6th Grade: Jumbeled Names

Great project to learn 6th grade names and personalities in September!

Day 1: (50 minutes) Demonstrate on the board how to draw large block letters that stretch across the entire page. I show them how to make stick letters, and then drive around the outside of the letter like a car, and erase the inside. Students may need to experiment with size and lay out in sketchbooks. Use this layout: First letter must touch bottom and left side of paper. Second letter should touch the first letter and the top of the page. Third letter should touch the second letter and the bottom of the page, etc.

What is negative space? Pattern? Line? Symbols? Students will fill the negative space between his/her letters with all three. Students will brainstorm ideas in his/her sketchbooks for symbols that represent personal interests or traits.

Day 2/3: (70 minutes) Students will create his/her name design on 12 x 18 drawing paper. Letters should be left white or colored black. Stress the importance of DENSE pattern, symbols, and lines in the negative space. The negative space could be black or colored using markers. The name should jump off the page because of the dense negative space.

Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencils
Markers
12 x 18 60lb white drawing paper
Line and Pattern ideas sheet

Vocabulary:
Block Letters
Pattern
Line
Symbol
Negative Space

7th Grade: Contour Line Drawing of Animals

Day 1: What is a contour? What is a line? What is negative space? Provide students time to find an animal to draw from various sources (books, magazines, how to draw books). Demonstrate how to break down images into simple shapes. Rough drafts are completed in sketchbooks

Day 2-4: Animals will be drawn on 16x20 white paper. What is pattern? Provide examples of pattern. Students will use to pattern to fill in the negative space.

Vocabulary:
Contour Line
Line
Negative space
Pattern

Materials:
sketchbooks
pencils
animal imagery
Sharpie Markers
16 x 20 60lb drawing paper

8th Grade: Picasso Profiles

Day 1: Introduce abstract and demonstrate how to draw a profile on the board. Students will use sketchbooks for rough drafts. Continue to complete second half of face. Encourage students to use a different eyes, mouths, etc. for the second half of the face. Provide visual examples of facial features (eyes, mouth, eye brows, etc). I have several books and xerox packets of eyes, mouths, and noses. Some students make a "good" side and a "bad" side, which includes piercings, fangs, etc. A student who is a huge fan of batman made Two-Face (see image below).

Day 2: Discuss and show examples of Pablo Picasso. Show Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXLi9QKaPU4. 

Demonstrate on board how to create pattern for the background (see pictures below). This was the first time I used this pattern in the background- therefore, I didn't realize until after the kids finished the entire sheet with this time consuming design that it should have been completed on the same piece of paper as the profile.

Day 3/4: What is a color scheme? Show examples of color scheme (warm, cool, monochromatic, etc). Students will utilize at least 4 color schemes to complete their backgrounds, dividing the background into 4 sections (squares/stripes, etc).

Vocabulary:

Abstract

Profile

Color Scheme

Pattern

Materials:

Sketchbooks

Pencils

Markers

12x18 paper (pattern in background takes a long time to color)
Books/ other visuals of facial features