I will be assigning sketchbook assignments daily. There will be 25 of them
throughout the year and each will be worth 4 points on your FINAL EXAM.
They are due the class period after they are assigned. In other words, they
are graded EVERY CLASS.
Check here to see what you will need to do for these assignments and I will
also explain each one in class.
#1
6th, 7th and 8th grades: Drawing Worksheets
#2
6th grade: "Life After Death"
People in ancient Egypt believed in life after death. To make sure they had
everything they would need in the afterlife, people were buried with
paintings or models of their favorite possessions.
Egyptian drawings used a twisted perspective so that every part of the body
could be seen in order for the gods to recognize the person in the
afterlife. Draw yourself in the Egyptian style and your most valued
possessions. Draw every important detail so that it can be seen in the
afterlife.
7th grade: "Value Scales"
Create 5 to 8 different values with your pencil. Draw 5 to 8 circles and
shade them from dark to light. Make more circles and try it with pen. Make
more circles and try it with crossed lines (crosshatching). Finally, make
more circles and try making different values using dots (stippling).
8th grade: "Doodle Draw"
Scribble without looking on your paper. Look at the scribble, does it look
like anything to you? Turn it around and keep looking until you have an idea
for a drawing. Finish the drawing.
#3
6th grade: "Use your Name"
With a ruler or straight edge, divide your paper into 8 equal parts.
Lightly sketch one letter from your name inside each box. The letter should
fill the box. Play around with the order and orientation of the letters.
Fill in each box with patterns. You may use color if you have it, but it is
not necessary.
7th grade: "Pattern Fill In"
Choose 5 items that you see in the room. Arrange them so they look like a
still life and draw them using just line. Make sure you draw large enough to
fill the page. Fill in each object with a different pattern.
8th grade: "Personal Symbol"
Artists sometimes use symbols in their art work. Many times, these symbols
are abstracted. They may start as a real object and then they are changed so
they take on a new meaning. Create a symbol that represents yourself.
You may use your initials, personality qualities, favorite things and/or
things that are important to you to help you get started. We will be using
these symbols for a printmaking project.
#4
6th grade: "Stick Figures in Action"
Draw a series of stick figures that show a person performing a simple task.
For example, to show someone bending over to pick something up, the first
stick figure would be standing, the next figure would be beginning to bend
the knees and stretch out an arm, and so forth, until the last stick figure
was bent over grasping the object.
Once your stick figures are complete, observe where you have drawn the bends
in the legs, arms, head and neck. Do they make sense? If you are unsure,
bend your arm or leg and see how it moves and where it bends. Make any
necessary adjustments to your drawing.
Concentrate on getting each figure to look proportionally correct.
7th grade: "Worms"
Draw a single wormlike line on your paper. Determine how thick you want your
worm to be and then complete the worm by drawing a second line that thickness
away, parallel to the first one. Connect the ends to create the worm's head
and tail. Now draw a second worm. This one will cross under the fist worm
in a wiggly "x". Begin another wormlike line several inches away from the
first worm. When the second wormlike line touches the first worm, stop.
Imagine where this worm would appear on the opposite side of the first worm.
Continue drawing from that spot. Decide on this worm's thickness and draw a
parallel line and connect the head and the tail.
Continue creating overlapping worms until you have filled your paper.
Experiment with the varying thickness and lengths of the worms.
8th grade: "Take a Bite"
Place an apple or other snack in front of you. Divide your page into at
least 8 sections. Draw the apple in the first box. Take a bite and draw it
again in the second box. Continue like this until all you have left is the
apple core.
#5
6th grade: "Watching tv"
Draw in a single picture the following sentence: "While watching television
one night, I heard a strange noise." Think about the angle of the television
and how to express the noise. Think also about the effect or damage of the
noise
7th grade: "Hole in the Page"
Cut a hole somewhere in your paper. On the back of your paper, write down 5
things you can think of that have a hole in them, such as a keyhole. Now,
create a drawing that incorporates the hole in your paper.
