Decorative
Line Animals
Art
8th Grade
46 minute lessons
by: Janessa Wachsmuth
Overview
Materials
Students will learn the creative process of painting a decorative line animal
using color schemes (warm, cool, complementary, analogous) and line
patterns. These decorative line animals will show a composition with unity
and rhythm.
12x16 117lb white paper
4x4 white paper (zentangle warm-up)
Scrap Paper
Rulers and Pencils
Paint brushes
Acrylic Paint
Objectives
I can:
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Demonstrate the creative process of a decorative line animal with
color schemes and line patterns. (C.8.4.)
Create rhythm and unity in a piece of art through the use of line and
color. (C.8.1.)
Search, find, resize and print a reference photo that has good quality,
good composition and clarity. (C.8.2.)
I can demonstrate the process of gridding a reference to enlarge an
image to drawing paper. (E.8.1.)
Experiment with mixing colors to create successful color schemes
Portray an understanding of color schemes through my art. (H.8.2.)
Vocabulary (A.8.2.)
Warm Colors
Cool Colors
Complementary Colors
Analogous Colors
Composition
Unity
Rhythm
Intensity
Anticipatory Set
When students find a place in the room, I will begin with the Introduction of
Decorative Line Animals PowerPoint. Early in the presentation we will take
a break to show Zentangle YouTube video and do a 10-15 minutes zentangle
warm-up. After the zentangle warm-up exercise, I will continue with the Into
PowerPoint. Next, I will also show students how to search, find, resize and
print a photograph that has good quality, good composition and clarity. We
will have discussions about composition, unity and rhythm this day. I will
also show the process of gridding. Throughout the lesson, I will show a
Color Scheme PowerPoint and have a mixing paint experiment worksheet.
Essential Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Other Resources
Introduction of Decorative Line
Animal PowerPoint
Color Scheme PowerPoint
Zentagle YouTube Video
Google Search
Mixing Paint Colors worksheet
Doodle Starter worksheet
Step-By-Step Photo/Grid hand out
What is the creative process involving color schemes and lines in this
assignment?
How are rhythm and unity shown in art?
What are warm, cool, complementary and analogous color schemes?
How can you mix paint to affect the intensity of the color?
How is a tint made? How is a shade made?
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Activity
Day 1 :
Introduction of Decorative Line Animals PowerPoint
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Begin the PowerPoint
Slide 2: Why are you doing this? To learn the creative process. Meaning, to create
something new and original. Maybe meaning learning a process you’ve never
experienced before. What is rhythm? Rhythm is a principal of art that could mean
patterns or colors that move and flow together smoothly. Rhythm is often associated
with music. Think about how with music you hear rhythm with your ears – in art
you see rhythm with your eyes. What is unity? Unity is another principal of art that
means the appearance of whole completion and balance. We will be using line and
color to create rhythm and unity in our decorative line animals. Line and color are
both elements of art.
Slide 3: Warm up with Zentangles! Watch video.
Zentangles are a great warm-up to begin this creative process. When you’re creating
a zentangle you’re using lines to create patterns that are new and original and fun!
Let’s take about 10 minutes to start and work on your zentangles. Then we’ll
continue with the presentation.
10-15 minute zentangle warm-up
Continue with PowerPoint.
Now, we’re going to go through the creative process of this project.
Slide 5: read We will go over how to search, find, resize and print your images in
more depth on a different day. We’ll talk about finding a photo with good
quality, good composition and clarity.
Slide 6: read Again, we will go over this in more depth on another day. I will
demonstrate how to grid your reference photo and your final drawing paper.
Slide 7: read On a scratch piece of paper, I want you to draw out the outline of
your animal and experiment with some designs before you start your final.
Also, you will get a worksheet about mixing colors. You will have to actually
experiment with mixing colors and show them on your worksheet.
Slide 8: read Our worksheet is going to be our ‘color plan’. You’re going to
choose a color scheme to paint your decorative line animals. What are warm
and cool colors? What are complementary colors? Does anyone know what
analogous colors are? On a later day we will go over these color schemes more
in depth and learn about what each color scheme is. Analogous colors are colors
that are adjacent or next to each other on the color wheel. That could be red-violet,
violet and blue-violet.
Slide 9: read Practice animal is your sketch, color scheme plan is your completed
color worksheet.
Show student examples. Be thinking about the colors used in these examples.
Also be thinking about the patterns and lines use.
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Think about the composition or how the animal fits on the page.
Day 2 :
Search, find, resize and print photo. Gridding
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Show PowerPoint
Bring up Google images to search for an animal. Go to search tools
– size – large. We want these photos to have good quality so we
need to find images that are large. Photos should be over 800x800.
(show how to see the size). We also want these photos to have good
composition. What is composition? Composition is how the image
fits on the page. Animal should be the biggest part in the photo.
Remember all your lines and patterns will be drawn inside the shape
of your animal.
Resizing photo in PowerPoint. Size should be 6x8. Needs to be
exactly this size so we can grid our reference photo and drawing
paper to match.
Save reference photo to file to be printed. *hand out step-by-step
printing sheet.
