Having Fun with the Basics

Incorporating the elements and principles of design into a fun project is a great way for students to be able to enjoy what they're doing while also gaining an understanding of what makes good art.  I think that ending a skill-based unit with a fun lesson really allows students to use the concepts that they learned during the unit.  For example, I would follow a contour line unit with a fun lesson based on a similar project I completed in high school.  For my lesson, I would have students think of a quote, poem, song, or book passage that really speaks to them and then ask them what emotions and imagery they associate with their chosen selection.  Then, after sketching some ideas, they would create a contour line composition of those emotions and imagery using India ink and pens.  This allows students to think about the importance of line and form in their composition.  Students would then use ink wash, watercolor pencils, and oil pastels to add color to their drawings.  The arrangement of their composition paired with their choice of colors will create balance and unity in the work. As an example, I would show my work, which was based on a line in the poem The Singer in the Prison by Walt Whitman, which reads, "O sight of pity, shame and dole! O fearful thought--a convict soul!"  There is contrast in the bright red and the white of the figure, there is a definitive contour form that was enhanced by other materials, and it is balanced by the symmetry of the forms.

Once the projects are complete, I would have students critique each other's work.  Each student would come up individually, displaying their artwork while reading their chosen selection and explaining their choices of composition and color.  Then their classmates would have the opportunity to express whether they think student did or did not portray the written selection accurately.  This activity would allow the students to learn more about their classmates and their interests, as well as to learn how to give constructive criticism.