THE Curriculum for Creativity TM
R
The Elements of Art and Composition MIDDLE SCHOOL 6-8 BOOK ONE
Brenda Ellis
A Comprehensive Art Program Designed to Involve the Student in the Creative Process While Developing Observational Skills
PLUS Master Works Featuring World Art Art Instruction Newly Expanded Edition
Getting Started
CONTENTS
ART SUPPLIES
Page Unit
First Semester: 1- drawing pencil set (include a range of pencil grades from 2H to 4B or more) 1 – vinyl eraser 1 – metal pencil sharpener 1 – sandpaper block 1 – drawing pad Second Semester: 1 – bristol or drawing pad for ink 1 – waterproof drawing ink, black 1 – brush, #8 round 2 – pen nibs, #101 Imperial or similar nib 1 – pen holder
2 3 4 5 6
Contents/ Art Supplies
What Parents Want to Know What Students Want to Know
The Elements of Art
1
Space
11 2
Line
16
The Elements Combined: Space and Line Variation
17 3
Texture
22
The Elements Combined: Lines and Textures
23 4 28 5 33 6 38 7
Shape Form Value
Line Values Composition
Additional Items: drawing board (optional)
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44 8 49 9
Visual Paths in Line Center of Interest
54
The Elements Combined: Values and Forms
55 10 Balance, Symmetry 60 11 Balance, Asymmetry 65 12 Rhythm 70 13 Space Without Depth 75 76 14 Space With Depth 81 15 Perspective 86 16 Proportion 91 Evaluation Sheet 92 Bibliography
The Elements Combined: Solid Spaces and Lines
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Getting Started
What Parents Want to Know Book Content and Scheduling
To learn to draw artists have always focused on two groups of topics known as the elements of art and principles of design (composition). Each unit in this book introduces one of these topics over four lessons. Each topic is explored in unique ways, giving students enough experience with the topic that they naturally incorporate it into the way that they draw. It becomes part of their thinking as they draw any kind of subject matter. This kind of focus, paired with many opportunities to practice is how students learn to draw.
First Lesson of Each Unit
Building a Visual Vocabulary Here students are given a topic to focus on explained in words and pictures. The creative exploration assignment guides students to observe the topic in their own environment. They make connections to real-world experiences and create a work of art from their observations and ideas. The assignment for this lesson is colored gold.
Second Lesson of Each Unit
Art Appreciation and Art History Students see how the masters use the topic in a work of art and apply their new observations to a work of art that they create. Students gain knowledge of artists and art history. The assignment for this lesson is colored gold. Third Lesson of Each Unit Techniques Students learn how to use the materials and tools while applying that knowledge to make an original work of art. The assignment for this lesson is colored gold.
Fourth Lesson of Each Unit
Application Students do a final project incorporating the new techniques and topic while using a variety of references such as still life objects, landscapes, portraiture, photographs and more! The assignment for this lesson is colored gold.
Scheduling Art Class
CLASSES PER WEEK: TWO
TIME PER CLASS: ABOUT ONE HOUR
PERIOD: 36 WEEKS OR FULL SCHOOL YEAR This schedule can be modified to fit yours. Keep in mind that students can work independently so it is their time you are scheduling, not your own. Schedule art class at a time when they can complete the art assignment, even if it runs over an hour. Once interrupted, students can rarely return to an activity with as much enthusiasm as they first had. Time for completing each activity will vary greatly depending on students’ approaches, however, you should see that as they learn to use more of the elements within their pictures that they are taking more time on each piece.
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Getting Started
What Students Want to Know The Elements: The Language of Art
If the secrets of great artists were contained in a book, would you open it? We hope your answer is YES! There is much to learn from artists who have created all their lives. The first great secret artists share with others is:
1. Learn to observe the world around you- to really see it.
“OK”, you say, “I’m looking and I see the same things I’ve always seen.” We won’t let you be stuck there. The second part of this secret is:
2. Learn what to look for.
We tend to look at subject matter and make vague and arbitrary decisions about what we see. Comments such as “grass is green,” “faces are hard to draw,” “I can draw a horse from the side, but not from the front,” all show that we are focusing on the subject and not on what we see. If you’ve ever made statements similar to these, you are simply focusing on the wrong type of information. As you look at the world in the ways artists do, and this book is designed to show you just what those ways are, your art will greatly improve. So do artists really see differently? After all, we all have the same kind of eyes and unless impaired in some way, we see the same as everyone else. Artists have learned to focus on a particular aspect of what they see and at the same time block out other types of information. The language of art includes code words called the elements of art. You may have heard about these elements, which include space, line, shape, texture, form, value, and color. The next secret of artists tells us how to see the world using these elements.
