First Grade Art Lesson 27

The Art Element Space, Hands and Face Drawing

Objective:

The student will learn how to create foreshortening and space by drawing their hands in front of their face.

Materials:

White drawing paper, crayons

Procedure:

Let's look at the art element space. Space can be created in your art work to show lots of distance like we did with our landscapes, or just a little distance like we are going to do today. We will also look at foreshortening, which is a term used to describe how you represent something that is coming straight at you. Take your white paper and trace off both of your hands, as if you were holding them out to say stop! If you have a hard time drawing off the hand that you write with, find a buddy to help you out. Next, we are going to draw our head behind our hands. This is where the foreshortening comes in. If me arm is extended out in front of me, you will most likely see only my hand and very little if any of my arm. To make it look like the distance of our arm is behind our head, draw your head a bit smaller than your hand. Begin with the eyes, nose and mouth and then draw the shape of your head around them. When you get to a point where something needs to go behind your hand, simply stop drawing, lift your drawing tool, skip over the area (in this case your hand) and put your tool back on the paper when you get to the other side. When you have your face and hands all drawn off, color in your picture to make it complete. Fill in the background with an interesting design or a place that you like to be.

Conclusion:

We have created a shallow space by drawing our hands in front of our face. We have also created the illusion of foreshortening. Check to make sure your work is completely filled in with color and that your edges are sharp and clear. Mount your work and display it for everyone to enjoy.

Artwork and Examples used in this lesson

Teachers Example

Student Artwork

Student Artwork