8th grade: "Stick Figures Gain Weight"
Draw a series of stick figures that show a person performing a simple task.
For example, to show someone bending over to pick something up, the first
stick figure would be standing, the next figure would be beginning to bend
the knees and stretch out an arm, and so forth, until the last stick figure
was bent over grasping the object.
Once your stick figures are complete, observe where you have drawn the bends
in the legs, arms, head and neck. Do they make sense? If you are unsure,
bend your arm or leg and see how it moves and where it bends. Make any
necessary adjustments to your drawing.
Now, begin to color on top of the stick figures (you may use pencil),
fattening them up in the appropriate areas. Refer to your own body if you
are unsure of where to make the stick figure thicker or thinner. Do not
worry about details. Keep the figures in silhouette. Concentrate instead on
getting each figure to look proportionally correct.
#6
6th grade: "Toy Drawing"
Draw a toy of your choice. Make sure you LOOK at it. Focus on details.
7th grade: "Crossword Puzzle Pattern"
Look at your crossword puzzle. How can you use the spaces that are already
blacked in to create an interesting pattern? Fill in the other empty squares
until you have created a pattern. You may want to turn our paper sideways or
even upside down so that you can all of the possibilities before you start.
Turning your paper as you work can also be helpful. Sometimes a new
perspective lets you see things in a new light.
8th grade: "Mood of a Portrait"
In class, we looked at some portraits painted by famous artists. We
discussed how the artists' use of line, shape and color helped to portray the
mood of the subject.
Determine what type of mood you would like to show in a portrait. Create
that portrait using lines, shapes and colors to get your message or mood
across.
#7
6th grade: 6th grade: "The Year 2525"
Imagine the year 2525. What do you think the neighborhood you live in now
will look like then? Will solar panels and wind turbines be used to generate
electricity? Will people be living underground? In outer space? Draw your
neighborhood or town as you imagine it will look in the year 2525.
7th grade: "Purple Ducks"
Draw 5 simplified duck forms. They can be swimming, flying, standing- use
your imagination. Use a purple marker, crayon or colored pencil to create a
pattern inside each duck. Color in the rest of the picture with your color
and pattern choice, making sure that the ducks remain dominant.
8th grade: "Forms in Space"
Imagine that you are a passenger on a space ship way out in deep space. As
you look out into the darkness beyond your window, you notice geometric
objects weightlessly floating by. Some of them are overlapping, some are at
odd angles, some are very far away, others are almost touching the window.
Draw what you imagine you see beyond your spaceship window.
Once your forms are drawn, add a light bulb to the drawing. Use this as the
light source in your drawing. Shade in the geometric forms with the light
source in mind. Remember: An object's darker side is farthest from the
light source.
#8
6th grade: "Know Thyself"
Many ideas that people still hold today were first developed in ancient
Greece. For example, the Greeks believed that becoming well educated was a
step toward self-knowledge. They believed that knowing your physical limits
was another way of knowing yourself. The original Olympic Games began in
Greece. Greek art depicts the ideal, physically fit human body.
Think about activities you enjoy, both in and outside of school. Draw
yourself doing an activity that will show a side of yourself others may not
know- something you know about yourself and would like to share with others.
Your portrait should be idealistic, not necessarily realistic. You can give
yourself perfect hair, each strand neatly in place, perfect muscle tone and
so forth.
7th grade: "Action Snapshots"
Think of a places or situations where people are physically moving, such as
at a sports event or in the theater. Think about how and where the human
body bends in each situation. Fill your drawing paper with stick figures,
each showing obvious signs of physical movement. Arrange the figures on your
paper like snapshots in a photo album. Don't get hung up on details, focus
on showing action.
Once your stick figures are complete, observe where you have drawn bends in
the legs, arms, head and neck. Do they make sense? If you are unsure, bend
your arm or leg and observe how it moves, where it bends. Make any necessary
changes to your action snapshots.