3. Learn to focus on one element of art at a time, while drawing, and block out the others.
With practice, your mind can focus on any element of art you choose. Your mind can switch with lightning speed between elements, making it a powerful focusing and blocking out tool. Each unit in the first section of this book focuses on one element. You will build a working knowledge of how to draw by adding one element at a time. Soon you will be using all of them in your drawings.
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UNIT 3
Lesson 1
Texture is the look of the surface of an object. It can be imitated using different types of marks or lines. Long, curved lines describe the texture of this porcupine drawn after a woodcut by artist, Leonard Baskin titled, Porcupine .
Be Creative
OBJECTIVE: to discover new views when looking at an object, create some unfamiliarity in order to practice better observation skills and a need to look at the object more closely. the view. Lay beneath it, looking up into its branches. Hug it. Then draw your insights or a new view that you had of the object. Look at the object often to gather details as you draw. Choose one object and ask, “How many ways can this thing be experienced?” The object may be a tree. If so, touch the bark, feeling its texture. Climb high in its branches, staying to contemplate Experience! Artists through the centuries have practiced creative exercises to help them see. Even Leonardo da Vinci, who is known for his mathematically precise approach to art, told his students to look at clouds and rocks to see pictures in them. You may have tried seeing things in the clouds. Did you know that by doing so you were practicing creativity?
CREATIVE CORY
I appreciate creativity Cory, but don’t you think five days under a tree is a bit much?
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Look at Texture in Art
Lesson 2
In this work of art, we see four distinct types of marks made by the artist. These marks do not show us outlines, but instead describe the textures of the objects. You can use a pencil in different ways to show texture.
Any shape repeated creates a texture. We can imagine the bumpy surface of a turtle shell. The tip of the pencil can be used to make a sharp line.
The side of the pencil can be used to create a smooth edge along one side of the line.
A sharp line is drawn with the tip of a sharpened pencil and curved in a general direction.
The side of the lead is used, working back and forth and varying pressure.
Lines radiate from a center point outward to create shapes. When these shapes are repeated texture is created.
Hokusai, Swimming Turtles , 1832-33 Photo Credit: Dover Publications Inc.
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The Challenge developed different ideas about art according to the values the societies thought were important. Art is always a reflection of values. motion of water. Although the turtles look very realistic, the water does not. It shows the idea of water. Eastern culture was much more aware of the human experience using all human senses, emotions, and feelings about what is seen. The practice of meditating on objects within nature and the high value they held for the natural world affected their art. While contemplating water for hours the artist could be inspired by some aspect of it. They would then show that quality about water. In contrast, the West developed a strict set of rules for accuracy in what they saw. We will discuss the reasons for those rules in later lessons. For now, keep in mind that East and West The Culture EAST DEVELOPS CONTEMPLATIVE ART While Western cultures developed a taste for realism that dominated the look of their art, Eastern art was not bound by how “real” the object appeared. This allowed them to focus on a more emotional response to the things they saw. In Swimming Turtles, the artist has focused on the feel of water, and the feel of turtles floating and gliding through it. We even get a beautiful sense of the way underwater plants move with the
The Artist Katsushika Hokusai, (1760-1849 ) JAPANESE UKIYO-E PAINTER For centuries in Japan, only the student that copied his master ’ s strokes perfectly would be admired. Methods were developed for how to draw a rock, a tree, or a mountain. Students did not look at real nature until they had perfected the methods of portraying the specific things they would see there (343 Lee). This attitude, combined with Japan’s isolation from other countries during Hokusai’s lifetime, makes his story of creativity an amazing one. Trained as a child and working in the traditional manner, at age 30 Hokusai found a few European prints. Upon the death of his master, he began using the types of subjects he saw Europeans use. He began painting landscapes and the daily life of Japanese people from every social status. These types of subjects were new to Japanese artists. He traveled throughout Japan making prints of what he saw. His account of the land, weather, and people is an amazing accomplishment in a society where following tradition is valued far above thinking for oneself. His colored woodblock prints were much loved by the Japanese people during his lifetime. He died just before his 90 th birthday.
