Drawing Lesson for the Beginner in Art Schools
Introductory Art Lesson Plan on Learning How to Draw From Scratch
Oct 10, 2009
The art teacher must devise a scheme of work fronted by a tutorial containing strong and interesting teaching strategies to entice the curiosity and bolster the confidence of art students who wish to learn to sketch.
Resources for Drawing Lessons
- An OHP light projector or Smartboard
- Transparencies exhibiting the images shown within figs 1, 2, 4 and 5
- Handouts of the image shown in fig 3
- Pencils and paper for the students
Drawing Exercise on Distorted Perception in Drawing
The art teacher may begin the drawing lesson by projecting an image of a triangle containing a dot (fig 1) and ask the students to judge by eye where the dot is in relation to the top and the bottom of the triangle. This is done by placing a cross onto a chart. This simple exercise is likely to create a split in opinion and spur a discussion. In most cases, however, the dot will be perceived to be above centre, where in fact, it is dead centre. This can be proved by measuring the position of the dot with a ruler.
A further exercise involves projecting a second image showing two lines intersected by chevrons (fig 2) and asking the students whether the two lines are perfectly parallel or at an angle to one another. The results for most are likely to be that the lines are not parallel to one another. In fact, the two lines are perfectly parallel.
The objective of the two exercises is to demonstrate that what is perceived by the brain is not always accurate and often interferes with drawing ability. Distorted perception is the mind’s tendency to edit and distort reality in order to make sense of the world.
Drawing Class on Learning How to Draw Accurately
Common mistakes that the beginner in drawing often make are:
- Drawing hands and feet too small in relation to the body
- Drawing eyes too near to the top of the head because the mind perceives the area above the eyes as less important than the face itself
- Inaccurate portrayal of foreshortenings (long objects such as fingers viewed head-on) because this creates a perceptual dilemma. An accurate portrayal of foreshortening can be seen in fig 5
- Incorrect perspectives
A handout (fig 3) explains how the mind perceives objects in two ways. One by what is known about it, the other by instinct. For instance, it is known that the hand has five digits and a palm, but it is also a set of abstract contours and lines. By switching off the part of the brain that edits, categorises and distorts the perception of things, drawing ability may be developed and improved.
Drawing Exercise for Art Class
The students may explore how the brain distorts reality by completing two simple drawings of the hand with one finger extended as though pointing. The first drawing must be a simple line drawing depicting the hand pointing to the side, the other pointing towards the eye (fig 4). It is likely that the first drawing will be must easier than the second because the second contains a foreshortening effect, which creates a dilemma in the brain. When the exercise is complete, the students may self-evaluate and look at each other’s drawings. This will spur a discussion on why the second exercise was more difficult than the first.
Drawing From Life
Students wishing to develop their drawing ability may explore how the brain perceives objects in two ways via preliminary exercises. The students may explore how the brain edits and categorises objects to make sense of the world, but which can also interfere with drawing accurately. By looking at objects in an abstract way as opposed to drawing what is known about it, students may improve their drawing ability. Drawing objects in foreshortened effect is often an excellent way of developing drawing ability, and doing so as homework is recommended for art students.
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