DRAWING FROM OBSERVATION

Our middle school students practiced creative problem solving in a variety of ways on Tuesday! They worked together in small groups to build a miniature sculpture out of various materials such as Legos, toys, or pipe cleaners. Then, 6th and 7th graders spent 5-10 minutes in intense concentration while drawing these constructions. 8th graders spent 30 minutes drawing from observation, carefully sketching as many details as possible. I am proud of their hard work!

Tuesday's Objectives: Grades 6, 7, 8

• I can work together with the people at my table to design and construct a sculpture out of the basic art elements: line, shape, color, form, texture, etc. 
• I can draw the still-life, using the space techniques of overlapping and placement.
• I can draw slowly and quietly, looking more at the still-life than my paper, and correcting mistakes.   

8th graders set up the wooden manikens for drawing - these simplified human forms are not as easy to draw as they look! It is tough to get the proportions right!

This 7th grader has a pretty good handle on drawing 3-dimensional forms. Even the circular attachment prongs on the Legos in her drawing look like little cylinders, not just circles!

Using overlapping in a drawing was one of our goals for the day; making objects look like they are behind or in front of other objects. 

Another one of our goals was to try adding as much detail as possible in our drawings, taking time to carefully observe shapes, lines, and textures. This is pretty good for a 5 minute drawing!

Here are a few 8th grade sketches: