VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT
VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT
Period ____
Class: Visual Arts
Instructor:
Assignment: Positive and Negative - Rotation
Your Name:______________________________________________________
Assignment Description:
Upon completion of this assignment, students will learn how to implement a symmetrical design and utilize both positive
and negative space.
Opener: What is the positive space of an object and what is
characteristic of the negative space of an object?
Assignment Goals: Students will…
 create their own design on 6”x6” square
 Rotate the design around a central point
 Simplify subject
 learn about mirror imagery
 learn about positive / negative space
Closer: How is balance achieved in your design? What type of balance
do you have in your artwork – symmetrical or asymmetrical?
Materials Required:

Bristol board or heavy Drawing paper (6”x6” square and 12”x18” sheet)

Permanent marker

“H” pencil with acrylic eraser

Light table
The objective of this assignment is to learn how to create balance in a design motif and utilize both positive and negative
space.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. STEP ONE: Begin by using a 6” x 6” square. In the square, build a design that can be a pattern or image of something
of interest to you. It is OK to use your cell phone to acquire visual referent imagery from the web or ask to use the
computer to acquire imagery. Design can be totally made up by you and finding imagery is certainly not required. *
Sketch the design with an “H” pencil.
2. STEP TWO: Upon completion of the drawing in 6” x 6” square, go over the design with permanent marker and clean up
with acrylic eraser any pencil marks.
3. STEP THREE: Using a light table, place your small square behind your 12” x 18” Bristol paper or heavy white drawing
sheet. Trace your original design in “H” pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Follow the diagram below for movement:
upper right, flip over to left, invert-flip over to lower left, invert-flip over to right.
4. STEP FOUR: After sketching the design lightly in pencil, go over design in permanent marker.
5. STEP FIVE: Design which areas you would like to have positive and negative. Positive areas in white outline of design
and shaded areas are negative spaces. * Be sure to leave a white line in the shaded areas to define subject, so the
design does not blend together.
6. STEP SIX: Great job, you’re all done. Assess your work with the rubric (rubric is Latin for “red” and was often the color
heading of text in liturgical manuscripts.)
Use the scale below to rate your level of proficiency or that of your peer. Be sure to justify your rating with comments.
Assignment
Objectives
Student Creates
an Intricate
Design in the 6” x
6” square.
Student Creates a
Positive/ Negative
Rotational Design
That is Free of
Stray Marks and
is Aligned as
Demonstrated…
Rotating Around
a Central Point.
4 Exemplary
3 Proficient
2 Developing
1 Beginning
The student
demonstrates
outstanding
ability in creating
a preliminary
design that shows
great attention to
detail and clearly
shows planning.
The student
demonstrates a
good ability in
creating a
preliminary design.
The design may be
stylistic and
indicates a
personalized
approach.
The student
demonstrates
limited
achievement toward
the stated goals, but
the preliminary
design lacks
personal expression
or interest.
The student
demonstrates limited
ability in creating a
preliminary design
and/or has completed
very little of the
required work.
Design is haphazard
and shows little or no
attention to detail.
The student
demonstrates a
highlyexpressive ability
at rotating the
image around a
central point. The
image is nicely
aligned and there
are no stray
marks –
indicating
attention to detail.
The student
demonstrates good
effort in rotating the
design around a
central point, but
one or two minor
missteps occurred.
There may be a
stray mark or two
between images or
some of the images
are not correctly
aligned.
The student
demonstrates
satisfactory
achievement
towards the stated
goals and
objectives, but the
work lacks
emphasis on
rotating the design
and aligning the
imagery around a
central point.
The student attempts
to meet the stated
goals, but the work
lacks finish and/or
demonstrates that the
student doesn’t
understand the
objectives of the
assignment.
Student
Score
Teacher
Score
Assignment: Visual Arts +/- Rotation Design
Name: _________________________________________
Block: _________
Assignment
Objectives
4 Exemplary
3 Proficient
2 Developing
1 Beginning
Time on Task
Always manages
class time to meet
all objectives.
Works diligently.
Makes good use of
class time. Works
hard to achieve
objectives.
Working towards
managing class
time. Meeting some
objectives.
Not managing class
time effectively.
Meeting few
objectives.
Craftsmanship
Showed care
and concern
throughout the
process toward
meeting the
assignment goals
and objectives.
Care and concern
toward meeting the
assignment goals
and objectives was
inconsistent.
Learning to apply
care and concern
toward meeting the
assignment goals
and objectives.
Care and concern
toward meeting the
assignment goals and
objectives are not
evident.
Student
Score
Student’s Comments _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Teacher
Score
Instructor’s Comments _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
How can you CHALLENGE this assignment?
Create entirely new designs in each square and have them interconnect with the adjacent imagery.
Grading Scale
4
100
3
85
2
75
1
65
For Instructor/Administrative use only
Academic Expectations:
FINAL GRADE
* Students will create a rotational design that uses one image flipped around a central point
Social Expectations:
* Students will not apply information that is against school policy of sex, drugs, violence or discriminatory to individual
or group of individuals.
Civic Expectations:
* Students will clean their respected space.
Frameworks:
1.9
1.10
1.11
1.14
2.13
4.10
Demonstrate the ability to create 2D and 3D works that show knowledge of unique characteristics of particular media, materials, and tools
Use electronic technology for reference and for creating original work
Explore a single subject through a series of works, varying the medium or technique
Demonstrate a mastery of tools and techniques in one medium
Use color, line, texture, shape, and form in 2D and 3D work and identify the use of these elements in the compositions of others
Demonstrate the ability to develop an idea through multiple stages, responding to criticism and self-assessment