Create an underwater scene. Use some of the textures that are shown on the previous page. You may enjoy creating water in the way Hokusai shows us. Do so by first drawing the sweeping lines with the tip of the pencil. Place the other objects into the picture. Do not use the side of your pencil for completing the water yet. This technique lays a lot of graphite onto the paper, which will smear easily. Think about plants that grow underwater and invent specific strokes to show the texture of those plants. Add animals or fish to your scene. Once the animals, fish, and plants are finished, complete the water.
Remember to draw subjects that you enjoy as you explore new ideas. You can get pictures of water creatures from the internet, encyclopedias, or books.
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Lesson 3
HOW TO DRAW TEXTURE Textures can be imitated by careful observation of the real thing and making marks that describe the texture. You can also draw texture by transferring it to the paper through rubbing. Both techniques start with a simple outline. Then marks are added inside the lines.
The mark making technique has two steps. The artist creates an outline of a rabbit. Then repeated parallel marks are made with a pencil that has a flat tip to create the texture of fur. Close observation of a real object is helpful when drawing the texture. Examples of texture through mark making are shown in the blocks below.
Examples of texture through rubbing are shown in the blocks below.
The rubbing technique begins with a light outline. More details and darker marks are added in the second step. The paper is then placed over a rough surface and the area is filled in by rubbing back and forth using the side of the pencil lead. The texture for this toad was made on a stucco wall.
Try New Techniques Draw two separate pictures of objects, one showing marks to make texture, and the other a sample of rubbing.
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Lesson 4
The Project
Draw a picture that shows a variety of textures. Use different kinds of marks to describe the kinds of textures in each area of the picture. In this drawing, you may use both drawing and rubbing methods within the same picture.
Materials Drawing Pencil Set Vinyl eraser
Student Gallery
Pencil sharpener Sandpaper block Drawing paper
References Look for textures in photographs of favorite objects. When drawing textures from a photograph, make sure the object is close enough that the texture is clearly seen. Student Work Above: by Phillip Bradrick. Notice the different kinds of marks Phillip uses to show the texture of the bear. Student Work at Left: by Adam Gutierrez. Adam uses a wonderful mark to show the texture of the grass.
LOOK BACK! Did you look for a photograph that clearly showed texture? Did you use different kinds of lines or marks to draw texture?
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Lesson 1
UNIT 11
In asymmetry, balance is achieved using dissimilar objects on each side. Balance occurs only when there is something on each side that pulls the eye towards it as in the drawing after a work by Johan Barthold Jongkind, titled View of the Town of Maasluis . Because the small figure is dark, it balances with the immense water mill on the opposite side, creating an asymmetrical composition.
Be Creative
Any subject is good for art making, but it takes input from the artist to put it on paper in an interesting way. Test your ability to make a very common object become a source for your art. You will need at least 20 paper clips. The flat shape is not very interesting. Bend the paper clips into the most interesting shapes you can. These should be shapes that stand up. Once you do this, choose the most interesting shape and angle from which to view the paper clip. Draw a picture of it large enough to fill up the page. You may make it much larger than actual size to create visual interest in the drawing. Draw three more pictures, changing the clips or the way that you draw them to add even more interest. It is up to the artist to make objects interesting. If an object is boring and you cannot generate interest, you need to change it somehow.
CREATIVE CORY
Sure, Cory, a buck for all that is a steal but…what ya gonna do with it?
OBJECTIVE: to learn to search for the most visually appealing aspects of a subject.
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Lesson 2
Look at Asymmetry in Art
Chinese Cut-Paper Design, artist Unknown Photo Credit: Dover Publications Inc.
The light outline of the mountains and cloud are not as heavy as the tree on the left, but are heavy enough to draw our eyes to this portion of the picture.
Heavy lines are used in this part of the picture. Our eyes are drawn to this side.
