Drawing and color media.

Drawing and color media. This month we will focus on drawing and color media. Here are somereally great tips to add to your lessons. tip #1 DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE Laurel Winters, from Akron, Ohio, used Betty Edwards' Drawing on theRight Side of the Brain for a series of drawing exercises with hersixth-grade students. They made wonderful progress, despite theirreluctance. They began with a self-portrait for their "baseline."Laurel went through the book, but simplified the exercises and wasselective about what she had them draw. She began with completing thevase/face drawing, and then did the Picasso portrait of Stravinsky rightside up and then upside down. This illustrated to the students that whenthey draw lines and shapes, and don't "think"specifically about the eye, arm, etc., they draw so much better. After doing several exercises on ways of "looking" andtechnique, students did another self-portrait, and then compared thetwo. They made amazing progress! tip #2 STRIKE A POSE! Gesture drawings are quick, timed drawings thatexplore form and movement. Here are a few tips to remember when doinggestures. Choose student models in advance and number them in sequence. Thisway, time isn't wasted and there's no confusion when callingthe next model. Each student poses in at least five different actionposes for 20-30 seconds. Use newsprint and don't give out any erasers, as erasingwastes time and breaks the concentration level. Prior to starting theexercise, explain to students that they need to focus for the whole timegiven, as the drawing will be very quick. Suggest they draw lightly at first, and as they get the shape down,draw a little darker to show contrast. Since the drawings are timed, thestudents must draw quickly and use constant motion. tip # 3 QUICK IDEAS Here are a few great ideas for 30-minute classes, or toleave for a substitute teacher. * Students draw with white crayon or chalk on black paper. The kidsget very excited about drawing in a new way, and you and they will getgreat results. * Students draw a circle that takes up most of their paper. Theycan draw what they see outside of the "porthole" of theirsubmarine. The shape can be changed to accommodate any drawing. * Students draw a picture from an ant's perspective or abird's-eye view. tip #4 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Last year I read Maurice Sendak'sWhere the Wild Things Are to my fifth-graders. They weren't veryhappy about it, as they complained that it was a "baby" book.When I showed them the drawings close up on my document camera, some ofthe students started to understand what I was up to. They were to create their own "wild thing," but it wouldhave to be a character that would be able to fit into the story. Afterthey designed it, they drew it in pen and ink (after a quick lesson onhatching, cross hatching and stippling). When it was dry, they did awatercolor wash. The kids loved this project, and wanted to make more"wild things" the whole year long! tip #5 NO RULERS? NO PROBLEM! Sally Logan, from Palm Cove Elementary inPembroke Pines, Fla., had no good rulers and no budget. She asked herlocal Home Depot to donate 40 large, 20-inch-long paint stirrers. Shethen took an extra-fine-point permanent pen, and marked them at thehalf-inch and one-inch measurements. Voila: rulers! tip #6 COLOR MY WORLD Color and composition are key elements in anysuccessful piece of art. Have students work with a limited palette ofthree primaries, one dark neutral and white. You can have them do a"Warhol"-type project, with each piece being a differentpalette. tip #7 ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH! Rachael Day, from ParkerStreet Ministries School in Lakeland, Fla., likes to use the bookRainbow Fish with her younger students. She uses 1-inch squares ofcolored tissue paper (the kind that bleeds onto the paper), and has herstudents use paintbrushes to dip in a water/vinegar mixture. They thenpaint the squares onto the paper. A great project for color mixing! Thanks to Laurel, Sally and Rachael for their great tips! Glenda Lubiner teaches K-5 art and is an adjunct professor atBroward College in Broward County, Fla. She also coaches an after-schoolmusical theater/ drama club and art club.