First Block Art 1 - Basic Drawing

For their first week, Mr. Davis's first block Art 1 class studied basic observation and drawing skills. Students began by copying a drawing upside-down, using the unfamiliar orientation to force themselves to draw what they actually see. This assignment is designed to encourage students to look carefully at the objects they draw, avoiding the use of symbols.

Students then moved on to negative space drawings. On their handouts, photos from Sports Illustrated Magazine had been converted to black and white shape drawings. Students traced the format or outlines of the boxes, then copied the negative or background shapes into the boxes. Filling the negative shapes in with bright colorful patterns reinforces the idea that these are shapes. This is another exercise designed to help Woodmont Art students observe and accurately draw the actual shapes of objects.

As part of their art routine, students finishing their assignments work in their visual journals. All Woodmont High Art I students are required to create three entries per week in their visual journals. These entries center around an artifact - for example, a drawing, a photo, a ticket stub, or any other 2-dimensional object they find visually interesting. Students create a full-page design around the artifact, incorporating text and design elements into their work. Visual journals count as 20% of each student's grade.