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The Culture THE CHINESE PREFERENCE FOR CURVED LINES What ancient Chinese art might have looked like or what form it took is a bit of a mystery, but it is agreed on that the Song (Sung) dynasty (A.D.960-1279) was the classic period of Chinese painting. A type of perfection in line painting was reached during that period. The line paintings influenced Chinese art from that point onward. These Eastern artists preferred curves. “When a Chinese artist had to represent a prancing horse, he seemed to fit it together out of a number of rounded shapes” (112 Gombrich). The beauty of a landscape, a draped figure, or an animal could be shown in lines that twist, turn, and flow in perfectly spaced rhythms, giving a sense of movement to the whole picture. The art is never overworked. Each mark is executed with freshness and exactness. The Chinese artist sacrifices particular details. He uses line to simplify the complex forms found in nature. A work consisting of curved lines sets the viewer at ease. It is not difficult to understand why Chinese artists choose curves as the form that describes beauty.
The Art CUT-PAPER ART FORM
Chinese paper cutting has existed as a form of art for thousands of years. The invention of paper originated in China. Chinese legend tells that the new invention of paper was presented to the Emperor in the year 105 AD. The use of paper in Arabic nations and later European nations would not happen for another 700 years. Chinese nobles in royal palaces used paper cut designs for entertainment. Men could cut the elaborate designs freehand with a sharp scissors. From the 7th to 13th century, paper cutting became popular for decorating festivals. In the rural countryside of mainland China, girls were expected to gain the skill before marriage and display their skills to the family members of the suitor. Professional paper cutters also exist in China and worked in shops. The Chinese also made folded paper forms in the first and second centuries. These forms were introduced to Japan in the sixth century and are now referred to by their Japanese name, origami. Origami forms of animals, birds, cups, and designs are folded from small pieces of square paper. Paper plays an important role in Chinese arts.
The Challenge
Study how the artist used both line and filled in shapes to create the asymmetrical design in the landscape on the previous page. With pencil, draw an asymmetrical landscape of your own. Decide which parts will remain line and which part s will be filled in. Once the design is created in pencil and reworked until you like it, then use ink and brush to make a bold black design.
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Lesson 3
HOW TO SEE MORE ACCURATELY BY FOCUSING ON NEGATIVE SPACE
Sometimes when drawing an object our mind gets in the way of what we are really seeing. We draw what we think the object looks like instead of drawing the shapes that are there. One way to see how the shapes of the object relate to each other is to look at the negative spaces. Negative space is what is around, behind, or between the object. When we force our minds to focus on the negative spaces or empty spaces, it may take a while for the space to pop into focus. We are asking ourselves to look at nothing, the space that isn’t a thing. These n egative spaces create shapes of their own. To most easily see negative space, set up a subject against a wall so that there aren’t distractions or “things” in the background. These drawings are most fun when working with ink directly. Concentrate on working in the moment and do not be concerned with erasing or making corrections. Once you are ready to begin, paint the negative spaces. In this situation, the wall would be negative. Positive and negative spaces are focused on in this picture of a drum set. The asymmetry is from the top of the painting to the bottom. The large, negative space of black at the top is balanced by the smaller, black spot in the lower part of the picture. Try New Techniques
Draw a picture of the negative space around an object. There may be many of these negative shapes. Help your viewer see these shapes by filling in the areas. If you had fun with this method of drawing, do a second drawing with two objects and use ink for the most dramatic effect.
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Lesson 4
The Project
Follow these steps when making a work with ink washes.
BLOCK IN Use very light line to arrange the objects within the space of the page. Erase and change lines to get good proportions. Take time with the drawing stage because once ink is applied to the paper, you cannot correct position or proportions. INK WASH As you apply the ink, think about values. Mix up a light wash as described on page fifty-four. Start with light washes, not the dark ones. Applying the light wash over a light wash that has dried will give you a darker wash. Layers are built up. In the final stage of your drawing apply the details and darkest values. Choose an object with many parts or choose a group of objects. Balance the picture, paying attention to placement of the objects and their values. Choose an asymmetrical arrangement. Use light washes in your picture.
Materials Pencil Vinyl eraser Black ink #8 watercolor brush Paper for ink Water container Paper towels References You may use any source of reference needed to draw a picture of something of interest to you. References come from the following places:
Student Gallery
Works of art Photographs Real life
In this student work by Laura Freeman, the dogs’ heads create an asymmetrical balance. Light washes are used in the background and the shading on the white fur.
LOOK BACK! Did you use asymmetry in the picture? How does your picture show asymmetry? Where are the light washes?
