Standard(s)
Rivera
4th-8th
Art
Week of 1/14-1/17
9.1.5 A,B,C, H, J
9.2.5 D
9.3.5 A
9.4.5 D
Outcome(s)
Students will be further exposed to the element of art, line. Students will learn the variations
and uses of line. Students will be introduced to the technique of blind contour drawing?
Essential
Question(s)
What is line? What is line quality? What is hand/eye coordination? How can blind contour
drawings help improve this?
Assessment
Plan/Type
Teacher observation, visual assessment, student rubric.
Warm Up 510 Min
Build Up
(Intro/
Outcome/
Focus)
5 Min
What do remember about lines? How can we use line to create a picture?
Ask
What is a contour line? A line that creates a form, an outline of an object. How can contour line
drawings help us become better artists?
Define
Drawing an object while looking at it helps artists draw what they really see. It is a good technique for
beginners and advanced artists. Many times this technique is used as a warm-up exercise.
Tell
(Obj.)
Today we will learn how to create a contour drawing. This requires us to look at the object as
we draw it, which helps us become a better artist.
Focus
Students will learn to draw from observation by noticing the outline of the object they are drawing.
Instructional Cycle
Engage (Instruct)
Essential Question
Core
Instruction
15-25 Min
Tie Up
(Closure)
5-10 Min
How do we become a better
artist? We need to learn how
to see what we are drawing.
Too often we look at the
object once and end up
drawing from memory, which
makes drawing harder and
creates a drawing that doesn’t
look like the subject. This
activity takes it to the extreme
by not allowing you to look at
what you are drawing at all,
and forcing you to look at what
you are drawing the entire
time.
Explain (Model)
Attempt (Activity)
Individual, Pairs, Groups, Whole Class
- A blind contour drawing
contains lines that are drawn
without ever looking at the
piece of paper. This forces
you to study a scene closely,
observing every shape and
edge with your eyes, as your
hand mimics these on paper.
The aim is not to produce a
realistic artwork, but rather to
strengthen the connection
between eyes, hand and
brain: a reminder that, when
drawing, you must first learn
to see.
Students will practice drawing
familiar objects without looking
at the paper. This will help them
learn to draw objects as they
really are rather than how the
students remember them. Once
they are ready to draw, they
should place their pencils on the
paper and not lift it off until the
outline is complete. If they need
to draw additional lines they can
look at the paper to place their
pencil, but then they should just
look at the object. After they
have completed the drawing they
can discuss it with another
classmate.
Ask
What is blind contour drawing? Did this make your drawing harder? Were you able to look at the object
in a way that looking at your paper wouldn’t allow?
Define
Blind contour drawings help develop your hand/eye coordination. It becomes easier to draw when you
actually look at the object, rather than trying to draw from memory.
Tell
(Obj.)
Students will show understanding of blind contour line drawings.
Predict
Students will be able to draw from observation rather than from memory.