Ashley Porter

February 15, 2006

Art in the Elementary School

DrawingBlack and White Landscapes Grade 4

Graphite drawing pencilsDrawing from photographs using lines

Objectives: Art

  1. Students will be exposed to the work of Ansel Adams.

8.02 Discuss how there are art related jobs today that did not exist in the past such as photographer, videographer and computer artist.

  1. Students will use Adams’ black and white landscape photographs as inspiration for their own artwork of pencil drawings.

1.02 Create work which approaches a higher level of realism.

2.03 Increase skills with familiar materials.

  1. Students will review concepts of atmospheric perspective, overlapping, proportion, value change, types of lines etc. in preparation for their drawings.

3.02 Differentiate horizontal, vertical, parallel, and diagonal lines.

3.03 Compare relative positions of objects in space through color intensity and value.

  1. Students will incorporate at least three types of line into their drawings.

-vertical, horizontal, diagonal, wavy, curved, slanted, sharp, etc.

General:

  1. Students will have an opportunity to reflect on the world around them, landscapes they have seen, and photographs viewed in class to create a landscape of their own.
  2. Students will be exposed to new art fields such as photography and how they can use it in every day life as well as a career path.

Materials:12”x9” white drawing paper, graphite drawing pencils, erasers.

Artist examples:

- Ansel Adams: An Autobiography by Ansel Adams

- Ansel Adams: the National Park Service Photographs by Ansel Adams

- Ansel Adams and the American Landscape: A Biography by Jonathon Spaulding

- Ansel Adams California by Ansel Adams

- The American Wilderness by Ansel Adams

- Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs by Ansel Adams

- Photographs of the Southwest by Ansel Adams

Motivation: Discuss how art can be used as a profession today in ways that it could not be in centuries past. Describe how students can use photography to capture scenes, people, and objects of things they love. Display numerous pictures of Ansel Adams’ work to the class as examples for their drawings.

8.02 Discuss how there are art related jobs today that did not exist in the past such as photographer, videographer and computer artist.

  1. Do you know any other famous photographers? Has anyone heard of Ansel Adams? First discuss and introduce Ansel Adams’ and his photographs using the books listed under materials. Describe the landscape of each photograph, where the pictures were taken, what the weather is like, etc.
  2. Have you ever used a camera before? If you were going to be a photographer, what are some things you would take pictures of? What landscapes or scenery would you want to remember on film? Where is your favorite place to visit? Write some of the names of places and scenery on the chalk board for children to see. (Examples: mountains, ocean, river, farm, etc.) Show more examples of Ansel Adams’ photographs, especially of places that the children named.
  3. Does anyone notice a change in darkness to lightness in the photographs? What is that called? Discuss how the black and white photographs can be used as inspiration for black and white drawings. Point out the value changes, how some areas of the pictures are darker, others are lighter. Explain how value change can be used to show distance.
  4. What are some different lines that we use in drawings? Write the names of the lines on the chalk board. Point out how lines are displayed in scenery, using Adams’ photographs as an example.
  5. Explain to the students that they must use at least three different styles of lines in their drawing and that it will be part of their final grade.
  6. What are other ways that we can show perspective in our drawings? What are some lines you see in Ansel Adams’ photographs? Review other terms with the students such as overlapping and proportion. Explain how these techniques can be used to show perspective and distance in landscape drawings.
  7. Show an example of a black and white drawing of a landscape so that the students know what is expected of them. On the chalkboard make a quick sketch of a landscape so the children know how to get started.
  8. Ask the students to each get a piece of paper, a pencil, and an eraser from the middle of their art tables.

Project Procedure:

  1. Make a black and white pencil drawing on 9”x12” white drawing paper deriving inspiration from the photographs seen by Ansel Adams.
  2. Use three different styles of line in the drawings.
  3. Use other techniques of overlapping, proportion, and value change.
  4. Use the same pencil, but with different amounts of application to get a darker or lighter look.

2.03Increase skills with familiar materials.

Class Procedure:

  1. After the motivational segment of class, have each student collect their supplies from the middle of their tables (which will be placed there before they even enter the classroom).
  2. Place a few photographs on display around the room for continued inspiration.
  3. Allow the students to draw for the rest of the class period.
  4. When it is time to clean up, have the students write their name on the back of their drawings and stack them in the middle of their tables.

Evaluation:

  1. Ask a few students to list the types of lines they used in their drawings.
  2. Ask students what scenery they chose to draw.
  3. What did you learn about scenery and drawing that you did not know before?
  4. Can you name a famous photographer?

Adapted from: Black & White Drama, Crayola.com