Gridding. Show students how to grid 6x8 reference photo with
1’’x1’’ squares. Mark inches along all sides. Show students how to
grid 12x16 sheet of white paper. Explain how we are multiplying by
2 to enlarge. Demonstrate how to draw contour (outline) of animal.
Day 3 :
Color PowerPoint. Demonstrate color mixing (worksheet)
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Begin Color Scheme PowerPoint
Slide 2: Here are the color schemes we mentioned before. Warm,
Cool, Complementary and analogous. These are the color schemes
you will be using on your decorative line animals.
Slide 3: read Warm colors are usually associated with fire and cool
colors are associated with water or ice.
Slide 4: read Who can tell me an example of complimentary colors?
Slide 5: read Here, yellow-green, green, blue-green are examples of
analogous colors.
Slide 6: Let’s look at these student examples and talk about the color
schemes they used. What color schemes were used in this example?
(Complimentary colors, red and green). This painting shows
vibrancy with its complementary colors.
Slide 7: What color scheme do you see in this painting? (Cool) Do
you like this one? Why? Does this painting show unity? Why?
(through color and shapes in design) Look at the shapes and
movement in these tentacles. This painting shows good unity and
also good rhythm.
Slide 8: What is the color scheme in this painting? (cool) Do you
like these color schemes? Why? Notice how the color goes to light
and to dark. How did this student do that? (mixed paint with white
and black).
Slide 9 : I don’t want you to use the colors straight out of the tube. I
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want you to change the color by mixing paint. One way to do this is
to change the tint or shade of the color. On this color wheel, the
section in the middle is the actual, real color (also known as hue).
The section on the inside is the tints of the colors and the section of
the color wheel on the outside is the shades of the colors. Read
Slide 10: Another way to change the color is to mix colors together.
Again, don’t use the paint straight from the tube – mix it! We know
one way to do that is to change the tint or shade of your color.
Another way is to change the intensity of your color. What does
intensity mean when we’re talking about color? (The brightness or
dullness of a color). To change the intensity of a color, mix the color
with its complimentary color. This will lessen the intensity of the
color. But be careful, you don’t want to the color to become to
muddy. Read/describe color chart Look at yellow and violet. A
little bit of violet added to the yellow lessons the intensity of the
yellow.
Slide 11 : Look at this students example. The intensity of the color is
interesting. Student did not use colors straight from the rube.
Demonstrate mixing colors
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Mix Complementary colors *DO NOT use color straight from the
tube – mix it.
Mix warm and cool colors
Mix Analogous colors
Select color schemes
Order of Operations
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Warm up with zentangles
Find reference photo with good quality and composition
Crop reference photo in PowerPoint to 6x8
Print reference photo in color and black and white (save to folder)
Grid reference photo with 1’’x1’’ squares
Grid 12x16 white paper with 2’’x2’’ squares
Draw basic outline of animal (don’t draw on your final until your
background color is decided and painted)
BEFORE STARTING ON FINAL
Complete some ‘doodle starter worksheets’
Experiment with mixing colors and color schemes
Complete ‘Mixing Paint Colors’ worksheet
On a scratch piece of paper, draw outline of animal – try out some
decorative lines and color schemes
FINAL
Decide on background color of animal and paint in animal BEFORE
starting on decorative lines
Draw in decorative lines
Paint decorative lines with color scheme
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Timeline
DAY ONE (46 minutes)
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Introduction to Decorative Line Animals PowerPoint (5 minutes)
Zentangle warm up (15 minutes)
Finish Intro PowerPoint (20 minutes)
Time at the end – finish/work on zentangles (6 minutes)
DAY TWO (46 minutes)
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Demonstrate how to search, find, resize and print reference photo
(10 minutes)
Demonstrate gridding reference photo and drawing paper (10
minutes)
Work time (26 minutes)
DAY THREE (46 minutes)
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Present Color PowerPoint (20 minutes)
Introduce ‘Mixing Paint Colors’ worksheet / demonstrate mixing
paint (15 minutes)
Work time (11 minutes)
DBAE
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Art Production
-Students will experiment with decorative lines, mixing paint, and
painting different color schemes as well as finding a reference photo
with good composition, quality and clarity. They will also enlarge
the image through the gridding technique.
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Art History
-Students will learn about different painting and decorative line
techniques from history.
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Art Criticism
-Students will analyze past student examples and talk about what
is successful or what needs improvement. Considering color
schemes, rhythm, unity, composition, etc.
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Aesthetics
-Students will discuss about works presented and also their
personal work. They will express their thoughts about what is
successful about the work – considering color schemes, rhythm,
unity, composition, etc.
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Standards of Art and Design
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A.8.2: Learn appropriate vocabulary related to their study of art
C.8.1: Know the elements and principles of design.
C.8.2: Understand what makes quality design
C.8.4: Use design techniques to improve and/or change artwork
E.8.1: Communicate complex ideas by producing studio art forms, such as drawings, paintings, prints,
sculpture, jewelry, fibers, and ceramics
H.8.2: Know how light, shadow, color, distance, and angle of viewing affect sight
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