6th Grade: Contour Line Drawings of Shoes

Elements and Principles of Design:
Line, Color, Repetition

Day 1: (50-70 min) What is a contour line? Demonstrate several warm-up activities, including drawing the creases of the palm of your hand and a blind contour line drawing of a shoe, stressing the importance of looking at what you are drawing. Discuss the Right Brain vs. Left Brain. Students should complete one drawing of a shoe that they are pleased with on newsprint. This gesture will be traced three to six times on 12x18 watercolor paper.

Day 2/3: (50-70 min) What are warm colors? Cool colors?  Students will decide if they want warm colored shoes, or cool ones. Shoes will be outlined with warm or cool colored crayons as this helps to contain watercolors when painting. What is a watercolor wash? Demonstrate the 10 watercolor washes listed below. Have students practice on 3 x 12 inch strip of WC paper.  Students must incorporate all ten WC washes into his/her shoe painting. If the shapes are warm, background is cool and vice-versa. This helps prevent muddled colors.


Watercolor Washes:
Wet-on Wet     Even
Glazing           Gradual
Blotting           Resist
Salt                 Splatter
Blow               Dry Brush

Vocabulary:
Contour Line
Negative Space
Observational Drawing
Watercolor wash
Warm and Cool colors

Materials for Hands:
Drawing boards
Shoes
Sharpies
Newsprint
12 x 18 watercolor paper
Light table

Materials for Watercolor Painting
Crayons
Prang Oval 16 colors watercolors
Brushes
Water Containers
Paper towels
Kosher Salt
3 x 12 strip of watercolor paper