Lesson #1: Investigating an object through drawing
Part of the unit: Two-Dimensional Furniture Design |
LESSON
Materials
A variety of drawing materials, including ebony pencils, thick and thin sharpie markers, and charcoal
Resources
Drawings of tools by Jim Dine and drawings of objects by Andy Warhol (from Andy Warhol: Drawings 1942-1987).
1. Provide students with an everyday object to draw. These can be chosen by students, or distributed, or a small groups can draw the same object. Make sure there are a few different objects available, but that each student draws one.
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Note: Objects should be selected with students' drawing experience in mind. Objects should preferably be related to functional design, such as hardware tools, kitchen tools, scissors, staplers, hole punchers, cell phones, etc. but simpler objects such as water bottles, utensils, pens, and cups can also be used.
2. Have students spend a moment looking at their objects from different angles, and observing the detail and function of their objects.
3. Distribute drawing paper, scrap paper, and choices of drawing materials.
4. While students work, encourage them to:
- look at the lines, shapes, and details that make up the object
- experiment with the different drawing materials on the scrap paper, before choosing the material for their drawings
- "see" the contour and/or shading of their object.
Put up all the drawings. View and discuss the work. If time is tight, select two or three different types of drawings to hold up. Have students describe their choice in drawing material, composition and use of line, contour and/or shape, shading, and detail. Some guiding questions to ask:
- What do you think he/she wanted us to see about the object?
- How did he/she support this with their choices of materials, composition, etc?