Shoe with Emphasis completed

Students finished their contour line drawing of the shoe and added emphasis with color and line pattern.  Here are some of the results...

Negative Space Tools

Elementary students enjoyed working with contour line with tools.  They were learning how to see both the positive space (the object they are drawing) and the negative space (the space around the object).  It is important to learn to see both if you want to learn to draw accurately and this project takes concentration, especially when coloring it!

 Students choose real tools (yes, I did discuss tool safety) and began with a contour line drawing.  They were learning about good composition and filling the space well.  They then drew a rectangle on the page, going right over the objects they had drawn. Inside the rectangle, they were to color in the negative space, not the objects themselves.  After this step was completed, they were to work on coloring in the positive space (the tools) around the border using marker.  They were to use only one color to do both of these steps first.  Afterward they could color in all the white space with another color if they liked. 

Shoe Contour Line Drawings

Students in Middle and High School are learning about contour line.  They were required to draw the outer shape of the object and then go back and fill in all the details...harder than it seems and the results were quite successful.  Students were working from a photograph or from their own shoe.

We discussed Emphasis and what it means in art as well as various ways you can do this in art. Homework was assigned to add emphasis to their shoe using color, pattern, and rhythm. Students can do this using radiating lines around their shoe, angled line backgrounds, etc.  I have added examples at the bottom of the page.  Enjoy!

Sorry this one is a bit blurry but it was had such detail that I wanted to include it.

Shell Contour Lines

Elementary students are learning about contour line and creating these beach-y shell pictures with their drawings.  Liquid watercolors are sprayed on for the textured background and they are using a variety of colored papers to draw their shells.  Students added 3D dots to raise the shells off of the page and give it some dimension.  These are very bright and colorful!