Thursday, March 19, 2015

Shape experiments to learn to draw people

Student Work
Several pages in the Kindergarten Shape book focus on combining shapes into identifiable forms.  By this point in time of the school year, the majority of Kindergarten students have master the drawing of basic geometric shapes and can easily identify them along with their attributes.  They have draw and colored shapes, textured shapes and cut and collage shapes. For this lesson, they created three different "people" forms using shapes.  The first drawing is of the infamous super hero "Oval Man".  He can only be drawn using an oval and his relative the circle.  This is a directed draw but the students are actively directing what is happening.  As a group, students identify the shape needed for each part of the body in response to my questions.  Some classes unanimously believe the head should be a circle while others opt for an oval.  I follow along as per their suggestions as long as they are reasonable and model the creation of oval man.
student created Oval Man

Student Created Rectangle Robot

For the next drawing, the process is repeated but this time only using rectangles and his relative square for all the designated body parts.  Robot Rectangle is brought to existence through this process.

It all comes together in the final drawing when all four shapes can be used to create a more realistic body of a person.  No stick people in this art room!!!


Student work for Strong Body


Finally, the outlines of clothing are drawn around this final figure so that "Strong Body" will be more realistic.  Of course details like hair are added as well.  Crayons are used to color in the clothing and the transition has been made to drawing real people in Kindergarten.

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