Project 1: Natural Forms
Materials and Skills
Icons key:
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Learning objectives
What is observational drawing?
How do you do an observational line drawing?
What is tone used for?
What different types of colours are there?
How are colours combined to form other colours?
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What is observational drawing?
Observational drawing means to draw what you see.
An observational drawing should be as true to the object
you are copying as possible.
First-hand observation
is when you draw from a
primary source – when the
object or subject is actually
there in front of you.
Second-hand observation
is when you draw from a
secondary source, e.g. books,
photos, adverts, etc.
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Are these observational drawings?
Look at the images on this page. As a class, discuss
the reasons why you think each image is or is not
drawn from observation.
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Are these observational drawings?
List your reasons why you think these images
may or may not be drawn from observation.
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Line drawings
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Using basic shapes
3D objects are made up of basic shapes. Look at the ways
in which the 2D shapes are turned into various 3D shapes.
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Using basic shapes to create line drawings
Before starting a line drawing, it is useful to look for the basic
shapes that make up each object.
Use a pen to draw on the basic shapes that
make up these objects.
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How to do a line drawing
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Line drawing task
Using A3 paper
and a pencil, do
a line drawing
of a still life
arrangement,
either provided
in class or of
this image.
Try to find the basic shapes in the objects first.
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What is tone?
The term tone describes a range of hues and shades
which provide depth in an image.
How does the tone in
this drawing affect how
we see the image?
Which direction is the
light coming from in
the sketch?
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The tonal scale
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Drag tones onto a still life
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What is the purpose of tone?
Here are some examples of student work.
Which direction does the light source appear to be
coming from in each drawing? How is this shown?
Identify some light, middle and dark tones in each
drawing.
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Primary and secondary colours
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Colour theory
Complementary colours are the colours that sit opposite
each other on the colour wheel.
For example, the complementary colour for red is the colour
green. Green is the only secondary colour that cannot be
made from mixing red with another primary colour.
Harmonious colours are the
colours that sit next to each
other on the colour wheel.
For example, the colours
purple and orange work in
harmony with the colour red.
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The colour wheel
Make your own colour wheel in paint on A3 paper.
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Mixing colours
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Warm and cool colours
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Classifying colours
Discuss the types of colours that belong in the
following groups. Record your ideas below.
Summer colours
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Earthy colours
Winter colours
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Key vocabulary
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