students will complete a contour line drawing of their shoe.
- Students: focus on drawing it as you see it, at an angle, with every detail.
- Remember to include logos, stitching, shapes, shoelaces, etc.
- This will be their longest, sustained drawing to date. They will work on it in class today and part of the day the next day.
- The shoe drawing should be larger than their actual shoe. Students: Try to fill up the page.
- Quick Demo
- Students will continue to work on the shoe drawings the next class period.
- Once the contour line drawing is complete – students can add patterns of lines/shapes to each main section
- The completed drawing should be completed in a 3 day period
- Clean up.
GRADING:
- Face/vase, upside down drawings, and sketches will be graded during the mid-semester/mid-year notebook check
- The shoe will be graded as a project grade