8th grade: "Illusion of Depth"
Draw a horizon line high on your paper. Then draw two sides of a pathway
that begins toward the bottom of your paper and appears to wind its way back
into space. The path will appear as if it is going back in space if it has a
wider beginning, situated toward the bottom of your paper, and then narrows
as it winds its way up the page, eventually coming to rest at your horizon
line. Your path can climb at a steep angle much like a triangle until the
tip of the triangle reaches your horizon line. Or it can zigzag its way back
and forth across your page until it reaches your horizon line.
Once your path is in place, draw whatever you like along the pathway. Keep
in mind proportions: As things get farther away, they appear to get smaller,
less defined and lighter in value.
#9
6th grade: "Life Lines"
Closely observe the lines on the palm of your hand. Use all or part of what
you see to create a recognizable picture. Add as many lines as you need to
in order to complete the picture.
7th grade: "Literally Speaking"
Look through the newspaper headlines. Find a headline that can be
interpreted literally and would make for a silly or unique artistic
composition. For example, you could use a headline that read, "Battle over
swimsuits lead to courtroom" and draw a literal battle moving inside of the
courtroom. Incorporate the actual headline into your artwork as if it were a
caption.
8th grade: "15 Minute Landscape"
Sit down by a window with a picturesque view, or if the weather is nice
bring your sketchbook outside to draw. Draw what you see for 15 minutes and
then stop. Try to fill your entire page and include the land, trees, sky and
any buildings you may see. Remember that things far away are small and at
the top of the page and things that are closer are large and at the bottom of
the page. Also pay attention to values: far away is lighter and closer up
is more dark.
#10
6th grade: "Refrigerator"
Draw 2 things from your refrigeratot in an overlapping composition. One
object must have a label on it.
7th grade: "A Limiting Factor"
Draw a human or animal form, limiting yourself to one type of shape. For
example, create a robot using nothing but rectangles. Create a horse that is
made up entirely of triangles. You may vary the size and orientation of the
shape you use, but not the type of shape. Try to give the illusion of
movement to your form.
8th grade: "Motion Lines"
Motion is indicated in cartoons by the use of motion lines. An example
might be a hopping rabbit followed by a series of curved, dashed lines to
show where the rabbit had been hopping, and how high the hops had been. Draw
a cartoon character of your own. The character should be engaged in some
type of activity, such as hopping. Place motion lines wherever they are
needed to indicate movement.
#11
6th grade: "Rock Conquer"
Find a rock or draw a free-form shape on your page. View this rock as if it
were a newly discovered land. Your task is to set up a new colony. Consider
what land features you want to have: A high lookout to watch for a possible
enemy? Flat areas for farming? Draw a picture of your newly colonized rock,
complete with villages, forts and other features for your colony.
7th grade: "Sun Symbols"
Examine a variety of sun symbols. Ancient cultures used sun symbols in
pertoglyphs. Create your own stylized version of the sun. Then write a
short paragraph that explains where your inspiration came from.
8th grade: "Homework Tool"
Draw something that you would use to do your homework, ex. pencil, pen, book,
calculator, etc. Look at the object and draw what you see.
#12
6th grade: Finish the Picture"
Randomly place the following items on your page:
a square
a circle
a triangle
a straight line
a curvy line
Look at the shapes and how they fell on to the page. Make a complete
picture incorporating all of the items you started with.
7th grade: "Design a Scarecrow"
Draw a scarecrow, but make it original. Think of something unique or
different as a theme to dress them up as. For example, a football player or
a cheerleader. Draw a new place for them to live.
8th grade: “Draw a pop Can"
Look closely at a pop can, bottle or juice can. Draw what you see. Pay
attention to detail.
#13
6th grade: "Color Wheel"
Make a color wheel in your sketchbook using the primary and secondary
colors. Make sure the colors are in the proper spots, with each secondary
color between the primary colors that make that color. Color it in.
7th grade: "Skunk smells"
What would it look like if you could see what a skunk smells like? Draw a
skunk at the bottom of your paper and fill in the rest of the page with what
it would look like if you could see the smell.
8th grade: "Choice"
You may choose to design a new uniform for a football team or design five
jack-o-lanterns.
