Foundations: Drawing Tools: Lesson 1
Making an experimental drawing tool
Making an experimental drawing tool
Warm-up: 10 mins
A textural story line → see awareness exercises, p.26
Introduction: 15 mins
- Introduce the project challenge to the students: ask them to create drawing tools using a selection of materials. Each student will be given a tree branch or twig as the basis for their tool.
- Discuss with the students the range of materials on display. Talk about the possibilities of different materials: “how could you use an egg carton as a drawing tool? What would happen if we cut the carton into strips?” How could we attach the strips to our branch? Etc.
- Give one long, think stick (between 50 and 80 cm) for each two children. Ask them to attach their pencil to this stick with masking tape.
- Flip the pages the children used for the warm-up activity and ask children to make some quick drawings holding the stick at the top. This will be difficult to use. There are several variations they can try: attaching 2 pencils/markers or any combination of drawing tools to the stick.
A textural story line → see awareness exercises, p.26
Introduction: 15 mins
- Introduce the project challenge to the students: ask them to create drawing tools using a selection of materials. Each student will be given a tree branch or twig as the basis for their tool.
- Discuss with the students the range of materials on display. Talk about the possibilities of different materials: “how could you use an egg carton as a drawing tool? What would happen if we cut the carton into strips?” How could we attach the strips to our branch? Etc.
- Give one long, think stick (between 50 and 80 cm) for each two children. Ask them to attach their pencil to this stick with masking tape.
- Flip the pages the children used for the warm-up activity and ask children to make some quick drawings holding the stick at the top. This will be difficult to use. There are several variations they can try: attaching 2 pencils/markers or any combination of drawing tools to the stick.
Development: 25 mins
- Give a short demonstration of how various materials make different kinds of marks. This can be simply shown live in the class with some carefully selected materials.
- Ask students to select some materials to create their tool.
- Invite them to use scissors to prepare their drawing toolcut feathers or leaves, cut plastic into strips etc.
- As children pause to refl ect on their work, lead a discussion with the entire class on the activity and ask students to share their ideas. Allow children to explore and make their drawing tools. They can attach the materials to the sticks, but this may not be necessary.
- Encourage them to do a ’studio tour’, looking at the work of each other in a respectful way, as artists look at each other’s work in an artist’s studio.
- Ask students to continue to work on their tool until completion. Children can attach their names to the tools using masking tape.
Conclusion: 10 minutes
- Invite students to gather in a circle with their completed tool. Ask them to discuss a technique they used in this activity, such as cutting plastic.
- Assign a couple of students to collect the tools and put them in storage for the next lesson.
- Give a short demonstration of how various materials make different kinds of marks. This can be simply shown live in the class with some carefully selected materials.
- Ask students to select some materials to create their tool.
- Invite them to use scissors to prepare their drawing toolcut feathers or leaves, cut plastic into strips etc.
- As children pause to refl ect on their work, lead a discussion with the entire class on the activity and ask students to share their ideas. Allow children to explore and make their drawing tools. They can attach the materials to the sticks, but this may not be necessary.
- Encourage them to do a ’studio tour’, looking at the work of each other in a respectful way, as artists look at each other’s work in an artist’s studio.
- Ask students to continue to work on their tool until completion. Children can attach their names to the tools using masking tape.
Conclusion: 10 minutes
- Invite students to gather in a circle with their completed tool. Ask them to discuss a technique they used in this activity, such as cutting plastic.
- Assign a couple of students to collect the tools and put them in storage for the next lesson.