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Evaluation Sheet For Obtaining a Number and Letter Grade
Teachers may calculate a number and letter grade for each project within each unit. Follow the instructions below when reviewing the final work. DO NOT take off points for concepts not yet taught. Follow the objectives carefully when grading. Because of the subjective qualities of art, it is best to mark higher rather than lower when deciding between two levels of achievement. If the student enjoys doing the lessons and has made the effort to create a work of art in a thoughtful way, then that student should be given a good grade. Allow the student to grow into mature artistic expression. Do not demand results that can only be obtained by years of experience that the student has not yet had. It is very likely that an individual who e njoys making art will get A’s. This does not mean that the student has arrived at a full knowledge and use of artistic concepts. It does mean the student is doing well in the pursuit of that goal.
LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT: Choose one number of points, which most accurately describes the work from each of the three categories below. Add the numbers from categories 1, 2, 3, and 4. This is the stude nt’s total score for the unit. This number can be translated into a letter grade: 90-100 (A), 80-89 (B), 70-79 (C), Uncompleted work (D-F).
1. Creative Exercise
2. The Challenge
3. Technique Drawing
4. The Project
25 POINTS / COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT OBTAINING ALL OBJECTIVES IN THE GREEN BOX
25 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT SHOWING GOOD
25 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT
25 POINTS/ COMPLETED PROJECT SHOWING A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIT (SEE TITLE) AND USE OF THOSE ITEMS ASKED FOR IN
SHOWING A GOOD UNDERSTANDING AND USE OF MATERIALS OR TECHNIQUES 20 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT SHOWING AN ATTEMPT TO USE MATERIALS OR TECHNIQUES 15 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT DID NOT USE MATERIALS CORRECTLY OR TRY THE TECHNIQUES SHOWN
UNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPT SHOWN IN ART WORK 20 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT SHOWING AN ATTEMPT TO USE CONCEPT SHOWN IN ART WORK 15 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT DID NOT USE CONCEPT SHOWN IN ART WORK
THE GRAY BOX, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
20 POINTS/ COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT
20 POINTS/ COMPLETED PROJECT SHOWING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIT BUT DID NOT ACCOMPLISH SOME ITEMS ASKED FOR IN THE GRAY BOX, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE 15 POINTS/ COMPLETED PROJECT DID NOT SHOW UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIT OR ITEMS ASKED FOR IN
OBTAINING SOME OF THE OBJECTIVES IN THE GREEN BOX
15 POINTS/ COMPLETED
ASSIGNMENT BUT DID NOT OBTAIN OBJECTIVES IN THE GREEN BOX
THE GRAY BOX, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
Note: If you do not see how the student accomplished the objectives asked for, do ask them about it. Sometimes they understood very well and will be able to tell you how they accomplished the task in the drawing. This is valid. Remember that getting a visual idea across clearly is a process that takes time. Allow the student to grow into it.
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ART/EDUCATION
MIDDLE SCHOOL 6-8 BOOK ONE
This THIRD EDITION offers students the opportunity to discover their own creative strengths in the arts. The elements of art and composition are explored through beautiful color reproductions of World Art. • Text written in conversational manner means student can work independently • Full year course in one book includes 68 lessons with projects • Four unique projects in each unit include an exercise in creativity, art history and appreciation, techniques, and exploration of various subject matter • Special assignments broaden student’s experiences with art materials “(My daughter) has been tackling the book solo. She raves about the presentation, and has already begun to improve…In addition; I see her enjoying art more.” Homeschool Parent – Heather Schwarzen / Washington “This curriculum works. It makes artists! My children are really learning to draw, not just copy someone else‛s artwork, and to use their drawing in their daily lives. And it is so easy to use. ” Homeschool Parent – Nancy Gorman/ Massachusetts “It keeps the subject on a level as understandable for a beginner as it is for someone with some artistic experience.” Homeschooler – Jessica Schneider / Illinois
Use this book again and again! Non-consumable
Published by Artistic Pursuits Inc. www.artisticpursuits.com
Middle School 6-8 Book One USA
This book has shown thousands of students how to create original works of art while laying a solid educational foundation under their feet. Your role as parent/teacher is to praise and encourage. Isn’t that what you want to do anyway? Start today.
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